Entertaining a friend or partner for the holidays? Learn how to make a Small Charcuterie Board For Two to enjoy for date night including a shopping list on what to buy and how much food you need.


Cheese board for two on a white plate

Holidays are often synonymous for entertaining. However if you’re anything like me, I don’t often entertain for large groups of people.

Instead, I’d rather have one-on-one time with a close friend. And of course any occasion when I invite someone over, there must be food.

That’s where my Small Charcuterie Board comes in handy! It’s a charcuterie board for two that’s an easy yet impressive way to feed your guest without being tied to the stove in the kitchen.

Or perhaps you and your partner want to have date night at home while catching up on your favorite tv show.

Whatever the reason, I’m sharing tips and tricks on how to build the perfect charcuterie board for two, including how much food you need and what order to add the items to your board.


Close up of cheese with knife

What is the best board to use for charcuterie?

Traditionally charcuterie boards are built on wooden cutting boards or slate. However, you’re not limited to this!

For my small cheese board, I used a large white dinner plate. I’ve also used platters and aluminum serving trays.

If this is your first time building a cheese board but don’t want to go over budget, check out your local thrift store for props!

Here you can find large plates, platters, trays, and sometimes even wooden cutting boards as well as small bowls and plates for your smaller snacks. Bonus if you can find little spreaders and forks.

Otherwise, you can find most basic items at big box stores like Walmart and Target. If budget isn’t an issue, check out Crate and Barrel as well.


Cheese board for two on a white plate

What To Put On A Small Charcuterie Board

The challenging part about making a simple charcuterie board is deciding how much food to serve.

First, know your audience. I could probably eat a whole small cheese board for two myself so I tend to get heavy on how many snacks I add.

However if you have a smaller appetite, then you’ll want to stick to 1-2 options of each category below:

  • Cheese: It’s not a cheeseboard without cheese! Stick to two varieties – one hard (cheddar, Gouda, Colby Jack) and one soft (Brie, Boursin, goat cheese). You can even go fancy with Cheese Ball Bites.
  • Meat: Charcuterie actually refers to serving meat on a cheese board. Choose two varieties (salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, chorizo, sopressata)
  • Antipasto: Select two pickled or marinated items such as olives, baby gherkins, or marinated mushrooms.
  • Spread: For a mini charcuterie board, you only need 1 spread such as mustard or raspberry jam. I personally doubled up on using Boursin as my spread as well as my cheese.
  • Fruit: With the amount of cheese and meat served, you’ll need at least 1-2 fresh items such as fruit. Grapes and apples are my go to, but you can also use pears and fresh berries.
  • Snacks: I like to fill in the gaps with small snacking items such as almonds, pistachios, dried cherries, even chocolate.
  • Starch: You need an edible serving vessel to tie everything together! I love buying a variety pack of crackers so you have different shapes and sizes, but you can also use crostini too.

Charcuterie Board Themes

Not sure where to begin building your cheese board for two? Choose one of these themed charcuterie boards and build around it!


Close up of prosciutto

How To Make A Small Charcuterie Board

Although there’s no wrong way to make your charcuterie board for two, here’s the easiest way to build one.

First, add any bowls or plates you may be using to hold your food. It’s easier to build around these vessels than trying to fit them in afterwards.

I used a mini cast iron skillet to hold my Boursin and a tiny blue ceramic bowl I bought from a local art show for olives.

Next, add your cheese and meat. These are the main components of your simple cheese board, so you want them to be the star (plus they’re often the largest items on your board).

After those have been placed, add your larger snack items such as fruit, olives, and pickles.

Finally, fill in the gaps with smaller snack items such as nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate.

Since your mini charcuterie is likely on a small board or plate, I served the crackers on the side.


Close up of olives on cheese board

Can you make a charcuterie board for two ahead of time?

When life gets too busy, sometimes you need all the help you can get to prepare your simple charcuterie board ahead of time.

The easiest way to make your cheese board ahead of time is cutting all of your meats and cheeses into servable slices then storing them in a plastic bag or container until ready to serve.

If you’re serving fruit such as grapes, you can also wash them ahead of time.

What To Serve With Charcuterie Board For Two

Need something to drink with your cheese board? Or maybe you want to serve dinner afterwards. Here are some recipes you can serve with your small charcuterie board:

Cheese board for two on a white plate

Charcuterie Board For Two

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Entertaining a friend or partner for the holidays? Learn how to make a Charcuterie Board For Two to enjoy for date night including a shopping list on what to buy and how much food you need.

Ingredients

  • 1 hard cheese, such as Cheddar, Gouda, or Colby Jack
  • 1 soft cheese, such as Brie, Boursin, or goat cheese
  • 2 types of meat, such as salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, chorizo, or sopressata
  • 2 types of pickled or marinated items such as olives, baby gherkins, or marinated mushrooms
  • 1 spread, such as mustard or jam
  • 2 types of fruit, such as grapes, apples, pears, or berries
  • 2 types of small snacks, such as almonds, pistachios, dried cherries, dried apricots, or chopped chocolate
  • 1 starch, such as crackers or crostini

Instructions

  1. Add any bowls or plates you may be using to hold your food to your board. It's easier to build around these vessels than trying to fit them in afterwards.
  2. Add your cheese and meat. These are the main components (plus they're often the largest items on your board).
  3. Add your larger snack items such as fruit, olives, and pickles.
  4. Finally, fill in the gaps with smaller snack items such as nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate.
  5. If there's room on the board, add your crackers or crostini. If not, serve them on the side.

Notes

Did you make this recipe?

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First published November 23, 2022