This is the ultimate guide on How to Assemble the Perfect Cheese Board, with clever tips and tricks to help you create the perfect board. I’ll show you what cheese to use, what to pair them with, and how you can create your own themed boards!

---

Hey! Are you a cheesy person? Do you wish you were gouda making cheeseboards? Well, it doesn’t get much cheddar than this guide on How to Assemble the Perfect Cheese Board! By the end of this post, I have no doubt you’ll be grate at assembling the perfect board.

Okay, I’m sure you’re feta with the puns… let’s get down to bus-swiss! ;)

My favorite part of food blogging, to be honest with you, isn’t really the food. And it’s certainly not the dishes or bookkeeping or responding to emails. No, my favorite part of blogging is the art of making a beautiful photo. I’m a creative at heart, and I love the serotonin rush of creating an edible piece of art. That’s probably why I love making cheese boards so much!

Another reason I love snack boards is that they’re completely customizable. They’re the perfect “kitchen sink” meal when you have a little bit of this and a little bit of that in your fridge. In this guide, I’m going to show you my go-to template that’ll allow you to create your own aesthetic board! Let’s get to it!

THE CHEESE

What Types of Cheese to Choose

You must follow this one rule when you pick your cheeses, and that is – pick cheeses you like! I don’t believe you need a certain quota in order to have an elegant, delicious board. However, if you’re looking for variety, this is what I recommend:

HARD: A good hard cheese like asiago, sharp cheddar, or grana padano is always a crowd favorite. Since most hard cheeses are full of flavor, they’re the perfect accompaniment to crackers.

SEMI-HARD: These ones aren’t as hard as the previous category, and usually have a bit milder taste. Some great semi-hard cheeses include havarti, comté, gouda, manchego, or emmenthaler.

SOFT: Soft cheeses are usually ones that work best when spread with a cheese knife. They’re generally mild in flavor, often buttery, and deliciously creamy. Some of my favorites include brie (a classic), fromage d’affinois (brie’s lesser known cousin, with a more assertive flavor), camembert, Boursin garlic and herb cheese, buffalo mozzarella, chèvre or other goat’s cheese, or ricotta.

BLEU: Bleu (or blue) cheese can be hit-or-miss for people. However, once you get used to the taste, some bleu cheeses can really be quite delicious! Some great options include roquefort, blue stilton, gorgonzola, valdeón, or Irish Cashel blue.

FLAVORED CHEESES: I love cheeses that have been infused with other flavors. Some delicious ones I’ve tried are wine-soaked tuscano, smoked chili gouda, black pepper asiago, and dill cheddar. Check out your local grocery store – I’ve found that most of them have great options for funky, unique cheeses!

Balancing Flavor

Balance is key – try to incorporate cheeses with a range of intensities, from mild to sharp. Later on, when you’re choosing accoutrements, think about how the cheeses will pair with the other items on the board. For example, serve a blue cheese with a sweet accompaniment, like dried apricots or honey.

Tasting Tips

When building your board, choose cheeses of different shapes, sizes, and colors for a display that catches the eye. Sticking to one color will make for a boring cheese board! Also keep in mind temperature – let cheeses sit out for about 30 minutes after assembling the board. Room temperature cheeses will always taste more flavorful.

THE CRACKERS

Having a wide variety of crackers adds interest, crunch, and texture to any board. I always try to include a mix of wheat, gluten-free, or nut and seed-based crackers. Also, I’m aware that probably 2% of people agree with me on this, but I love using Triscuits because they’re so thick and crunchy, the perfect vehicle for brie or other soft cheeses.

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, I highly recommend checking out their cracker selection. I love the gluten-free beet crackers, pita chip crackers, everything bagel crackers, and raisin rosemary crackers. They are all just *chef’s kiss*! Another great brand I like that you can find at most stores is Simple Mills. Their crackers are gluten-free, but you’d never be able to tell! Here’s a link to a delicious variety pack you can buy online :)

THE VEG

A cheese board isn’t complete without fresh elements, such as fruits and veggies! A fun idea is to create a hybrid cheese / crudité platter, with lots of fresh veggies in the mix. This is a great way to cater to vegan folks, and also to add color and variety to the board. Some of my favorite veg additions include cornichons, mini cucumbers, carrots, in-season tomatoes, pickled asparagus, celery, snap peas, and olives. (I think olives are actually a fruit, but since they’re savory, they get to go on the veg list!)

