Breakfast Charcuterie Board
A Breakfast Charcuterie Board is a fun and aesthetic way to enjoy the most important meal of the day. This article walks you through how to assemble the board for the best layout and choose items that will create a charcuterie board your guests dream about!
There’s something about a charcuterie board that feels so indulgent. You get a little bit of everything and as much as you want of anything. It’s the perfect appetizer for big meals like this Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board but when done right, charcuterie boards can also be a meal unto themselves.
A breakfast charcuterie board brings all your morning favorites together in one delicious display that looks elegant and over the top, but is actually made up of really simple breakfast items. Think waffles, pancakes, bacon and plenty of fruit for cute pops of color.
Whether you’re hosting friends, celebrating a special occasion, or just want to make weekend breakfast feel a little extra, this board is as beautiful as it is satisfying. We love to build a breakfast charcuterie board when we are hosting a brunch or having guests spend the night! It’s the perfect way to please everyone.
Why Make This Recipe
- Totally Customizable: Whether you’re building your board for a bunch of picky eaters or guests with more refined tastes, everyone loves breakfast food! It’s easy to adapt your offerings for any diet, season, or occasion.
- Perfect for Gatherings: There are no intensely-fancy ingredients on this board, but the presentation brings a wow factor that is sure to bring any breakfast, brunch or celebration to the next level.
- Balanced and Beautiful: This board gives a mix of textures, flavors and colors that makes it as delicious as it is pretty!
Key Ingredients for a Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Liege waffles: You can use homemade or store bought. Liege waffles hold their shape better than the average waffle and are also much sweeter thanks to the type of sugar used. They can also be served at room temperature without affecting the taste or texture too much, which means they are better for sitting out on a board.
- Pancakes: Homemade like these Muffin Mix Pancakes or frozen will work. I suggest using regular size and mini pancakes that are smaller than 2 inches wide to give some variety to the look of the board.
- Bacon: Use whatever bacon you like best, including standard, maple flavored, turkey bacon etc. You can cook your bacon using this Air Fryer Bacon method for quick and easy prep!
- Breakfast sausage: Any sausage you prefer will be fine. I prefer breakfast sausage links. Use chicken or turkey sausage to give your guests a healthier option.
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use butterscotch or white chocolate chips if you prefer, or a blend of all of them!
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries all add color and interest to the board and are perfect for filling in small spaces.
- Spreads: Offer a few spreads, including honey for drizzling, Nutella or cookie butter for sweet lovers, and peanut butter if you’re including bananas.
Recipe Variations
You can add or take away anything you like to your charcuterie board. That’s the beauty of a meal like this.
- Pastries: Play around with adding cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, french toast sticks, croissants or even danishes to your tray
- Fruit: Mangos, grapes or blackberries would be fun and colorful, and bananas are a popular breakfast addition as well. If using bananas, I recommend leaving the peel on to prevent the bananas from browning too much.
- More spreads: Maple syrup, whipped cream cheese, cinnamon butter, or even whipped cream would be delightful additions
- More Protein: If you want to add more protein to your board you can add a bowl of yogurt, scrambled or hard boiled eggs, or simply add a wider variety of meats.
- Additional Toppings: Raw nuts, yogurt, granola or powdered sugar would all look great on a breakfast board
Tools
- Serving tray: The size of the tray really just depends on the size of your ingredients. As a rule of thumb, it’s always easier to start with a large tray and have to downsize than to start with one that’s too small!
How to Lay Out Your Charcuterie Board
The secret to a good charcuterie board is all in the presentation. As you are trying to decide how many piles of each ingredient to create, try working with the rule of odd numbers. Having odd numbers of piles of each ingredient is more pleasing to look at and draws your attention around the board.
I recommend creating three stacks of each ingredient, or just one for smaller ingredients like blueberries. Continue to add as you need to fill space, but always keep your piles odd.
As you can see in my photos, I have 3 different spots for pancakes on my board, three different spots for raspberries, one for blueberries, three spread containers, three piles of strawberries, three bacon piles, etc.
