Grazing Platter

This is the ULTIMATE Grazing Platter that is so easy to put together, making it perfect for when you are entertaining. A variety of cheese, meats, crackers, fruit and deli items all loaded up on a board - sweet and savoury, there is something for everyone. This looks far fancier than it actually is and will really impress your guests. Learn how to make a grazing board and all the different ways you can adapt it!

We all love a cheese board, but we have taken it to the next level. The charcuterie board and cheese board have had a serious upgrade to this grazing platter. A beautiful wooden board (a must for entertaining) piled high with a variety of cheese meat and crackers and then little bits of fruit, nuts and pickles stuffed in between make it truly special.

Sometimes when you are entertaining, you don't want to do a full sit down meal. You want something that you can serve up with drinks and everyone can just pick at and help themselves. This grazing platter is perfect for that. I served it up for a girls night with cocktails and it lasted us the whole evening.

Looking for some other recipes that are perfect for when entertaining? Why not try our Cheese Straws or Ultimate Prawn Cocktail?

Why should you try it?

Step by step

One: Put all the cheese, meat and crackers on the board.
Two: Fill the spaces with the rest of the smaller ingredients.

What is a grazing platter?

If you haven't had a grazing platter before, then you are seriously missing out. Basically, it is a cheese board and a charcuterie board put together with loads of other delicious additions that you can find on a deli counter. They are usually served up at parties and guests can just pick at them without having to have a full sit down meal.

Grazing platters are serious crowd pleasers, as there is something for everyone. You have the sweet and the savoury with the meat and the fruit and then you have the variety of textures with the soft cheeses and the crunchy crackers and nuts. They don't have to be expensive either, as they are so adaptable so you can build them around whatever you have too.

They are easy to adapt the size also. You can make a small board for a romantic night in, or you can use the biggest serving platter you can find and load it up for a party of guests. You can adapt it to suit different diet restrictions and even seasonal ingredients for the time of year. They are basically the ultimate entertaining food.

Variations

The best thing about this grazing board is that it is so easy to adapt. Use this post as a guide and change things up with your favourite meats and cheeses, and whatever crackers you have in your cupboard and fruit you have in your fridge.

It's so easy to just throw together with whatever you have and that means you can make it a different way every time, so you never get bored of it. We have made this many times, and I think this is our favourite combination in the photos.

Meat - If you don't want to do a vegetarian grazing platter, then you have lots of options when it comes to meats. We prefer to stick to red meat like honey roast ham, prosciutto, salami and chorizo. However you could also add some slices of roast chicken and turkey to add some lean protein.

Cheese - This is my favourite part of the grazing platter. We have gone with stilton, a garlic and herb cream cheese and Camembert. To make the Camembert really special, we drizzled it with honey and crumbled some pecans on top. The honey drizzled off the side of the cheese and on to some of the meat, which was an unexpected surprise. Honey chorizo is amazing!

Other cheeses that would work well are a mature cheddar, smoked cheese, feta or brie. We also love a Wensleydale that has some kind of fruit in it. Have a few different cheese knives on the board so they don't have to be mixed. Having a soft gooey Camembert spread all over a mature cheddar isn't going to look great after the first cut.

Fruit - This adds some real freshness to the grazing board, otherwise everything can feel a bit heavy. We added some grapes, tomatoes and strawberries as that is what we had. You could also add some dried apricots, figs, orange, apple slices or cranberries.

Crackers - We like crackers with lots of flavour, so we have added things like rosemary and sea salt cracker breads and sweet chilli cracker thins. You could just add some cheese crackers though if you prefer. We also added little melba toasts and mini bread sticks for extra crunch, but mini rice cakes work well too. If you wanted to add bread, then thin slices of small baguette or pitta strips would work.

Dip - We couldn't resist adding some dips to this platter. We added some homemade hummus and whipped feta, but something like Tzatziki, or a chutney would work well. We keep some spoons in them, so guests can spoon on to their plate and crackers rather than having loads of dipping and crumbs everywhere. This also helps with cross contamination if there are allergies too.

Extras - These are all the little bits that not only add lots of texture and flavour, but they fill in the gaps on the board so it looks fully loaded up. They are also cheaper ways to pack out the board and fill your guests up. Things like olives, stuffed peppers, chillies, nuts, seeds, roasted chickpeas, wasabi peas, gherkins (pickles), artichokes, celery, bell peppers, cucumber, pretzels and roasted peppers. We like to serve some in little bowls and others stuffed in to gaps. Keep some tooth picks near them too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Extra tips

• The key to the best grazing board is a mixture of textures and flavours.
• Make sure that everything can be eaten with your hands. This isn't a sit down meal with a knife and fork, so it needs to be things than can be picked up and stacked on to a cracker.
• Finish everything off and add some freshness with a few sprigs of rosemary on top of everything. It doesn't have to be eaten, but it looks amazing.
• To make a grazing platter look really special, as well as having the huge board that you serve it all on, try to use other little bowls, ramekins, shot glasses or plates on the board to serve things in. It will add layers to the board and stop all the ingredients just spreading in to each other. Anything oily, like olives, should go in a bowl.
• If you are using store bought dip, spoon it out in to a nice bowl to give it a homemade look. Keep the pot and lid to be able to put leftovers back in and keep it in the fridge.
• If you are adding grapes and olives, try to stick to seedless. It avoids your guests crunching in to something unexpected and then having to find somewhere to put the stone.
• If you don't have a board big enough for all your ingredients, don't worry. You can add what you can and then replenish it as the night goes on.
• Nutritional information and calories will depend on the exact ingredients you have used and the amount per person.

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Recipe

Grazing Platter

This is the ULTIMATE Grazing Platter! So easy to make, so it's perfect for entertaining. Learn how to make a grazing board and all the ways to adapt it!

5 from 17 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Party Food

Cuisine: British, Mediterranean

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Allergen:

Dairy

Meat

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 400kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures

• ▢ 3-4 cheeses
• ▢ 300 g cured meats
• ▢ 2 types of crackers
• ▢ Bread sticks
• ▢ Grapes
• ▢ Strawberries
• ▢ Nuts
• ▢ Cherry tomatoes
• ▢ Sundried Tomatoes
• ▢ Whipped feta
• ▢ Hummus
• ▢ Gherkins
• ▢ Olives
• ▢ Bell peppers

Instructions

• Put all the cheese, meat and crackers on the board.
• Fill the spaces with the rest of the smaller ingredients.

Notes

• The key to the best grazing board is a mixture of textures and flavours.
• Make sure that everything can be eaten with your hands. This isn't a sit down meal with a knife and fork, so it needs to be things than can be picked up and stacked on to a cracker.
• Finish everything off and add some freshness with a few sprigs of rosemary on top of everything. It doesn't have to be eaten, but it looks amazing.
• To make a grazing platter look really special, as well as having the huge board that you serve it all on, try to use other little bowls, ramekins, shot glasses or plates on the board to serve things in. It will add layers to the board and stop all the ingredients just spreading in to each other. Anything oily, like olives, should go in a bowl.
• If you are using store bought dip, spoon it out in to a nice bowl to give it a homemade look. Keep the pot and lid to be able to put leftovers back in and keep it in the fridge.
• If you are adding grapes and olives, try to stick to seedless. It avoids your guests crunching in to something unexpected and then having to find somewhere to put the stone.
• If you don't have a board big enough for all your ingredients, don't worry. You can add what you can and then replenish it as the night goes on.
• Nutritional information and calories will depend on the exact ingredients you have used and the amount per person.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 400kcal

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DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.