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    Make It Skinny Please » Recipes » Appetizers » How to make a Skinny Easy Charcuterie Board

    Published: Oct 22, 2021 · Modified: Oct 21, 2021 by Toni Dash · 19 Comments

    How to make a Skinny Easy Charcuterie Board

    Weight Watchers Points6
    Calories: 505kcal
    Carbs: 76g
    Protein: 31g
    Fats: 11g
    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Skinny Charcuterie Board with title overlay

    A Charcuterie Platter is a perfect appetizer for entertaining or a 'crackers-and-cheese' type dinner. With some simple choices it doesn't have to be a calorie trap either! We are sharing the easiest way to make this favorite appetizer skinny!

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    The best charcuterie boards provide a feast for the eyes and the stomach. They are an art-meets-food type appetizer or snacky dinner platter. Great for special occasions or just a lazy meal with your favorite things.

    What you include is totally up to you and we have some guidelines (and a free printable CHEAT SHEET) to make them a favorite entertaining option rather than a scary calorie nightmare.

    Making your own simple charcuterie board is easy with our skinny tips. Included is a free printable complete guide cheat sheet to help you make a beautiful board every time!

    Jump to:
    • What is a charcuterie board?
    • How to pronounce charcuterie?
    • Skinny Charcuterie Board Tips
    • Supplies
    • How to Make a Perfect Skinny Charcuterie Board cheat sheet - Printable!
    • Ingredient amounts
    • Simple Charcuterie Board Ideas
    • Extras
    • Recipe

    What is a charcuterie board?

    The term charcuterie is a French word referring to cooking related to prepared and cured meat products (think bacon, ham, sausages, salami, etc). The ‘board’ part can refer literally to a board used on which a mosaic of meat is placed or to the dish as a whole.

    Though technically charcuterie is all about meat, charcuterie boards or platters have become wildly popular over the past few years on social media. They have evolved to be a combo of a traditional charcuterie board and a cheese board.

    You’ll see them with everything from breakfast foods to desserts but still using the same name.

    How to pronounce charcuterie?

    Shar-kew-tree.

    overhead view of a charcuterie board with dip

    Skinny Charcuterie Board Tips

    What makes a good charcuterie board? Great ingredients, different shapes, favorite meats, different cheeses and loads of fresh low calorie choices!

    • If you are making it for entertaining be sure to include plenty of things you know you can eat and enjoy!
    • When setting it up think about portions. Place ingredients in ways you can quickly assess and keep track of what you are eating. Use small bowls for individual portions of nuts, clumps of grapes, cubed cheese, etc.
    • When making is skinny load up on the fruits and vegetables rather than making an epic charcuterie board of mainly meats and cheeses.
    • Include a combination of texture, colors and flavors. They should be exciting to the eyes and the palette.
    • Combine salty, sweet, and savory flavors.
    • We are sharing photos of different ways to organize boards too for inspiration! They are not all 'skinny' but illustrate ways to combine ingredients.

    Supplies

    You'll need a board. It can be an official charcuterie board or a large cutting board. Consider how many you'll be serving to choose a large board or smaller board.

    Cheese knives are great to set out. They make knives for soft cheeses and hard cheese.

    Disposable appetizer forks. Also called tasting forks these are a great way for guests to serve themselves from their plate especially if you won't include lots of crackers or bread sliced.

    Toothpicks. Both to stick into ingredients like cheese cubes or vegetables like cherry tomatoes. Decorative toothpicks or holiday toothpicks are fun for a party!

    close up of a charcuterie board with bowls

    How to Make a Perfect Skinny Charcuterie Board cheat sheet - Printable!

    Download a FREE printable Charcuterie Board cheat sheet!

    This one page guide tells you step by step how to set up a Charcuterie Board at home using our ingredient ideas shared here.

    Ingredient amounts

    As a general rule of thumb use the following serving amounts to build the perfect board. Recommended amounts per guest (for an appetizer):

    • Meat - 2 ounces
    • Cheese - 2 ounces
    • Crackers or sliced bread - 4 ounces (this is optional)
    • Fruits or vegetables - equivalent of 2 whole

    If serving this as a dinner double the amounts.

    seasonal charcuterie board
    Adding seasonal ingredients to platters adds to celebrating the season or holiday

    Simple Charcuterie Board Ideas

    Meat

    Use lean sliced deli meats: ham, turkey, smoked turkey, even very thinly sliced salami instead of fatty cured meats like thickly cut salami. Having a selection of lean meats adds skinny options and makes a beautiful charcuterie board.

    Slices of fully cooked chicken sausages are great too (the type of sausage you buy fully cooked). They usually are lower in calories and Weight Watchers points and come in different flavors.

    Cheese

    Having a variety of cheeses from firm cheese to creamy cheese adds versatility but can pack on the calories too. Choose reduced fat cheeses or plan the portions out beforehand.

    Slicing it yourself can end up in 100's of calories quickly unless it's done very thinly. Here are some of our favorite choices:

    Light babybel cheese. Remove the outer wrapping and the red wax covering is festive for the Christmas holidays and no one knows it’s light from the flavor. It adds a beautiful color and shape to the platter.

    A favorite is salami wrapped around a stick of mozzarella cheese. Here's how to make it skinny:

    • Use a low fat mozzarella cheese stick and use a leaner meat. Frigo makes a delicious light mozzarella stick (string cheese) that’s low in calories and Weight Watchers points.
    • Use a salami ‘lunch meat’ which is cut thinner. Hormel makes an Uncured Hard Salami in their Natural Choice line. It’s thinly cut, no artificial ingredients, gluten-free and 110 calories for 4 slices.
    • Wrap 1 slice around 1 cheese stick and add to your board.

    Choose a few types of cheese cut into cubes or sliced squares. Figure out ahead of time how many ounces they are and how many calories or WW points so you can create an allowance for yourself. Smaller cubes are often sold pre-packaged in the dairy department of the grocery store.

    Serve with toothpicks for more sanitary grabbing. You can make it fun with decorative toothpicks for gathering theme too.

    For sliceable hard cheese: Parmesan is a great choice. Serve a wedge not pre-grated cheese as you’d use in a recipe like our Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups. It has a bold flavor and a little goes a long way. Guests can slice a bit off on their own. It pairs well with slices of apple and pear as well as on a slice of meat.

    Soft Cheese: If adding a soft cheese goat cheese is a good choice. There are different flavors usually with fresh herbs. It adds a tangy flavor and is lower in calories than something like blue cheese.

    Nuts

    Nuts are a wholesome choice but the calories add up quickly. If serving a crowd creating small cups of nuts that guests can take (rather than a big bowl) works great. Use something like paper nut cups that are disposable that you can portion them out beforehand so you know how many calories each one has.

    Serving some whole raw almonds, spiced nuts or pistachios (in the shell so there is some effort to eat them) are a great compliment both visually and flavor wise.

    close up charcuterie board simple

    Fruit

    Fresh fruit is always a great healthy and calorie-wise option.

    Individual clumps of grape guests can grab and put on their plate. Mix different colors on the charcuterie board.

    Sliced pears and sliced apples are great. They will begin to brown if sitting out. You can dip them in lemon juice before adding them to the board to make them last longer before browning.

    Fresh berries.

    Using dried fruit. Because dried fruit has been dehydrated it is significantly higher in calories than fresh fruit. Example: 430 calories in a cup of raisins versus 60 calories in cup of grapes. For a skinny charcuterie plate stick to fresh fruits.

    Vegetables

    This category is the land of opportunity. You can add loads of flavor, color, shapes and textures with a very low calorie spend. Bulk up on these!

    • Baby Carrots
    • Slices of bell peppers (choose different colors)
    • Celery
    • Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
    • Jicama sticks (these are great for dipping too)
    • Snap peas
    • Radishes
    • Cucumber slices or spears
    • Broccoli florets
    • Cauliflower florets (try different colors if you can find them)

    Crackers

    Often crackers or sliced thin baguette are included. This is definitely a calorie trap if you aren't paying attention.

    The general guideline is 4-ounces per person for a regular charcuterie platter. Adding more vegetables and decreasing the crackers will make it more filling and lower the calories!

    Choose lower calorie crackers like Mary's Gone Crackers seed crackers, Nut Thins or Good Thins. You get the benefit of a cracker but they are thin and lower calorie.

    Extras

    Condiments are a great addition. Grainy mustard or hummus. A light yogurt based dip (skinny Tzatziki Sauce) or even salsa depending on the other ingredients are low calorie dipping options.

    Some tiny cornichon or petite dill pickles for some crunch and pop of flavor.

    close up of elaborate charcuterie board

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    Recipe

    skinny charcuterie platter

    Skinny Easy Charcuterie Board

    Weight Watchers Points6
    Click to track Weight Watchers Points
    Popular as an appetizer platter for gatherings or for a dinner time sampler Charcuterie Boards are fun to make and serve. Making it skinny is easy too!
    5 from 173 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Low Calorie
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 505kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces lean sliced deli meats smoked turkey, oven baked turkey, ham, salami, roast beef
    • 8 ounces low fat cheeses light mozzarella sticks, light Babybel cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese
    • 1 large apple sliced
    • 1 pear sliced
    • 1 bunch red seedless grapes rinsed and cut into clumps
    • 1 cup baby carrots
    • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
    • 1 cup cucumber slices
    • 1 cup snap peas
    • 8 ounces low fat crackers

    Optional additional ingredients

    • whole almonds or pistachios in the shell
    • condiments such as grainy mustard, low fat yogurt dip
    • French cornichons or petite dill pickles

    Instructions

    • Select a board large enough to hold all the ingredients you'll use. Set out small bowls or ramekins for any items needing containers (dips, nuts, condiments, etc).
    • Arrange the other food items in a decorative way.