A rectangle board is better for symmetrical layouts, but I prefer using a circular board, which complements the circular items like pancakes better.
How to Prepare a Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Step One: Start by laying out your full sized pancakes and waffles as well as large cups or bowls for spreads. Fill your cups and bowls with honey, cookie butter, nutella, and peanut butter.
Step Two: Lay out the next largest items, including the mini pancakes, sausage, and bacon.
Step Three: Fill in the gaps with the smallest items, including your fruits and chocolate chips.
Expert Tips
- Don’t be afraid to move things around as you build. You’re creating something very visual so it helps to see it visually!
- If you’re expecting a big crowd, it may be helpful to keep extra ingredients nearby to replenish as things are eaten.
- Pair your board with coffee, mimosas, or fresh juice to complete the brunch vibe.
- Change out the smaller filler items with seasonal or festive additions if you are making a holiday specific board – Red and green sprinkles for Christmas, pumpkin butter for fall, etc.
Recipe FAQs
You can definitely prepare the ingredients of your board ahead of time, but if you plan to use cut up fruit or if you want any ingredients to be served warm, it may be best to arrange all your items just before serving.
The size of your board depends on how many people you plan to serve. A small board, for 1-3 people is about 12 inches in diameter. If you plan to serve more than that, go bigger. The bigger, the better when it comes to charcuterie boards!
Of course! Leave off the meat and add more nuts or fruit in their place. There are plenty of vegan-friendly breakfast options to choose from.
If this board will be out for some time, for grazing during a brunch or celebration, I recommend choosing room temperature or colder items. If you want some items to be warm, leave a space for them on your board and keep them warm just until ready to serve and then add them to the board at the last moment possible.
Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, check out these other recipes I’ve selected just for you:
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Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Serving Tray
Ingredients
- Liege waffles, homemade or storebought
- Pancakes, homemade or frozen
- Mini Pancakes, homemade like these Muffin Mix Pancakes or frozen
- Bacon, you can cook your bacon using this Air Fryer Bacon method
- Breakfast sausage
- Honey
- Cookie Butter
- Nutella
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Chips
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
Instructions
- Prepare the waffles, pancakes, mini pancakes, bacon, and breakfast sausage according to package instructions.
- Start by laying out your largest items on your charcuterie board first, including full sized pancakes and waffles as well as large cups or bowls for spreads. Fill your cups and bowls with honey, cookie butter, nutella, and peanut butter. I only chose three of these because of the rule of odds explained in the How to Lay Out Your Charcuterie Board section.
- Then lay out the next largest items, including the mini pancakes, sausage, and bacon.
- Finally, fill in the gaps with the smallest items, including your fruits and chocolate chips.
- Feel free to rearrange as you are building the board. I moved things around a lot while placing them! Allow your family and guests to dig in, and enjoy!
Notes
- Liege waffles: You can use homemade or store bought.
- Pancakes: Homemade like these Muffin Mix Pancakes or frozen will work. I suggest using regular size and mini pancakes that are smaller than 2 inches wide to give some variety to the look of the board.
- Bacon: Use whatever bacon you like best, including standard, maple flavored, turkey bacon etc. You can cook your bacon using this Air Fryer Bacon method for quick and easy prep!
- Breakfast sausage: Any sausage you prefer will be fine. Use chicken or turkey sausage to give your guests a healthier option.
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use butterscotch or white chocolate chips if you prefer, or a blend of all of them!
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries all add color and interest to the board and are perfect for filling in small spaces.
- Spreads: Offer a few spreads, including honey for drizzling, Nutella or cookie butterfor sweet lovers, and peanut butter if you’re including bananas.
- Don’t be afraid to move things around as you build. You’re creating something very visual so it helps to see it visually!
- If you’re expecting a big crowd, it may be helpful to keep extra ingredients nearby to replenish as things are eaten.
- Pair your board with coffee, mimosas, or fresh juice to complete the brunch vibe.
- Change out the smaller filler items with seasonal or festive additions if you are making a holiday specific board – Red and green sprinkles for Christmas, pumpkin butter for fall, etc.
