Charcuterie Bowls – An easy and elegant twist on a charcuterie board! Use cluster bowls or varying sizes of serving bowls for a simple and impressive appetizer.
Cluster Bowls for Charcuterie
These cluster bowls have been trending on social media, and they are so great for entertaining. I love the idea of simplifying the charcuterie board by just using these five bowls. After I bought the cluster bowls, I couldn’t find any ideas for what to serve in them, so I decided to create a post with several ideas. These are so easy and perfect for the holidays or year round. I’m calling them charcuterie bowls since the term charcuterie board has evolved to encompass grazing boards, appetizer boards, and snack boards. My goal was to make the same statement and impression a charcuterie board makes using just five or so main ingredients. Simplified shopping and arranging. I’m linking the bowls I am using below along with some other options. I do think you can get the same look by just using varying sizes of serving bowls or mixing bowls you already have. The following are affiliate links and I may make a small commission.
- Scalloped Cluster Bowls – these are the ones I used in the photos.
- Gold Cluster Bowls
- Mini Cluster Bowls – for smaller bites.
- Wood Bowls
- Pasta Bowls
Assembling Charcuterie Bowls
I’ve included photos and a short recipe card for each of the charcuterie bowls I created. The cluster serving bowl I have is made up of five varying sizes, so I keep that in mind when shopping. Look for a meat, cheese, and spread that pair well together. See below for favorites. When putting together the bowls consider the following as a guide.
- Meat – Prosciutto, Salami, Pepperoni
- Cheese – Brie, Burrata, Cheddar, Goat Cheese, Mozzarella – look for special or seasonal cheeses to make it more elevated
- Bread or Crackers
- Spread – Fig Jam, Honey, Hot Honey, Mustard
- Salty or Sweet Snack – olives, nuts, fresh fruit
- Fresh Herbs for Garnish – fresh thyme, rosemary, or basil
Burrata and Prosciutto Charcuterie Bowls
This one actually makes my mouth water looking at the pictures again! I absolutely love burrata and prosciutto, and a drizzle of hot honey is just perfect.
Burrata and Prosciutto Charcuterie Bowls
Equipment
- Cluster Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 oz Burrata Ball
- 6 oz Prosciutto
- Baguette Sliced, brushed with olive oil, and toasted
- Hot Honey or Regular Honey
- Pistachios I used Salt and Pepper pistachios
- Fresh Thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Assemble the bowls as pictured.
Italian Inspired Charcuterie Bowls
This Italian inspired charcuterie bowl is extra clever because it uses the oil from marinated mozzarella balls as an oil dip for the bread. Use toothpicks to snack on the cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and then dip the warm toasted bread in the oil. Briny olives and rosemary roasted mixed nuts round out the flavors of the bowls.
Italian Inspired Charcuterie Bowls
Equipment
- Cluster Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 10 oz packs cherry tomatoes
- 1 12 oz container marinated fresh mozzarella balls, oil reserved for dipping
- baguette sliced, brushed with olive oil, and toasted
- mixed nuts
- olives
- olive oil for drizzling
- fresh basil
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Drain mozarella balls and reserve oil for dipping. Toss mozzarella balls with cherry tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle with reserved oil as needed to coat tomatoes.
- Arrange ingredients as pictured and serve.
Brie and Prosciutto Charcuterie Bowl
Something about this one looks so holiday to me without being specifically Christmas. I think it would be great for New Year’s Eve. I sliced a log of brie for easy to pic up slices. The brie pairs beautifully with crackers, prosciutto, and fig jam. I added fresh blackberries and fresh thyme to the bowls for an extra pretty touch. Fresh figs will be in season soon and would be so pretty!
Brie and Prosciutto Charcuterie Bowls
Equipment
- Cluster Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz Brie Log sliced
- 6 oz prosciutto
- fig jam
- shelled pistachios
- fresh blackberries or figs
- thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange charcuterie bowls as pictured. Garnish with fresh thyme and sprinkle crackers with fresh thyme leaves.
Salami and Cheese Charcuterie Bowls
This is one of the easiest to throw together and it’s a huge crowd pleaser. I love the combination of sharp cheddar cheese and honey crisp apples, and the store bought salami roll ups are always the first to go!
Salami and Cheese Charcuterie Bowls
Equipment
- Cluster Bowls
Ingredients
- Store Bought Salami and Mozzarella Roll Ups
- 8 oz Cheddar Cheese. I used Trader Joe's unexpected cheddar.
- Honey Crisp Apples Sliced
- Crackers
- Mixed Nuts
- Fresh Rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange charcuterie bowl ingredients as shown.
Cranberry and Cheese Charcuterie Bowls
Since it would be weird to call these cheese bowls, I’m just going to stay with the theme. This is a fun cheese board inspired charcuterie bowl. I used a small brie cheese round and a cranberry goat cheese log for a fun and festive combination.
Holiday Cheese Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Cluster Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 oz Round Brie
- 8 oz Cranberry Goat Cheese Log
- Crackers
- Pistachios
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Fresh Cranberries for garnish
- Fresh Rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Optional: Slice round brie in half to make two circles. This makes it easier to cut a small shape out of the center of the top circle. Use a small cookie cutter to make shape and put circles back together. Add pomegranate seeds to fill shade.
- Arrange rest of bowls as pictured.
More Charcuterie Style Ideas
- Christmas Charcuterie Cups
- Breakfast Charcuterie Cups
- Old-Fashioned Christmas Candy Dessert Board
- Snowman Cheese Ball
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That is such a great idea! You get all the flavor, and nothing rolls off onto the floor. True story, by the way. LOL.
I love how using cluster bowls makes it so easy to customize for any gathering, and they still look super elegant and inviting. It’s such a simple way to impress your guests without a lot of effort!
I have a set of cluster bowls that has been barely used, so I was happy to see this idea! Made the version with prosciutto, burrata, hot honey, plain pistachios and little toasts. Delicious and beautiful!
These Charcuterie Bowls are amazing! Perfect mix of cheeses, meats, and snacks in one bowl. So easy to enjoy and super tasty!
These were all fantastic ideas! Super lovely presentation as well. We do charcuterie nights often, so will be coming back to this for ideas!