    Notes

    Weight Watchers points and nutritional information will be dependent on the ingredients used. Nutritional information is a example only.
    Ingredient note
    The fruits and vegetables listed in the recipe are options. Any favorite fruits or vegetables can be used.
    Ingredient amounts
    This recipe can be expanded or decreased for any amount of people. Here is the rule of thumb on ingredient amounts:
    For an appetizer (amount per person)
    • Meat: 2 ounces
    • Cheese: 2 ounces
    • Fruit or vegetables: equivalent of 2 whole fruits or vegetables
    • Crackers or bread: 4 ounces*
    For dinner (amount per person)
    • Meat: 4 ounces
    • Cheese: 4 ounces
    • Fruit or vegetables: equivalent of 4 whole fruits or vegetables
    • Crackers or bread: 8 ounces*
    *Because this is a guide for a slimmed down platter the crackers and bread can be decreased and vegetables and fruit increased to make a filling portion per person.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1336mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 5075IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutritional Coach and certified Weight Loss Specialist, writer/blogger, photographer, chief recipe developer and creator of Make It Skinny Please. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her slimmed down recipes using real food ingredients bring excitement to the dining table and never taste like 'diet food'. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

      5 from 173 votes (155 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Bev says

      October 10, 2022 at 6:19 am

      5 stars
      Great ideas! I love the circular gray charcuterie tray with handles! Can you tell me where you got it?

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        October 10, 2022 at 3:07 pm

        Unfortunately it was a gift and I'm not sure where it was purchased!

        Reply
    2. Jerika says

      February 04, 2022 at 6:52 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the tips on how to make the easiest Charcuterie Platter!:) Love it!

      Reply
    3. Katie says

      January 01, 2022 at 12:58 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love charcuterie and how customizable it is. This was a hit!

      Reply
    4. Jessica Burgess says

      January 01, 2022 at 8:17 am

      5 stars
      This is so helpful! I made one of these (with your tips) for my family gathering and it was so good!! No way would I have been able to do this on my own. Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Cara Stokes says

      January 01, 2022 at 7:04 am

      5 stars
      Beautiful board! Thank you so much for sharing this!

      Reply
    6. Maike says

      December 30, 2021 at 2:32 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious-looking charcuterie board! I appreciate the tips to make it healthier and can't wait to make this for our next family night.

      Reply
    7. Katie says

      December 30, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      I love this! So often charcuterie boards are low carb, but high fat. This is a great option!

      Reply
    8. Gina says

      December 30, 2021 at 2:01 pm

      5 stars
      Love leaning into fruits, vegetables and healthy nuts for a "skinny" approach to charcuterie! Perfect for NYE!

      Reply
    9. Anjali says

      December 30, 2021 at 12:42 pm

      5 stars
      Love these ideas for a healthier charcuterie board! I will definitely be serving this at our NYE party this weekend!

      Reply
    10. Natasha says

      October 25, 2021 at 4:01 am

      5 stars
      These are super awesome tips for a healthier version of Charcuterie bored. It is guilt-free and delicious!

      Reply
    11. Emily Flint says

      October 22, 2021 at 12:41 pm

      5 stars
      Just because this is called "skinny" doesn't mean it's not delicious. This was the perfect board for my girl's get-together weekend!

      Reply
    12. Anjali says

      October 22, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      Love these tips for a healthier charcuterie board! I'll definitely be making it this weekend when we have some friends and family over! It looks delicious!

      Reply
    13. Tristin says

      October 22, 2021 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      Going to be making a healthy charcuterie board for Thanksgiving and there are so many great ideas here!

      Reply
    14. Angela says

      October 22, 2021 at 11:16 am

      5 stars
      So much great information here. I love the look of charcuterie boards. It is great to have ideas of lower calorie options.

      Reply
    15. Angela says

      October 22, 2021 at 10:31 am

      5 stars
      I love everything about this post! So many great ideas. The information is great and the pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    16. kushigalu says

      October 22, 2021 at 10:13 am

      5 stars
      Wow. What a beautiful and colorful spread. Perfect for holidays. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    17. Andrea Thueson says

      October 22, 2021 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      I love these beautiful ideas for a healthier and calorie friend board!

      Reply
    18. Trang says

      October 22, 2021 at 9:51 am

      5 stars
      Wow! I love how you beautifully displayed your boards. 5 star rating just for how much this posts inspires me when I am attempting to make my own!

      Reply

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I'm a Certified Nutrition Coach and NASM certified Weight Loss Specialist. I'm excited to share Classic Recipes made more calorie friendly using real food!

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