Charcuterie Cups: How to Make Beautiful Appetizers and Snacks

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Charcuterie cups are the perfect appetizer solution for any gathering or get-together. They are gorgeously colorful, individualized servings of munchies.

Individual charcuterie cups decoratively filled with deli meat, veggies, crackers, pretzels, crudites, cheese, nuts and berries.

Individual charcuterie cups can be made ahead, and the potential for myriad theme, flavor and color variations makes them as exciting to look at as to eat.

With Mother’s Day, graduations, Memorial Day and the 4th of July all looming on the horizon, be sure to keep this recipe/idea for easy and beautiful charcuterie cups at the front of your recipe collection.

But, the good news is that charcuterie cups are so simple to assemble, you don’t need to wait for special occasions to create them. They’re great for movie nights and evenings around a campfire.

They also make scrumptious on-the-go lunches.

They’re excellent for after-school snacking and for an afternoon nosh to get you through until the end of the workday.

Charcuterie cups can be a well-balanced snack or meal any day of the week.

The Ingredients

The possible ingredients for charcuterie cups are limited only by your imagination, theme or gathering occasion. Today, I used the following:

Deli Meat: I had thinly sliced rotisserie chicken and salami on hand. I used about 1/8 lb. per person with two slices of meat. If you want only one slice in each cup, you could get 16 or more servings per pound, depending on the meat chosen. My Homemade Summer Sausage would also be a great option! Slice it thinly or cut it into chunks for skewers with fruit and cheese.
Crudites: My charcuterie cups had a tasty assortment of fresh vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, carrots, black olives and pickles. Any fresh veggie you have on hand would be beautiful. Radishes, spring onions, asparagus spears, bell pepper strips, jicama sticks, and small pieces of blanched broccoli or cauliflower florets would also be amazing.
Nuts: I used roasted salted almonds. But, as long as you aren’t entertaining someone with a nut allergy, any variety of nuts would be delicious.
Crackers, Bread & Crunchers: Pretzel rods and whole grain wasa crackers added some crunch to my appetizer snacks. Breadsticks, pita chips and bagel chips are also scrumptious in a related charcuterie collection.
Fruit and Berries: While my charcuterie cups included blackberries and red grapes, your theme or occasion may call for mandarin orange slices, pineapple chunks, melon or other fruits and berries.
Cheese: Cheese cubes, slices or even tiny wedges can be the perfect addition to the cups, depending on what else you are serving.
Fresh Herb Leaves or Stems: Most people won’t eat an entire stem of rosemary leaves or a sprig of parsley, but they DO add texture, height and color to your charcuterie cup design. Consider fresh herbs like wispy thin tendrils of thyme, fresh mint or sage leaves or even chives.

Ingredients for making charcuterie cups: celery, cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes, pretzel sticks, crackers, deli meat, fresh herbs, almonds and berries.

Possible Variations

Dips and Spreads: I didn’t use any dips or spreads this time, but they can work fabulously in charcuterie cups if the theme is right. Use something like hummus or ranch dressing/dip in the bottom of the cup and then fill it with the appropriate dippers, like carrot and celery sticks, strips of bell pepper or skewered chunks of radish and cucumber, grisini (crisp bread sticks), chips etc.
Dessert Charcuterie Cups: Skewer chunks of pound cake or angel food cake with strawberries (or another fruit or berry) and mint leaves. Add whipped cream to the bottom of the charcuterie cup and swirl in a drizzle of strawberry glaze or jam. Now add your skewers.
Breakfast Charcuterie Cups: Try maple syrup for dipping and use skewers with mini pancakes or chunks of waffle, fresh berries and chunks of breakfast sausage links.

Tips for Building Stunning Charcuterie Cups

Use different sizes and shapes of cups or containers

Depending on how many guests you are serving and the occasion, you may want to try different containers.

Small rectangular take-out containers are good for chip and dip charcuterie. You can even add a small cup in the corner of a rectangular container for a dip while adding chips and other dippers filling the rest of the box.

Or, wide-mouthed coffee mugs may be appropriate for your party design and will have a built-in handle.

