When you think of the French word “charcuterie,” you may be thinking of a platter of prepared meat products and cheeses. Of course, there may be a FEW vegetables and fruits; however, let’s FLIP the script and turn the board into vegetarian charcuterie board ideas.
For your next party, a great option is to make a veggie charcuterie board. This amazing appetizer board idea has a variety of flavors and surprising ingredient ideas for both meat lovers and veggie lovers to boot.
Traditional Charcuterie Board vs Vegetarian Charcuterie Board Ideas
A traditional charcuterie board has a variety of meat and cheeses, bread or crackers, fresh vegetables, pickled vegetables, dried fruits, fresh fruits, ranch dip, and dark chocolate. The traditional charcuterie board offers great choices of delicious items that you can find in your local grocery store. However, when you make the best vegetarian charcuterie board, your family and friends will love all of the unique choices on the serving board.
Your easy vegetarian board features your favorite vegetables both fresh and pickled vegetables. In addition fresh and dried fruits are always a delicious feature of the vegetarian board.
Alternatively, let’s talk about a few items that are great protein alternatives instead of meat. Beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, and soy based meal alternatives are a fun way to add vegetarian meat alternatives.
Vegetarian Charcuterie Board Ideas List
Planning out what you need on your wooden board for charcuterie is the first step before you go shopping at your local grocery store. In addition, if you plan ahead, there may be some options that you want to order online to have ready for your vegetarian charcuterie board.
Depending on your location, some meat alternative options may be a little harder to find. If you have a specialty store or Whole Foods type of grocery store near you will likely have many great options. However, there are some packaged options such as vegetarian jerky that is available on amazon depending on your location.
Here is the full list of vegetarian charcuterie board ideas:
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cherry tomatoes
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bell peppers
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carrot sticks
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celery sticks
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red peppers
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snap peas
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cucumber slices
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olives
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pickles
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apple slices
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green grapes
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kiwi slices
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dried fruit
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dates
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apricots
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prunes
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blueberries
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strawberries
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edamame peas
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chickpea salad
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roasted chickpeas
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tofu bites
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cashews
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pistachios
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almonds
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sunflower seeds
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violife cream cheese
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vegan meats
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mushroom jerky
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soy vegan jerky
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roasted seaweed sheets
These 31 vegetarian charcuterie snack ideas are the perfect addition for your veggie charcuterie board. In addition, you can always add bread to your charcuterie. Here are some great ideas for bread for charcuterie.
What Goes on a Vegetarian Charcuterie Board?
There are no rules for your vegetarian charcuterie board except for the fact that it needs to be vegetarian items. Therefore, the item groups below are ideal for creating your own board with easy vegetarian ideas.
There are 5 groups below: vegetables, fruit, plant-based protein, vegan meat alternatives, and vegan cheese.
Your Favorite Vegetables
Nice crunchy raw veggies are a great idea for your charcuterie board. Here are a few raw vegetable ideas for your board:
- cherry tomatoes
- bell peppers
- carrot sticks
- celery sticks
- red peppers
- snap peas
- cucumber slices
Pickled Vegetables
The flavors of pickled veggies make a great twist on the flavor profile of your charcuterie board. Here are a few pickled vegetable ideas:
- pickled beets
- olives
- pickles
- pickled okra
Feel free to mix and match the flavors of the variety of vegetables. Alternatively, roasted seaweed sheets make a fun twist on the vegetarian charcuterie board.
Adding Colorful Fruit
Have fun choosing some great colorful fruit to add nice accent colors to your board along with a variety of flavors and textures.
Fresh Fruit Ideas:
- apple slices
- green grapes
- blueberries
- strawberries
There are also some good choices of dried fruit when fresh seasonal fruit is not in season or available.
Dried Fruit Ideas:
- dates
- apricots
- prunes
When you are preparing your vegetarian charcuterie board, it is a good idea to consider protein sources for your board. Here are several choices of good protein choices for veggie charcuterie board.
Protein for Vegetarian Charcuterie Board:
- edamame peas
- chickpea salad
- roasted chickpeas
- tofu bites
- cashews
- pistachios
- almonds
- sunflower seeds
There are some delicious vegan meats that are similar to traditional meats. Moreover, the meat eaters will be excited to have some unique choices for meat type of items.
Meat Alternatives
There are some really delicious meat alternatives that you can add to your vegetarian charcuterie board. Here are a couple of examples:
- mushroom jerky
- soy vegan jerky
Cheese Board Ideas
Although vegetarians often do eat regular cheese, there are also great options for vegan cheeses if you want to create a vegan cheese board. An example of vegan cheese is Violife cream cheese.
Vegetarian Charcuterie Board Supplies
Making a veggie board is simple with a few items on hand.
Here are 5 tips to start your veggie board ideas:
- Small bowls to add dips or smaller items.
- A smaller board is a good option for an appetizer vegetarian charcuterie.
- If you are making a main course board, choose a larger board.
- You can use a cutting board for your charcuterie board.
- A grazing board is a fun way to introduce new veggies on a board.
Trying to decide between a grazing board vs charcuterieis easy when you consider your group size.
Making a Vegan Snack Board
It’s a good idea to create a unique board if you are following a vegan lifestyle. When it comes to a vegetarian charcuterie board, you can easily make a vegan version of your charcuterie board.
Here are some simple tips for creating a vegan snack board:
- Add your favorite veggies and fruit including fresh, dried, and/or canned items.
- Include plant-based proteins like edamame, tofu-based items, and chickpeas.
- Nuts are also a great way to add protein for a vegan snack board or vegan charcuterie board.
- Meat alternatives such as mushroom jerky make a great addition to your vegan snack board.
- Plant-based cheese such as Violife, Daiya, and Miyokos are examples of plant based cheese found in grocery stores.
Simple Vegetarian Charcuterie Board
The fact of the matter is that guests love charcuterie boards. Your serving tray looks amazing with all of the vegetarian charcuterie board ideas. Alternatively, change your board to a vegan charcuterie board for guests that follow a vegan lifestyle. Have fun with your charcuterie by adding dips andcharcuterie board jams.
Vegetarian Charcuterie Board Inspiration
This beautiful charcuterie board by Wildly Organic Co. features a fresh hummus dip along with veggie dippers such as carrot, celery sticks, and peppers. A vast array of nuts to enjoy for protein decorates the center of the board. Colorful fruits like kiwi and red grapes adorn the side of the board as well.
Here is some great inspiration for a small vegetarian charcuterie board by Marie Reginato.
This board features lots of green earthy tones such as green grapes, avocado, and green pears.