THE FRUIT

Fruits are equally important for a cheese board. One of my great joys in life is having a perfectly toasted piece of crostini with camembert cheese and a thin slice of nectarine. It is perfection! Stone fruits such as apricots, pears, peaches, etc. lend themselves really well to cheese. However, I always love to include what’s in season, like strawberries in summer or pomegranate in winter. And don’t forget to think about dried fruit – dried apricots, cranberries, or raisins also add in delicious flavor!

THE DIPS

No cheese board is complete without dips! Including spreadables like hummus or guacamole is inclusive for vegans, and are very crowd-pleasing in general. I also love to include some form of spicy element, such as hot sauce, hot pepper jelly, or spicy honey.

THE SNACKS

A cheese board isn’t just for cheese and crackers! Adding other snacks and munchies to the board keeps things interesting. Sometimes I’ll include French butter biscuits for a sweet element, or add in potato chips (Cape Cod chips or bust) or other crunchies for texture. Some of my favorite additions include these Caesar pea crisps, smoked almonds, cashews, pretzels, pumpkin seeds, chex mix, tortilla chips, veggie chips,

THE GARNISH

I always love to have a little bit of green on my boards. A garnish doesn’t necessarily have to be edible, just food-safe for it to come into contact with the cheese. For example, I love having raw herbs like rosemary or thyme to add that pop of color. And yes rosemary is technically edible, but I don’t recommend eating a bunch of it raw!!

You can also add halved clementines for a beautiful pop of orange, or edible flowers like pansies or violets for even more color.

THEMING

Now that you’ve got your starting point for building the perfect cheeseboard, let’s talk about ways you can customize it based on the season, holiday, or type of gathering. Cheeseboards aren’t a one-size-fits-all situation! For example, for a summer picnic, I’ll swap heavy cheeses for lighter ones, and pair them with fresh fruit. If I’m planning a wine night with the girls, I’ll select cheeses that are bold enough to stand up to whatever wines I’m serving.

Here are ways you can create a custom theme for your cheeseboard:

Seasonal Boards

Creating a stunning cheeseboard is the perfect way to highlight the best of a season. Here are some ideas on how you can use seasonal produce or foods in your boards:

• Spring: Use fresh berries, asparagus spears, spring peas, and pea shoots
• Summer: Add stone fruits like peaches, plums, or cherries. Also try watermelon slices, and fresh herbs like basil or thyme as garnishes
• Autumn: Try sliced apples, pears, or figs; roasted grapes, honeycomb, and candied nuts
• Winter: Add dried fruits like cranberries or cherries, pomegranate seeds, and jams or chutneys with winter flavors like cranberry or pear

Holiday Boards

A delicious, holiday-themed cheeseboard can add so much pizzazz to your parties! Choose festive cheeses, add colorful fruits and jams, then arrange it in a festive display. It’s fun, creative, and guarantees to be a crowd-pleasing hit at any party!

• Christmas: Create a wreath of soft cheese (like goat cheese) and crust it with rosemary, pine nuts, and cranberries. Add more rosemary sprigs for garnish and dried cranberries as “holly berries”.
• Halloween: Add pumpkin crackers or pumpkin jam for a seasonal twist. You can also try making a spiderweb design on the board with a round cheese in the center, and rows of dark olives or crackers creating the web. Add on slices of red bell pepper for a ghoulish pop of red!
• Thanksgiving: Go for a cornucopia theme! Fill a horn-shaped cheese mold with a creamy cheese and surround it with fall staples like grapes, figs, and pumpkin seeds. Another great idea would be to serve cranberry sauce as a condiment for the cheeses.
• Valentine’s Day: Choose shades of red and pink, such as wine-soaked cheeses and colorful jams. Arrange cheeses cut out into heart shapes, with strawberries, raspberries, and pomegranate arils. Add a little carafe of balsamic glaze for extra elegance.
• Fourth of July: Make a patriotic board with a wedge of blue cheese, goat cheese dusted with everything bagel seasoning (like fireworks!), and red grapes.
• Birthdays: For birthday-themed boards, choose items that you know the birthday recipient will love! Toss on sprinkles for garnish, and add colorful candies like gummy bears or chocolate hearts for more birthday vibes.

