How to Make a Snack Board—The Ultimate Party Spread

We’ve all been there: Scrolling Instagram or Pinterest and finding the most beautiful spread of meats and cheeses and telling ourselves we’re going to make it this year. But molding salami into roses and slicing cheese into triangles and fanning out slices of apples is a lot of work, and we’re hungry! Luckily, snack boards are a thing, and we can’t wait to make them.

This fun way of displaying meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies and other accoutrements is a lot more manageable than the beautiful, but time-consuming, charcuterie board. If you have a lot going on but still want to make an impression, try out a snack board at your next party. We guarantee it’ll be a success.

What Is a Snack Board?

We’ll keep it simple—a snack board can be anything you want it to be. It can have your favorite meats, cheeses, jams, vegetables, berries, crackers and nuts. It can also be a board made up of fun finger foods like mozzarella sticks, cheeseburger sliders, chicken tenders and onion rings.

So how does a snack board differ from a charcuterie board or an antipasto platter? Traditionally, charcuterie boards have a collection of meats like cured sausage, prosciutto and salami. The French word charcuterie came from an earlier form of the word, chair cuite, meaning “cooked meat.”

Antipasto platters, similar to charcuterie boards, have various meats. The difference with antipasto platters is that you’ll more commonly see Italian hors d’oeuvres like olives, pepperoncini and marinated artichoke hearts.

How to Make the Ultimate Snack Board

What to Put on a Snack Board

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We have some ideas below to get you started on making the ultimate board for munching. Feel free to stick with what we used, or swap ingredients based on your tastes. Because it’s such a customizable dish, you can add anything you know your family or friends will love.

• Antipasto kabobs: a little bit of everything with a whole lot of flavor.
• Marinated Mozzarella and Tomato Appetizers: it’s like bruschetta in a bowl, but a whole lot easier to assemble.
• Dips like hummus or this Three-Cheese Pepperoncini Spread will take your crackers to next-level yumminess.
• Crackers are a staple because they act as a nice base for things like dips and cheeses. In this board, we used La Panzanella Original Sea Salt Mini Croccantini, Stonewall Kitchen Aged Cheddar Beer Crackers, Alessi Thin Breadsticks and Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps.
• Produce will add a pop of flavor to a cheese and cracker based board. These are fun to swap out seasonally for super fresh options. We used watermelon radishes, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, grapes (green, purple and black) and mini sweet bell peppers.
• Cheeses bring it all together. What’s a snack board without cheese? We opted for blue cheese, goat cheese, cheddar and Fiorucci prosciutto and mozzarella panino.
• Extras like pickled red onions, cornichons, dried apricots and marcona almonds add fun hints of flavor and allow for more mixing and matching.

How to Build a Snack Board

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Remember, snack boards are more casual than charcuterie boards. They’re meant to be fun, stress-free arrays of your favorite snacks, so place them wherever and however you’d like. We have some basic tips below if you do want to make a standout presentation though!

Step 1: Pick a large board or serving platter

Depending on how many people will be munching on the snack board, you’re going to want a decent sized board. If you have a large serving platter, that works just as well.

Step 2: Place your bowls

For anything like dips and extras that are served in bowls, you’ll want to place those on the board first. This way, everything else can be worked in around the bowls.

Step 3: Place your cheeses and crackers

Arrange any cheeses you have in various spots around the board. Then, you can place crackers nearby that you might like to eat with certain cheeses.

Step 4: Place your meats and hors d’oeuvres

Strips of meat like prosciutto and other add-ons like antipasto kabobs can be worked in around the cheeses and bowls.

Step 5: Pop in your produce and extras

The final step is sprinkling in your bright fruits and veggies. Simply fill in any gaps on your board and make adjustments as you go. For a more varied look, spread out the produce so there are a few vines of grapes in different places on the board and a few different groups of nuts and dried fruits. Learn how to make a vegan charcuterie board and turkey charcuterie board.

Tips for Making a Snack Board

What else can you put on a snack board?

If you’re looking for easy ways to swap things out, try more sweet and mild cheeses like Havarti and Brie. You can also slice up a thin baguette instead of using crackers. If you want less produce and more meat, opt for sliced options like salami and pancetta.

Dips are great for more filling sides, but you can also use condiments like jams and honey for a sweeter touch. If the appetizer-style foods on the board are your favorite part, try adding things like fried pickles, pizza rolls and stuffed mushrooms. We also recommend trying out some vodka butter as an interesting addition. The options are truly endless.

What can you pair with a snack board?

Snack boards have a lot of flavor going on, so they’re usually delicious as-is. One of the easiest things to pair with a snack board, though, is drinks! We paired ours with sparkling red wine sangria. Whether you’re mixing fresh mocktails or you have a favorite classic cocktail, the fizzy flavors will be just what you need to top off a snack board.