Small Bento-style boxes are also great for making personalized movie night charcuterie containers.

Place heavy items in the bottom of your charcuterie cups

Add nuts and seeds to the bottom, as their weight will help the cups stay balanced.

Anything from plain roasted nuts to spicy almonds, pistachios or candied pecans is great.

Seeds like hulled sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are also nice in charcuterie cups.

Always choose heavy and not soft items for the bottom of the cup.

Choose hard cheeses

We all love cheese, and they are ideal for skewers or cut into wafer-thin wedges for your charcuterie cups.

Try to avoid softer cheeses like brie, blue cheese or goat cheese. Soft cheeses mash easily and become messy.

Cheddars, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Gruyere and Havarti are some of my favorite cheeses for charcuterie. Try smoked cheeses, spicy cheeses and marbled cheese for even more variety.

Fruit and Berries

Most charcuterie cups will be assembled ahead of time. Fruits that will oxidize and turn brown quickly are not the best choice if the charcuterie cups must sit for long.

Instead of apples, bananas and pears, choose grapes and whole berries that only need a good wash and can be added whole without lots of cutting or slicing. That saves you prep time, and they are easy for guests to handle.

If you have time for extra prep, fresh pineapple chunks, melon balls and kiwi are also beautiful and tasty additions to charcuterie cups.

Want to really blow their minds? Add two or three of these delish Chocolate Covered Pickles from Insanely Easy Recipes for a mouthwatering conversation starter!

Textures

Have LOTS of them.

Make sure your charcuterie cups have some crunch. That usually comes in the form of crisp bread, crackers, pretzels or chips.

Have some veggies that offer crunch, too, along with softer textures like cheese, olives and berries.

Color

That old advice to “eat the rainbow” isn’t only about our health. Food that is bright and colorful is definitely more appealing to the eye. It makes you want to taste what you’re looking at.

Mix and match bold, eye-catching colors to make a gorgeous presentation with your charcuterie cups.

FAQs

How do I keep charcuterie cups cold?

Prepping no more than two hours ahead and storing them in the fridge until serving time is the simplest way to keep charcuterie cold. For serving, you can fill a waterproof tray, tub or even a half-sheet pan with ice and insert the cups into the ice to help keep them cool.

How long can charcuterie cups be left out?

At room temperature, the cups should never be left out for longer than four hours.

How to Make Charcuterie Cups

Tools You’ll Need

Besides a strainer or colander for washing fruit and veggies, a cutting board and a good, sharp knife, you’ll only need a couple of special tools for making charcuterie cups.

Cups: Use coffee mugs, cocktail glasses, short drink cups, takeout-style containers or even Bento boxes. If you are making a large number of charcuterie cups, I recommend purchasing clear, plastic and disposable cups, however. Clear sides make it easy for guests to see what’s inside and the size is perfect for individual portions. You can often find these cups at Walmart or order them online at Amazon. _{[affiliate link]}

Appetizer Skewers or Toothpicks: Find picks at least four inches long. Short toothpicks are sharp at both ends and won’t hold food above the rim of your glass. Four to six inches is ideal, depending on what you will place on them. Again, you can usually pick these up at Walmart or your local grocery store. Amazon also has a good variety of appetizer skewers, picks and forks. _{[affiliate link]}

Wash and prep/cut any fruit, berries and vegetables. Lay them aside on paper towels to dry while you prepare other items.
Cube or slice any cheeses you are using.
Cut and roll or skewer any meat choices.
Skewer fruits and vegetables. Remember to think about varying textures and colors as you assemble skewers. Pair items that go well together.
Lay out all your charcuterie cup ingredients in an assembly line fashion. This lets the assembly of the charcuterie cups be quick and consistent.
Place heavy items in the bottom of your cups.
Add tall items(crackers, pretzel rods, etc.), food on skewers, breadsticks and anything else with height to the back of the charcuterie cup.
Drop baby carrots, meat rolls, cheese wedges and any other small items in front to help the taller items stand.
Arrange your completed charcuterie cups on a table or counter for serving.

The Recipe