Need a delicious appetizer or snack platter for an upcoming get together? Try making a keto charcuterie board! You can get creative with what to include and they are sure to be loved by anyone – whether they’re following a low carb diet or not.
FESTIVE HOLIDAY FOOD
When it hits November 1st, my wife goes into full out Christmas mode. The decorations go up, the Christmas music is on blast, and she starts thinking about hosting brunches and dinners for friends and family to reconnect and celebrate.
This year will obviously be a bit different given everything going on, but she’s still hoping we get some warmer weekends in November or December for meeting up with a few friends outside. In preparation, she’s been experimenting with different charcuterie boards. She told me “There’s something so visually pleasing about making a board – they just look amazing for the holidays.”
I’ll trust her judgement on that, because assessing the beauty of food isn’t my forte. But I can tell you one thing – these boards are the best for snacking. The ingredients are delicious and you can pick and choose your favorite ingredients for your board, making them super customizable.
WHAT IS A CHARCUTERIE BOARD?
Charcuterie is a French term, typically referring to a type of cooking focused on prepared meats, like sausages and other processed meat. In the United States, the term often refers to a board of food that includes these meat products, along with other savory elements like cheese and crackers.
While many elements of a charcuterie board are already keto-friendly, things like crackers and fruit jams are often found on them, which are not. But it’s easy to modify a board to fit a low carb lifestyle (and no one will even know you did) by choosing the right types of ingredients.
SUGGESTED INGREDIENTS
You can mix and match ingredients from each section below to create the board that works best for you. I recommend choosing 2 to 4 options each from the meat and cheese categories, a few options from the fruit and vegetable category, and then adding in any other options you’d like from the remaining categories.
Note: the nutrition facts for these were taken from either the USDA Food Central Database or specific brand labels.
MEATS:
- 1 pack pepperoni – 0 to 1 g net carbs per ounce (depending on the brand)
- 1 pack hard salami – 1 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack capocollo (also known as capicola) – 0 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack prosciutto – 0 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack pastrami – 0 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack summer sausage – 0 to 1 g net carbs per ounce (depending on the brand)
- 1 pack beef and pork sticks – 0 to 1 g net carbs each (depending on brand)
- 1 pack keto-friendly beef jerky – nutrition varies; you’ll probably need to special order this online if you’d like to include it as most common grocery store brands have quite a bit of added sugar.
SALAMI:
As you can see, you can put pretty much any meat of your choice on your charcuterie board. Salami is one the best types of meat you can add to your board as it’s keto-friendly meat when enjoyed in its natural and dry state. Chock-full of fat and protein, keto salami is traditionally carb-free. However, some salami producers regularly alter their recipes by adding sugar and preservatives. To find a suitable salami brand, it’s best to always read the label before purchasing. Enjoy the flavorful meat – enriched with garlic, spices, and garlic – on its own or as part of a meal.
CHEESES:
- 1 pack Jarlsberg – 0 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Dubliner – 0 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Brie – 0.1 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Swiss – 0.4 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Gouda – 0.5 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Blue cheese – 0.5 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Mozzarella – 0.6 g net carbs per ounce
- 1 pack Cheddar – 0 to 1 g net carbs per ounce (depending on the brand)
- 1 pack Horseradish cheddar – 1 to 2 g net carbs per ounce (depending on the brand)
CRACKERS:
A classic charcuterie board would be complete without a crunchy element. Most regular crackers are a no-go on a keto charcuterie board, but I’ve found the BEST keto crackers that no one will even realize are low carb: Fat Snax Crackers.
These are made from almond flour, egg, and coconut flour base. The texture is crunchy and similar to any other cracker you’d buy from the store. When you’re stacking some cheese and pepperoni on them you’d never even know these weren’t regular high carb crackers!
