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Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

This easy Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board is as cute as it is festive. It’s the perfect appetizer  filled with peppers, grapes and a mix of meats and cheeses to hold off hungry guests as they wait for a Thanksgiving feast.

A thanksgiving charcuterie board created in the shape of a turkey with meats, cheese, nuts, veggies and fruit.

I love Thanksgiving. While it’s all about giving thanks for what we have, it ends up being a celebration mostly of good food and the way it brings us all together.

If your family is one that tends to overdo the food preparation and earn plenty of drawn out sighs from impatient and hungry relatives, you know the importance of plenty of appetizers to keep everyone satisfied.

I love the simple appetizers like these cheddar bay sausage balls or some booty dip, but this board is the ultimate appetizer for your Thanksgiving feast.

It has plenty of items for your guests to graze on from grapes, figs and bell peppers to salami, pepperoni, ham and cheddar cheese. These snack foods are packed with nutrients and protein to keep guests feeling content until the real meal begins.

But more than the ingredients, this Thanksgiving charcuterie board is all about the presentation. It’s really not difficult to put together this super cute turkey design and bring a smile to everyone’s face. The tiny bit of extra effort just gives this Thanksgiving charcuterie board an extra pinch of magic.

The best part is you can put the whole thing together the day before and bring it out whenever you are ready to serve! 

What is Charcuterie

Charcuterie is a beautiful presentation of meats and cheese along with anything that might pair well with those meats and cheese like fruits, nuts, dipping sauces and spreads. They’ve become increasingly popular in the past few years with many people reveling in the artistry it takes to design and assemble the most beautiful arrangement.

There is no set definition of what counts as charcuterie, but most would agree your board should contain a good mix of textures, flavors and colors. There are plenty of ideas out there to make your charcuterie board unique, but I love this recipe because it’s a great starter board for those making charcuterie for the first time.

Why Make This Recipe

  1. Perfect Appetizer: There is no more fitting appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal or friendsgiving celebration than this Thanksgiving charcuterie board.
  2. Customize to Your Liking: What I love about charcuterie boards is you can mix and match any way you like. If you’re not a fan of swiss cheese, substitute it for something else. Don’t like pepperoni? Don’t use it! It’s all up to you.
  3. So Cute: This turkey design is just adorable and makes all the work worth it.

Ingredients for this Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredients shown are used to prepare a fun Thanksgiving charcuterie board in the shape of a turkey.
  1. Red bell pepper: You could easily substitute a yellow, orange or even green bell pepper
  2. Cheeses: I used swiss cheese, provolone cheese, cheddar cheese and mozzarella balls
  3. Meats: I used deli ham, salami and pepperoni
  4. Green Pear: You can use any pear you like, but the pear makes up the body of your turkey so be sure and choose one that is shaped like a turkey body!
  5. Sugar eyes: The eyes are really what bring this turkey charcuterie board to life
  6. Almonds: Almonds make up the feet of your turkey, but you could leave them off if you want
  7. Green grapes: You could substitute red grapes. I like to include a little fruit on the charcuterie board to balance out the flavors
  8. Figs: Figs are amazing on a charcuterie board and add some great color to this turkey
  9. Crackers: Use any crackers you prefer

Variations

You can mix up your charcuterie board with anything you prefer. All you have to do to achieve the same thematic look is layer your ingredients in the same rows–and of course keep the pear body. I chose my ingredients to be simple and easy to find, but you can mix it up with anything you prefer.

Most charcuterie boards contain:

  • Cured meat
  • Cheese
  • Fresh or dried vegetables or fruit
  • Nuts
  • Crackers or bread
  • Fresh herbs for garnish

Tools

  1. Serving platter: It’s a good idea to use a serving platter that has a shallow edge

How to Make This Recipe

Cheese on a cutting board with a cookie cutter cutting shapes to use in the Thanksgiving charcuterie board.

Step 1: Slice the peppers and figs, roll your Swiss cheese, cut the provolone into different shapes, and fold your ham into triangles to use later. 

Half a pair on a plate with candy eyes and the beginning of a meat and cheese fan of feathers on a platter for Thanksgiving

Step 2: Design your turkey by slicing your pear in half and positioning it at the bottom of your tray, decorating with cheddar, almonds and sugar eyes. Layer the salami and pepperoni in a half circle around your pear to create the first layer of your turkey’s feathers. Place cheese slices between the salami and pepperoni layers to separate them.

