We are all so busy during the holidays, we need quick and easy solutions. That’s why I want to show you how to set up a cheese board in 5 minutes or less.

A cheese board is a great appetizer to serve at your next holiday party for a couple of reasons. First, they are extremely flexible. You can literally add almost anything you prefer to make the cheese board something you and your guests will love. Also, the variety of choices means that you’ll be able to make all of your guests happy. Finally, a cheese board can be really economical or you can make it a bit more fancy, depending on what products you choose.

As a bit of advice – you don’t actually need a cheese board. I mean, if you have one, the kind that has the utensils inside of it, that’s cool, but it’s not a necessity. You can use any cutting board or wood board. I used this one. I had a set of cheese knives, like these. Although cheese knives are not a requirement, they do look nice. If you don’t have them, smaller knives would also work.

Once you have your board, next you just have to decide which cheeses you’d like to serve. I chose to include three main cheeses – aged cheddar, smoked gouda and brie. You could also include a blue cheese, a Swiss cheese, or any other cheese you prefer.

Besides crackers, which are a must, the rest of your board can be whatever you like. I personally like to include a combination of dried fruit, fresh fruit, spreads – such as hummus and bacon jam, and nuts. The combination of sweet, savory, salty, crunchy, smooth, it all works so well together!

If you’d like to follow my steps for how to set up a cheese board, check out the ingredients I used and watch the quick video. I promise, this will be an appetizer that everyone will like, and it will only take you 5 minutes or less!

How to Set Up a Cheese Board in 5 Minutes or Less

Materials:

Wood Cutting Board or Cheese Board
Cheese Knives

Ingredients:

Smoked Gouda
Brie Round
Aged Cheddar
Mixed Nuts
Dried Apricots
Dried Dates
Bacon Jam
Hummus
Assorted Party Crackers
Fresh Fruit – such as grapes and strawberries

Directions:

Start by placing the cheese first. Space it evenly around the board. I would suggest pre-cutting some of the cheese and then placing a cheese knife in the larger chunks that are uncut. Next, place the spreads in little bowls and place them on the board. Find open spaces, and place the fresh and dried fruit evenly around the board. Lastly, place the crackers in all of the open areas. Serve and enjoy!