Cheese and Cracker Platter - Learn to make a fun patriotic cheese and cracker platter for your next Memorial Day or Fourth of July celebration. This customizable platter is made with savory meat, cheese, crackers, and olives and embellished with plenty of fresh fruit!
A cheese and cracker platter is one of my favorite ways to serve appetizers to guests on any occasion because it’s an easy way to get creative and serve a bunch of nibbles that everyone can enjoy!
You can’t go wrong with charcuterie boards and sample platters. I’ve made a last minute cheese platter, a Christmas platter, and a Christmas tree platter full of fresh fruit, gourmet meats, cheeses, artisan crackers, nuts, jams, you name it!
This one is a patriotic appetizer because we cut the cheese and watermelon into cute little stars and use a lot of red, white, and blue!
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- Easy and impressive. You can make this as simple or as creative as you’d like. And make it as gourmet or budget-friendly as you like. No matter what, it’ll be a showstopper!
- Completely customizable. The ingredients are flexible enough to swap whatever you like to suit your taste preferences.
- Perfect for every occasion. Serve a crowd at your Memorial Day party, fourth of July BBQ, or summer potluck. Keep it in mind for the Christmas holidays too.
Ingredients Needed
- Brie cheese - Brie is a soft cheese, so keep the rind on so it stays intact. If your board is big enough for your wheel of cheese is small enough you can keep it whole. Otherwise, use a wedge of brie.
- Cheddar cheese - I use aged, sharp white cheddar, but use whatever cheddar you like.
- Smoked salmon - Adds a delicious smoky element to the platter.
- Prosciutto - A thinly sliced Italian ham that is cured so it adds a nice saltiness to the board.
- Salami - There are many different types of salami, so use your favorite! Genoa salami, German salami, etc.
- Fruit - Your choice of fruit. Blueberries, watermelon, grapes, apples, strawberries, and raspberries, fit in nicely with 4th of July appetizers red, white, and blue themes.
- Crackers - Again, this is up to you. Some popular choices would be tortilla chips, bread sticks, rice thins, whole wheat crackers, Ritz crackers, etc.
- Olives - Marinated olives. You can use a mixed olive salad or just one kind. Stuffed olives are nice too.
Tips Before You Begin
- Choose the right size board. This recipe is enough to serve 4 people. Think about how many you want to serve and make sure you use a platter that is large enough. Add more ingredients to the board if needed.
- Pick a solid color. Use either a wooden board or a tray with a solid color background. That way you don’t take away from what is going on on top.
- It should have a rim. A board with a rim around the edge is perfect for preventing things from falling apart!
- Make smaller boards. If you have leftover items, make up a little board for the kids. They’ll love it!
- Have some small bowls handy. Things like olive salad or any jams or dips you may have will need to be put in bowls.
How to Make a Cheese Platter
Step 1: Use a star cookie cutter to cut out slices of the cheddar cheese. Place the cheese on first, since they are the largest items. Keep them in separate areas. I like to keep them in a triangle shape.
Step 2: Add the prosciutto, salami, and smoked salmon next to the cheese. You can roll them up, make salami flowers (if you know how), or just lay them down loosely in a pile.
Step 3: Next, add a few different types of crackers to the board, surrounding the meat and cheese, filling in some of the empty spots.
Step 4: Lastly, place the fruit (use the same cutter to cut out stars out of watermelon), and bowl of olives in the empty areas, ensuring there are no open areas. What makes a fruit and cheese platter, cracker and cheese platter, or charcuterie board of any kind so appealing, is that it is always nice and full!
Step 5: Garnish the platter with mint leaves. Enjoy!
Cheese and Cracker Platter Variations
- Meat: Deli ham, turkey, mortadella
- Cheese: Mozzarella (or bocconcini), Gruyere, goat cheese, feta, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Swiss cheese, Boursin, Gouda.
- Preserves: Apricot jam, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, honey, red pepper jelly. These are especially delicious with baked brie.
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios
- Garnish: Sprigs of rosemary, fresh basil, or thyme.
- Some sweetness: Sometimes adding a few pieces of dark chocolate is a nice way to balance out all the savory items.
Recipe FAQs
Sure you can! There are a few ways to prep this board ahead of time. You can cut the stars out of the cheese and watermelon. You can wash and dry your fruit, and place all the little things like olive salad in a bowl. Refrigerate everything until you’re ready to assemble the platter.
If you want to assemble the entire board, you can certainly do that too. Once it’s ready, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge overnight. If there are fruits that may turn brown, squirt some lemon juice over them.
You can include a variety of crackers such as water crackers, whole grain crackers, and artisanal crisps to provide different textures and flavors.
A well-rounded cheese platter typically includes a variety of cheeses such as a soft cheese like brie, a semi-soft cheese like gouda, a hard cheese like aged cheddar, and a blue cheese for variety.
More 4th of July Appetizers:
- 4th of July Patriotic Berry Trifle
- Refreshing Watermelon Salad
- Cucumber Appetizer Bites with Salmon
- Jalapeno Poppers
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
When YOU make this Cheese Platter Recipe please tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
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How to Make a Cheese Platter - Memorial Day Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb Brie Cheese
- 0.2 oz Cheese
- 5 oz Cheddar Cheese
- 3 oz smoked Salmon
- 3 oz Prosciutto
- 5.5 oz Salami
- Fruit of Your Choice like blueberries, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, raspberries
- Crackers of Your Choice like tortilla chips, thin breadsticks or rice thins
- Olives Salad
Instructions
- First, place cheeses on a platter away from each other creating a triangle shape.
- Second, add meats. Place prosciutto, salami and smoked salmon next to 3 different cheeses.
- Third, add crackers, thins and chips to your board in different spots.
- Lastly, place fruits and olive salad in the left over spots.
- Garnish your cheese platter with mint leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- To create an exceptional cheese and cracker platter, consider a diverse selection of cheese types, including soft, semi-soft, hard, and blue cheese.
- Pair these with an assortment of crackers, bread, and fruits such as grapes or figs.
- Enhance the flavors with accompaniments like honey, jams, or chutneys, and consider adding nuts and olives for added variety.
WOW!!!! Let's get the party started!! Pure perfection! Nothing planned yet. We're usually last minute type folks. Who knows maybe my hubby has a surprise LOL!
Thank you, Lily! I had so much fun creating this cheese platter! Wishing you a fun and adventurous Memorial Day!