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    Urban Bliss Life » All Recipes » Breakfast Recipes » Brunch Board Ideas

    Published: April 6, 2022 / Updated: October 28, 2022 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Brunch Board Ideas

    36 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    brunch board with text overlay

    Get creative with a fun and festive bagel brunch board! Check out these easy Brunch Board Ideas for serving a delicious mid-morning feast for friends and family.

    brunch charcuterie board with fruits and veggies

    Charcuterie boards are nice. But BRUNCH charcuterie boards? They're the BEST boards of them all!

    A lot of boards out there are over the top and, quite frankly, stressful to put together for the average person. We believe you do NOT need to spend a lot of money or a lot of time chasing fancy ingredients to make a tasty, beautiful brunch board.

    In this post, we'll share some tips for putting together the prettiest, most delicious brunch charcuterie board to create a feast for friends and family.

    Jump to:
    • 🥑 What is a brunch board?
    • 🍓 Ingredients to make the best brunch board
    • ✅ Step-by-step instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Brunch tips and FAQs
    • 🥂 Best brunch wine pairings
    • 🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
    • More brunch recipes
    • More charcuterie board ideas
    • Bagel Brunch Board
    • Pin it

    🥑 What is a brunch board?

    bagel brunch board on pink background

    A brunch board is a play off the more traditional charcuterie board. Instead of a large wooden board being filled with various cuts of meat (charcuterie), this breakfast charcuterie board is filled with all of the best brunch foods!

    Some people call these brunch charcuterie boards. You can call it a bagel brunch board or just a brunch board.

    🍓 Ingredients to make the best brunch board

    Here are a few ideas for ingredients to add to your brunch board. You are not limited to these brunch board ideas. Use these as initial inspiration and as a jumping point, then add in your own favorites!

    ingredients to make a brunch charcuterie board

    Bagels - Bagels are the ultimate brunch item: they allow guests to make their own sandwiches from the cream cheese, bacon, smoked salmon, herbs and veggies. Use full size or fun size mini bagels.

    Cream cheese - If you can find whipped cream cheese, use that. It's easier to spread onto bagels than regular cream cheese. I also like to offer a dairy-free cream cheese option as well.

    plate of smoked salmon and bacon

    Bacon - No brunch is complete without bacon, whether you use thick center-cut bacon or vegan bacon.

    Smoked salmon/lox - You can get smoked salmon or lox at most grocery stores.

    sliced vegetables and hard boiled eggs

    Hard-boiled eggs - Sliced hard-boiled eggs are perfect for brunch boards. Use the Instant Pot 5-5-5 Method for cooking hard-boiled eggs for easy-to-peel eggs!

    Red onions - Slice them thinly then fan out near the other bagel toppings. If you like pickled onions, some people like serving those with bagels and lox too.

    Capers - Capers add salty, briny pops of flavor and are perfect for topping bagels and lox!

    Radishes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes - slice and serve veggies like these are great for brunch boards!

    fruits in a bowl

    Berries - In-season berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are fantastic healthy sweet additions to any brunch board. They can also be used to easily fill in any blank spots on the board.

    Grapes - Green, red, and/or black grapes are a sweet, easy-to-eat addition to any brunch board.

    ✅ Step-by-step instructions

    bowls of dips
    1. Start by placing items like cream cheese, dips, jams and jellies, and nuts into small bowls. Place those bowls in different parts of the board.
    orange marmalade surrounded by fruit,veggies, bagels, bacon

    2. Next to the cream cheese bowl, creatively place the bagels, smoked salmon, red onion slices. Place the capers in a small bowl and place near these ingredients.

    3. Lay the bacon slices, hard boiled egg halves, and avocado slices near these ingredients.

    veggies and dip
    sliced vegetables and hard boiled eggs

    4. Near the dip bowls, place the cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and any other vegetables you want to include.

    5. By the jams and jellies, place any scones, muffins, breadsticks and crackers.

    brunch charcuterie board with fruits and veggies
    almonds, sliced vegetables and hard boiled eggs

    6. Fill in any blank spots with the bowl of nuts, and the blueberries, strawberries, and grapes.

    7. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Brunch tips and FAQs

    brunch charcuterie board with fruits and veggies
    What can I use instead of a wood board?

    You can use any large platters, plates, serving bowls, baking sheets - the possibilities are endless!

    How far in advance can I make a brunch board?

    There are some ingredients you can prep in advance, but you'll want to keep everything refrigerated until you're ready to assemble the board.
    Food to make in advance:
    - Slice fruits and vegetables
    - Make homemade dips, sauces, and jams
    - Make hard-boiled eggs
    Food to make just before assembling your brunch board:
    - Cutting/slicing avocados
    - Making bacon or homemade sausage patties

    How long can brunch food stay out at room temperature?

    In general, try not to have any food out at room temperature for more than two hours. If your event lasts longer than that, keep some of each food store in the refrigerator and only place some of the food out on the board. Then check in on the brunch board and replenish as needed with fresh ingredients from the fridge.

