A breakfast charcuterie board is a great way to serve a morning meal to a crowd, and we’ve got more than 80 ideas and offerings so you can serve breakfast favorites to please everyone’s tastebuds.
*BACON* is the star of this brunch board, along with fresh fruit, pastries and sweet treats, crispy tater tots, and many more delights.
An easy charcuterie board with your favorite breakfast foods is a great option for holiday gatherings, feeding overnight guests, special occasions like a wedding or baby shower, and holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas and more.
You’ll love how easy a charcuterie platter is for entertaining and feeding a large group. The best part is that you can put this grazing board together in advance, relax, snack on bacon, and drink mimosas!
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Contents
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- Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for This Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Equipment Needed
- Easy Step by Step Directions
- What Items Do You Put on a Charcuterie Board? 50+ Ideas
- Cheeses for Charcuterie Board
- 20 Best Brunch Drinks, Cocktails and Mocktails
- Making a Christmas Morning Charcuterie Board
- How to Store Leftovers
- How to Keep Breakfast Warm on a Charcuterie Board?
- More Popular Bacon Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Charcuterie Board Recipe
- Save for Later
Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for This Recipe
Set it and forget it – a big, beautiful brunch board will keep everyone busy while you relax and enjoy the party!
Versatile – In addition to serving everyone’s favorite breakfast items, you can easily cater to different dietary needs such as gluten-free or dairy-free with different offerings.
Good Value – Since you can easily vary the ingredients, you can take advantage of store sales and seasonal fruits.
Less work – Putting out a big charcuterie tray that serves a crowd is much easier than preparing a plated sit-down meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions
From the top of the photo, here are the ingredients used in our breakfast charcuterie platter. Scroll down for a HUGE list of alternative ingredients!
Mini Cinnamon Rolls – I purchased these, but you can also make your own homemade mini cinnamon rolls.
Fresh Strawberries – Always popular, fresh strawberries add pops of color and bright flavor.
Green Grapes – Nice for color contrast, and easy to eat. Feel free to substitute red or purple grapes if you prefer.
Kiwi – These bright green fuzzy fruits are fun to add to the tray as a garnish, or you can serve them sliced or cubed.
Pomegranate – These unique ruby red seeded fruits are perfect for holiday platters. When not in season, you can use any unusual fruit such as star fruit or papaya.
Mini muffins – Easy to pick up and eat, I used mini chocolate chip muffins and mini blueberry muffins for this tray. You can purchase them at the bakery or make your own homemade mini muffins.
Billionaire Bacon – I like to include at least two types of bacon on the tray. For spicier flavors try our popular Billionaire Bacon or Jalapeno Bacon. For sweeter flavors try our Maple Candied Bacon or Million Dollar Bacon.
Crispy Thick Sliced Bacon – The star of the show! Check out our post on how to cook bacon in the oven for the easiest bacon cooking method to make larger quantities for a crowd.
Tater Tots – Always popular, we use crispy, oven-cooked frozen tots but you can also make your own with this homemade tater tots recipe.
Blueberries – For color contrast and bright flavor, you can substitute blackberries if fresh blueberries aren’t available.
LInk Sausages – Another great protein offering, you can substitute sausage patties if you prefer. See our list below for more ideas.
Fresh Oranges – For color and the nice contrast of citrus flavor, you can also substitute Clementines, tangerines or mandarin oranges.
Mini Waffles – We used Eggo Minis Cinnamon Toast Waffles because they can be cut into cute little wafflettes. You can also make homemade waffles if you prefer.
Equipment Needed
The most important thing you’ll need is the charcuterie board itself. I used an antique silver-plated tray handed down from my grandmother.
I was so happy to find a fresh new use for this vintage tray, which I hadn’t found many opportunities to use before!
You can often find old silver-plated trays at thrift stores, eBay and Etsy.
Other charcuterie platter ideas include:
- An extra large cutting board, like this 20- by 30-inch bamboo board.
