This Trader Joe’s charcuterie board has all the best cheeses and other Trader Joe’s must-haves for under $70. If you couldn’t tell, Trader Joe’s is my go-to grocery store because they have a great selection of snacks, yummy cheeses, and good prices! Consider this your ultimate guide to creating a delicious cheese & charcuterie board from Trader Joe’s!

There are certain cheese board items from Trader Joe’s that I continually go back to every time. You can find the full shopping list below. But since you always ask about how much boards cost, I wanted to focus on two different price points (Note: prices may vary based on the region). First, a $65-70 board with all the items I love without too much skimping, then a $35 Trader Joe’s budget cheese board for keeping costs down. Check out my $50 Aldi Cheese Board and Whole Foods Cheese Recommendations too.

See a full breakdown of my costs in the Los Angeles area in the recipe at the bottom. Costs may vary in your location.

Cheese Board 101

• A variety of cheeses: a mix of hard cheeses (“Unexpected Cheddar” and Manchego) and soft cheeses (French Brie and Port Salud)
• Different meat options: (a subtle/smooth option with the Salami Secchi and a spicy option with the Calabrese)
• Cracker options: A hearty cracker (Fig & Olive Crisps) and a gluten-free option (Savory Thins)
• Colorful produce: I usually like to add lots of fruit, but for the sake of focusing and keeping within the $65 budget, I choose 2 items in different colors. In this case, green grapes and red raspberries.
  
  Since produce is seasonal, you can choose the most affordable items within that season. Browse the produce section and choose two items for under $10. NOTE: choosing organic options is obviously more expensive than conventional.
• A sampling of accoutrements: While you could technically make a tasty cheese board with all the items above, these items take the board to the next level. Salty, briny items like olives, cornichons, and marcona almonds add a tangy crunch. Plus, the sweetness from the dark chocolate and dried persimmons is the perfect complement to the salty cheeses.
  
  Note that some of these items, like the Marcona almonds and persimmons, are on the pricey side. As a result, they won’t be making it to our $35 budget boards. Stay tuned to see what I opted to keep in and take out.

Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board Shopping List

Cheese

• Double cream brie triangle
• Port salut
• Unexpected Cheddar Cheese, crumbled
• Manchego, sliced

Meats

• Columbus Italian dry salame, sliced
• Columbus calabrese salame, folded into rosettes

Produce

• Green grapes
• Raspberries

Accoutrements

• Sweetened dried orange slices
• Cornichons
• Organic conversation olive trio
• Marcona almonds
• Organic dark chocolate
• Rosemary

Carbs

• Fig & olive crisps
• Savory thins

Pro tip: Make this board vegan or gluten-free with some substitutions–the beauty of Trader Joe’s is how many tasty options they have! 

How To Arrange The Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Board

• Add the olives, cornichons, and Marcona almonds to separate small bowls or ramekins and place them in the center of the board to anchor it.
• Place the brie, Port Salut, Unexpected Cheddar, and Manchego around the outside edge of the board.
• Next, fan out a handful of savory thins and figs & olive crackers around ramekins. Serve any remaining crackers on the side.
• Add the dried orange slices, raspberries, and grapes sections throughout the board, paying attention to color placement.
• Tuck the Calabrese salame folds and dry salame slices into any remaining spaces around the ramekins and produce sections.
• Garnish with chocolate and rosemary to serve.

A note about leftovers: All $65-$70 of this board might not fit on your board! If they don’t, save them for another board, or serve them on a secondary board–think grapes, crackers, and charcuterie!

A Few Things To Note

• The olives at Trader Joe’s are not my favorite. I love castelvetrano olives, but since they are not available (other than a TINY pack of green olives for $0.99)…I went with the marinated olives in the vacuum seal. Note that many people like the refrigerated olives. All that said, these do a fine job. But if you keep a jar of castelvetrano olives in your pantry, you may want to choose those over these.
• For all the cheeses here (except Unexpected Cheddar), the price of the cheese depended on the size/weight. Be mindful of this as you try to stay within a budget. Obviously, the smaller the piece, the lower the price, BUT the fewer people you can serve.
• Trader Joe’s has great seasonal cheeses at a good price. Be on the lookout for affordable options that might only be there for a limited time.

Trader Joe’s Seasonal Items

I absolutely love the fall-flavored goodies at Trader Joe’s, but they also have specialty snacks that go great on any board for every season! 

Spring 

• Candy Coated Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
• Irish Cheddar Cheese with Irish Whiskey
• Peas and Carrots Sour Gummy Candies
• Cheery Lemon Animal Crackers

Summer

• Cheddar Cheese Spread with Hatch Chile
• Raspberry Croissant Carré 
• Key Lime Tea Cookies
• Guacasalsa
• Everything and the Elote Greek Style Yogurt Dip
• Strawberry & Jalapeno Crisps

Fall

• Maple Spiced Nut Mix
• Caramelized Onion Goat Log
• Fall Leaf Tortilla Chips
• Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies
• Apple Shortbread Cookies
• Pumpkin Spice Pretzels

Winter

• Cinnamon Bun Inspired Truffles
• Cinnamon Swizzle Sticks
• Iced Gingerbread Squares
• Stollen Crisps
• Figgy Cheddar

Trader Joe’s Beverage Pairings

Trader Joe’s has some great alcoholic and non-alcoholic options! But no matter where you shop, use my Wine Pairing 101 to guide you.

Non-Alcoholic

• Non-Alcoholic Blanc Sparkling Tea
• French Market Sparkling Berry Lemonade
• Lemon Elderflower Soda
• Triple Ginger Brew
• Something Spritzy

Alcoholic

• Charles Shaw wines (Two Buck Chuck)
• Aperito Spritz
• Boatswain Beer
• Henry Hotspur’s Hard Pressed for Cider

Rectangle Board Version

To give you a better idea of what kind of board all these items would fill, I’ve also shown a version on a 20in x 14in rectangle board. There are still some items in bowls around the spread (olives, almonds, chocolate & savory crisps), but most of the ingredients are used within the board.

Where Do I Get a Board Like That?

As always, I add the boards I use or similar in the SHOP THIS POST BELOW. In this case, I am using my very own charcuterie map board from my line of products. And if you like this, be sure to check out my full collection, including other boards, cheese knives and a beautiful honey dipper.

Trader Joe’s Charcuterie Video Shopping Guide

For a little recap of these items, here’s what the items look like in store. Prices included:

@ainttooproudtomeg

Fancy #traderjoesfind #cheeseboardchallenge for $65 #cheesechallange #cheeseboard #charcuterie

♬ Mission impossible – The Spelding’s Jazz Orchestra

Show Me Your Cheese Boards

I hope this post inspires you to create a delicious Trader Joe’s charcuterie board. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the beautiful spreads and snacks 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.