How to Make a Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board: A Food Editor’s 12 Favorite Cheeses, Meats and Accompaniments

First thing’s first: proportions are everything. Before you begin, mentally split the board into fours, reserving equal quarters for meat, cheese, some kind of crackers or bread and whatever other accoutrements you’re craving. You’ll also want to get a variety of items. Pair soft and hard meats, as well as soft and hard cheeses. Next, use a mix of visually and texturally diverse accompaniments, like fresh fruit, crackers, breadsticks, nuts, olives and spreads.

Keep the 3-3-3-3 rule for charcuterie boards in mind as you shop, too. Start with three cheeses, three meats, three starches (as in crackers and breads) and three accompaniments (as in fruits, nuts, spreads or sweets), and you’ll get stellar results every time. Choose diverse components for each category to ensure that your guests’ tastes are all accounted for.

Finally, you don’t need special kitchen tools or serving accessories…but they can help.You can technically use any fancy-ish cutting board (wood and stone are both nice) or serving plate you’d like. Just make sure it’s roomy enough to accommodate enough food for your guests and that it looks nice enough to be photographed—your friends will no doubt want to share your hard work on Instagram. Teeny-tiny labels, cheese knives, metal toothpicks and pretty bowls are all nice and helpful, but not mandatory.

• Set a budget. If you don’t have a number in mind and just start grabbing stuff, you may end up buying more than can fit on your cutting board. If you’re under budget once you have all your components, search for a sparkling bev for your guests to wash them all down with, or a dessert for after the cheese is devoured.
• Prioritize meat and cheese. They’re typically right next to each other in the store, so you won’t need to venture far to decide the bulk of your Trader Joe’s charcuterie board.
• Let fate decide the rest. Trader Joe’s isn’t organized like most supermarkets, and if you aren’t super familiar with how your location is laid out, you may have a hard time finding jam, crackers or savory snacks for pairing. I found it easiest to just wander the store until something tasty caught my eye. This way, you keep the stress to a minimum and the board basically builds itself.
• Keep appearance (namely color) in mind as you shop. A vibrant jam, fresh fruit, multicolored olives or herby crackers can add a pop of green, red or whatever color you like to a neutral-looking board. Keep track of what you add to your cart as you go, building the board in your head before you do in IRL.
• Arrange the board in a way that makes sense. The meat, cheese and accoutrements should be accessible from all or most angles of the board. I like to layer meat, cheese and crackers or bread across the entirety of the spread, then add small bowls of jam, olives, pickles and other treats between them or at the corners. Place hard cheeses alongside hard meats (with knives, if you aren’t cutting them in advance). Add a small knife or spoon to the center of spreadable or soft cheeses and dips for easy serving. Scatter snacky additions, like fresh fruits and nuts, across the board in bare spots, so guests on either side can reach some.

If you ask me, cheddar is a must on any charcuterie board, and TJ’s is best known for its cheddar assortment. This one is rich and luscious in texture and sharp, aged and salty in taste. It’ll pair well with just about everything, and less adventurous cheese eaters will make a beeline to it every time.

Another crowd-pleaser is gouda. It’s earthy! It’s grassy! It’s ridiculously buttery! Personally, I avoid the smoked kinds because it can be overpowering, but you do you. Just be sure to let it come to room temp before you serve it so its naturally softer consistency isn’t lost on your guests.

Trader Joe’s does sell mostly its own brand of products, but I chose this off-brand one for my soft cheese. It genuinely melts on your tongue and has a savory, creamy taste with an acidic high note that will pair beautifully with green apple, Champagne and salami alike.

All I can say about this dry-aged masterpiece is wow. Boldly beefy, peppery and teeming with notes of clove and nutmeg, TJ’s bresaola is a cut above your usual charcuterie. Match it with a hearty aged Parm if you’d like (or snack on it straight from the package).

I love this three-for-one purchase for a Trader Joe’s charcuterie board. Complete with Spanish salami, Serrano ham and chorizo, the flavorful trio will make your job a lot simpler. My favorite of the three was the salami, which had notes of garlic that sang with the porky base.

I love unexpected cracker and bread options for a charcuterie board but ensure that you have a plain-Jane pick in the mix that won’t detract from the meat and cheese, too. These are crispy, neutral and just a touch salty, so they fit the bill.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is this herbaceous alternative, which is deliciously malty, slightly sweet and tastes almost like roasted seaweed snack. I think it’d pair really well with a truffled cheese or any other umami-rich components.

Not only did I choose these pretzel sticks for visual diversity, but also because they offer a kiss of honey for sweetness that complements salty cheeses, fruity jams and fresh apples alike. (If you have hummus on the board, that’d be a winner, too.)

When it comes to charcuterie boards, think of nuts as a garnish (as long as no one at the party is allergic). Once I ran out of space, I simply scattered them across the board to fill in any stray nooks and crannies that were without food. They look pretty, and these specifically are super garlicky and crunchy to boot.

Tart is right! This spread was more sour than sweet, which personally, I adored. It’ll make a delicious match for creamy, buttery cheeses and chocolate alike (yes, you should add chocolate to your charcuterie board).

Meaty in texture, briny in taste and elegant in appearance, tapenade is a dip-like condiment that packs a mouth-puckering punch. If you’re serving baguette or crostini instead of crackers, look no further than this herby crowning glory. 

Availability may vary by location, but I was so glad to have tried this type of apple. It was crisp, floral and very juicy. If you’re a green apple person who only likes the brightest, snappiest reds, add it to your shopping list, stat.