Globally-Inspired Boards

I LOVE trying foods from other countries – it’s such a great way to learn about their cuisine and culture. And this theme lends itself SO well to parties with friends or get-togethers. Invite your friends to try cheese from a selected country, paired with accompaniments and snacks from that country. Another fun idea is to have a “Cheese Around the World” party where everyone brings a board from a different country. Here are several ideas:

• France: Try the French classics – include creamy brie, nutty comté, and a sharp roquefort. For accoutrements, add cornichons, sliced baguette, and a little carafe of dijon mustard.
• Italy: Popular Italian options include pecorino romano, fresh mozzarella, and creamy gorgonzola. If inclined, add on Italian meats such as prosciutto di parma to eat with the cheese. Also delicious would be sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
• Greece: Here, try a block of feta, creamy mizithra cheese, and a wedge of sharp graviera. Add kalamata olives, grilled pita, and a dollop of hummus.
• Spain: For a Spanish board, the obvious choice is tapas! Serve manchego cheese, slices of jamón serrano, and a wedge of cabrales blue cheese. For accoutrements, add marcona almonds and piquillo peppers. Be sure to serve with a Spanish rioja wine!
• Ireland: Try creamy Kerrygold cheddar, a wedge of smoked gubbeen cheese, and a crumbly cashel blue cheese. Serve with brown bread or rye slices and apple slices.
• Netherlands: Gouda and edam cheeses would pair perfectly with stroopwafel cookies and Dutch mustard!
• Mexico: Add queso fresco, crumbly cotija, and aged queso anejo cheeses for a Mexican board. For add-ons, serve with sliced picked jalapeños, chorizo sausage, and a bowl of guacamole.
• Denmark: Try havarti for a mild option, Danish blue for a sharp bite, and the unique rygeost cheese with rye flour. Include sliced apples, candied walnuts, and fig jam for a sweet and savory contrast.

THE PRESENTATION

Order of Assembly

There’s no one right or wrong way to assemble a cheeseboard, but this is what I do to create artistically-designed boards:

STEP ONE: Pick out your board. Use a wooden or marble cutting board, slate platter, or any food-safe, attractive surface. For large gatherings, you can even use a large baking sheet to fit everything on.

STEP TWO: Add on the cheese. Generally, I’ll serve anywhere from 3-5 cheeses per board, but this number is totally up to you. The key is to place the cheeses away from each other, like islands. Leaving gaps between the cheeses allows you to fit everything else in around it. Also consider the colors of the cheese. For example, don’t put two orange cheeses next to each other – instead, put a blue cheese in between them to visually separate them.

STEP THREE: Fill in the gaps. After cheese I add on larger accoutrements, like cheeses, fruits, or nuts. I generally add on crackers second-to-last (right before garnishes) because they can slide around and get in the way. Once I have my accoutrements around my cheese “islands”, I stuff the crackers in whatever space is left.

STEP FOUR: Garnish. Add on a sprig of fresh herbs, flowers, or a sprinkling of colorful dried fruits or nuts to make the most visually appealing board. Remember, you eat with your eyes first!

Final Touches

• Cheese Knives: Provide a variety of cheese knives for guests to easily cut and spread different cheeses.
• Labels: Labeling your cheeses is thoughtful for guests, especially when it comes to unfamiliar varieties. Small cards with cheese names or flavor profiles are helpful.
• Serving Utensils: Include separate serving utensils for soft cheeses, jams, and olives to avoid cross-contamination.

---

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide on how to make the Perfect Cheeseboard! Let me know if you have any questions or tips in the comments! :)

P.S.

For more recipes and lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Instagram and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!