Charcuterie boards are a growing food trend that continues to outdo itself in terms of variety and taste. The cheese and salami platters inspired many to developentire grazing tablesor even special mottos likeBrunch CharcuterieandHot Chocolate Charcuterieto pamper your guests on various occasions. But there are also great ideas for those who follow a vegan diet or have a dairy intolerance! Today we're showing you how you can get in on all the fun by making an Instagram-worthy vegan snack platter yourself!
What is a vegan charcuterie board?
First, let’s talk about how to pronounce the word “charcuterie.” It is /SHär'koodərē/ or “shahr-ku-tuh-ree” – a French word that refers to cured meats, particularly cured and smoked meats. While the focus was traditionally on the food, today it is the art of how charcuterie boards are presented that is put in the foreground. The vegan snack platters have the same concept, but are made with vegan meats and cheeses.
When do you serve a vegan snack platter?
Charcuterie boards are great for the holidays or special occasions, but also for a snack dinner, especially when the family is sitting together watching a movie or having a game night. Speaking of which, if you're hosting a football night, you can also have oneDesign a snack stage with a WOW factor.
Make your own vegan snack platter: Here's how to do it step by step
Knowing how to beautifully arrange a snack platter is key to upping the fancy factor at any gathering. Here are the basics to prepare your vegan charcuterie board.
Step 1: Choose your serving board
Choose a tray or plate as a base for the vegan snacks. There are many beautiful serving platters out there, but choose the one that suits the number of people you're serving and the type of ingredients you want to display. A big, fancy board is nice, but bigger means you need more ingredients and therefore a bigger budget. With many foods, the preparation will also take longer.
There are also endless possibilities in terms of material and appearance. It mainly uses a variety of wooden cutting boards that you probably already have on hand. Slate boards are also sometimes used, but less often than wooden cutting boards. If you don't have either, another option would be to use a baking sheet that you probably already have around the house.
Here are some examples of which size would be optimal for which number of people:
- For 2 to 4 people, choose a smaller serving tray, e.g. 35 x 23.5 cm, or a baking tray measuring 20 x 20 cm.
- If you are serving a snack platter for a larger number of people, especially on holidays, consider using one larger platter or several smaller platters in one style. For example, you could put 4 together to form a larger square, or you could arrange them next to each other to make an epically long grazing board.
- An XL cutting board measuring 60cm x 40cm would be perfect for 8-10 people. This is a huge board that allows you to serve enough food at once and then easily refill it.
Step 2: Add Structure
Once you have chosen your board, you should start arranging the ingredients on it. Always start with the larger items, e.g. if you want to serve whole wheels of cheese, glasses and bowls.
Smaller bowls, such as B. ramekins are ideal as containers for loose products such as olives, pickled vegetables and jam or spreads. For example, you can fill pretzel sticks or breadsticks into glasses. These also add height to the arrangement.
Step 3: Arrange the vegan cheese and plant-based meat
Now comes the fun part! As the trend toward vegan lifestyles continues to grow, many plant-based vegan cheese and meat options can be found in most major grocery stores these days. You can choose to pre-cut the vegan cheese or serve it in blocks using small cheese knives. There are also many variants of plant-based meat available in stores. You can also make your own vegan salami by finding a Seitalami recipe online.
What is vegan cheese?
Anyone new to the plant-based or dairy-free scene might be wondering what vegan cheese is made of. It depends on the brand, but vegan cheese can contain a combination of starches (potato or tapioca are popular) and vegetable oils like coconut oil. There are also varieties made from cashews (so pay attention to the ingredients if you have an allergy!) and tofu, which adds flavor and texture.
Step 4: Add crackers and crunchy treats
No vegan snack platter would be complete without crackers. It's best to combine sweet and savory crackers. Then add some roasted or flavored nuts, such as: B. Paprika-salt-almonds. You can also add a small pile of vegan dark chocolate (yes,Cheese and chocolateare a great couple!).
Step 5: Add fruits and vegetables
Fresh fruit and vegetables complete the whole thing perfectly and also add more color. Fill the open spaces on the serving board with grapes, sliced apples, cherry tomatoes, peppers and other favorite ingredients. At the end you can add a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme or even colorful peppercorns. All of this brings new character into the game.
And last but not least, another tip: try to distribute the colors evenly on the plate. Look for colorful foods in orange, green, red and purple to create beautiful accents.
