Make the most of summer produce with this vibrant summer cheeseboard. With my styling tips, you'll have a stunning appetizer ready in no time! Load this board up with fresh and aged cheeses, crackers, basil butter, olives, honey, and nuts for a variety of tastes and textures your guests will love.
Thanks to Vermont Creamery for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
Come summer, it's easy to throw together platter-type meals that require little effort. Like this festive cheeseboard that lets summer flavors shine: fresh summer berries, sweet cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and basil-infused butter.
Serve everything up with some excellent cheese and crunchy crackers for a vibrant summer cheese board you'll want to live on, all summer long.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
Cheese & Butter
If I could only choose one kind of cheese to eat for the rest of my life, it would be goat cheese. That's why I loaded this board with various types from Vermont Creamery, including:
- Goat Cheese Logs (herb and everything) loaded with savory flavors that add flair to this summer cheese board
- Bijou – the cutest little buttons of aged chevre perfect for snacking
- Cremont – a cow and goats milk cheese that tastes like if brie and goat cheese had a baby
But there's no limit to which cheeses you put on your summer cheeseboard. Other great options that pair well with summer flavors are:
- gruyere
- sharp cheddar
- ricotta
- gouda
- brie
- manchego
I also added a bowl of creamy basil butter made with Vermont Creamery cultured butter.
Summer Fruits & Vegetables
Choose produce that's delicious eaten raw, with little preparation, and at the peak of its season. I used:
- watermelon
- strawberries
- cherries
- peaches
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumbers
- zucchini ribbons
But feel free to add anything you love here, including snap peas, radish, apricots, plums, figs, grapes, and other types of melon.
Crackers & Accoutrements
Next you'll need things to spread your cheese on. I used an assortment of GF crackers and GF baguette. If you're DIYing it, try my rustic paleo crackers which are full of seeds and flavor.
A handful of nuts, olives, and honey add more fun snacking options for your guests to munch.
How to Build a Cheese Board
There are no rules to building a pretty cheese board, but here are a few tips for styling ease:
- Start by placing the largest components that are easy to move around, such as cheeses and bowls of ingredients. Place them on your board or platter, spacing them apart and leaving room for the other components.
- Next, add ingredients that will be fanned out to take up space, such as crackers and wedges of fruit.
- Fill in the spaces with smaller components such as nuts and smaller fruits.
- Play with color! Here, I made a rainbow by starting at the top with red components, then progressing to orange/yellow, greens, and neutrals.
What To Drink with a Cheese Board
Wine Pairings
Wine is a classic cheese pairing, and white and rosé pair especially well with the bright summer flavors here. I asked Napa-based wine connoisseur Emma K. Morris for some suggestions and here's what she recommends:
- dry Riesling (preferably from Germany)
- Austrian Grüner Veltliner
- Grenache or Zinfandel-based Rosé from California
But it's most important to drink a wine you enjoy the taste of, so you do you!
Make it a Party
For a fun and boozy option to serve a crowd, mix up a pitcher of boozy sangria or punch. Some favorites are:
Non-alcoholic options
No booze? No problem! Serve this summer cheese board with zero-proof fizzy options such as:
- kombucha
- flavored sparkling water
- homemade shrub (my favorites are cherry vanilla and lavender kumquat)
Cheese Boards for Everyone
This summer cheese board is full of savory-sweet flavors. Make one up for an effortless snacking meal for two or a few. Serve it before brunch or dinner for family or friends. Or put it out at an outdoor party or potluck.
However you serve up this vibrant summer cheese board, I hope you love it as much I've loved sharing it with you!
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this summer cheeseboard recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
20-Minute Vibrant Summer Cheese Board
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Fruit & Veggies
- 1 large peach, pitted and cut into wedges
- ¼ small watermelon, cut into wedges
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 cup cherries
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 2 small zucchini, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
Cheese & Accoutrements
- 2 types fresh soft cheese (such as Vermont Creamery herbed & everything logs)
- 2 types aged cheese (such as Vermont Creamery Bijou and Cremont)
- 8 ounces assorted crackers (such as gluten-free almond crackers & gf flatbread crackers)
- ½ baguette, sliced on the diagonal (such as Arise Bakery gluten-free baguette)
- ½ cup salted roasted nuts (marcona almonds, pistachios, etc.)
- ½ cup olives (such as herb marinated castelvetranos)
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup basil butter or salted butter
Instructions
- Arrange ingredients on a large serving board or platter:
- Start with the largest components first, placing small bowls and large cheeses around the board.
- Next, fan out fruit and vegetable slices, crackers, and baguette slices for visual appeal and easy grabbing. I went for a sort of rainbow effect here, placing red ingredients at the top, then oranges, yellow, greens, and neutrals.
- Finally, fill in the gaps with smaller components: nuts and smaller fruits.
- Add knives and spoons if needed. Serve with small plates and napkins. Pour the drink(s) of your choice, and devour!
Mate Mate US says
This looks so awesome. I don't know where did you get such ideas, honestly. But it is an incredible summer cheese board idea.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw, thanks!
F Khañ says
Love ur board and recipe both .
Txting from Lahore Pakistan
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh thank you!