Turn your usual charcuterie board into individual charcuterie cups for parties, weddings, baby showers, or anytime you just want a quick, creative snack!
These are like hand-held charcuterie boards filled with a selection of meats, cheeses, grapes, pickles, and breadsticks or crackers arranged in clear plastic cups or glasses.
Party Perfect Charcuterie Cups
- Impress your guests, these cups are a beautiful display of colors and textures.
- Assemble them up to a day ahead of time and keep them chilled until ready to serve for a stress free snack.
- Low-carb and keto guests can enjoy these charcuterie cups by skipping the crackers or bread.
- They’re easy to customize with your favorite meats, cheeses, fruits, and nuts, making them versatile and adaptable to different preferences and tastes.
- The individual servings make it easy for guests to grab and go, allowing them to mingle and socialize without being tied down to a table.
- Make some of the charcuterie cups without the crackers or bread for your low-carb and keto guests!
What to Put in Charcuterie Cups
Crackers – Small crackers, mini breadsticks, or cubes of bread like rye or sourdough will add height and color.
Meat – Salami, ham, and prosciutto are good basic meats to start with, however, feel free to experiment with slices of summer sausage, pepperoni slices, or even mini meatballs.
Cheese – Choose cheeses with varying colors and flavor profiles. Cheddar cheese and pepper jack are always crowd favorites and small balls of bocconcini (soft mozzarella) are rich and creamy and will offset the salty flavors of the meat. Even string cheese can be used to create visual interest.
Fruits – Grapes, fresh whole strawberries, blackberries, and even dried fruit like chunks of apricot or mango add sweetness and color to charcuterie cups. Spear them onto a wooden skewer or layer them on the bottom.
Veggies – Olives, pickled asparagus, or green beans will help cleanse the palate from fatty meats and cheeses.
Garnishes – Sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, parsley, or even edible flowers will make charcuterie cups look fresh and inviting. Add herbs just before serving.
How to Assemble Charcuterie Cups
- Place crackers or breadsticks into each cup.
- Thread salami and olives onto wooden picks secured by a grape at the bottom to keep them in place.
- Add cheeses in varying shapes and sizes to the cups.
- Tuck in extra meat into the spaces and add garnishes, as per the recipe below.
Make it Pretty
Once all of the crackers, meat, and cheese are in place, add fresh herbs or berries to add color and make them beautiful.
Tips For Assembly
- Look for ingredients that will add color, contrast, shape, size, and flavors to charcuterie cups, it’s nearly impossible to make them wrong with so many amazing ingredients to choose from!
- Start tall crackers or breadsticks in the back, and then add grapes. Place some of the meats on sticks and poke them into the grapes to hold them in place.
- Assemble ahead and keep them chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve or place them in a cardboard box for safe transporting.
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Charcuterie Cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 long crackers or breadsticks
- 48 seedless grapes green or purple
- 24 small crackers or short crackers
- 24 slices salami thin sliced, or pepper salami
- 12 slices ham or turkey
- 12 slices prosciutto or pancetta
- 8 ounces hard sharp cheese such as cheddar
- 8 ounces soft cheese such as brie or bocconcini
- 8 ounces flavored cheese such as pepper jack
- 12 olives or small pickles
- fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Place 2 long crackers or breadsticks in each glass. Add 4 to 5 grapes to each glass to fill the bottom.
- Fold the salami into quarters. Thread one olive onto each pick followed by the slices of salami. Add a skewer to each cup, poking the end into a grape to hold it in place.
- Cut the hard cheeses into slices, triangles, or cubes varying the shapes for visual interest.
- Add the hard cheeses to the cups (they can be added on picks if you’d like).
- Roll or fold the remaining meat and add it to the cups along with the remaining crackers.
- Tuck herbs into the glasses for garnish.
Notes
Dried fruits or a square of dark chocolate looks great and adds sweetness. You can also add nuts.
Make sure the grapes are seedless.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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