This spooky Halloween Meat and Cheese Platter will delight your guests with its eerie appearance and delicious flavors. The black olives, blackberries, and dried fruits give the platter a spooky look, while the salami, ham, and cheese provide savory flavors.
Serve this platter with a bowl of Oven Roasted Garlic at your next Halloween party and watch your guests rave about it!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Meat and cheese platters are a popular party food, but they can also be a Halloween treat. Present this ghoulish charcuterie platter at your next Halloween party or get together. This Halloween meat and cheese platter is a study in dark fruits, meats, and cheeses that you can quickly pull together for a last minute appetizer.
Jump to:
Ingredients Needed
Select a variety of dark skinned fruits, both fresh and dried. Then, look sliced meats that are interesting textures. Figure 5 types of cheese, 4 types of sliced meats, and 2 to 4 types of berries or dried fruits. Look for at least three varieties of crackers that are dramatically different in textures.
Last, for a Halloween spooky theme, purchase a small plastic skeleton, skull, or in this case just a skeleton hand.
Five types of cheese
- Mini Brie
- Blue veined Gorgonzola
- Smoked Gouda with or without peppers
- Pepper Jack cheese
- Smoked Cheddar
Four types of sliced meats
- Genoa Salami
- Prosciutto slices
- Thin Salami slices
- Sopresatta slices
Two or Three fresh or dried Fruits
- Dried Cranberries
- Sliced fresh plums
- Fresh Blackberries
- Blueberries
Four types of crackers
- Rye Crisp
- Bread Sticks
- Seedy Crackers
- Light colored small crackers
Two or Three Various Condiments
- dark grainy mustard
- Honey
- Fig Jam
- Olives
- Walnuts
- Oven Roasted Garlic
- Macadamia Nuts
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Creating a Halloween Meat & Cheese Platter
Start with a base that will be large enough for you to really crowd a lot of interesting textures and tastes on the board. It can be a large cookie sheet pan, a board you wash up, or a large cutting board.
Step 1. Prepare the Board
Next, decide what your spooky item will be. Fasten it will push pins, tape, or staples in place. The fruit and cheeses will cover any staples, etc.
Now, place the items that benefit from being in small bowls in strategic spots on the board. Scatter them in a zig zag pattern.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 2. Make Groupings on the Board
Group your meats, cheeses and fruits in clusters on the board. Don't worry if everything won't fit, you can replenish as the evening progresses. Tuck folded slices of meat in between the condiment jars.
Fill any gaps with spoonfuls of walnuts, macadamia nuts, and small bundles of crackers. There is no right or wrong arrangement, tuck items in small piles and small bundles.
Lay the cheeses out first. You don't need to put all the cheese slices on the board at once, you can replenish later.
Fold the thin meats into halves and tuck them in groups of four or five fluttery bundles in between the fruit and cheeses. Fill in the gaps.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
Place your Halloween Meat & Cheese platter out for your guests as they are arriving and while waiting for the main event of your Halloween party!
For more amazing Halloween Party treats see our Sweet and Sour 'Bat' Wings, Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Brain Jello, and Halloween 7 Layer Dip for a savory Halloween Party menu or buffet spread.
For sweet Trick or Treats we have Mummy Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake, Halloween Snack Mix, Monster Cookie Truffles, Halloween Sugar Sprinkle Cookies, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cookies. Your party guest will have a spooky time at your Halloween table!
Substitutions
You can use any cheeses you like! Trader Joe's sells great blue veined cheeses at a terrific price. You can opt for regular cheddar and Swiss. For meats, go with what your guests will eat. If serving to children, you may want to go with lunch meat slices!
Equipment
Some items you will need for a Halloween meat and cheese platter are:
- large cutting board
- large board on legs (the one I used)
- Skeleton hand
Storage
If you have leftovers, just bundle them up in small ziploc bags by type of item. For instance, cheese slices in one bag, nuts in another, meat slices in it's own bag, etc. Place them in the refrigerator and either snack on them or use them for lunches.
Tips for Success
- It's easy to over buy. You only need about 3 to 4 ounces of each meat and cheese item for a full meat and cheese platter. Especially after things like nuts, crackers, and fruits are added.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, meat and cheese platters are not freezer friendly.
Depending on the temperature of the environment. If the room is warm, limit to 4 hours and then check if cheese and meats looked wilted or dried out. If in a cool room, maybe longer.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
Connect with Smells Like Delish!
Be sure to follow us on our social media accounts.
📖 Recipe
Halloween Meat and Cheese Platter
Ingredients
- 20 oz Cheese slices four or five types, 4 oz of each type
- 20 oz sliced cured meats three or four types, 4 oz of each type
- 6 oz blackberries
- 4 oz dried Cranberries
- 4 Plums
- 4 oz mustard
- 4 oz walnuts
- 4 oz macadamia nuts
- 4 oz honey
- 16 oz crackers a variety of several types, 6 oz of each type
Instructions
- Prepare your meat and cheese board by attaching your halloween spooky skeleton or skeleton hand.
- Place the items that need to be in small bowls on the board in a zig zag pattern.6 oz blackberries, 4 oz dried Cranberries, 4 oz mustard, 4 oz honey, 4 Plums
- Lay the slices of cheese nearby the fruits in small fans or piles.20 oz Cheese slices
- Fold the thin slices of cured meats and tuck them in between the nooks and crannies around the bowls and cheese. Fold three to five slices then ruffle them like a fan and tuck them in.20 oz sliced cured meats
- Place some of the crackers on the board in spots where 6 to 10 crackers will fit nicely. Spoon the walnuts and macadamia nuts in the nooks and crannies or any exposed board spots.4 oz walnuts, 4 oz macadamia nuts, 16 oz crackers
- Serve!
Notes
- Slice all your cheese and meats up ahead of time and save in baggies, and small bowls. This way you can make the meat and cheese board at the last minute and not worry about if it will fit in the fridge!
Nutrition
Like this recipe? Be sure to share it, pin it, or add it to your collection!
Leave a Reply