Our step-by-step guide + downloadable ingredient list for the perfect Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board that is sweet and savory, dreamy and playful without losing sophistication!
It features all our favorite flavors, some are a bit niche, but that’s what makes this Valentine’s Charcuterie Board taste grown up while looking fun and flirty!
Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board
Happy Valentine’s 💕! It’s my favorite Holiday, I have my fresh Valentine’s nails on, snacking on my Valentine’s macarons and chocolates waiting for dinner and I really wanted to share with you guys this sweet + savory Valentine’s charcuterie board!
Most Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Boards I saw were either all dessert or very kid-oriented which is perfect if you’re sharing it with kids but I wanted grown up, something we could eat with a bubbly drink while getting ready for dinner!
What to add to a Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board
When building a sweet and savory Valentine’s board, I usually include these things:
Cheese: Choose 2-3 oz per person and go for a buttery creamy cheese that will taste delicious with fresh fruit and desserts, we like Brie or Camembert because it’s amazing with strawberries and jam but you can also do Burrata or even ricotta or cream cheese.
Meats: Choose 2-3 oz per person of delicate cured meats that won’t overpower fruit or dessert, make sure they’re thinly sliced, we like Prosciutto as it’s salty + silky and it’s incredible with Brie and strawberries. Very lightly smoked Speck also works!
Crackers: Mini savory croissants, savory shortbread, or mild crackers are perfect for this type of charcuterie board! For this one, I went with mini savory shortbread but I really wanted to do croissants because they’re a bit more versatile but my grocery store was out of them!
Biscuits: Butter cookies or spritz cookies are the best cookies to add sweetness and crunch while keeping the charcuterie board grown up! I did a variety of fun shapes of classic butter cookies that come in tins!
Desserts: Macarons, handcrafted chocolates, madeleines, choux (cream puffs), mini tarts are perfect! I went for a flirty mix of mimosa macarons and classic vanilla, handcrafted heart-shaped chocolates filled with Haba Tonka ganache, meringue kisses, and two marzipan hearts to decorate the cheese and jam! Go fancy with the desserts + flavors to give grown up board!
Spread: 1-2 spreads like raspberry jam (what I used!), whipped cream, ganache or a pistachio or hazelnut spread. If doing 2, you could also do a hot pepper jelly and a sweet one.
Fruit: strawberries and raspberries are my favorite pick but you can also do a mix of other berries like cherries, blackberries, blueberries.
Pro Tips:
Go for elevated desserts and flavors. This is how you keep the board grown up and sophisticated instead of playdate. I don’t add candies, marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies or other stuff that’s typically kid-coded.
Balance sweet and savory ingredients. Keep the savory side of your board in mind when picking sweet items and the other way around so you get ingredients that aren’t too overpowering or that clash flavor-wise, like no funky cheeses or herbed meats.
Don’t stress on styling. Keep the cheese + cured meats + crackers together and then put on your favorite song and style away, don’t overthink each ingredient you put down, do what feels and looks pretty to you! It’s made to be eaten hehe!
Utensils
Board: I like using my go-to wooden charcuterie board, it’s a very simple board but you can also do a heart-shaped or round one or even a pretty plate!
Cheese: Use a knife with a very thin straight blade or a cheese knife with holes for the Brie or Camembert as they’re very soft and can easily stick to the knife! For the spreads (or if you’re adding a ricotta or cream cheese), add a cheese spreader. If you’re doing Burrata, place it on a mini plate so the liquid doesn’t soak the desserts.
Spreads: I like adding classic round mini bowls but you can also do heart-shaped ones, of course!
HAPPY COOKING!! I hope you'll love this Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Charcuterie Boards you’ll love:
- Charcuterie for Two
- Valentine’s Day Dessert Charcuterie Board
Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 2-3 oz (55-85 g) Brie or Camembert (or other buttery creamy cheese, check notes for inspo)
- 2-3 oz (55-85 g) Prosciutto (or other delicate thinly-sliced cured meat)
- Savory shortbread or mini croissants (or crackers)
- 5-6 oz (145-170 g) strawberries (I like medium or small strawberries)
- Butter cookies (or spritz cookies)
- Macarons (I like mimosa macarons and classic vanilla)
- Heart-shaped chocolates (I like handcrafted chocolates, especially Haba Tonka ganache filled ones)
- Meringue kisses
- 2 oz (55 g) raspberry jam (or other spread)
- Marzipan hearts (optional, for decorating the cheese and spread)
Instructions
- Start with the cheese. Because it's a sweet + savory board I use 1 cheese but you can add more, especially if it's for a larger group, keep the number odd and place the cheeses around the board. If you want more inspo for the ingredients, check the notes down below!
- Add the meats. Style the prosciutto around the cheese by loosely twisting it like a puff-pastry twist keeping the fat facing upwards for a fun wavy texture.
- Add savory and sweet accompaniments. Keep savory accompaniments close to the cheese and meat creating a savory side, decorate with fruit, and then use butter cookies to create a bridge towards the sweet side of the board and add desserts and spread on the sweet side.
- Fill in extra space with fruit, meringues, and heart-shaped chocolates. I like topping the cheese and spread with marzipan hearts.
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