Vegan Cheese Board (Charcuterie Board)

If you want your party or holiday to be extra special, make a vegan cheese board or charcuterie board for a centerpiece that will impress your guests.  A beautiful board filled with vegan cheeses like smoked gouda, cheddar, brie, and garlic herb plus grapes, olives, and an assortment of nuts and crackers will satisfy a crowd. 

Turn it into a charcuterie board by adding some vegan deli meats like vegan ham, turkey, bologna, salami, or vegan pepperoni slices!

Cheeseboards are fun to make and fun to eat!  Make one up for your next party, or just treat yourself to finger food for dinner while you curl up and watch a movie.  You can purchase all the items that you need for a cheeseboard at most large supermarkets or you can make a lot of the cheeses yourself.  I like to make my own vegan cheese so much, that I wrote a cookbook “The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheesemaking.”

Cheese Board vs Charcuterie Board

People think of a cheese board and a Charcuterie board as the same thing.  The only difference is that a Charcuterie board usually includes things like deli meats, olives, or other savory finger snacks.

Elements of a Vegan Cheese Board

I like to think of a cheese board or a charcuterie board as you would a flower arrangement.  Use your board as the base and balance it out with flavors, textures, and colors, sprinkling things around until it’s bright, colorful, and pleasing to the eye.

The board

Any great cheese board starts with a beautiful board.  You can use a traditional charcuterie board or simply use a large wooden cutting board or serving platter to present the hors d’oeuvres.  I also find small decorative bowls to be helpful for adding color and some variation in height on your board.  Little bowls are also needed if you are going to use dips or wet items such as olives or pickles.

Vegan Cheese

Any dairy-free cheese that is tasty sliced and served cold will work well on your cheeseboard.  Cheese spreads and dips also add some additional interest and textures to your board. You can purchase a variety of vegan cheeses at most major grocery stores, co-ops, and natural food stores.  However, I like to make my own homemade vegan cheeses. 

The following are a few of my favorites for a vegan cheese board…

• Provolone – a classic tasting neutral-flavored cheese.
• Vegan Cheddar – a sharp tangy cheddar.
• Smoked Gouda – a rich and creamy smokey cheese.
• Vegan Pepper Jack – a spicy cheese made with pepper and spiced to your taste.
• Vegan Garlic Herb Cheese – a flavorful cheese with garlic and herbs of your choice.
• Almond Cheese – a super easy vegan cheese made in minutes from almond flour.
• Nacho Cheese Sauce – a classic tasting cheddar style nacho cheese sauce perfect for dipping.
• Healthy Veggie Cheese Sauce – a cheese sauce made from healthy veggies.
• Herbed Vegan Cream Cheese – a classic-tasting cream cheese with garlic, herbs, and veggies to use as a spread.
• Cashew Cheese Dip – a rich and creamy plant-based red pepper dip.
• Vegan Goat Cheese – a rich and creamy spreadable cheese with an earthy flavor.
• Tofu Cheese Ball – a spreadable tofu herb cheese that’s great for parties.
• Vegan Brie – recipe in my vegan cheese cookbook

Dippers

Crackers – Any vegan crackers will work, just check and make sure they don’t contain dairy.  For a gluten-free option, my gluten-free quinoa crackers work great.

Bread – Thinly sliced pieces of a baguette or even Melba toast works well. You can also use some delicious homemade vegan focaccia bread.

Pretzels – Regular or gluten-free.

Chips – Corn chips work well if you have a nacho-style cheese sauce or veggie cheese sauce on your plant-based cheese board.

Fresh fruit

• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Sliced Apples
• Sliced Pears
• Berries

Vegetables

• Celery
• Carrot Sticks
• Radishes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Snap Peas
• Cucumber Slices

Vegan Dips

• Hummus – any flavor of hummus that you like will work well.  Beetroot hummus will give your cheese board a beautiful interesting color or use my favorite flavor of hummus, pesto-hummus.
• Vegan Pate – either mushroom pate or a fresh-tasting almond basil pate
• Vegan Spinach Dip   – a rich and cream veggie-packed classic dip.
• Easy Vegan Artichoke Dip – quick and easy warm cheesy dip.
• Vegan Ranch – thick, creamy classic-tasting ranch dressing.
• Soy Chorizo Dip – this is an easy dip made with soy chorizo for a spicy satisfying snack.
• Peanut Butter Dip – this is a sweet dessert-style dip great for the fruit on your tray.
• Jam and Jellies

Other great additions

• Nuts – a small bowl of any type of nuts that you choose like almonds, pecans, cashews, and pistachios, look pretty and add texture to your board.
• Pickles – any type of pickles you like will work.
• Olives – green, black, or kalamata
• Cut Veggies – like carrot sticks, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, or bell peppers.
• Dark Chocolate – for a sweet snack.

Note: for small items like nuts and juicier items like pickles and olives, little bowls work well to help contain them and stop them from contaminating other items on your tray.

Vegan Deli Meat

You can find vegan deli meats at most major grocery stores.  It’s also easier than you may think to make your own.  You can use any of the following recipes to make your own vegan meats.  Just cut them thin for slices of deli-style vegan meat, and roll or fold the slices to look pretty on your board.

• Vegan Ham a salty smoky vegan meat made from seitan.
• Vegan Turkey – a classic turkey taste made from garbanzo beans and wheat gluten and flavored to perfection.
• Seitan Pepperoni – a spicy meaty stick made from wheat gluten.
• Vegan Bologna – a mild flavored seitan that tastes just like the bologna that you remember.
• Vegan Salami – a spicy flavorful meaty seitan.

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!