There are three flavors you can use on your boards:
- Sea salt – 2 g net carbs per 11 crackers
- Everything – 2 g net carbs per 11 crackers (my favorite – so good with cheese)
- Cheddar – 1 g net carbs per 11 crackers
You can also use parmesan crisps (0 g net carbs) for another crunchy element which we love to include on our boards, or even pork rinds (0 g net carbs) if you like those. But for a true cracker, I can’t recommend Fat Snax enough. Here’s a close up shot of ’em on one of my boards:
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:
- 1/2 cup cucumber slices – 0.9 g net carbs
- 1/2 cup celery sticks – 0.9 net carbs
- 1/2 cup dill Pickles – 1 g net carbs (just double check brands; some may add more sugar)
- 4-5 marinated mushrooms – 1 g net carbs
- 10 large olives – 1.4 g net carbs
- 5 peppers pepperoncini peppers – 2 g net carbs
- 1/2 cup blackberries – 3 g net carbs
- 1/2 cup raspberries – 3.4 g net carbs
NUTS AND SEEDS:
- 19 halves pecans –1 g net carbs in 1 ounce
- 8 Brazil nuts – 1.1 g net carbs in 1 ounce
- 10-12 Macadamia nuts – 1.3 g net carbs in 1 ounce
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds –2.4 g net carbs
- 23 almonds –2.75 g net carbs in 1 ounce
SWEETS:
- Lily’s dark chocolate bars – about 2 g net carbs for 1/3 of the bar (note – total carbs look high on these but that’s due to the fiber and erythritol)
- No sugar candied pecans – 2 g net carbs per 1/4 cup (I couldn’t decide whether to put these in the nut section or sweets!)
- Cacao nibs – 1 g net carbs in 1 tbsp
- Keto protein bars – varies based on brand; if you have a favorite you can cut it up into little chunks for snacking on your board
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Once you’ve chosen the foods you’d like to include, all that’s left is to organize it nicely on the board. You can use any large cutting board, cheese board, or serving platter for this. It helps if you have a few little bowls that you can add to the board too, in order to help contain certain items and add variety.
When it comes to actually eating, just keep in mind proper portion sizes and don’t overdo any one item (in particular, the higher carb items like the berries). When eating a variety of things from the board, you should definitely be able to stay within a good net carb range for the meal.
Here’s an example of one board that has pastrami, pepperoni, salami, Fat Snax original crackers, parmesan crisps, Jarlsberg, cheddar, gouda, parmesan crisps, pickles, celery, cucumbers, low carb dip, marinated mushrooms, pepperoncini peppers, macadamia nuts, and pecans.
Here’s another board that might be more dessert-ish. This one has pastrami, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, mozzarella, Jarlsberg, cheddar, gouda, Fat Snax everything crackers, parmesan crisps, raspberries, blackberries, and Lily’s salted almond extra dark chocolate bar.
OK, now it’s your turn! I hope you enjoy these keto charcuterie board ideas. If you get a chance to try making one, please feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below – and of course, let me know what you decided to put on your board!
Keto Charcuterie Board Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pack Pepperoni
- 1 pack of Hard Salami
- 1 pack Capocollo
- 1 pack Prosciutto
- 1 pack of Summer Sausage
- 1 pack Beef Sticks
- 1 pack of keto beef jerky
- 1 pack Jarlsberg
- 1 pack Dubliner
- 1 pack Brie
- 1 pack Swiss
- 1 pack Gouda
- 1 pack of Blue cheese
- 1 pack Mozzarella
- 1 pack Cheddar
- 1 pack of Horseradish cheddar
- 1/2 cup Cucumbers
- 1/2 cup Celery
- 1/2 cup Blackberries
- 1/2 cup Raspberries
- 1/2 cup Pickles
- 4-5 Marinated mushrooms
- 10 large Olives
- 5 Pepperoncini peppers
- Fat Snax Crackers
- Parmesan crips
- Pork rinds
- 12 halves Pecans
- 8 Brazil Nuts
- 10-12 Macadamia Nuts
- 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/3 Lily’s Dark Chocolate Bars or Chips
- 1 tbsp Cacao Nibs
- Keto Protein Bars
Instructions
- Choose a few options from the meat, cheese, and fruit/vegetable categories. Then add any additional ingredients you’d like from the other categories. Arrange nicely on a large cutting board or platter, and serve!
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