New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Snack Board
Aug 01, 2024 Updated Dec 07, 2025
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Table of Contents
- How to Make a NYE Charcuterie Board: The Ingredients I Used
- What to Put on Your NYE Appetizer Board: Styling & Swaps
- Pro Tip: Make it a Sweet NYE Board
- NYE Charcuterie Board Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board Numbers out of Meat and Cheese
- NYE Ball Drop Board Idea
- Make New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board Numbers out of Meat and Cheese
- FAQs
- New Year’s Charcuterie Video Tutorial
- More NYE Charcuterie Board ideas!
- Show Me Your Boards
- New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board Recipe
- Shop This Post
This is the ultimate New Year’s Eve charcuterie board. Always a crowd-pleaser, it brings together sweet treats, savory bites, and takes less than 25 minutes to assemble. I love using silver and black candies for a celebratory touch. Fill the candy in 2026 number dishes (see below for other options) and you have the beautiful NYE starter.
Charcuterie is the perfect NYE appetizer because it skips the stress of cooking and gives you more time for sipping bubbly and spending time with loved ones. It’s quick to assemble and looks instantly festive. You can build it around whatever food you like—cheeses and meats, chocolates and fruit, or all of the above.
For more wintery ideas, check out my Hot Chocolate Board, Brie Brûlée, Pine Cone Cheese Ball, Brie & Cranberry Bites, Holiday Cheese Ball, and Epic Holiday Cheese Board.
How to Make a NYE Charcuterie Board: The Ingredients I Used
I made this board for a medium-sized gathering accompanied by other food items. I usually estimate approximately 3-4 oz. of meat and cheese per person. This one is a bit lighter on the meat, so you can add in more if you have a meat-loving crowd.
For New Year’s Eve I often make sure there’s a bit extra of everything prepped and ready in the fridge to ensure everyone can snack all evening long!
Cheese
- 6 oz Mimolette, sliced
- 6 oz Manchego, sliced
- 8-10 oz Havarti, cubed
- 10-12 oz Cheddar, cubed
Meat
- Salami Secchi, 4.5 oz log, sliced
- Calabrese salami, 2-4 oz pre-sliced
Produce
- 6-8 oz strawberries
- 2 clementines, halved
- 4 oz blackberries
- 4 oz raspberries
Candy
- 28 Hershey’s Kisses, wrapped (in 2026 number dishes)
- 10-12 oz black M&M’s (or these 2026 number dishes)
Carbs
- 4-5 oz star-shaped crackers
- 8 crackers, more for serving on the side
Accoutrement
- 6 oz olives
What to Put on Your NYE Appetizer Board: Styling & Swaps
To elevate this board I kept the color palette simple and sparkly, and did not skimp on delicious items. Here are my favorite things to put on a NYE snack board.
A pop of color. I love the way the bright orange color of Mimolette contrasts with other items on the board. Its rich, sharp, and sometimes nutty flavor profile pairs well with fruit, sweets, and bubbly drinks, making it a perfect addition. This color is a lovely contrast to the black and silver numbers that really scream NYE.
Seasonal produce swaps. If you can’t find good berries in winter, go for something else. Sugared cranberries add a sparkly lightness. Good citrus is usually easier to come by in winter months—oranges are my go-to but you could try kumquats, tangerines, or grapefruit if you’re feeling bold. Dried fruit works too (especially if you can find something special like dried persimmon, dried kiwi, or freeze-dried strawberries).
Many flavors and textures for balance. The key to a great charcuterie board is variety. Give your guests lots of ways to mix and match flavors. Try these out:
- Mimolette and Manchego are salty and rich, both pair best with bright tart fruit like blackberries and clementines.
- Havarti is creamy, it pairs well with tart raspberries.
- Cheddar is mild and round, it is a great pair with the peppery Calabrese salami or salty olives.
- Want to be daring? Try pairing Mimolette with the chocolate kisses. It’s a flavor bomb for sure!
- I tend to keep flavors mild (both cheeses and meats) when serving kids, but use more fancy, flavorful cheese and ingredients for adults.
Ingredients that fit your budget. A charcuterie board can feel festive no matter your budget. The magic is in choosing ingredients that work beautifully together.
