Fruit and Cheese Platter

A balanced fruit and cheese platter should feature contrasting colors, textures and flavors. We love piling ours high with sweet and tart berries to balance out the creamy richness from buttery cheese such as Brie. It’s the perfect appetizer to serve at a party, and guests won’t be able to resist grazing on it all night long. Fruit and cheese platters are extremely versatile too—you can add any variety of nuts, crackers or dried fruit you like.

Ingredients for a Fruit and Cheese Platter

• Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries: Fresh berries are a fantastic option for any cheese platter, because the sweet tartness of the berries perfectly offsets the rich, buttery flavor from the cheese.
• Dried figs and banana chips: One of the key components of making a fruit and cheese platter is to create complexity of flavor, texture and color, so adding dried or dehydrated fruits is a great way to incorporate some crunch.
• Navel oranges: Juicy, bright and acidic, citrus fruits such as navel oranges are great for snacking, which makes them an easy choice for grazing boards.
• Seedless red grapes, watermelon, mango and kiwifruit: These bright, bold and vibrant fruits offer a wide variety of flavor, color and texture, making for a flavorful and eye-catching fruit and cheese board.
• Almonds: Almonds add a salty bite to this otherwise sweet, creamy board. If you don’t have almonds, a variety of other nuts could work here—try cashews, walnuts or macadamia nuts.
• Brie cheese and mascarpone cheese: Creamy and buttery, these cheeses are fantastic for this fruit and cheese platter because they’re easy to spread and pair beautifully with sweet flavors.
• Honey: We serve honey in a small jar on this board so guests can drizzle as much or as little as they like.

Directions 

Step 1: Arrange the fruits, cheeses and accoutrements

Suzan Najjar for Taste of Home

On a large platter or cutting board, arrange the fruit, almonds and cheeses. Place the honey in a small jar, then tuck the jar among the fruit.

Suzan Najjar for Taste of Home

Fruit and Cheese Platter Variations

• Try it with meat: This is a really sweet, creamy fruit and cheese platter, so salty cured meats could make for a fantastic addition. Take some inspiration from these charcuterie board recipes to add even more flavor and depth.

How to Store a Fruit and Cheese Platter

Fresh fruit and cheese can be thrown into airtight containers or zip-top bags and stored in the refrigerator. Do keep in mind that your charcuterie board fixings will hold better if they’ve been sitting out for less than an hour. If it’s been longer than that, you may want to pitch them. Word of advice: You can always put out less food on your board initially, then add to it if you’re worried about food waste.

Can you make a fruit and cheese platter ahead of time? 

While you can certainly make a cheese platter ahead of time, fresher is better. If you prepare your board a few hours before serving, cover the platter with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.

Fruit and Cheese Platter Tips

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What drinks can I pair with a fruit charcuterie board?

What other types of fruit and cheese can I add to this charcuterie board?

Have fun playing around with your favorite types of cheese and fruit. For cheese, try goat or gouda. As for fruit, try apricots or pears.

What kind of crackers are best to serve with this fruit and cheese platter?

Fresh bread, homemade crostini’s or store-bought crackers are all a great option here. Whichever type you choose is a matter of preference, but serving something a little crunchy and salty is a great way to offset the rich, sweet flavors of the fruit and cheese.