The Best Trader Joe’s Picks for your Holiday Charcuterie Board

When I’m building a charcuterie board my favorite place to pick up ingredients is Trader Joes. They have quality tasting & affordable products for every category on your charcuterie board , and their ingredients get even more festive around the holidays! It’s so fun to visit the store at the start of a season & see what they have come up with!

I’ve compiled a list for you of some of my favorite products this time of year (November/December) to help you easily assemble a board that will leave your friends & family ooo-ing & awe-ing.

A good rule of thumb is one ounce of each cheese for every guest and 2 ounces of meat for every guest when serving as an appetizer.

The star of the show on any cheese platter, obviously. When building a tray I like to select at variety of at least 3 cheeses that vary in texture & taste.

• Soft– Brie, Cream Cheese, Fresh Mozzarella, Camembert, Feta, Port Salut Specific Recommendations: TJ’s Apricot Cherry Cranberry Goat’s Milk Cheese or Port Salut
• Firm/Hard– Cheddar, Manchego, Gouda Specific Recommendations: TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar Cheese or British Mustard & Ale Cheddar Cheese
• Aged– Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gouda, Gruyere Specific Recommendations TJ’s Dutch Smoked Gouda
• Blue– Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Cambembert Specific Recommendations: White Stilton Cheese with cranberries

Similar to the cheese selection, Select 2-3 varieties of sliced meat. Trader Joe’s carries individual packages of meats, but also some variety packs like the Spicy Charcuterie Selection I chose that does the work for you!

• Uncured Applewood Smoked Salami
• Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Selection – If Spicy is not your thing, you can also find another simple charcuterie package in their deli section. The Spicy package is seasonal.
• Chianti Red Wine Artisan Salami – Seasonal Item
• Truffle Salami – Seasonal Item, not pictured.
• Prosciutto – Not pictured, but is a fan favorite.

Spreads add flavor and sweetness to a tray. Adding spread to a baguette or cracker before stacking up your meat and cheese is the ultimate bite. Select 1-2 spreads for our board. I usually go for one sweet, and one savory. If you decide to only have one spread, I would suggest a sweet jam or fruit sauce.

• Pepper Jelly – A sweet & savory Jam with a medium spice level adds an added layer of flavor to any board. You could also pour this over a creamy cheese like goat cheese or melted brie to create a dip.
• Bruschetta – A classic appetizer dip. this is great if you are serving your board with baguettes.
• Artichoke Antipasto – A savory option & classic antipasto flavor.
• Olive Tapenade– I love olives on my charcuterie boards, and because I don’t love the olive mixes from Trader Joes, I do love this Olive tapenade.
• Cranberry Sauce -Another Sweet seasonal sauce.
• Honey Pale Ale Mustard– A seasonal savory option for mustard lovers!
• Fig Butter – A sweet Seasonal fruit spread. Fig is one of the most complimentary flavors to cheese.
• Pumpkin Butter – who doesn’t love pumpkin this time of year?

Select 2 – 3 bread & cracker variations. If you have gluten free guests, make sure to grab at least one Gluten Free option.

• Cornbread Crisps – These crackers are so sweet & salty.
• Garlic Naan Crackers – These are my favorite seasonal cracker. They are full of flavor.
• Sweet Potato Seed Crackers – Gluten Free Option & these add a fall color variation to your board
• French Baguette – If serving a baguette, you can tear into rustic pieces or cut, drizzle with olive oil & toast in the oven to create crostinis.
• Scalloped Cracker Trio – 3 flavors of crackers in one box. Rosemary, Red Chili & Garlic.
• Savory Thin Rice Crackers– Similar to the classic water crackers, this is another gluten free option.
• Italian Breadsticks or Cheese Sticks– sticks add a some shape dimension to your board & are great for dipping!
• Entertaining Cracker Duo

Nuts, Fruits & Extras

Extras are a must. If you want your board to come together, you need small items to fill in empty space. Select at least one item from each of the following categories. I always need a little sweet to my savory, so you’ll find lots of sweet treats below.

• Truffle Marcona Almonds – I recommend buying 2 bags of these. One for your guests & one for yourself because you won’t want to share, trust me.
• Nuts about Rosemary Mix or Rosemary Marcona Almonds. Rosemary is a cold weather spice, and these rosemary nuts are perfect this time of year.
• Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds – These are a sweet treat to add to your board.
• Candied Pecans or Walnuts – Another sweet nut mix!
• Olive & Herbs Mixed nuts – Savory nut mix.
• The Snack Bar Mix

Fruit

• Dried Cherries, Figs or Apples – Trader Joes has a wide variety of dried fruits. the Dried Cherries & figs are seasonal & perfect additions to any board.
• Sliced Honeycrisp Apples or Pears – Fresh fruit is another option. Slice up apples or pears for your board.
• Pomegranate Seeds – Add these for an edible pop of color!

• Jingle Jangle
• Peppermint Cremes
• English Toffee
• Chocolate Covered Peppermint Pretzels
• Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark (GF)
• Pumpkin Spice Batons
• Maple Popcorn
• Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spiced Salted Caramels
• Pumpkin Seed Brittle
• Fresh Herbs: like rosemary