Cheese cut into shaped pieces with grapes and mini mozzarella balls and sliced figs added to the shape of the Thanksgiving feathers.

Step 3: Alternate green grapes and mozzarella balls and then add your cut up fig in the next row. Add your peppers and ham in the next row and finish with a row of rolled up cheese and crackers.

Expert Tips

Close up of a Pear turkey charcuterie board.
  • When you’ve finished with your rows, fill in any empty spaces with any leftover ingredients to make your tray and your turkey look full. You can also add some fresh herbs as garnish.
  • If you do decide to switch up what you add to your charcuterie board, keep in mind the 3-3-3 rule. Every good charcuterie board should have at least 3 meats, 3 cheese and 3 accompaniments like nuts, fruits or vegetables. 

Recipe FAQs

A thanksgiving charcuterie board created in the shape of a turkey with meats, cheese, nuts, veggies and fruit.
How to Make Ahead

If you are not careful, the cheese and meat can dry out quickly. In general, it’s best to eat a charcuterie board within a few hours, but if you are making this Thanksgiving charcuterie board for the next day you can keep it fresh by wrapping it tightly in saran wrap and placing it in the refrigerator. 

If you make ahead and wrap your tray, I would recommend waiting to add your crackers at the last minute so they do not become stale.

What to Serve With your Turkey Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie is usually served as an appetizer but you could also enjoy it as a snack. This board is built to serve six people.

Serve it alongside some Pan con Tomate or any of your favorite Thanksgiving appetizers.

Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:

If you tried this Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

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A thanksgiving charcuterie shaped as a turkey on a round appetizer platter.

Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

This easy Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board is as cute as it is festive. It’s the perfect appetizer filled with peppers, grapes and a mix of meats and cheeses to hold off hungry guests as they wait for a Thanksgiving feast.
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Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 423kcal

Equipment

  • Serving platter: It’s a good idea to use a serving platter that has a shallow edge

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 4 slices Swiss cheese
  • 4 slices deli meat ham
  • 3 slices Provolone cheese
  • 1 green pear
  • 2 oz classic salami
  • 2 sugar eyes
  • 1 slice cheddar cheese
  • 2 almonds
  • 2 oz pepperoni
  • 10-12 mini mozzarella balls
  • 1/2 cup green grapes
  • 2-3 figs, cut into quarters
  • 16 crackers

Instructions

  • Rinse 1 bell pepper. Remove the seeds, then cut it into thin strips.
  • Cut the 4 Swiss cheese into triangles and roll them into rolls.
  • Roll the 4 ham pieces into cones.
  • Cut aspen leaves out of 3 slices of provolone cheese with a cookie cutter. You can use a different shaped cookie cutter if you’d prefer.
  • Prepare a large round serving platter with small sides. Cut 1 pear in half and place at the bottom of the plate. Cut one small slice of salami in half and arrange the half pieces as turkey wings on the side of the pear.
  • Place the eyes, cheddar beak and almond feet.
  • Place salami and pepperoni overlapping in a circle. Place cheese leaves between the salami and pepperoni rows.
  • In the next row, alternate mozzarella cheese and grapes and place them in a semicircle.
  • In the next row, add the quartered figs.
  • For the next row, alternate between the bell pepper strips, the ham cones, and the cheese rolls around the edges. Place crackers on the far edge of the plate. Fill the free space with more ham, bell peppers and grapes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Copyright The Domestic Spoon. For educational or personal use only.
  • Green Pear: You can use any pear you like, but the pear makes up the body of your turkey so be sure and choose one that is shaped like a turkey body!
  • Green grapes: You could substitute red grapes. I like to include a little fruit on the charcuterie board to balance out the flavors
  • When you’ve finished with your rows, fill in any empty spaces with any leftover ingredients to make your tray and your turkey look full. You can also add some fresh herbs as garnish.
  • If you do decide to switch up what you add to your charcuterie board, keep in mind the 3-3-3 rule. Every good charcuterie board should have at least 3 meats, 3 cheese and 3 accompaniments like nuts, fruits or vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 866IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 388mg | Iron: 1mg
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