Breakfast Charcuterie Board

Life should be full of way more breakfast charcuterie boards. Full of protein and flavor, this board feels lighter than your typical breakfast or brunch-y fare, but fills you wonderfully!

Every foodie has their own specialties. I think I have one or two, but butchery is absolutely not one of them. If you’ve hung out with me for a while, you’ll notice I do A LOT of veggie and whole grain dishes.

I think I’m better at those than anything related to meat, which is why I was ecstatic when I recently befriended a butcher! He offered to help me with my aversion to much meat at home and I jumped at the opportunity. First up, a great charcuterie spread perfect for breakfast and brunch…

We agreed on a combination of meats, cheese, and fruits as well as some delicious honeycomb, mustards, and some finishing salt. When the offerings were set on the table, we each tried different combinations of meat, cheese, fruits, and toppings until we each found our happy places.

By then, we’d eaten just about everything on the slate! While you can find cured meats a lot of places, head to your local butcher to get better quality meat as well as more interesting flavors and cures.

Butcher shops bring you closer to your source of food, which is always a plus if you want to live more sustainably as well!

This breakfast charcuterie board was perfect for a meal of four hungry people. We might have enjoyed a few pastries while we put the board together, which was a delightful beginning to a wonderful meal!

Breakfast Charcuterie Board Meats

I’d recommend three meats for a board this size – the combination and types are completely up to you, but here are some favorites and popular suggestions.

First up is salami – a classic go to. You can find fun flavored salamis such as fennel pollen. It enhances the flavor of the salami – a slightly anise flavor that isn’t too strong. I’m not always big on salami, but this was a lighter version that was quite enjoyable!

Second, is jamón serrano, which is a favorite of mine. It’s a Spanish ham that’s cured and aged. It has less fat than many of the other meats, which is why I enjoyed it so much, I’m sure. It’s very similar to Italian prosciutto – just from a different breed of pig.

You can learn more about different kinds of cured meats in this great slideshow by Huffington Post.

Next, guanciale – pork cheek. I’ve had guanciale in my favorite mussel dishes at Wildcraft in Culver City (sadly closed now). While I don’t usually eat the guanciale in the dish, I knew that it provided so much of that great flavor.

You can also add more readily available items such as soppressata and mortadella – as shown here. These are great mixed with cheeses, honey, and mustards if they aren’t usually your go tos.

While the cured meats are what makes up a traditional charcuterie board, providing the right accoutrements were key to really enjoying the whole experience. So before we get into the cheeses and fruits, let’s talk about the cherry on top, if you will…

Finishing Touches

There were really three ‘toppings’ – finishing salt; two kinds of honey, including honeycomb (also available at Whole Foods); and Moutarde de Meaux whole grain mustard.

The salt was a wonderful addition to the sweetness from the fruit and honey.

The honey was a deliciously sweet counterpart to the cured meats, and the mustard just went with everything. You can see why it was so much fun to try so many different flavor combinations!

Best Jams for charcuterie board

I think honey is the best option for a sweet to add to a board, but there are some really great jams you can also use as well.

The best jams for a charcuterie board aren’t your typical sweet fruit jams. My go to is fig butter, actually. Any sort of chutney or slightly acidic or spicy jam is great. So a pear chutney or a red pepper jelly would be LOVELY.

Breakfast Charcuterie Board Cheeses + Fruit

To balance out the charcuterie and the toppings, we included two kinds of cheese – burrata and goat cheese.

Additionally, we always put fresh fruit (and often dried) on a board. For spring, try berries, in summer, stone fruits are great. We’ve grilled peaches for a few minutes to soften them and add sweetness before. In fall, work with apples, grapes, pears, and persimmon.

You can check out these simple cheese board ideas as well!

And to finish it off, this brunch sangria was PERFECT!

Get your brunch charcuterie board necessities…

More Appetizer boards

Want some more boards? This winter appetizer platter is stunning. Don’t miss this Trader Joe’s charcuterie board, the kids appetizer board that everyone will love, and a fun holiday-board for Valentine’s Day Appetizers and St. Patrick’s Day apps!

Savory Breakfast Recipes

I often opt for savory over sweet breakfast items too! Be sure to try this savory pumpkin toast for fall, breakfast tacos (meal prep style), smoked salmon tartine (could probably eat this every day), and Savory French Toast.