Build a fun and delicious red, white, and blue patriotic cheese board in under 30 minutes to share with your friends. It's a fun way to celebrate and get lots of colorful fruits and veggies in your diet.
Fourth of July is the time to relax, have a drink, and make an epic fourth of July appetizer. Today, I'll show you how to make a red, white, and blue charcuterie board.
Here's what I love about charcuterie boards - there are no rules! If you see a board you like, use it as inspiration for your board or platter.
Don't feel like you have to follow the ingredients to a tee. Use what you've got in your fridge and pantry, or what you and your family and friends enjoy eating!
With that in mind, it's time to learn how to make this 4th of July snack board. This would also be perfect to add to your menu for Labor Day or Memorial Day (along with these red, white, and blue dessert cups). Really any time you're feeling a little patriotic.
Jump to:
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
This is the perfect recipe for any skill level. This appetizer recipe will teach you:
- How to make homemade tortilla chips. I'll even show you how to make star-shaped chips for this patriotic charcuterie board.
- Snack ideas to add to the red, white, and blue board. You can customize these options based on your dietary preferences.
- How to plate a cheese board so it looks visually appealing.
Ingredients You Need
As I said, the fun thing about creating a fourth of July board is that you have so many possibilities! There are lots of patriotic foods out there, so chose what you love most.
These options are good for many dietary needs (vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free). Here are some of my favorite, healthy red, white, & blue food options:
Red Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Prosciutto
- Italian dry salami
- Salsa
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Red bell pepper
- Watermelon
- Cherries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Red grapes
- Radishes
- Dried cranberries
- Beet chips
White Ingredients:
- Tortilla chips
- Cool whip
- Pumpkin seeds
- Popcorn
- Any type of white cheese (swiss cheese, white cheddar, goat cheese, mozzarella, etc.)
- Yogurt dip
- Bread slices
- Cauliflower florets
- Coconut flakes
- White peaches
- Yogurt covered pretzels
- White queso
Blue Ingredients:
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Blue cheese (Roquefort, stilton, or gorgonzola)
- Figs
- Blue corn tortilla chips
- Black grapes
Want even more cheese board ideas? Sign up for my free charcuterie board shopping list with over 100+ ideas for your next board or platter!
How To Make This Recipe
There are a few simple steps you'll need to follow for this cheese board recipe.
Bake the Tortilla Chips
Begin by heating the oven to 350°F.
Next, cut out some patriotic star-shaped tortilla chips. Depending on the size of your tortillas and cookie cutter, you may get 1 - 3 stars out of each tortilla.
Spray a baking sheet with some olive oil spray (canola oil or vegetable oil spray will also work). Add the tortillas to the baking sheet.
Finally, spray the tops with another layer of olive oil and sprinkle with a healthy amount of Morton kosher salt. Bake until the chips are a nice golden brown, about 7 - 10 minutes.
Arrange the Charcuterie Board
Now for the fun part, arranging everything on the board. Here is the order I place each item on the board:
- Dips and Sauces: Always place any large anchor points down first. The bowls with the salsa and whipped cream take up a lot of space (both visually and physically), so I place these down first to ensure there is enough room on the board.
- Fruit: Next, place the fruit, alternating between red and blue.
- Meat and Cheese: Then, it's time to add the meat and cheese. You can play around with folding the meats in various patterns.
- Vegetables: Place the vegetables next to the salsa to show people they would taste good together (I love dipping my veggies in salsa).
- Chips and Seeds: Finally, slide the homemade tortilla chips and pumpkin seeds into the last remaining spots. I always finish with these items because they are easy to manipulate and squeeze into small spaces.
Here's an exact numbered diagram for how I placed everything on the board.
Expert Plating Tips
I often get asked how to plate a cheese board. While there are no rules to plating (you can just use your creativity), here are a couple of tips and tricks:
- Place any large anchor items down first such as bowls or large pieces of cheese.
- Vary the colors of food that you place next to each other.
- Pair contrasting textures next to each other.
- Place items that you could easily pair together to eat in close proximity.
- Fill in any blank space with smaller items such as crackers, nuts, or seeds.
Be sure to watch the recipe video tutorial below to see how I plated up my board.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make this board up to 24 hours in advance. Once the board is prepped, cover in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Leave off the tortilla chips, pumpkin seeds, and any other nuts or crackers you may decide to add until you're ready to serve the board.
To transport the charcuterie board, place plastic wrap over any small bowls that contain dips or sauces. Next, wrap the entire board in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Be sure to wrap the top and bottom of the board in case something leaks.
It can be helpful to lay a long piece of plastic wrap underneath the wooden charcuterie board and gently fold the plastic wrap to cover the top of the board. Repeat this process until all sides are fully secured.
If you're looking for the best type of cheese to fit in with this patriotic cheese board, I'd recommend using some sort of white-colored cheese. It's easy to find at almost any grocery store. Swiss, white cheddar, goat cheese, mozzarella, or Monterrey Jack are all great options.
You can also find some blue-colored cheese such as Roquefort, stilton, or gorgonzola. This would also fit in perfectly with our red, white, and blue theme.
More Charcuterie Board Ideas
If you enjoy making charcuterie and snack boards, be sure to check out these other ideas:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below. Don't forget to follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest for more recipes.
4th of July Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
For the Tortilla Chips
- 10 white corn tortillas
- olive oil spray
- Morton kosher salt
For the Charcuterie Board
- blackberries
- blueberries
- cool whip or whipped cream
- cherry tomatoes
- Italian dry salami
- prosciutto
- roasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt
- salsa
- strawberries
- swiss cheese cubed
- raspberries
- red peppers cut in matchsticks
- watermelon cut in small wedges
Instructions
For the Tortilla Chips
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars from each corn tortilla. Spray a metal baking sheet tray with olive oil spray. Add star tortillas to a baking sheet. Spray the tops with olive oil spray, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the chips are golden brown.
For the Charcuterie Board
- Arrange everything on a large platter. Once the chips are done baking, add to platter. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Place any large anchor items down first such as bowls or large pieces of cheese.
- Vary the colors of food that you place next to each other.
- Pair contrasting textures next to each other.
- Place items that you could easily pair together to eat in close proximity.
- Fill in any blank space with smaller items such as crackers, nuts, or seeds.
Pam
My son recently had a 4th of July themed birthday party. We made this as an appetizer and everybody loved it! I'll call that a win for party planning hahah.