Name: Vegan Cheese Board
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: Homemade or store-bought vegan cheese; 1/2 cup homemade or store bought hummus; 1/2 cup jam or jelly; 1 pound green or purple grapes; 1 pint strawberries; 1 pint blueberries; 1 cup cherries; 1/2 cup mixed olives; 2 medium carrots, sliced and chopped into sticks; 2 celery stalks, sliced and chopped into sticks; 1 pint cherry tomatoes; 1 bell pepper, sliced; 1 box Bob’s Red Mill Oat Crackers; 1/2 cup dry-roasted almonds; ½ cup dry-roasted cashews; Fresh rosemary, for garnish

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Make a vegan cheese board with fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy-free cheese, hummus, nuts, olives, and spreads. Perfect to assemble for a party appetizer!

There are lots of reasons to celebrate today.

This past week we did the final exchanges at our new place in Maryland to make it officially ours.

I instantly feel at peace when I open the front door, like I’m leaving all of my worries on the welcome mat.

It’s definitely got that clean slate feeling; all of the open empty condo space feeling like an expansive blank notebook waiting to be filled.

I know we’re going to be happy there.

Also, today is the fourth of July, and I’m seeing fireworks in the person for the first time in several years!

If you’re hosting today or any time later this summer, I have a quick and easy recipe for you to wow your guests.

This Vegan Cheese Board is easy to assemble for a fun plant-based board for entertaining.

It just required a board, lots of your favorite snacks, and a little creative assembly.

Cheese Boards Aren’t Scary!

To be honest, cheeseboards have always intimidated me.

They’re the type of appetizer I looked at with wishful wonder, afraid to remove a cracker for fear of destroying the full effect.

Sure, they’re pretty, but they also seemed pretty hard to assemble.

I also assumed there wasn’t much a point in making them plant-based, since the first word was literally– “cheese”.

But, friends, I was wrong!

Grab some vegan cheese and a board and let me show you how it’s done.

This year, in 2021, I got brave and finally took a stab at making my first vegan cheese board when hosting game night.

I was feeling fancy because it was the first time seeing my sister and cousin since before the pandemic.

My friend Courtney got there first so I put her in charge of starting the cheeseboard while I supplied the fruit, veggies, and dips.

She got to work immediately, placing, shifting, and adjusting the spread until it looked perfect.

So I watched and learned.

Why Make Your Own Cheese Board

The best thing about cheeseboards is that you can create them with whatever you have on hand.

Below I list what went into *my* cheeseboard, but feel free to mix and match whatever fruit, vegetables, snacks, nuts, and dips you have available to you.

My main tip is to not be afraid to mix colors, textures, and flavors.

Add a bit of crunch, sweetness, saltiness, freshness, and fruitiness for a well rounded cheeseboard.

This way, guests can come up with countless combinations for how to pair the board contents together!

What You Need to Make a Vegan Cheese Board

Here’s what you need:

homemade or store-bought vegan cheese
homemade or store bought hummus
jam or jelly
green or purple grapes
strawberries
blueberries
cherry tomatoes
cherries
mixed olives
medium carrots, sliced and chopped
celery stalks, sliced and chopped
bell pepper, sliced
Bob’s Red Mill Oat Crackers
dry-roasted almonds
dry-roasted cashews
rosemary (or your favorite herbs)

That’s it!

Because we are making a vegan “cheese” board, it’s nice to have a dairy-free option for cheese.

This can be something homemade, like my Easy Raw Cashew Cheese, or store bought, like nut-based blocks and spreads available in most stores.

I also recommend having some other dips ready, like homemade or store-bought hummus or baba ghanoush.

Jams and jellies are nice for a spread of something sweet.

Fresh and seasonal fruit is beautiful and delicious– I used grapes, berries, and cherries.

I love to do mixed olives for a hint of savory.

Fresh cut veggies like celery, carrots, and bell pepper are great for dipping!

And, of course, a handful of nuts is always a nice addition; my favorites are cashews and almonds.

The Best Crackers for a Vegan Cheese Board

What’s a cheese board without some crackers to scoop up all of the good stuff?

I placed Bob’s Red Mill Oat Crackers twice on this board because they’re worth of a double appearance.

These crispy crackers are made with a handful of simple ingredients like oats, quinoa, almonds and flaxseed.

I love them because they’re thin, light, and savory.

Try enjoying them on their own or combining with all of the cheese board elements you can imagine.

The pairings are endless!

Grab a box and spread them out on your cheese board for a beautiful, healthy, and delicious addition.

How to Pick a Board

First things first, let’s pick a board.

When I was building my first cheeseboard with Courtney, we went back and forth between board sizes and finally settled on two separate spreads.

Pick a board that will your spread.

The measurements listed in this recipe are just a suggestion, so add more or less to fill the space on the board of your choosing.

You want the board to look full and plentiful without being totally crowded and overflowing.

And, feel free to create two smaller boards instead like we did, if your eats don’t all fit on one board!

Select Your Cheese Board Dips

Next, place your dips and or any bowl-ed items.

For this board, it was the hummus, jam, vegan cheese, and olives.

By placing these first, we don’t have to worry about jostling the finger foods around later to make them fit.

Instead, you can create a beautiful, full spread around them.

How to Assemble a Vegan Cheese Board

Once you’ve placed your dips, start arranging the rest in groups across the board.

If you’re familiar with art & design, you can pull out some tricks like the S curve or leading lines, but don’t stress.

Honestly, you just want everything to look put together and aesthetically pleasing.

So, have fun with it and don’t worry too much about presentation.

You can look at cheeseboard images online for inspiration!

How to Serve Vegan Cheese Board

Try serving this Vegan Cheese Board with your favorite drinks.

It’s excellent paired with wine.

At my game night, we enjoyed this spread with Strawberry Sangria!

Not a wine drinker?

That’s OK– it’s delicious with whatever you choose to drink.

Cheers!

Enjoy this Vegan Cheese Board as a beautiful any time appetizer when hosting or entertaining.

This one is summer-inspired, so I think it would be best enjoyed for warm weather gatherings, dinner parties, or the 4th of July.

All of the cheese board contents are optional and adaptable, so feel free to add your own spin on the ingredients to make it yours.

You can also adjust the size of the board and quantity of the board contents to serve more or less guests.

I found that this board served 6-8 people comfortably with minimal leftovers!

If you have any leftovers, I recommend deconstructing the cheeseboard and storing leftovers separately in the fridge.

Pair any leftovers together for a fun flavorful snack in the days that follow!

Enjoy!

More Vegan Appetizers

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Vegan Cheese Board recipe, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.

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XO Lauren