Charcuterie Cups

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Charcuterie Cups are a crowd-pleasing, unique way to serve a delicious assortment of meats, cheeses, crunchy crackers plus so much more! Let your favorite charcuterie assortment go mobile in handheld cups. You'll never miss the charcuterie board. Serve alongside 5 Layer Bean Dip, Cranberry Jalapeno Meatballs and Simple Artichoke Parmesan Dip for a memorable and tasty appetizer round.

Cheese, crackers, meat, olives stacked in a cup.

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⭐ Why You'll Love Charcuterie Cups
🧀 Ingredients to Have on Hand
📖 Customize Your Charcuterie Cups
🥗 Step-by-Step Instructions
💭 Recipe FAQs
🥘 What to Serve with Charcuterie Cups
🍽 Other Tasty Appetizer Recipes
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⭐ Why You'll Love Charcuterie Cups

Individual Charcuterie Cups are portable, full of great flavor and incredibly versatile. