Breakfast Charcuterie Board

A breakfast charcuterie board is a way to make breakfast fun, memorable, and delicious! Filled with waffles, bagels, meats, cheeses, fruits and more, our guide covers how to build this board from start to finish. With a variety of sweet and savory elements, this board ideal for birthdays, holidays, mother’s day, and more.

about this breakfast charcuterie board

So, I’ve got this new obsession that’s totally upped my brunch game – breakfast charcuterie boards. I know, I know, “charcuterie” is not typically what you would think about when it comes to breakfast, but stick with me here.

This is a riff on my favorite brunches growing up as a child. Each week the extended family would gather at my grandmother’s house on Sunday morning, and it would always be a hodge podge of whatever we could get on the table. Some days it was pancakes and bacon, other times it was eggs, sausage, and fruit. There was always a grazing element to the lazy morning brunch table as we all caught up and the kiddos ran around screaming.

So, why not put all those elements together on a brunch board with some classic charcuterie elements for a grown-up brunch centerpiece.

This breakfast board is basically just a bunch of breakfast foods arranged on a board or platter. There’s fruits, cheeses, waffles, bacon (duh), mini bagels, smoked salmon, cream cheese, and so much more.

There are no real rules here! You can toss on whatever you are craving in the morning, all you have to do is simply hit the major food categories we’ve listed below for you. Having a combination of sweet and savory elements means that you can have a little something for everyone!

It’s ideal for a family breakfast on the weekend or as a centerpiece for a brunch party!

here’s what you’ll need

A breakfast charcuterie board is a fun combination of your favorite sweet and savory breakfast items and a classic charcuterie board. Here’s the break down of all the breakfast charcuterie board ideas:

Starches. Waffles (like strawberry waffles and banana waffles that you see on this board!), pancakes (like these sweet cream pancakes), mini bagels, bagel chips, toasted baguette slices, biscuits, scones, mini muffins, mini cinnamon rolls, and more can be added to this board. Use your favorite breakfast items, whether they are sweet or savory (we like to make sure both are on the board!).

Cheeses. We recommend using a minimum of 3 different types of cheese. Make sure to have a combination of hard cheeses and soft cheeses. You can use more if you prefer more variety, but with the other elements on the board, we find that this is enough.

Meats. Use a combination of cured meats and breakfast meats. For each type, we recommend using 2 to 3 of each. Cured meats could be salami, prosciutto, soppressata, pancetta, chorizo, and more. For breakfast meats, there’s bacon, breakfast sausage, sausage links, ham, sausage patties, etc. Pick the ones that you like the most!

Fruit. Use your favorite seasonal fruits! Pick around 3 to 4 different types. You can use strawberries, blackberries, apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, grapes, and more.

Extras. Jams, whipped cream cheese, honey, compotes, Nutella, maple syrup and more! You could even add a compound butter, like a honey butter!

this recipe’s must haves

Use your favorite charcuterie serving board, or use a large cutting board like the one you see pictured here. It’s been my go-to serving platter for charcuterie boards for years.

Prepare any elements that need to be sliced with a chef’s knife and a separate cutting board.

here’s how to assemble a breakfast charcuterie board

add bowls

Start with the larger items which are usually the bowls. This will make is easier to fill in the rest of the board with the remaining ingredients. This includes the jams, whipped cream cheese, honey, syrup, and whatever else you’d like to serve in small bowls.

add starches

Place the waffles (we like to cut them into triangles for easy serving), mini bagels, bagel chips, and toasted baguette slices on the board.

add meats

Add in the bacon, prosciutto, smoked salmon, and salami next. Pile up the bacon in a stack. Add the salami in a row. Form the prosciutto slices into bundles and add them together.

add cheeses

Slice the cheeses (like gouda, cheddar and brie) before adding them to the board so that they are easier for people to grab. Goat cheese is hard to slice, so I usually add the whole log with a cheese knife.

add fruit

Group the fruits to fill in the bigger open areas that are still on the board. If you are using larger fruits like oranges and apples, segment the oranges and slice the apple to make them easier to eat.

