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Start dinner with a gobbling good appetizer that will be a show-stopper on your Thanksgiving table! If you’re looking for something to make for Thanksgiving this year, you might like to make this easy, fun Thanksgiving charcuterie board. It’s a festive version of a cheese board with fruit, nuts, cheese, crackers, and deli meats. You don’t have to be artsy to put it together because it’s so easy. There’s no cooking involved, simply prepping the ingredients and arranging them on a serving platter to resemble a Thanksgiving turkey. Guests of all ages will adore this themed snack board.
This Thanksgiving, why not prepare a delicious and cute turkey charcuterie board? Your guests will gobble it up, and it’s perfect for the holiday season.
You might also enjoy making this chili charcuterie board, some of these pecan recipes, or one of these no-bake Thanksgiving desserts afterward.
Why You’ll Love It
Super-cute: This turkey cheese board is so cute. It’s amazing how much it resembles a turkey and everyone is going to rave about it!
Easy to make: There’s no cooking involved, simply slicing and prepping ingredients and assembling them.
A great range of flavors and textures: The combination of soft and crunchy ingredients, sweet and savory ingredients, and range of fruit, nuts, cheese, crackers, and meats means there’s something for everyone.
Make it ahead: You can prepare your Thanksgiving board up to a full day ahead of time and keep it covered and chilled until you’re ready.
Turkey Shaped Charcuterie Board Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Fresh pear: This is the turkey’s body on your Thanksgiving charcuterie board. Choose one that’s more brown than green for the right color.
Edible candy eyes: For the turkey’s eyes, of course!
Cheese: Use any types of cheese you want here. Orange colored cheese is best for the turkey beak and turkey legs.
Ham and turkey slices: For the turkey feathers.
Crackers: Also for the turkey feathers (and for people to pair with meat and/or cheese).
Nuts: Roasted almonds and pistachios are also for the turkey feathers. You can add a touch of sweetness with candied pecans or another color with bell peppers.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Themed Charcuterie Board
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the ingredients: Cut the pear in half and make a beak and legs out of cheese. Cut the rest of the cheese into cubes and slices.
Arrange the ingredients: Put a pear half sliced side down on the cheese board (this is a good one) as the turkey body, then add the candy eyes and beak and legs made out of orange colored cheese. Fan some crackers around the pear half for turkey feathers and then arrange the cheese pieces around too. Scatter nuts on the Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board and fill in any gaps, then keep covered and chilled until serving.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free crackers and check the candy eyes package for gluten.
Different meats: Turkey and ham are nice, but you can use deli chicken and any kind of deli meat. I like to have one beige one and one pinkish one for contrasting colors.
Any cheeses you want: Cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, mozzarella cheese… anything goes! Make sure at least one type is orange in color for the most realistic beak and legs.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Pair this fun turkey snack board with some of these Thanksgiving appetizers.
Desserts: Pumpkin spice ice cream makes a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert, as do pumpkin pie popsicles.
Festive drinks: Something fun like maple apple whisky sours or cranberry margaritas would be perfect!
How to Store a Turkey Charcuterie Board
Store: Keep the Thanksgiving turkey charcuterie board chilled until serving. Leftovers will keep for a day if covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated. You can also keep the ingredients separate in their own containers (don’t keep the crackers if they’ve softened – they won’t taste as good).
Freeze: This isn’t suitable for freezing.
Top Tips
Don’t forget the extras: Along with the ingredients you’ll need a serving platter and some small serving utensils. Oh, and napkins!
Safe food storage: Don’t keep any leftovers that have been at room temperature for more than 2 hours (this is true of most meat and cheese items).
Customize the ingredients: Not a pear fan? Use fanned out apple slices. Need this to be nut-free? Use pretzels, mixed olives, red grapes, dried apricots, or extra meat and/or cheese pieces instead. Charcuterie boards can always be adapted.
Transporting it: Use ice packs or a chiller if you’re bringing this to a Thanksgiving party elsewhere.
Charcuterie Board for Thanksgiving FAQs
You can get them online (I used these) and in some grocery stores or candy stores. Oh, and if you like candy, you can use candy corn as part of the turkey feathers too.
This particular cheese board (you can get it here) is 16″ but anything between 14″ to 18 inches would work great.
Yes, you can make the turkey eyes with cooked egg white and a sliver of olive instead of the candy eyes. They’re mainly just decorative anyway.
Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board Recipe
Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pear, fresh
- candy eyes, edible
- cheese, Assorted such as cheddar, Colby, gouda etc.
- turkey, sliced
- sliced ham, sliced
- crackers, assorted
- almonds, roasted
- pistachios, roasted
Instructions
- Cut a fresh pear in half vertically, using one half as the turkey’s body. Center the pear flat side down on the bottom of your charcuterie board.
- Attach the edible eyes to the top part of the pear to create the turkey’s face. Cut a small triangle for the nose out of cheese and make legs out of cheese. If needed, use a small dab of peanut butter to help the eyes and nose stick.
- Next, fan some of the crackers around the pear to mimic turkey feathers.
- Cut the cheese into slices or small cubes. Arrange the cheese around the crackers, continuing the fan shape.
- Continue this pattern with sliced ham, pistachios, turkey, cheese, crackers, and almonds. Layer these to give the appearance of feathers spreading out from the body.
- Scatter roasted almonds and pistachios around the board, filling in any gaps and adding texture and variety.
- Ensure everything is nicely arranged, with the pear clearly visible as the turkey’s body and the other ingredients beautifully fanned out to represent feathers.
- Place the charcuterie board in a central location for guests to enjoy. Provide small serving utensils if needed.
Notes
Safe food storage: Don’t keep any leftovers that have been at room temperature for more than 2 hours (this is true of most meat and cheese items).
Customize the ingredients: Not a pear fan? Use fanned out apple slices. Need this to be nut-free? Use pretzels, mixed olives, red grapes, dried apricots, or extra meat and/or cheese pieces instead. Charcuterie boards can always be adapted.
Nutrition
This Thanksgiving turkey cheese platter is so cute! It’s made of typical charcuterie board ingredients like deli meats and cheese, along with fruit, nuts and crackers. Not only is this fun to make but it looks really appealing and it’s great for a happy Thanksgiving. There’s no cooking or baking needed here, just ingredient prepping and assembling.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
What a creative idea for Thanksgiving! I’m excited to put together this festive and tasty board.
Such a clever presentation! I can’t wait to try it this Thanksgiving!