Individual Charcuterie Cups

The options are limitless with these Individual Charcuterie Cups. Grab some plastic cups and load them up with meat, cheese, fruit and all sorts of garnishes. Perfect for holidays and game day!

All the way from a Thanksgiving charcuterie board to a charcuterie chalet and many stops in between, there’s no denying that this time of year is perfect for as many unique charcuterie board ideas as you can dream up.

Whether you’re entertaining a crowd with a wine and cheese board or just having some snacks at home, this type of food is probably at its most popular during the holidays, so you can have a cranberry rosemary cocktail or grapefruit mule in one hand, and a snack in the other!

And sure, I’ve already done jarcuterie, and I know you’re thinking that this charcuterie in a cup really isn’t much different. And you’re right – it’s not! I’m just publishing these mini charcuterie cups to give you even more inspiration for single serving charcuterie this holiday season.

Individual charcuterie cups have all the best elements of a charcuterie board, in single serving portions.

It’s OK if the past few years have made you a bit wary of communal food situations. I get it.

So if it’s just your immediate family, by all means, feel free to just assemble all of these ingredients on a platter. Heck, if it’s just family, you could even do a butter board!

But if you’re having a larger gathering, mini charcuterie cups are the way to go. They’re grab and go for each person, and nobody needs to touch anybody else’s food (well, except you, the one assembling them all). But I know you’ll wash your hands first.

No matter how you serve charcuterie, I recommend a nice balance between savory and sweet elements. Your taste buds will keep you going back for more when the flavors are balanced in your charcuterie board cups.

If you can dream it up for a charcuterie platter, you can probably figure out a way to put it in a cup! You can layer ingredients into your individual charcuterie cups, use toothpicks and skewers to arrange larger items, and just have fun with it.

Supplies you’ll need for charcuterie cups:

I’ve found that 9 ounce clear plastic cups are really the perfect size for mini charcuterie cups. You can also use regular glasses or jars if you don’t want to go the disposable route.

I also like using decorative bamboo skewers to thread some of the ingredients on to, and make for easier eating. It also gives your guests a little “fork” to eat the rest of the ingredients in the cup without digging in with their fingers, if they don’t want to.

For 8 individual charcuterie cups, I’ll use anywhere from 8 to 24 skewers. I kind of just start skewering the ingredients on a whim. There’s no real method to it – just whatever looks cool together!

Choosing the meat for this charcuterie cup idea:

• salami – I like the packaged, thinly sliced kind that is small circles (Applegate is my favorite brand for this, and salami pinwheels). I fold each slice into quarters and then skewer them onto fancy toothpicks for my charcuterie board cups, as you can see above.
• honey smoked turkey – no need to buy the fanciest, most expensive charcuterie all the time. Because you know what? Honey smoked turkey from the deli is delicious, and looks pretty cool when you roll it up and stick it in your charcuterie cups!

Pick delicious cheeses for charcuterie board cups:

• tomato basil havarti – I bought a small chunk of this at my cheese counter and cut it into cubes. You could also do pepper jack for charcuterie in a cup, which is also delicious in pepper jack cheese sauce with chips for game day!
• brie – this one can be kind of polarizing, but I LOVE brie (it’s on my Easter charcuterie board, too). I bought a wheel of it and cut it into slices. I actually bought TWO wheels of it so I could make savory baked brie another day.
• mozzarella cheese – I like the tiny little balls of fresh mozzarella for charcuterie cups, and my pesto pasta with veggies, too. They also make great “eyeballs” on a Halloween charcuterie board and are a perfect item to thread onto bloody mary skewers.
• smoked Cheddar – Cheddar is always a crowd pleaser, and this has just a little smoky twist to it. Also great on a football charcuterie board.
• aged Gouda – this one is sophisticated yet easy to love.

Garnishes to finish off the mini charcuterie cups:

• crackers, pretzels and/or dried breadsticks – no wrong way to go here. Go down the cracker aisle at your store and choose a couple of fun crackers or pretzels!
• grapes – red grapes, green grapes or even both are delicious and pretty. Love these for a breakfast charcuterie board, too!
• pickles – tiny little cornichons are perfect for individual charcuterie cups, and egg salad with pickles!
• dried fruit – almost any type of dried fruit would be great here, but I like dried apricots for their beautiful orange color, and they’re also large enough that they won’t get lost with everything else.
• blackberries – I love blackberries for the unique look they add to charcuterie cups, but any types of berry would be great here. Leftover berries can be used to make tequila mojitos or blackberry muffins.
• nuts – I used some almonds and shelled pistachios (that I had on hand for pistachio crusted chicken) for this charcuterie cup idea, but cashews, pecans or walnuts would be awesome, too.
• figs – I used these just because they are in season and were calling to me at the store! Not everybody is a fig lover, so your mileage may vary on this one.
• herbs – A little greenery adds visual appeal. I added rosemary sprigs for a pop of green color. Use any extra rosemary to make grapefruit vodka cocktails, bourbon rosemary cocktails or baked sockeye salmon.
• whole grain Dijon mustard – you can swipe a little into each cup, or offer a small bowl on the side for anybody who would like a little mustard with their charcuterie.
• preserves – same as for the mustard. I love sweet preserves served with charcuterie (and in my heart thumbprint cookies!), so I offer fig jam on the side.