How to Make a Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board

Learn How to Make a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board Filled With Cheese, Meats, Macarons, Berries, Crackers, and Chocolate in Three Easy Steps.

Whether you’re celebrating with your partner, roommates, or by yourself, try making a Valentine’s Day charcuterie board this year. With meats, cheese, and sweets, it’s the perfect appetizer or meal. Plus, they’re super easy to make! 

What is a Charcuterie Board? 

You may have seen these adorable fruits, nuts, cheese, and meat boards and wonder what they’re all about. A charcuterie board is an easy, beautiful finger food appetizer.

For Valentine’s Day, I decided to put a twist on the traditional charcuterie board by adding in a few Valentine’s Day touches. 

Looking for a dessert Charcuterie Board? Check out our Valentine's Day Dessert Charcuterie Board HERE.

What to Add to a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board?

Cheeses - If you’ve ever browsed your specialty cheese aisle, you may be a little overwhelmed with the choices. When I’m choosing cheeses for my board, I tend to buy one cheese that I know my guests and I will like (this is normally something safe like a white cheddar), a soft cheese (I tend to buy a goat cheese for this one), and an adventurous cheese (for this board I decided to buy Silton with Blueberries to bring in a little more color). 

Meats - Since I wanted to add sweets to this board, I decided to add fewer meats than I would normally have. For this board, I only added a simple salami (I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter for Valentine’s Day) and prosciutto. 

Nuts - When it comes to nuts, I tend to keep things simple by adding walnuts, pecans, or almonds. 

Spreads/Dips - Popular things to add here are mustards, jams, and curds. For this board, I added a simple berry compote. 

Crackers/Bread - To complement your cheeses and meats, add in some crackers or bread. I like having a couple of different varieties of crackers for my boards.

Fruit - I always like to add fresh fruit to my charcuterie boards. For this board, I decided to add in red fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and blood oranges. 

Sweets - Valentine’s Day isn’t Valentine’s Day without chocolate. For my board, I added a local craft chocolate bar and homemade fudge, but feel free to add whatever looks good to you! 

In addition to chocolates, I found some cute heart-shaped cookies at my grocery store. 

I also ordered a dozen macarons from a local baker. To keep with the theme, I chose vanilla and raspberry macarons. 

How to Assemble Your Valentine’s Day Dessert Charcuterie Board

Don’t let the difficult name confuse you, charcuterie boards are easy to assemble! Follow my three easy steps for a professional-looking board. 

Step 1 - Find the Perfect Charcuterie Board

Begin by finding the perfect board. Honestly, any board, plate, or platter will work - there’s no need to go out and buy something new. 

When I’m choosing my board, I’m thinking about two things: size and material. If you know you are going to be serving a large party, you’ll need a larger board. 

But, if it’s just for you and your partner, feel free to keep it small. In addition to a board, you may want a few small bowls for dips. 

For the material, I typically like using a wooden board, but for this Valentine’s Day board, I decided to use marble.  

Step 2 - Assemble Your Board

There’s no wrong way to assemble a charcuterie board; just add in each of your elements until you are satisfied with its look. 

But, for me, I tend to assemble my boards in the same order every time. First, I place my cheeses, bowls, and other large items on the board.

From there, I like adding in the meats and nuts.

Finally, I’ll add in the chocolates, fruits, and sweets. When placing my items, I like to stand back to make sure my board is looking balanced.   

Step 3 - Add in Finishing Touches

To finish off your board, add in a few finishing touches. I normally add in a few fresh herbs, but for this Valentine’s Day board I decided to add in some fresh flowers. 

If you loved my Valentine’s Day Sweet and Savory Charcuterie Board, be sure to check out my Valentine’s Day Dessert Charcuterie Board here. 

Have you made a charcuterie board before? Let me know in the comments below!

I’d love to see your Valentine’s Day charcuterie board! Be sure to tag me in your posts so I can see them!

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Have you made a Valentine's Day charcuterie board before? Let me know in a comment below!