    🥂 Best brunch wine pairings

    glasses of tropical sangria and fruit

    Brunch is made for wine cocktails. Try my Tropical Rosé Sangria, Raspberry Belinis, or Raspberry Mimosas.

    This brunch bagel board is also made for bright and light wines. Serve a refreshing Rosé, Pinot Grigio, or Albariño.

    Sparkling wines like a Sparkling Rosé, Prosecco or Cava would also be absolutely delicious with this brunch board.

    🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment

    Ready to make a fabulous brunch board? For this recipe, you just need a few basic kitchen tools:

    Extra large wooden board - You can use a cutting board or any large clean wooden board. You can also use a large platter instead.

    Bowls - Use small bowls of various sizes to contain ingredients like dips, sauces, nuts, and . You can also use small bowls to corral round food, like blueberries, capers, and olives.

    Serving utensils - Have a variety of small tongs, small serving spoons, butter spreaders, and appetizer forks available to make it easy for guests to pick up the food.

    Cheese knives - If you're including cheese that needs to be sliced, add a small cheese knife or two by the cheese. These cheese knife sets often come in handy!

    More brunch recipes

    • Cheesy Spinach Mini Frittatas
    • Banana Crumb Coffee Cake
    • Mini Citrus Bundt Cakes
    • Ricotta Toast with Blackberries and Honey
    • Air Fryer Strawberry Turnovers

    More charcuterie board ideas

    • beautiful Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board with cheese, meat, crackers, and fruit.
      Turkey Charcuterie Board
    • Christmas charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, crackers, and Merry Christmas in cheese letters on a cutting board.
      Christmas Charcuterie Board
    • Valentine's Day Dessert Board
      Dessert Charcuterie Board
    • the ultimate fall grazing table/charcuterie board
      How to Put Together the Ultimate Fall Grazing Table

    Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

    bagel brunch board on pink background

    Bagel Brunch Board

    5 from 6 votes
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 0 mins
    Total Time: 20 mins
    Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
    Follow these creative brunch board ideas for a fun, festive, and delicious brunch!
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 395kcal
    PRINT PIN RATE

    Equipment

    • 1 Large cutting board or large serving platter

    Ingredients

    • 6 slices cooked bacon
    • 6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half
    • 6 bagels, cut in half
    • 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
    • 6 ounces smoked salmon or lox
    • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
    • 1 Tablespoon capers
    • 3 avocados, sliced
    • ½ cup your favorite veggie dip
    • 2 cucumbers, sliced
    • 1 bunch small radishes, sliced
    • 4 roma tomatoes, sliced
    • 1 small bunch grapes
    • 1 cup blueberries
    • 1 cup sliced strawberries
    • 1 cup marcona almonds or other almonds
    • ¼ cup your favorite jam or jelly
    • 1 lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

    More optional brunch board ideas

    • mini scones, mini croissants, mini muffins
    • mini pancakes, mini waffles
    • breadsticks, crackers

    Instructions

    • Start by placing items like cream cheese, dips, jams and jellies, and nuts into small bowls. Place those bowls in different parts of the board.
    • Next to the cream cheese bowl, creatively place the bagels, smoked salmon, red onion slices. Place the capers in a small bowl and place near these ingredients. Lay the bacon slices, hard boiled egg halves, and avocado slices near these ingredients.
    • Near the dip bowls, place the cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and any other vegetables you want to include.
    • By the jams and jellies, place any scones, muffins, breadsticks and crackers.
    • Fill in any blank spots with the bowl of nuts, and the blueberries, strawberries, and grapes.
    • Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

    Notes

    Make ahead: The night before, you can make the hard-boiled eggs (I swear by Instant Pot 5-5-5 Method Hard Boiled Eggs). You can also slice the vegetables, the strawberries, cut the lemon wedges and then and store into separate airtight containers up to 24 hours ahead of serving.  
     
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment! Then snap a pic of your dish and share it on social media. Tag @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 575mg | Potassium: 580mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 695IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Colleen says

        April 08, 2022 at 3:48 pm

        5 stars
        Charcuterie is a family tradition for gatherings but we haven't done a brunch board. This is on our Easter weekend plan now. Thanks for all the helpful tips!

        Reply
      2. Andrea says

        April 08, 2022 at 2:40 pm

        5 stars
        So perfect for my upcoming easter brunch. This gives me so much more confidence putting together a visually appealing brunch!

        Reply
      3. Beth says

        April 08, 2022 at 2:30 pm

        5 stars
        My family loved this for brunch for Easter. Such great ideas too.

        Reply
      4. Casey says

        April 08, 2022 at 1:38 pm

        5 stars
        OMG this is going to be such a hit at my Easter brunch. So many ideas to mix and match!!!

        Reply
      5. Sandra says

        April 08, 2022 at 12:58 pm

        5 stars
        These ideas for brunch boards are so well though out and you tips are so helpful! I could've reached right into the screen for that smoked salmon. Will definitely be using this as a resource for our Easter weekend brunch! Thanks!

        Reply

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. Here you'll find my fast, easy, and delicious recipes, wine pairings, and travel guides. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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