The Spread · Guides
How Much Charcuterie Do You Need per Guest?
A simple guide to sizing charcuterie boards for your party, from four friends to a crowd of thirty, using the portions we plan in our Temecula kitchen.
By Gina LaMora · · 2 min read
It is the question we hear most: how big a board do I need? The honest answer depends on two things: how many people are coming, and whether the board is the appetizer or the meal.
Our Rule of Thumb
When we size a board, we plan on about 1.5 oz of cheese and 1.5 oz of cured meat per guest, sharing as an appetizer. Fruit, crackers, nuts, olives and something sweet fill in around that, so nobody goes looking for a second snack.
Cheese and cured meat first; everything else fills the gaps.
Appetizer or Meal?
An appetizer board keeps people happy until dinner. If the board is dinner, it has to work harder. For meal portions, we suggest doubling the number of boards. Some of ours are sized both ways: The Grazer serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer, or 2 to 4 as a meal.
Which Board for How Many Guests
Here is how our everyday boards line up, sharing as an appetizer:
- 2 to 4 guests: The Mini Grazer (4), or a Mini Brunch Board (2 to 3) for a morning get-together.
- 4 to 6 guests: The Grazer, the 10” Round Grazing Board or a Brunch Board.
- 8 to 12 guests: The Social Board (10 to 12), the Picnic Social Board (10 to 12, or 6 as a meal), the Veggie Board (10 to 12) or the Social Fruit Board (8 to 10).
- 20 guests: the Board for 20, or the Charcuterie Brunch Board for 20.
- 30 guests: The Boujee Board, our largest.
A board for four to six, from above.
Mixing Boards for a Bigger Crowd
For a large group, two or three boards placed around the room often work better than one giant one: guests don’t crowd a single spot, and you can mix flavors. A cheese and charcuterie board with a fruit board and a veggie board covers most tastes, including guests who skip meat.
A fruit board rounds out the table.
Don’t Forget
- Dietary needs: tell us at checkout. Our kitchen handles all the main allergens, so for severe allergies we’ll talk through what we can and can’t guarantee.
- Timing: order by 5 PM for next-day pickup. We don’t take same-day orders.
- Over 30 guests? That’s grazing table territory. Tell us about your event and we’ll size it for you.
Still not sure? Shop by the number of guests and we’ll show you the boards that fit.