- Budget-friendly. Keep it simple by using the classics: cheddar, salami, crackers, grapes, and dark chocolate pieces. These are all great ingredients that pair well together.
- Go luxe. Add truffle salami, aged Manchego, Mimolette, honeycomb, even caviar and artisan crackers. The richer flavors of these ingredients add to the fun of mixing and tasting.
Pro Tip: Make it a Sweet NYE Board
This year I made a board that mixes sweet and savory items. As an alternative, you can make this an all-sweet board! Just swap the meats and cheeses with your favorite sweet items, and replace the crackers with cookies. Some fun ideas for NYE sweets include meringue cookies, macarons, champagne-gummy bears, white fudge pretzels, chocolate coins, edible glitter marshmallows, and black licorice bites.
To keep the board visually balanced, choose a variety of shapes and textures, such as a mix of white and dark chocolate, long cookies like biscotti or pirouettes, or sweet popcorn. See my NYE Candy Board for inspiration to keep with the classic black, white, and sparkly vibe for the holiday.
NYE Charcuterie Board Step-by-Step Instructions
- Lay out your ceramic numbers. Alternatively, you can skip the ceramic numbers and make numbers out of meat and cheese (see photo example and directions below).
- Fill the numbers with Hershey’s Kisses and black M&M’s or a candy of your choice.
- Place Mimolette in the shape of a fan above the ‘20’ and the ‘26.’ Place the cubed cheeses under the numbers and the Manchego spread out in two fans at the very bottom of the board.
- Add salami in between cheese fans. I like to make sure the types of salami are kept separate so there’s no confusion when you go to grab more.
- Layer in fruit.
- Finish with crackers and olives.
Make New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board Numbers out of Meat and Cheese
I love using these ceramic number-shaped dishes for my NYE boards, it makes the design really clean and easy to assemble. I bought mine from Amazon, and I find I use them for more than just NYE—I’ve gotten them out for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, they are very versatile.
If you don’t want to get number-shaped dishes, you can totally make the number shapes out of meat and cheese. Jump down to my 2024 image to see an example.
Here are some basic steps to make this work:
- Lay out the salami and cheese cubes into the shape of 2026 horizontally across the center of the board.
- Add bowls or ramekins of olives and Hershey’s Kisses or Rolos.
- Place Manchego and folded salami on the board (I usually pile 3-4 pieces on a decorative toothpick, like in my Christmas CharcuterTREE. You could also consider adding a row of salami rosettes for a fun touch—check out the tutorial here).
- Fill in the remaining spaces on the board with groupings of cheese, fruit, olives, salami, and crackers, being careful to separate similar colors and flavors.
- The key here is to leave space around the 2026 numbers. If you crowd the numbers they may get a bit lost.
- Serve any extra candies and crackers on the side.
NYE Ball Drop Board Idea
If you want to really go big for NYE snacks, try my New Year’s Ball Drop Charcuterie Board. This one has a 2025 pattern, but you can change the numbers to match the year, or lay out salami and cheese around the ball, in whatever shapes you like best. See image below.
Make New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board Numbers out of Meat and Cheese
I love using these ceramic number-shaped dishes for my NYE boards, it makes the design really clean and easy to assemble. I bought mine from Amazon, and I find I use them for more than just NYE—I’ve gotten them out for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, they are very versatile.
If you don’t want to get number-shaped dishes, you can totally make the number shapes out of meat and cheese. Jump down to my 2024 image to see an example.
Here are some basic steps to make this work:
- Lay out the salami and cheese cubes into the shape of 2026 horizontally across the center of the board.
- Add bowls or ramekins of olives and Hershey’s Kisses or Rolos.
- Place Manchego and folded salami on the board (I usually pile 3-4 pieces on a decorative toothpick, like in my Christmas CharcuterTREE. You could also consider adding a row of salami rosettes for a fun touch—check out the tutorial here).
- Fill in the remaining spaces on the board with groupings of cheese, fruit, olives, salami, and crackers, being careful to separate similar colors and flavors.
- The key here is to leave space around the 2026 numbers. If you crowd the numbers they may get a bit lost.
- Serve any extra candies and crackers on the side.
FAQs
I used a 19.25″ round board for this. You can make any medium- to large-sized board work for this snack spread—if you use ceramic numbers make sure those fit with some space around them before you start building.
