How to build the perfect mini cheese board for a party.
An individual cheese board is the perfect solution for small get-togethers or an upscale dinner party. These mini, single serve charcuterie boards look very elegant, without the fuss of putting together a huge platter. The best part? Nobody has to share their cheese board for one. These small charcuterie boards are perfect for the holidays, a romantic dinner (cheese board for 2), or happy hour. You'll learn everything you need to know about making this insanely easy (and delicious) cheese board.
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Confession time: We eat entirely too much cheese at our house. It can't be just us who browses through the cheese aisle at Aldi or Trader Joe's and grabs a block or two of new cheese to try each week, right?
If you're like me and my family, these individual cheese boards are just for you! They are the perfect solution to try out new cheeses!
I'm going to show you how to create a cute single serve charcuterie board. I've got some tips and tricks along the way to help you step up your cheese board game. You can use this as inspiration to create your own individual cheese board and switch up the ingredients you use.
As always, have fun when creating your board. And if you need some help, this video will walk you through everything you need to know!
I've also included a printable shopping list with 100+ cheese board food ideas to inspire your next board or platter! Everything from different types of cheese, meat, sweet and savory items are included on this list. You can be creative and build the board of your dreams with the help of this shopping list!
Types of Platters to use for Individual Cheese Boards
The fun part about making mini charcuterie boards is the type of platter you get to work with. Mini boards are always so cute, but they never seem practical. Well now, we finally have a reason to buy them! We're looking for a platter, board, or plate that's about 5 - 8 inches wide.
If you're hosting a dinner party, these platters would be so cute served at each table setting.
Cheese Board Serving Sizes
When it comes to making the mini cheese board for one, we want to properly portion out our serving sizes. Generally, if you're making this for an appetizer, plan on serving 1 - 2 ounces of cheese per person. The recipe below includes about 2 ounces of cheese per person.
To ensure some variety on the cheese board, we've included 3 different types of cheese. We're just giving everyone a small sample of each type of cheese. A food kitchen scale is helpful for portioning out each plate.
How to Cut Cheese for a Platter
How you determine to slice cheese for your platter can make a huge difference in the styling of the board! Various cuts of cheese add to the visual appeal of the platter by breaking up the patterns and texture throughout the dish.
Believe it or not, many types of cheese hold up better to specific cuts. I'm going to show you the different options each type of cheese has!
Wedge
Cutting cheese into a wedge is a very classic shape! A thin wedge works well for hard to semi-hard cheese. The wedge can also work for soft/semi-soft cheeses. However, you'll need to slice thicker wedges. And, make sure to use the right knife (it's called an open work blade knife) to prevent the cheese from sticking to the blade of the knife.
Block/Brick
Another classic and easy type of cheese cut is a simple rectangle or brick. This works best for cheeses that come in a block. This cut is ideal for firmer types of cheese (cheddar, gruyere). If the cheese has a rind, cut each slice so it has a small part of the rind on one side.
Log
If you have cheese that comes in a log, like goat cheese, you can slice even coin-sized round bites cheese. You could also do this with salami for an individual charcuterie board.
Crumble
Crumbling the cheese as part of the presentation on the board works best for cheese that is naturally crumbly like blue cheese, feta, hard cheddar cheese, etc. Make sure to crumble the cheese right before serving the board so the cheese doesn't try out.
Round/Wheel
This is a classic shape for brie or camembert cheese. You can leave the round shape of the cheese and play around with removing parts or all of the top of the rind.
For this individual cheese board, I purchased Trader Joe's mini brie bites so we could keep the round shape in our board.
How to Serve a Cheese Board
The flavor and texture of cheeses are best at room temperature. When making your mini cheeseboard, remove the cheese from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to allow it to reach room temperature.
If you wish to make this charcuterie platter ahead of time, avoid precutting the cheese which will cause it to become dry.
For any unused cheese that is not placed on the charcuterie board, wrap well and keep in the refrigerator. Most hard and firm cheeses should last for several weeks. Fresh cheeses such as feta, mascarpone, or mozzarella last around 7-10 days.
Cheese Board Combinations (How to Eat Your Board)
When people get a cheese board with a variety of flavors and food, they can get overwhelmed as to which combinations pair well together. Here are some of my favorite cheese board combinations to try:
- Salty + Sweet: Cheese with cranberries
- Salty + Briny: Cracker with cheese and a cornichon
- Sweet on Sweet: Honey brie cheese with cranberries
- Salty + Creamy: A slice of cheese with sausage
For other cheese board platter combinations, check out these posts:
Effortlessly Elegant Fall Charcuterie Board
Patriotic Summer Charcuterie Board
Insanely Easy Individual Cheese Board
Ingredients
For the Sugared Cranberries
- ⅛ cup water
- ¼ cup, plus ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ounces fresh cranberries
For the Baked Brie
- 4 mini brie bites (from Trader Joe's)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
For the Cheese Board
- 12 flatbread crackers
- 16 artisan cranberry crisps
- 2 ounces (½ ounce/cheese plate) white goat cheese cubed
- 2 ounces (½ ounce/cheese plate) fontina cheese cut in wedge
- 12 thinly sliced spicy dry salami
- pomegranate broken into small chunks
- 20 cornichons
- 20 dark chocolate almonds
Instructions
For the Sugared Cranberries
- To a small saucepan, combine water and ¼ cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved in the water. Remove from heat.
- Set up a wire rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath. Add cranberries to the simple syrup mixture. Toss cranberries around, making sure each cranberry is fully coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack and allow them to dry for 20 - 30 minutes. You'll know the cranberries are ready when they feel tacky on the outside, but the simple syrup does not stick to your fingers.
- Pour remaining ⅛ cup of sugar onto a plate. Gently roll cranberries in the sugar until all sides are fully coated.
For the Baked Brie
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Along the top of the brie, cut a third of the way down in a crosshatch pattern (about 3 cuts each way). Drizzle ¼ teaspoon of honey, along with ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme over each brie bite. Cook for 5 minutes until brie is melted on the inside (you can test by gently touching the center of the brie and seeing if it gives).
For the Cheese Board
- Arrange everything on 4 small serving plates or boards. Serve immediately.
Notes
LET’S SHARE RECIPES
I love trying new recipes! Let’s discover new recipes together on Pinterest!
P.S. If you made this individual cheese board to celebrate, share a picture with me on Instagram using #HomebodyEats. I love seeing your creations!!
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