Article: Snack Board 101: My Secret Tips for Building the Perfect Snack Board

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Snack Board 101: My Secret Tips for Building the Perfect Snack Board

Who doesn’t love a good snack board! I can’t think of a better way to present snacks than on a board beautifully placed together.

I especially love making snack boards for my kids to munch on throughout the day. It’s a great way to encourage healthy snacking for your family.

There are so many different types of snacking foods that can go well together, you just have to pick a theme.

In today's post, I am sharing my secret to coming up with perfectly palatable snack board combinations and how to set these boards up to ensure that they are not only aesthetically pleasing but also delicious!

What is a Snack Board?

From elegant to simple or even petite, a snack board is a versatile and aesthetically appealing way to serve a variety of your favorite snacks and appetizers.

It is honestly a perfect option for parties, gatherings, special events or even a chill night in with your family.

By arranging an assortment of delicious bites on a single board, you can create a stunning centerpiece that will awe & inspire.

Arranging the Snack Board

When it comes to arranging the snack board, this is the part where you either make it or break it, outside of getting together the right ingredients.

The most important thing I have found that helps me arrange a beautiful snack board is to take out all of my ingredients & have them out in front of me ready to pick & pull whatever I need.

This way I can rearrange ingredients if I don’t think the items are a good fit together.

When I pick & pull things from the fridge one at a time, I always forget something & the board just doesn’t look as full. Still tastes great, but if I’m planning on having guests over, I want to make sure everything is covered.

How to arrange a snack board step by step

Start by preparing the fruits, snacks & cheeses. This way you can just set everything together & rearrange as needed.
Pick your board, bowls & utensils
Start with the larger items: Begin by placing the bowls on the board, then work the cheeses & crackers & other larger ingredients around
Fill the gaps: Use smaller items like nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolates, olives, and pickles to fill in the empty spaces.
The finishing touch: You can garnish fresh herbs like basil, edible flowers or rosemary over the board for a lovely finishing touch.

Simple breakfast fruit snack board

I love to make these super simple & easy fruit snack boards for my kids on Saturday mornings.

It’s a good way to move through the fruit that’s in the house while also keeping the family full on healthy food choices.

Simple afternoon healthy snack board for kids

What does a snack board consist of?

The secret to setting up the best snack board is to first start by picking a theme.

The next thing you'll want to do is gather a diverse array of yummy ingredients and finger foods to fulfill that theme.

In terms of choosing the right ingredients, think of tasty combinations that go well together, like flavors, textures or even colors to make the board aesthetic and lovely.

For example, I love to make simple snack boards for our weekend breakfasts and fill them up with any of the fruits available in the house. The kids go crazy for these boards and it really does encourage them to eat healthy and fresh foods.

What are some snack board ingredients?

If we are considering the specific ingredients of a snack board, here is a list of the foods you will likely encounter or need to create a snack board.

Assortment of cheeses
Fresh fruits and dried fruits
Crackers, baguettes, and breadsticks
Nuts, olives and pickles
Dips, jams, mustards and other spreads
Extras, such as edible flowers, and pretty garnishes

Snack board food art

This probably isn’t what you were expecting to hear, but the truth is that when arranging snack boards, it’s like working art. Food art, that is.

Sometimes you have to rearrange the ingredients, or cut the foods in different ways to achieve a desired result.

When setting up boards for events, it can take me over an hour to put it together in a way that I feel fit. Of course, when I am making snack boards for myself or to just go with a movie I don’t stress so much over the layout. But it’s still good practice to experiment and have fun making boards.

With each board I have made I have learned what my preference is and tips and techniques that have led me to make all sorts of improvements over time.

Snack Board Theme Ideas:

Wine tasting snack board
Mediterranean snack board
Dessert Snack board
Pick a color snack board
Fruit snack board
Crudité snack board
Brunch board
Birthday Board
Holiday snack board
Simple snack board for one
Elegant snack board
Dinner party snack board

This is the fun part as the list can just go on and on till your heart's content

Christmas snack board with a red, white and green theme

Sunday Brunch board for the family

Ingredients:

Mini pancakes
Croissants
Strawberries
Blueberries
Veggie patties
Hard-boiled eggs from the neighbors local hens
Blueberries
Raspberries
Syrup
Jam

You can really get as creative as you like. Once you get used to making these boards, you'll suddenly get hit with a flood of ideas for making all types of boards.

Birthday Party Treats Snack Board

Ingredients as listed:

Mini cakes
Cookies
Oreos
Daisy Cakes
Strawberry mini cakes
Chocolates
Star shortbread cookies

Party snack board for party

Ingredients as listed:

Fresh fruit
Olives
Cheese
Nuts
Crakers
Pickled hodgepodge

Elegant minimalist snack board for wine tasting

Ingredients:

Blue cheese
Brie
Honey-comb
Peach jam
Dried peach
Olive pattay
Nuts

Wine pairing snack board

Ingredients:

Wine crackers
Pickles
figs
Grapes
Kalamata olives
3 Types of cheese
Oranges
Almond crackers
Strawberries
Blueberries

Afternoon kids snack board

Ingredients:

Almond flour crackers
Cheese
Pretzels
Blueberries
Star Shaped Dragon Fruit
Hummus
Tofurkey
Organic cheese crackers

Final Touches and Serving

Before serving the snack board, make sure to add some final touches:

Crackers and Bread: Place the crackers and sliced bread around the board, ensuring they are easily accessible.
Serving Utensils: Provide small tongs or spoons for guests to serve themselves without touching the food directly.
Labeling: If there are any specific dietary considerations or unique ingredients, consider labeling them to assist guests. I usually only do this for larger parties where I wont be able to talk to everyone individually about the food being served

Small gathering snack board

Rustic snack board for one

Birthday party snack board

Valentine’s day snack board

I have a lot of fun putting together snack boards for my friends, family, special occasions and events. It's a fun way to just snack and sometimes instead of a dinner we will just make a snack board to munch on. It's also a great way to express yourself creatively through food.

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Written by Caroline Flowers

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