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    Urban Bliss Life » All Recipes » Holiday Recipes » Turkey Charcuterie Board

    Published: October 14, 2022 / Updated: September 21, 2022 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Turkey Charcuterie Board

    8 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you want to make a fun and festive Thanksgiving Day appetizer that will delight and impress guests, try making a Turkey Charcuterie Board! Perfect for the holidays, this charcuterie board is fun and easy to make, and looks amazing on any Thanksgiving table!

    beautiful Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board with cheese, meat, crackers, and fruit.

    Every occasion calls for a fun charcuterie board!

    While charcuterie boards have been around since the 15th century, they've definitely become more popular in recent years.

    Whereas the French term refers to meat, nowadays, people all over the world use the term charcuterie to describe almost any kind of board that includes a variety of food.

    Take our Brunch Board, for example, which is great all year round!

    Charcuterie boards can be savory or sweet, with meat or without.

    They are great for wine tasting adventures, parties, especially for the holidays! We've made Valentine's Day Dessert Boards, 4th of July Dessert Boards, Fall Grazing Boards... so many possibilities!

    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why this recipe works
    • 🛒 Ingredient notes
    • ✅ Step-by-step instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 Serving ideas
    • 🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
    • 🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
    • More Thanksgiving recipes
    • Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board

    🌟 Why this recipe works

    turkey, salami, crackers, cheese, grapes on a Thanksgiving charcuterie board.

    You'll love making this turkey charcuterie board for Thanksgiving!

    • You can be creative - Use my board as an inspiration, then use your own favorite meats, cheeses, crackers, and fruit!
    • Fun for the whole family - Kids can help arrange the food to help create the turkey shape.
    • Great for picky eaters - Because your kids can help you choose which ingredients to add to the board, there's surely going to be something that each person will enjoy eating!
    • This is a fast and easy recipe - This board only takes about 20 minutes to make at the most. You can make it even faster by buying pre-cut cheese squares, and pre-sliced salami in deli store packs.

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    bowls of cheese, meats, fruits to make a turkey charcuterie board.

    The photo above shows you most of the ingredients I used to make the turkey charcuterie board in these photos. But don't limit yourself!

    Here are some ideas for different ingredients that would be great to use in this Thanksgiving recipe.

    Meats - turkey deli slices, turkey sausage, dry salami, prosciutto

    Cheeses - cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss, havarti, gouda, pepper jack

    Nuts - almonds, walnuts, pecans

    Fruits - pears, apples, grapes

    ✅ Step-by-step instructions

    First layer of a Thanksgiving charcuterie board with Happy Thanksgiving cheese, orange plate, fruit on a wood board.
    making a turkey out of a pear, cheese, on a white plate.
    1. Lay out the board and any plates or outer decorations. If creating any cheese greetings using mini alphabet cookie cutters, cut those out now and set them aside. Or, go ahead and place them on the board where you would like them.
    2. Cut a pear in half and create a turkey. Cut out cheese for the eyes, beak, and feet. You can also use pretzels for the feet. Then use small raisins or mini chocolate chips to place in the middle of the round cheese pieces you cut out for the eyes. Set the turkey aside on a plate for now.
    three different kinds of cheese cut into triangles to form a turkey charcuerie board.
    layering a turkey charcuterie board with cheese slices on an orange plate.

    3. Start by placing the bottom outer layers first. For me, this was the cheese, which I used to create the turkey feathers.

    4. Next, it helps to place the prepared pear turkey body. This helps to show how much room you have, and then you can plan around it. I also placed some almonds at the bottom to serve as the "ground" the turkey was standing on.

    At this time, you can also fill in some spots with rosemary, thyme, or sage sprigs for the bottom layer.

    hand holding a plate of sliced turkey meat over a turkey charcuterie board.
    layering a thanksgiving charcuterie board with meat and cheese.

    5. Start layering in the turkey slices, since these are larger and you can layer on top of these as needed.

    plate of crackers over a thanksgiving charcuterie board with meat, cheese, fruit.
    thanksgiving charcuterie board with turkey meat, cheeses, crackers.

    6. Layer in some crackers. I fan them out in individual rows between the turkey slices to create a nice pattern.

    hand holding a plate of sliced salami over a Thanksgiving charcuterie board.
    closeup of a fruit shaped to look like a turkey for thanksgiving.

    7. Then start filling in with the other meats like salami or turkey sausage peaces.

    8. Fill in gaps with more cheese triangles to create "feathers" throughout, and also with grapes. Continue filling in blank spots with more meats, cheeses, nuts, or fruits until you've filled in all the spots.

    Feel free to move some items around for better placement.

    At the end, you should have a nice looking Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board!

    👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

    beautiful Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board with cheese, meat, crackers, and fruit.
    Can I make this charcuterie board ahead of time?

    You can assemble all of the ingredients in place except for the crackers, wrap the whole board with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 or 3 hours. Just before you are ready to serve, you can add the crackers.

    What is a charcuterie board?

    The term charcuterie comes from two French words: “chair” which means “flesh,” and “cuit” which means “cooked.”

    How long can a charcuterie board sit out at room temperature?

    Two hours. Like most foods, but especially meats and cheeses, you don't want to leave charcuterie board foods out at room temperature for longer than two hours. If you leave them out too long, you run the risk of making your guests sick. If it's a warm summer day and the board is outside in the sun, you should only keep it out for 60 to 90 minutes.

