How to Make a Festive Fourth of July Charcuterie Board

Emily VanSchmus
·4 min read

This Independence Day, serve up a festive Fourth of July charcuterie board in addition to your normal spread of hot dogs and burgers. If you haven't heard of this before, it's a spin on the classic charcuterie board-but in this case, it's filled with strictly red, white, and blue foods for the ultimate patriotic food display.

We're starting to see Instagram posts under #FourthofJulyBoard and #FourthofJulyCharcuterie, and we only expect to see more of the red and blue food creations as we get closer to the holiday.

Related: How to Build a Simple Charcuterie Board

Emily VanSchmus

The best part is, it's easy to make your own! There's no right or wrong way to make a charcuterie board-and you can add anything you like. With a few easy styling tips, you can turn any combination of foods into a festive holiday treat.

How to Make a Fourth of July Charcuterie Board

Supplies Needed

  • Serving board or cutting board

  • Red and blue berries

  • Assorted cheeses and meats

  • Red and blue candies or cookies

  • Crackers and pretzels

  • Star cookie cutter

Emily VanSchmus

Step 1: Gather Red, White, and Blue Foods

The first step to building your food tray is to choose a board; I used this 13-inch wood serving board ($20, Target). Then, grab as many red, white, and blue foods as you like. The amount of food you need will depend on the size of the board, so if you're using a smaller board, don't overbuy. Of course, you can refill the board with the leftover foods as needed.

Here are all the foods I used:

  • Blueberries

  • Strawberries

  • Blackberries

  • Sliced salami

  • Prosciutto

  • Assorted crackers

  • White-chocolate dipped pretzels

  • Star-shaped cookies

  • Red and blue M&M's

  • White cheddar cheese

  • Brie wheel

Emily VanSchmus

Step 2: Cut Cheese Stars

While regular cheese squares are perfectly okay, I wanted to give my board a little something extra. I started with a block of white cheddar cheese and cut it into squares that were about ¼-inch thick. Then, I used a mini star-shape cookie cutter ($7 for a set of four, Walmart) and cut each square into stars for the board.

Emily VanSchmus

Step 3: Cut Brie Wheel

To take the board to the next level, I also wanted to dress up my brie wheel. I cut the top off the wheel, then used the same small star-shape cookie cutter to cut a whole in the top. When you press the cutter into the rind, be sure to press slowly and gently so the surface around it doesn't crack. When you've removed the star shape, place the top back on the wheel and fill it with red or blue jam.

Emily VanSchmus

Step 4: Assemble Board

Once you've cut the cheeses and washed and dried all the fruits, it's time to assemble the board. There's really no wrong way to put it together, but I found it's easiest to start with the largest elements and fill in from there. I placed the brie wheel and a small white ramekin ($2, Target) of blueberries on the board first. Then, I added a few sections of sliced meats and several piles of crackers.

Once I had the large items and the more neutral foods (the meat and crackers) laid down, I started filling in with the red, white, and blue items. I added the blueberries first, making sure to space them out pretty evenly on the board, then added clusters of red strawberries.

Related: 28 Easy 4th of July Potluck Recipes Everyone Will Love

After the large groups of red and blue were spaced out on the board, I filled in with smaller decorative treats like cookies, red and blue candies, and white pretzels. Keep adding until the board is full, but don't overdo it-you want each item to stand out. Plus, you can always add more later as the board begins to disappear. Keep the board in the fridge until you're ready to serve, and don't leave items like meat and cheese outdoors in the sun for long-this Fourth of July treat is best served indoors.