decorate if you want to

If you have any little open spots, fill them in with fresh herbs like dill and basil.

tips and ideas

prepare what you can ahead of time. Many different parts of this board can be prepared ahead of time. You can make the waffles ahead of time and reheat them in the oven just before serving to keep them crispy on the outside. The cheese can be sliced, fruit can be washed, etc. Store any prepared elements separately to easily add to the board when you re ready to serve it. Make sure that you do not slice the fruits ahead of time as they can brown when exposed to the air (ex. apple).

keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm yourself! You don’t have to go crazy with all of the ingredients on this board. Opt for making one type of waffle. If you don’t like to make waffles, you can make pancakes. Opt for budget-friendly cheeses where you need to so you don’t break the bank.

don’t stress about the look! It can be easy to get wrapped up in making this board look “perfect”. However, the ingredients of this board all speak for themselves and they will look good no matter how you arrange them. Pro tip: start adding the largest items to the board then work your way down to the smallest items. The main idea is to make sure the board looks full. Keep that in mind and let the food do the work for you!

remember the serving tools. Grab cheese knives, toothpicks, and little spoons to make it easy for guests to serve themselves.

More easy board ideas to try: Fall Charcuterie Board | Fruit Charcuterie Board | Easter Charcuterie Board | Summer Charcuterie Board

what fruits can you put on this board?

You can use all of your favorite seasonal fruits! Since I made this board at the peak of summer, I included a ton of fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Use whatever your favorite fruits are to enjoy in the morning, including apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, and anything else that is ripe and in season. Usually we limit the varieties of fruit to about 3 to 4 different types to round out a board like this one.

how long can this board sit out?

Want an easy tip for your breakfast charcuterie board? Serve the meats and cheeses at room temperature to make them taste your best.

You can only let those meats and cheeses sit out for so long. Do not let the board sit out for more than 2 hours total time. Once you hit 2 hours, package up remaining meats, cheeses, and fresh produce to store separately in containers in the refrigerator.

how do I decorate a breakfast charcuterie board?

For making this board pop, you can add in fresh herbs in various places around the board. I like to also add plenty of fresh fruit for the pops of color that make this board stand out!

how much should I plan on per person?

This particular board serves about 6 to 8 as a meal! You can add more food on the side if you are feeding a larger crowd (or just add even more bacon and waffles to the mix!). I’ve dropped suggestions below just in case you need a place to start.

Need more inspiration for breakfast? Check out my breakfast recipes page!

what to serve with a breakfast charcuterie board

This breakfast charcuterie board is so robust that it serves as an entire meal itself for breakfast or brunch! If you are serving this for a larger group and want to round it out with more bites, you can add in your favorite breakfast foods. Here are some ideas:

Deviled Eggs or hard boiled eggs

Omelets (kuddos to those who have mastered the omelet, because I have yet to do so!)

Poached eggs and toast

Avocado toast

Scones

Muffins

Cinnamon rolls

Egg bites

Donuts

Granola and greek yogurt

When it comes to brunch cocktails, there are so many to choose from between the traditional mimosa to your favorite bloody mary recipe. We like to change things up with a strawberry mimosa, strawberry champagne cocktail, or for the holiday season, a cranberry spice sparkler.

how to store

Store. Leftovers can be stored in separate containers to keep the ingredients fresh. Refrigerate any cheeses, meats, and fruits. You can add any jams, nutella, syrup, and honey back to their original containers.

more tasty breakfast recipes

Light and fluffy strawberry waffles are made with ripe strawberries! They will be your new favorite go-to breakfast.

Banana peanut butter chocolate chip mini muffins are easy to make and have the best texture.

Waking up to a pork belly breakfast sandwich is the best way to wake up. The smokey pork belly on a biscuit with eggs, cranberry orange relish, and pickled jalapeños are the ideal combination.

Finally, if you make this brunch charcuterie board, please be sure to give this recipe a rating and/or leave a comment! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment.

Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!

Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!