    🍽 Serving ideas

    Cheese cut into letters stating Happy Thanksgiving at the top of a turkey charcuterie board.

    You can have so much fun with creating your Thanksgiving charcuterie board!

    Some fun serving ideas to take your board to the next level:

    • Use these mini alphabet cookie cutters to spell out "Happy Thanksgiving," "Happy Autumn," "Friendsgiving," or any other festive greeting.
    • Add some Mini Pecan Pies around the board.

    And for the main Thanksgiving dinner menu? Consider making this Spatchcock Turkey, along with Wild Rice Dressing, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Bacon, and Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread.

    For dessert? These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars or this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll will surely impress!

    🍷 🥂 Wine pairings

    Two of the best wines to serve at Thanksgiving also just happen to be the top two varietals that Oregon is best known for: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

    You can't go wrong with serving a sparkling wine, either, at Thanksgiving!

    🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment

    Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:

    • Wood board - use an extra large wood cutting board or other decorative base to hold the whole turkey charcuterie board.
    • Plate(s) - a large round plate makes a nice base to help you form the turkey body.
    • Small bowls - these are helpful if you want to corral small round items like berries, grapes, or nuts.
    • Knife - make sure you have a sharp knife to slice the cheese.
    • Cookie cutters - I have and love these mini alphabet cookie cutters, and this is what I used to cut out "Happy Thanksgiving" from slices of cheddar cheese.

    More Thanksgiving recipes

    • How to Spatchcock a Turkey
    • Cranberry Stuffing with Wild Rice, Cherries, and Pecans
    • Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust
    • Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots

    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!

    beautiful Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board with cheese, meat, crackers, and fruit.

    Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board

    5 from 6 votes
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 0 mins
    Total Time: 20 mins
    Recipe by Marlynn Schotland
    This charcuterie board in the shape of a turkey is a fun and festive way to start the Thanksgiving meal!
    Servings: 10 people
    Calories: 124kcal
    PRINT PIN RATE

    Equipment

    • 1 Extra Large Wood Cutting Board
    • 1 set Mini Alphabet Cookie Cutters
    • 1 Chef's Knife

    Ingredients

    For the main turkey body

    • 1 pear, sliced in half
    • cheese slices, cut into two round pieces for eyes and two triangles for the legs and feet
    • 2 mini chocolate chips or mini raisins for the pupils in each eye
    • Optional: use pretzel sticks for the legs and feet instead

    For the turkey feathers

    • Assortment of sliced cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, Havarti)
    • Sliced turkey meat
    • Sliced salami
    • Mini turkey sausages
    • Assortment of crackers
    • Grapes
    • Almonds or other nuts (Pecans, Cashews, Walnuts)

    Instructions

    • Lay out the board and any plates or outer decorations. If creating any cheese greetings using mini alphabet cookie cutters, cut those out now and set them aside. Or, go ahead and place them on the board where you would like them.

    Make the turkey body

    • Cut a pear in half and create a turkey. Cut out cheese for the eyes, beak, and feet. You can also use pretzels for the feet. Then use small raisins or mini chocolate chips to place in the middle of the round cheese pieces you cut out for the eyes. Set the turkey aside on a plate for now.

    Make the turkey feathers

    • Start by placing the bottom outer layers first. For me, this was the cheese, which I used to create the outer turkey feathers.
    • Next, place the prepared pear turkey body on the plate or board. This helps you plan the rest of the ingredients around it. Place some almonds or other nuts at the bottom to serve as the "ground" the turkey stands on. At this time, you can also fill in some spots with rosemary, thyme, or sage sprigs for the bottom layer.
    • Start layering in the turkey slices, since these are larger and you can layer on top of these as needed.
    • Then start placing the crackers in, and then the other meats like salami or turkey sausage peaces.
    • Fill in gaps with more cheese triangles to create "feathers" throughout, and also with grapes. Continue filling in blank spots with more meats, cheeses, nuts, or fruits until you've filled in all the spots. Feel free to move some items around for better placement. At the end, you should have a nice looking Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board!

    Notes

    Ingredient options
    • Meats:
    turkey slices, hard salami slices, small turkey sausage pieces, prosciutto
    • Cheeses: cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, swiss, havarti, feta crumbles
    • Fruit: red and/or green grapes, pear slices, cranberries, apple slices
    • Nuts: pecans, almonds, walnuts
    • Herbs: sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage
    Make ahead: you can make this turkey charcuterie board 2-3 hours ahead and store, wrapped with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Just leave the crackers out until you are ready to serve and add those last, as they won't do well in the refrigerator. 
    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: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

    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. Sara Welch says

        October 17, 2022 at 1:22 pm

        5 stars
        This is such a fun and tasty way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Adding to this my dinner line up for the holiday; looks too good to pass up, indeed!

        Reply
      2. Tavo says

        October 17, 2022 at 3:49 am

        5 stars
        I am loving this charcuterie board! This is going to be right in the center of my Thanksgiving table!

        Reply
      3. Jovita says

        October 17, 2022 at 3:10 am

        5 stars
        Super easy idea for meeting up with friends! This looks delicious and pretty! Thanks for sharing :)

        Reply
      4. Ieva says

        October 17, 2022 at 3:00 am

        5 stars
        Super fun presentation! Will definitely refer back to this for a Thanksgiving board! Thanks for the great idea.

        Reply
      5. Julia says

        October 16, 2022 at 9:41 pm

        5 stars
        Love how creative this is, thanks for the great idea! Making this tonight!

        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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