Everything you need to know to create the ultimate fruit and cheese platter that will impress your guests and elevate any gathering. These platters are beautiful, simple to assemble, and have a delicious variety of flavors and textures. Perfect for any season, they’re the ideal go-to for entertaining.
When it comes to easy entertaining, nothing is more accessible than a fruit and cheese platter! They offer something for everyone to enjoy while keeping it light, seasonal, and fresh. Whether you are looking for a light snack or a hearty meal, a fruit and cheese platter is a great option.
Serve this platter at simple wine and cheese gatherings, birthday parties, baby showers, pool parties, graduation parties, garden parties, or a fall charcuterie gathering. The ideas for serving fruit and cheese platters are endless.
This is the perfect appetizer for any occasion and is easy to make.
Be sure to check out how to make the prettiest fruit platter and the best fruit dip, as well as our complete guide on making a cheese platter.
How to Make a Fruit and Cheese Platter
1. Prep Your Ingredients
Start by selecting 3-4 varieties of cheese. Cut them into different shapes like cubes, triangles, or slices for added visual appeal.
Next, wash and prep your fruit. We recommend using a fruit and vegetable wash to ensure cleanliness. Pat the fruit dry before placing it on your platter to avoid excess moisture.
For added flavor, serve dips, honey, or sauces in small bowls.
2. Start Assembling Your Platter
Begin with the largest items. Place your cheese selections and bowls on the platter first to anchor the arrangement.
Cheese: Choose a variety of cheeses, such as soft, semi-soft, and hard types. Aim for a mix of cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, and goat’s milk cheeses to offer diverse flavors.
Position your cheeses in different sections of the platter, and make sure to include cheese knives for easy serving.
3. Add Fruits, Nuts, and Garnishes
Add larger fruits like grapes first, then fill in empty spaces with smaller fruits, nuts, and extras. Consider adding fresh herbs or edible flowers for a pop of color and a fragrant touch.
For a visually appealing platter, contrast colors and textures, like pairing green pears with red grapes or using rectangular crackers alongside round cheese wheels.
If your platter feels too full, use a separate plate for crackers and bread.
Tips for a Perfect Fruit and Cheese Platter
Use cheese signs to label different varieties and avoid flavor mixing.
Bring cheese to room temperature before serving for the best flavor.
Ensure there’s at least 3 ounces of cheese per guest.
Types of Cheese for a Fruit and Cheese Platter
Explore the seven main categories of cheese to add variety to your platter:
- Fresh Cheese: Feta, Goat Cheese, Ricotta.
- Soft Cheese: Brie, Camembert.
- Semi-Soft Cheese: Havarti, Provolone.
- Hard Cheese: Cheddar, Parmesan.
- Blue Cheese: Gorgonzola, Roquefort.
- Washed Rind Cheese: Taleggio, Limburger.
- Bloomy Rind Cheese: Brie, Camembert.
Best Fruits to Pair with Cheese
When selecting fruits, use seasonal produce to keep your platter fresh and flavorful. Here are some of the best fruits to pair with cheese:
Mango and Kiwi: These tropical fruits add a spicy-sweet touch that pairs well with creamier cheeses.
Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries add a sweet and tart balance to the salty cheese.
Grapes: Both purple and green grapes offer a sweet and crisp flavor that pairs beautifully with creamy cheeses.
Peaches, Plums, and Pears: These fruits are juicy and sweet, complementing cheeses like Brie, Goat cheese, and Feta.
Melon: Refreshing and sweet, melon adds a bright contrast to the rich flavors of cheese.
Other Items to Elevate Your Fruit and Cheese Board
Make your board even more exciting by adding items like:
Nuts: Cashews, almonds, pistachios.
Crackers: Multi-grain, pretzels, or pita chips.
Honey and Jam: Sweeten the deal with honeycomb or fig spread.
Edible Flowers: Flowers are another great way to add texture and color to the board.
Dried fruit is another excellent addition to your cheese board for your next dinner party. In addition to giving your guests a pop of flavor, they’ll also add spots of vibrant color to your cheese board. We love adding dehydrated oranges to our platters.
Perfect Pairings: Fruit and Cheese Combinations
Here are some tried-and-true pairings to enhance your fruit and cheese board:
- Feta and Watermelon: A refreshing summer combination.
- Brie and Pears: A classic pairing, topped with candied pecans for extra crunch.
- Cheddar and Apple: The sharpness of cheddar complements the sweetness of apples perfectly.
Storing Your Fruit and Cheese Platter
You can prepare your platter in advance! Assemble it the day before, but wait to add crackers or nuts to avoid sogginess. Wrap the platter in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheese should I serve per guest?
Plan for 3 ounces of cheese per person. If it’s the main dish, increase it to 5 ounces per guest.
What’s the best cheese to pair with fruit?
Cheddar, Brie, Goat cheese, and Feta are excellent choices for pairing with fruit like apples, grapes, and berries.
More Platter Ideas
Here are a few more of our favorite appetizer boards:
Now, you have all the tips you need to create a beautiful fruit and cheese platter for your next gathering. Be sure to tag me on social media so we can see your stunning creations!
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Fruit and Cheese Platter
Ingredients
Choose a Variety of Cheese
- 4 ounces goat cheese, or any soft cheese
- 8 ounces brie cheese, or any similar creamy cheese
- 8 ounces aged cheddar, or any aged cheese
Choose a Variety of Fruit
- 1 lb grapes, red or green grapes
- 3 kiwi, sliced
- 1 large orange, sliced
- 4 ounces blueberries
- 4 ounces blackberries
- 4 ounces raspberries
- 4 ounces strawberries, slice the tops off
- 1 pear, sliced
Nuts, Dried Fruit + Honey
- 4 ounces candied walnuts, or candied pecans
- 4 tbsp honey , with honeycomb if possible
- 3 ounces dried fruit, strawberries, orange slices, etc.
Bread and Crackers
- 6 ounces crackers, or crusty bread
Instructions
- Choose 3-4 different types of cheese. Cut them into different shapes if needed. We like cubes, triangles, slices, etc.
- Wash, slice, and chop any fruit you’ll be adding to the platter.
- Add honey, dips, and sauces into small bowls.
- Add the different cheeses to the platter. Put the cheese in different corners of the platter. Add a cheese knife to each selection and a cheese sign so your flavors don’t get mixed.
- Add in the larger fruit items like grapes first.
- Then, fill in the empty spaces with your small fruits, nuts, and other things. Finish off your fruit and cheese platter with some garnish, like fresh herbs and edible flowers.
- Add the crackers on the platter or on a separate plate near.
Delicious!! I could live off of this fruit and cheese platter. So good! I love the fruit and cheese pairings you recommend, it’s so helpful. My favorite cheeses for cheese platters is brie, a very sharp cheddar, dubliner cheese, and sometimes a package of Boursin cheese. Yum!
Thank you so much for these tips, I made a beautiful platter for our party over the weekend! I wish I took a picture, it was amazing.
Thank you so much! I was able to put together the perfect appetizer to take to a cookout and everyone was blown away!