Whether having a little get together or a big party, you’re probably wondering what to put out on the table for snacks. Solution: epic snack boards! You can build out the most delicious vegan “charcuterie” board with an assortment of veggies, fruits, vegan cheeses, hummus dips, crackers, and all sorts of other goodies. Let me walk you through step-by-step on how to create a delicious vegan snack board for your next big party, small gathering, or even an impromptu get together (you just might have a lot of these things in your kitchen already!).
How to Build an Epic Vegan Snack Board
When going plant-based, there’s more variety to explore with snackable fruits and veggies to take place of the usual charcuterie board assortments: sausages, salami, and all the meaty stuff. You can choose fruits and veggies by color, texture, and snacking ease. Find dips to pair with the crackers and vegan cheeses —like sweet peppers dipped in red pepper hummus, garlic hummus on a cracker with an olive, or vegan cheese, an endive leaf and a grape.
To make a vegan charcuterie board you’ll need the following:
Vegan cheese. You can’t have a snack board without the cheese, but what to do when vegan? There are many vegan cheeses available in markets these days made with nut milks and tofu, some of them cultured plant-based cheeses.
Crackers. Any sort of cracker will do here. I like more seedy crackers, like multigrain rice crackers with chia, and earthy beet crackers, so have fun selecting different shapes and tastes that you like. Different shapes and sizes add to the visual as well as the flavors on your board.
Veggies. Sweet peppers, cucumbers, radishes, snap peas, asparagus spears, all good for dipping and scooping.
Olives. Must have on the snack board for those olive lovers (like me) that want some juicy Kalamatas, or fleshy green Castelvetrano olives, or perhaps some garlic stuffed green olives.
Fruits. Grapes are a given! They look abundant on the board, and are super easy to pop into your mouth! Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and other easy to pluck off the board and eat fruits are all perfect choices.
Herbs. I love thyme for decorating my snack board— the leaves are so tiny! Thyme also make a great garnish on top of hummus and adds decorative flourish around wedges of cheese. Basil is very pretty, but it wilts quickly. I don’t tend to use basil for snack board garnish for that reason. I find that mint makes an ideal garnish and stays fresh looking. Rosemary is also wonderful to use for snack board decor.
Flowers. Edible flowers— nasturtiums, lavender, pansies, chamomile, borage, squash blossoms — all make your snack board look like a luscious garden of Eden. You can find edible flowers near the herb section at your supermarket, or search for some at your local farmers’ market — I get mine at the same stall as my herbs and greens. Of course, if you grow any in your backyard or garden, like nasturtiums, wash them carefully and use both the flowers and leaves to decorate. Do research on edible flowers to make sure you aren’t choosing any questionable ones (you wouldn’t want to add a poisonous bloom to your board).
The Board. The board itself is also a key focus for your snack board, of course! I love a large wooden board. You can find the right board (or boards!) to suit your style. You can find a beautiful round wine barrel style serving board like this one for wine pairing parties. This round acacia wood platter makes a centerpiece for serving snack things, or go for an extra large cutting and serving board like this one.
To assemble your vegan snack board, add the hummus dips and cheeses to the board first to create the foundation. Then you can arrange the remaining ingredients around those main items, sectioning together flavors and colors that compliment each ingredient. Make a “rainbow” with all of the red/orange foods going from one end, to the yellows and greens, then the blue purple colors to the other end. Experiment with herbs, edible flowers and other garnish until you master the art of creating a showstopper of a snack board.
Have fun creating a delicious party pleasing work of art!
