The Best New Party Trend to Upgrade Your Snack Spread

Buh-bye charcuterie boards!

The cheese plate and the charcuterie board have been mainstays of a stocked party spread for as long as I can remember. In my family, antipasto platters show up at every occasion, big or small. There is nothing quite as impressive as a huge tray of sliced and crumbled cheeses, ripe fruits, glistening olives, salami roses, and crackers of all shapes and sizes piled high—ready to be devoured. But these days, sharing food can be divisive (and no one wants to be the one caught finishing off the prosciutto). So how to modernize and innovate in this beloved charcuterie space? We follow the trends, of course, to see where they lead.

And lead they did, to a recent party buffet table. The first time I saw a charcuterie cone I thought it was the best thing to happen to party food since skewers. Since then, I’ve been seeing these adorable (and practical) snacks pop up anywhere and everywhere in true Baader–Meinhof fashion. Not only are they portable, but they are easy to serve as perfectly portioned bundles for each lucky guest.

What Is a Charcuterie Cone?

Charcuterie cones, cups, or even “jarcuteries,” are the next it thing to offer partygoers. These miniaturized "charcuterie boards" have been around, especially in the banquet scene, but became more and more popular after the pandemic when sharing food became less appealing. People are looking for ways to give individual servings in clever ways now more than ever.

I recently spoke with the person responsible for introducing me to my first charcuterie cone, Danielle Doebereiner, the owner of Nosh & Curd in the Pittsburgh area. Nosh & Curd is a local cheese shop and catering business that “offers everything from individual charcuterie to fine grazing tables and more.” I talked to her all about this growing trend.

“I scroll Pinterest often and see tons of individual serving ideas for food (like crudité cups). I thought these would be the perfect way for guests to get a little bit of everything conveniently. Serving the charcuterie in small, handheld-sized cones offers visual interest when displayed, and their grab-and-go portability makes them perfect for mingling” she said when I asked where she got her inspiration. “I also think this is a nice alternative to a buffet-style table, especially as an appetizer or quick cocktail hour treat...The dessert cones are the perfect to-go option you can save for later too,” Danielle added.

Handheld charcuterie cones offer a one-stop shop for any lineup of snacks you would normally put together on a charcuterie board or plate. They make it easy to walk around and enjoy a summer cocktail while being able to munch on treats along the way. They can be filled with anything from savory to sweet to color coordinated, and all that’s in between.

How to Make Charcuterie Cones or Cups

Danielle offered some tips on how to make charcuterie cones as we built one together. She started with her go-to bamboo cone vessel. If you wanted something that would sit on a table without a special stand, you could use any cup or jar that fits your needs.

“Nuts, or something dry, are always best in the bottom and help to support the shape,” says Danielle. She added Marcona almonds as her base but you could just as easily use your favorite nuts and/or seeds for unique flavor. From here, we added fillers like grapes and blueberries. Any bite-sized snacks that are easy to pick up will work.

Next came the skewers. “I love skewers that are lined with foods that make up ‘the perfect bite.’ One of our primary focuses is giving our clients flavor combinations that are unique and unexpectedly delicious” Danielle tells me.

Skewer up two or three different meats like salami, soppressata, chorizo, or mortadella with cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar, mozzarella, or Asiago. Layer in olives, pickles, or even fruit—like melon, blackberries, or peaches—and place them inside. Try our antipasto on a stick, Caprese appetizer, or Danielle’s favorite combination of the lemon-scented black Gouda cheese paired with raspberries that we used in our demo. Tuck in some crackers or crispy breadsticks and dried fruits to fill in the spaces and you are almost there.

Danielle suggests finishing off the bundle with a sprig of something fresh, like rosemary or an edible flower, to bring the eye up “to the visual interest at the top of the cone.” She finished off our cone by placing a few dried persimmon and mango slices to fill in the gaps between the other snacks, stuck a tall rosemary sprig in the back, and even found a vibrant orchid to slip in the side.

If you are making a dessert version, don’t put anything that will drip or make too much moisture. Danielle suggests using a waffle cone as the vessel and adding something like strawberry shortcake kabobs, cheesecake bites, cake pops, pastel-hued macarons, candy sticks, and more.

Try this recipe: Individual Charcuterie Cups

Make This Trend Your Own

Ready to make charcuterie cones, cups, or jarcuterie for your next event or gathering? Pick items that complement each other in both flavor and color to create the perfect edible bouquet. No detail is too small—we eat with our eyes first. At Nosh & Curd, they had a variety of adorable skewer options and an array of colorful cheeses, berries, and garnishes. You can also crimp and fold your cured meats into flower shapes for extra flair. One cone I had was mostly savory but also included a square of dark chocolate to finish it off. The possibilities are as endless as my love for charcuterie itself.

The most important ingredient is fun. In my mind, charcuterie cones are meant to be equally practical and whimsical (and worth writing about later).