This easy summer cheeseboard is easy to assemble and perfect for entertaining. Follow our ingredients list and step by step instructions to build this exact cheese and charcuterie platter, or mix up the components to make it your own!
Summertiiiiiiiime, and the livin' is CHEESY.
This easy summer cheese and charcuterie board? This is your potluck secret weapon.
It's also SO easy to put together - so if assembling a cheese plate feels a bit intimidating, FEAR NOT! Because we're about to walk you through it one step at a time. YOU'VE GOT THIS!
PS - New to homemade cheese boards? Check out our comprehensive Cheese Plate 101 Tutorial for even more guidance!
Ingredients overview
Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.
Cheese boards are the ultimate blank canvas: You can fill them with just about anything! For this particular fruit and cheese plate, here's what we used:
- Cheese: Brie, Parmesan, and Burrata Cheeses
- Fruit: Fresh Peaches and Tomatoes
- Meat: Prosciutto
- Greens: Arugula and Fresh Basil
- Bread: Toasted Naan
- Nuts: Toasted Walnuts
- Extras: Honey, Balsamic Glaze, Salt, and Chocolate Covered Almonds
Substitutions and Customizations
We love playing with flavor and textures on our cheese boards. Below are some of our favorite swaps. (Not sure what to include? When in doubt, just take a spin around the grocery store and see what speaks to you!)
- Other cheese options: Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Manchego, Fresh Mozzarella, Gruyere, Blue Cheese, Whipped Goat Cheese, Ricotta, or Whipped Feta.
- Swap the toasted naan for homemade crackers, baguette slices, or summery crostini (like our blackberry crostini or warm bruschetta).
- Use whatever fruit is in season. Try fresh figs (or fig jam!), grapes, berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), plums, cherries, or apricots. In the fall, this cheese plate is also delicious with apples and pears!
- Add fresh, seasonal veggies. Carrots, radish, celery, or crunchy stuffed pea pods are delicious here..
- Other accoutrements. Honeycomb, pickles, olives, marcona almonds, or your favorite jam are tasty additions.
Step by step instructions
First, grab your cheese board. We're using a plain baking sheet to keep things simple, but you can also use a wooden cutting board! (You definitely don't need to run out and buy anything fancy to put together a great cheese plate).
Add a few small bowls or jars to your baking sheet. Bowls are typically the largest item on a cheese plate, which is why we like starting with this step: They help break up the cheese plate, and they're easy to build around.
Next, add your cheeses. For best results, pull the cheeses out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before serving so they have a chance to come to room temperature.
Learn more: Why bring cheese to room temperature
Meat is next! We chose a thin prosciutto, but you could also use your favorite salami, soppressata, or smoked salmon.
Next step: bread! We went for toasted naan and cut it into triangles for easy grabbing.
Pro tip: Don't be afraid to spread each component across a few different places on your board! This helps the plate look fuller and makes it easier for guests to grab a bite from all sides.
Step 5: Peaches! Spread your sliced peaches out over a few different areas of your board. We like to "wrap" the peach slices around other pieces on the board to add some visual interest.
Once the peaches are down, add walnuts in small pockets across the board.
Swap the walnuts for pistachios, cashews, or almonds if you like - nuts are a great way to fill any small pockets of space still left on your board when the main pieces are placed!
At this point, fill up the bowls you set out at the beginning. We used flakey sea salt, a premade balsamic glaze, and a few chocolate covered almonds. Then add some cherry tomatoes.
Pro Tip: When you're working with large cheese boards (like this one!) don't be afraid to grab some extra elements to fill in any remaining spaces.
Finally, let's tuck some greenery into any remaining open spaces. Start with a few handfuls of fresh arugula (it pairs SO well with a sweet peach slice, a bit of prosciutto, and a drizzle of balsamic) and then finish your cheese platter with a few sprigs of fresh basil.
Annnnnnd BOOM! Summertime cheese plate world domination is YOURS.
📖 Recipe
Summer Cheese Board
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 10-15 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy summer cheese board is perfect for entertaining!
Ingredients
Use this list as a general guide - we used these ingredients to build this exact cheese plate, but don't be afraid to mix it up! Read through this post or visit our Cheese Plate 101 for inspiration.
CHEESES:
- 8 ounces Burrata (2 pieces, usually one container - we love this one!)
- 8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, cut into cubes
- 8 ounce Brie wedge
MEAT:
- 4 ounces prosciutto
BREAD:
- 3-5 pieces naan, toasted and cut into triangles
FRUIT:
- 2 large peaches, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
OTHER ACCOMPANIMENTS:
- ¾ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup flakey sea salt
- ¼ cup balsamic glaze
- ¼ cup chocolate covered almonds
- 1 small jar truffle honey
GREENS:
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Remove cheese from the fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Follow the step-by step photos in this post to assemble all ingredients on a large cutting board or platter. Start with bowls and cheese, then lay down prosciutto and other accompaniments, and tuck your greenery into any leftover space to help your cheese board look full and delicious. Enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions. Use this "recipe" as a rough guideline - feel free to make swaps to suit your tastes or use what you have on hand! We love using honeycomb, crostini, fresh figs, fig jam, or heirloom tomatoes. Use sharp white cheddar, manchego, fresh mozzarella, blue cheese, or goat cheese in place of any cheeses here. For more cheese plate inspiration, be sure to read our full Cheese Plate 101 Tutorial!
Equipment. We used a large baking sheet for this cheese plate. You can also use a wooden cheese board or a regular cutting board! Serve cheese with butter knives or a few fun cheese knives and use small spoons for honey and balsamic glaze. You definitely don't need to go buy a bunch of stuff to build a beautiful cheese board - shop your own kitchen and use what you have on hand!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 334
- Sugar: 11.3 g
- Sodium: 2523 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.3 g
- Protein: 17.7 g
- Cholesterol: 40.8 mg
Hungry for more? Check out our complete tutorial (with video!) on building the ultimate cheese board:
Aqsa Mubeen
This easy summer cheese board is perfect for entertaining! With brie, prosciutto, and peaches for a simple cheese and charcuterie board that's sure to be a hit.https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/summer-cheese-board/
Kristy
This is amazing! SO easy to follow - thanks for the great graphics. I'll be using this for some serious inspo at my next get-together. I wrote a post on personalized cheese boards to serve on, and wanted to pass along! Feel free to check it out here: https://www.twofunnygirls.com/blog/2019/08/06/custom-cutting-boards-the-perfect-wedding-gift/.