- A large, lightweight melamine platter, perfect for outdoor settings.
- A rustic tree slice board, cut from a giant log.
- Make your own board. The Art of Doing Stuff and Family Handyman have excellent DIY charcuterie board instructions.
You’ll also want to set out plates, napkins, utensils and beverage glasses and cups.
Easy Step by Step Directions
Begin by placing the most dominant elements of the tray. For this platter, I had a large bowl of berries, a platter of bacon, and a bowl of tater tots.
Next, fill in with individual ingredients. Arrange items as close together as possible.
Finally, garnish any empty spaces with fruits like strawberries, kiwis and pomegranate seeds. Fresh mint sprigs would also be pretty on this tray.
What Items Do You Put on a Charcuterie Board? 50+ Ideas:
These are some of my favorite, easy, crowd-pleasing breakfast board ideas:
Meats and Protein
- Plenty of BACON!
- Sausage links or patties
- Sliced ham
- Canadian bacon
- Prosciutto
- Hard-boiled eggs cut in half
- Scrambled eggs in a serving bowl
- Salmon lox
- Assorted cheeses (see specific cheese tips below)
Small Bites
- Mini bacon cheese quiches
- French toast sticks
- Tater tots or hash brown patties
- Mini frittatas
- Nuts, such as almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pecans or walnuts
Pastries and Grains
- Mini donuts
- Sugared or glazed donut holes
- Mini maple bacon pancakes
- Baby waffles
- Mini cinnamon rolls
- Baby bagels
- Bacon and cheese turnovers
- Mini croissants
- Biscuits
- Mini muffins with chocolate chips, blueberries or streusel
- Granola
Fruits
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Grapes
- Pineapple chunks
- Oranges, tangerines, clementines
- Mandarin oranges
- Fresh melon such as watermelon, cantaloupe or Honeydew
- Diced mango or papaya
- Peach or nectarine slices
- Fancy cut kiwi
- Dried apricots
Dips, Spreads and Toppings
Serve spreads and dips in small bowls, and syrups in small pitchers.
- Nutella
- Plain and flavored cream cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Flavored goat cheese
- Honey butter
- Bacon butter
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Dips (our Cream Cheese Onion Bacon Dip is divine)
- Jams, jellies and preserves
- Fig spread
- Whole berry cranberry sauce
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Blueberry syrup
Cheeses for Charcuterie Board
If you’re going to include cheese on your board, consider a selection of flavors and textures.
Sliced cheeses are easy to pick up and eat. If you’re leaving the cheeses whole, be sure to include serving knives nearby.
We like to serve at least four different varieties on cheese boards. Here are some of our favorites:
Firm – English Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano
Semi-firm – Manchego, Gruyere, Swiss
Semi-soft – Havarti, Muenster
Soft – Brie, Camembert, Cambazola
20 Best Brunch Drinks, Cocktails and Mocktails
A special signature drink served with a brunch board will make the occasion feel extra special. Here are some of the best cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks to pair with breakfast:
- Bacon Bloody Marys (be sure to accompany with Bacon Swizzle Sticks!)
- Classic Mimosas, or variations like Cranberry Mimosas, Apple Cider Mimosas and Blood Orange Mimosas
- Peach Bellinis or Cranberry Bellinis
- Fuzzy Navel
- Strawberry Champagne
- Greyhound Cocktail
- A pretty bowl of punch, like Raspberry Thyme Prosecco Punch or Pineapple Rum Punch
- Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris
- Pomegranate Mojito Mocktails
- Virgin Piña Coladas
- Coffee and Tea
- Hot Chocolate
- Bourbon Eggnog with Candied Bacon
- Irish Coffee
Making a Christmas Morning Charcuterie Board
To make a special breakfast platter for a holiday morning, you might start with a festive charcuterie board such as a Christmas tree board or a charming sleigh cutting board like the one shown above.
