Cheese and Cracker Board
Get ready to build the ultimate snack board that’s as beautiful as it is delicious! This cheese and cracker board is your ticket to effortless entertaining, combining creamy, tangy, crunchy, and fresh ingredients all on one stunning platter. Whether you’re hosting a holiday or a casual get-together, this spread is guaranteed to impress with minimal fuss.
The best part? You get to decide what goes on your cheese and cracker board! Load Ritz crackers with smooth cream cheese, peppery radish slices, and a sprig of fresh dill, or maybe a bite of rich Boursin topped with sweet jelly and a crisp cucumber slice.
Every combination offers a tasty snack or party appetizer, allowing your guests to customize their own creations.
What is a cheese and cracker board?
A cheese and cracker board is a simple, elegant spread that pairs a selection of cheeses with complementary crackers, breads, and other tasty additions. It’s designed for grazing, allowing guests to mix and match flavors and textures according to their own preferences.
This cheese and cracker board recipe boasts a combination of crackers (including buttery Ritz crackers), thinly sliced fruit and veg, creamy dips, jams and jellies, and fresh herbs. It’s perfect for entertaining and easily adaptable.
Grab your favorite spritzer and get munching!
Why you’ll love this cheese and cracker board
- It’s perfect for summer snacking – so refreshing, simple, and tasty!
- It’s truly a simple, elegant appetizer to serve or bring to a party while also ideal for an outdoor fire for a casual gathering.
- You don’t need fancy or expensive ingredients to make a delicious crowd-pleasing cheese and cracker board. Make your life easier and always use what you have on hand.
Ingredients needed to make a cheese and cracker board
- Ritz crackers: These buttery, flaky crackers serve as the perfect sturdy and savory base for all your toppings. Feel free to add any other cracker of choice or an assortment.
- Cream cheese: This smooth, cool, and tangy spread provides a classic, creamy layer that pairs well with both sweet and savory additions. Make sure to bring it to room temperature for easier spreading or use whipped cream cheese.
- Boursin cheese: A soft, herbed and garlicky French cheese that adds a burst of rich, savory flavor to any cracker.
- Cucumber: Cool, crisp, and refreshing slices offer a hydrating crunch that lightens up every bite.
- Dill: Lends a bright, aromatic, and slightly grassy note that beautifully complements the vegetables and cheeses.
- Radish: Thinly sliced for a peppery kick and vibrant pink color. Radish adds a delightful crunch and a touch of spice.
- Jelly: A spoonful of sweet, fruit-forward jelly (like pepper jelly or fig) provides a luscious contrast to the rich, savory cheeses. I also love this Bacon Onion Jam!
- Apple slices: Sweet, crisp, and slightly tart fresh apple slices bring a juicy, fruity element that cleanses the palate.
- Olives: Briny and savory, these little gems offer a pop of salty flavor that cuts through the creaminess of the cheeses.
- Tomatoes: Juicy and slightly sweet, cherry or sliced tomatoes add a burst of acidity and freshness to the board.
How do you assemble a cheese and cracker board?
Prepare the ingredients:
- Gather your favorite vegetables, crackers, fruit, dips, jelly, and spreads.
- For your favorite vegetables, use a mandolin for thin slices that will be easier to top the crackers.
- Remove any homemade dips from the fridge and give them a good stir.
Assemble the board and serve:
- Place your dips and/or spreads towards the center of a large serving board or platter.
- Position crackers, prepared veggies, fruits, and other snackable ingredients around the dips/spreads.
- Serve with your favorite spritzer or cocktail and enjoy!
Serving
This cheese and cracker board is the perfect appetizer or snack for casual outdoor barbecues alongside Grilled Margarita Shrimp Skewers, Grilled BBQ Marinated Chicken, Grilled Turkey Burgers, or grilled steak.
While buying store-bought dips offer convenience when assembling this cheese and cracker board, I highly recommend making your own for the best flavor! I love serving crackers with Hot Bacon Crab Dip, Cream Cheese Salmon Dip, Dill Pickle Cream Cheese, or Fried Pickle Dip. Of course, these are just a few examples. Be sure to check out more delicious dip recipes HERE!
