Charcuterie boards have seen a rise in popularity in recent years and it’s not hard to see why.  They look amazing, can be prepared ahead of time, are easy to create and require little to no cooking. This post takes a look at what to put on a Vegan Charcuterie board. 

What Is A Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board is a classic french creation that is usually adorned with cured meats, cheeses, olives, nuts, fruits, vegetables and bread all arranged beautifully together and served to share.

This post takes a look at what to put on a Vegan Charcuterie Board so we’ve eliminated the meat and come up with lots of tasty alternatives you can add instead.

What To Put On A Vegan Charcuterie Board

Whether you’re making one for yourself or are feeding some vegan friends, these are some ideas for what you can put on a Vegan Charcuterie Board.

1. Vegan Dips & Sauces

I love dips and for me, they are one of the best parts of a Charcuterie board. When preparing a Vegan Charcuterie board, you’ll need to think carefully about the dips and sauces being used to ensure they don’t contain any dairy or other animal products. As a lot of dips and sauces tend to be mayo or cream-based this can make things tricky.

The first products you could consider using are hummus and guacamole. These are both typically vegan whether they are shop-bought or homemade. Another good option is tapenade or a simple mix of just olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

You could also try some of the vegan dip recipes below.

Roasted Beetroot Dip

Vegan Baba Ganoush

French Onion Dip (Vegan)

Vegan Cashew Queso

Cauliflower Buffalo Dip

Another option would be to serve pickles or jams. All pickles in the Branston range are vegan.  Or you could serve a vegan chutney or a vegan savoury jam such as this tomato and clove recipe.

2. Fruit and Vegetables

Vegetables usually feature heavily on Charcuterie boards and a vegan one is going to be no different.

Crudites – These are usually vegetables cut into sticks and used specifically for dipping into sauces or dip. Typically I liked to serve celery, carrot, peppers and cucumber but you could also add raw baby corn, broccoli and cauliflower if you wanted to.

Olives – I love olives and tend to buy them ready pitted and marinated for ease. You may want to double-check they are vegan before buying as some ready-made versions contain cheese. If you want to marinate your own olives a simple mix of olive oil, chilli, lemon and garlic is a great starting point.

Roasted Vegetables  – To add interest to your vegan charcuterie board you could add some roasted vegetables. You can buy ready roasted peppers or you could do your own peppers, aubergines and courgettes. For this, I recommend keeping the vegetables chunky to help keep their shape and texture. Roast in a little olive oil and seasonings like salt, pepper and mixed herbs.

Pickled Vegetables – Charcuterie boards are all about bringing together different tastes and textures so adding some pickled vegetables really help to achieve this. My favourites are sweet pickled onions, pickled beetroot and mini gherkins.

Fruit – The fruits most commonly served on a Charcuterie board are blueberries, raspberries, grapes and strawberries. Some people like to serve figs but not everyone considers these vegan due to the pollination process so do check before serving them.

Other vegetables you could serve:

• Asparagus spears
• Radishes
• Vine Tomatoes left on the vine
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green beans

3. Bread and Crackers

When it comes to bread and crackers you can either go for store-bought or have a go at making your own. When opting for store-bought, even if you think something is usually vegan it’s always worth double-checking as sometimes recipes can change and some breads do contain milk, egg or honey.

Here is a quick list of my favourite bread and crackers to serve on a charcuterie board.

• Vegan Breadsticks or Vegan Grisini
• Pretzels
• Ritz Crackers
• Pita Bread
• Flatbread

4. Cheese

There are lots of different vegan cheeses out there and you may want to choose a couple to add to your Vegan Charcuterie Board. Violife are one of the main vegan cheese brands here in the U.K so a browse of their website may help give you some ideas of what’s available.

Violife Vegan Cheese Review

5. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are a great way to add extra interest to your vegan charcuterie board and add some protein too.

Mix things up by using a range of different nuts and serving them in different ways such as plain, salted or roasted. You could also make your own roasted nut and seed mix.

These Rosemary and Maple roasted nuts and seeds look amazing and are one of those things you can prepare well ahead of time.

A Few Things To Remember When Creating Your Vegan Charcuterie Board

When creating your vegan charcuterie board you might be worried that it might not look pretty or elegant or you might not have chosen the right things to go on it. Here are some tips for getting the mix just right.

Mixed Foods – Try to mix different foods served in different ways, for example, raw carrot, roasted peppers and pickled beetroot for vegetables. Add more interest and flavour by using flavoured crackers or breadstick instead of plain. Serve some foods in small pots or ramekins and aim for a good mix of sweet, spicy, salty and sharp.

Use Odd Numbers – Serving things in odd numbers typically looks better and often cheese boards are served with a selection of three, five or seven cheeses. Use that here too to help create your vegan charcuterie board.

Colour Palette – As well as having a variety of tastes and textures, aim for a bold range of colours too and mix them up as you plate the board. Deep purple beetroot and orange carrots can really help add contrast if you’re serving lots of green vegetables.

Add Finishing Touches – Add finishing touches such as sprigs of fresh rosemary or edible flowers.

5 Things To Avoid On A Vegan Charcuterie Board

If you’re not a vegan yourself then you may not be aware that some products are not suitable for vegans to eat,  for example, many sweets are not vegan as they contain gelatine.

Here are a few things you may want to avoid serving on or alongside a Vegan Charcuterie Board or at least check with vegan friends or guests before doing so.

• Honey
• Figs
• Wine and Beer
• Bread or crackers made with milk or another dairy.
• Anything containing red food colouring.

And there we have it, lots of ideas to fill up a Vegan Charcuterie Board!