To make this board especially festive for the holidays, include plenty of pretty red, green and berry colored ingredients.
You may also wish to add some of your favorite Christmas treats, such as:
- Sliced fruitcake
- Cranberry orange mini muffins
- Sliced gingerbread
- Christmas cookies
- Star fruit slices and fresh cranberries for garnish
How to Store Leftovers
Cover individual leftover ingredients in tightly sealed containers or wrap tightly in aluminum foil, plastic wrap or Press ‘N Seal. Plan to eat within a day or two for the freshest flavor.
Check out “How to Store Cooked Bacon” for more bacon storage tips.
How Do You Keep Breakfast Warm on a Charcuterie Board?
Great question. The easiest strategy is to serve plenty of things that are fine at room temperature.
Pastries, fruit, tater tots, bacon and sausage will be safe to consume at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
If the party looks like it’s going to go longer, heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Reheat breakfast meats and tater tots on a foil lined baking sheet until hot, and return to the charcuterie board.
More Popular Bacon Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and bacon makes it even tastier! For more delicious bacon breakfast and brunch ideas, be sure to check out these recipes:
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole with Bacon and Sausage
Best Breakfast Casseroles with Bacon
Mini Quiches with Bacon and Cheese
Save for Later
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Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- 1 large board or platter
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and drained
- 1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and drained
- 16 ounces frozen tater tots, cooked according to package directions
- 12 slices hot, cooked thick-cut bacon
- 12 slices hot, cooked Billionaire Bacon*
- 12 link sausages, hot, fully cooked and browned
- 1 bunch green grapes, washed and drained
- 12 mini cinnamon rolls
- 6 chocolate chip mini muffins
- 6 blueberry mini muffins
- 6 frozen Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis waffles, cooked according to package directions and cut in quarters
- 2 navel oranges, cut in wedges
- 1 kiwi fruit
- 1 pomegranate, halved
Instructions
- Reserve 9 of the nicest strawberries for garnish. Arrange the remaining strawberries and blueberries in a serving bowl and place in one corner of the charcuterie board.
- Transfer the hot, cooked tater tots to a serving dish. Place in the diagonal opposite corner of the platter.
- Arrange the bacon and sausage on a rectangular serving dish, and place diagonally in the center of the board.
- Add the grapes, cinnamon rolls, mini muffins, waffles, and orange sections to the tray, leaving as little space on the tray as possible. Don't worry if all the ingredients don't fit; reserve for replenishing the tray.
- Cut the kiwi in half, using a knife to cut a zig-zag pattern around the fruit if you wish. Arrange on the platter along with 1 half of the pomegranate.
- Remove the seeds from the other half of the pomegranate. Fill in empty places on the tray with pomegranate seeds, strawberries and blueberries.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes!
Nutrition
Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help. Do you have any suggestions to add to our charcuterie platter ideas? Drop a comment below!
If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza
Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.
This was so unique and fun! The family loved it!!
What a fun idea for breakfast! Lots of tasty little bites for people to choose from.
This charcuterie board is so gorgeous!! I know it will be perfect to serve to my overnight guests during the holidays – definitely will be making this soon!
Love this idea. Saving for my daughters sleep over next week
Such good inspiration for my Christmas family breakfast. Something for everyone. Thank you!
I love this board and I have the perfect platter! Thanks for all of the suggestions Eliza!
Breakfast makes me happy, and this bacon board is just the bomb! planning already for this coming weekend.
I love this breakfast charcuterie board. It’s perfect for a weekend brunch.
This is such a fun idea for the holidays! We loved the addition of tater tots for hashbrowns!
I was thinking of how to make something special for my husband’s birthday. Now, this breakfast board sounds like a perfect plan.
I made this breakfast board for Thanksgiving and my whole family loved it! There was something for everyone!
Last Sunday, my sister and her husband stayed over at our place and I decided to serve them a pleasant breakfast. A quick search and I came across this recipe. They totally appreciated my effort and found this charcuterie so cute!