And let’s not forget about pairing this scrumptious cheese and cracker board with your favorite spritzer or this refreshing Hugo Cocktail!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Leftover crackers, veggie/fruit slices, and dips (or jams) must be stored in separate air tight containers. While leftover crackers can be stored at room temperature, fresh ingredients or those with any creamy elements must be stored in the fridge. Don’t store the assembled board in the fridge. The crackers will get stale, and the veggies will wilt.
- For a prettier presentation: For a prettier board, stick to bright, crisp spring vegetables and apple slices, but honestly, there are no hard rules!
- Board: This Target board is no longer available, but here are the boards that we recommend.
- Opt for spreadable dips: I love to buy whipped cream cheese, because it’s easy to spread! Keep this in mind when choosing dips to pair your crackers with.
- How to make a cracker cheese bite: Spread soft cream cheese and/or dip over your cracker with an optional layer of jelly or jam. Top it with your choice of thinly sliced veg or fruit. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs and a drizzle of sauce (sweet chili sauce, Sweet Onion Sauce) or balsamic reduction, depending on your ingredient pairings.
- Use a mandolin: Use a mandolin for uniform slices of veggies and fruit. This not only improves presentation, it will also make it easier to assemble your cheese cracker snacks. As a safety tip, always use the guard! Cucumber and radish slices should be about ⅛-inch thick – sturdy enough to pick up, but thin enough to be delicate.
- Soften cream cheese and boursin: Boursin and cream cheese are best served at room temperature, where their flavors and creamy textures truly shine. Take them out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before your guests arrive. Stir the cream cheese just before placing it to make it smooth and dippable.
- Prevent browning: Toss your apple slices in a little lemon juice or club soda right after slicing/cutting them. This prevents browning and keeps them looking fresh and vibrant for hours. Let them drain on a paper towel before arranging so they don’t make the board wet.
Variations:
- Gluten-free cheese and cracker board: Replace Ritz crackers with rice crackers for a gluten-free option. Always check the ingredients of store-bought dips to ensure your cheese and cracker board is gluten-free!
- Type of crackers: While buttery Ritz crackers are often a common cracker for this type of snacking board, feel free to add a variety, such as seeded crackers, Graham crackers, rye or pumpernickel crackers, herbed crackers, or flavor-infused crackers.
- Type of cheese: Experiment with other soft and spreadable cheeses, such as goat cheese, mascarpone (great as a sweeter option), ricotta, or burrata. Semi-soft cheese, such as camembert and brie are also great while firmer cheeses should be sliced or crumbled for easier serving.
- Holiday/theme twist: Easily adapt this cheese and cracker board to any occasion. For example, add Cranberry Jalapeño Dip and toasted pecans or candied walnuts for a festive Thanksgiving spread!
Leftover crackers from this cheese and cracker board never need to go to waste! Simply crush or pulse them and incorporate them into other tasty recipes. I’ve used a Ritz cracker crust for this Lemon Ricotta Pie while crushed Graham crackers are my preferred choice when making Lemonade Pie!
More shareable recipes you’ll love
Get the Recipe:
Cheese and Cracker Board (with Ritz Crackers)
Ingredients
- 1 11.8 ounce Ritz crackers
- 1 4 ounce Cream cheese
- 1 5.2 ounce Boursin cheese
- 2 small Cucumber
- Dill
- Radishes
- ⅓ cup Jelly
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, sliced
- ¾ cup Olives
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Gather your favorite vegetables, crackers, fruit, dips, jelly, and spreads.
- For your favorite vegetables, use a mandolin for thin slices that will be easier to top the crackers.
- Remove any homemade dips from the fridge and give them a good stir. Place your dips and/or spreads towards the center of a large serving board or platter.
- Position crackers, prepared veggies, fruits, and other snackable ingredients around the dips/spreads.
- Serve with your favorite spritzer or cocktail and enjoy!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Sandy, your boards are out now. We are all at home and not entertaining. This is a bit depressing. Please show your great family meals. Who are we or you for that matter feeding this too?
This was done right before the CV hit, so thank you for your grace as I share what I feel my audience wants, but is also authentic to my brand. We’ve asked over on Instagram and people still want a bit of normalcy and ideas for future entertaining, plus we all want to keep dreaming about bringing people together. My blog is about ideas, recipes, and also keeping positive attitudes during this time! PS. We served a smaller dinner on a board last night, so I do not feel my “boards are out.” :)