I love these number-shaped ceramic dishes to celebrate the new year (I bought mine on Amazon). The best part is that you just have to change out one number next year! You can see I use mine every year (see my boards each year in this post).
You can also use these number dishes to celebrate lots of other occasions, like graduation years, birthdays, anniversaries—whatever your heart desires.
Here are some of my favorite number dish options:
– 2026 ceramic numbers from Amazon (these are the ones I used)
– 2026 ceramic numbers from Amazon (a cute alternative)
– 2026 larger set of ceramic numbers from Amazon
– Buy this 1-9 number set and use them for years to come; Just add an extra number 2 dish for the next few years to create 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029.
– Go big with a wooden 2026 number set and skip the board. Just add all your items to the numbers.
This board served 20 people at a party with other food. Adjust the amounts depending on the number of people and if it will serve as an appetizer or more of a grazing meal board.
For an appetizer board aim for 1-3 oz of cheese per person, if it’s more of a grazing board aim for 4-5 oz of cheese per person. You can always keep extra in the fridge, cut up and ready to refill.
This board comes together so quickly, it is really easy to do all the cutting and assembling when you need it. But if you need to prep in advance you can cut the cheese and salami the day before and store separately in airtight containers. Assemble just before serving.
I always prepare berries and fruit well in advance, mostly because I want to ensure they are washed and very dry before adding to the board (see below on how to keep berries from staining).
Cut cheese, sliced meats, and cut fruit (like apples or grapes) can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I personally like to prep the morning of, or within 24 hours or less before serving.
Keep meats and soft cheeses out for up to 4 hours, as long as temps are mild and they’re never in direct heat. After that, refrigerate for food safety.
To ensure your fruit doesn’t stain the other ingredients, make sure it is dry before placing it on the board. You can also place berries in small bowls to keep their juice contained. This works well for olives and pickles, or anything that might have excess juice or flavor you don’t want mixing.
I’m a huge fan of Valley Lahvosh crackers for festive occasions! They make the star crackers on this board and my 4th of July Board and the cute tree crackers on my CharcuterTREE and Brie Merry Board. They also make the heart crackers that I use on Valentine’s Day Boards.
New Year’s Charcuterie Video Tutorial
More NYE Charcuterie Board ideas!
Clockwise from top: inspo from Slowflakes & Coffee, Windy City Dinner Fairy, Incredible Recipes and @cheeseboardqueen
Show Me Your Boards
I hope this post inspires you to create delicious holiday snacks. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the beautiful spreads you create from my tips. If you make something inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttooproudtomeg so I can see and share!
And, If you liked this recipe, please rate and review.
New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Cheese
- 6 oz Mimolette sliced
- 6 oz Manchego sliced
- 8-10 oz Havarti cubed
- 10-12 oz Cheddar cubed
Meat
- 4.5 oz log Salame Secchi sliced
- 2-4 oz Calabrese salami pre-sliced
Produce
- 6-8 oz strawberries
- 2 clementines halved
- 4 oz raspberries
- 4 oz blackberries
Candy
- 28 Hershey’s Kisses wrapped
- 10-12 oz black M&M’s
Accoutrements
- 6 oz olives
Carbs
- 4-5 oz star-shaped crackers you only need 8 crackers on the board, serve the rest on side
Instructions
- First, lay out your ceramic numbers and fill with candy of choice. If you prefer to keep it savory instead of sweet, other options include olives, raspberries and blueberries.
- Place Mimolette in the shape of a fan above the '20' and '26.'
- Add the cubed cheeses under the numbers and place Manchego in the shape of fans at the very bottom of the board.
- Add the salami between the cheese.
- Layer in fruit, crackers, and olives, being careful to separate similar colors and flavors.
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These appetizer ideas are fantastic! I love how easy and elegant they look for a New Year’s Eve gathering. Can’t wait to try the snack board at my celebration this year! Thank you for the inspiration!
I love cheese boards! This one looks delicious!
The New Years board looks amazing, I’m going to try it but didn’t want to buy the numbered dishes. They’re a bit pricey and they are sold out of twos anyway. Instead, I just ordered two sets of large numbered cookie cutters ( so I’d have two 2s) and will fill them with candies! Thanks for the great ideas!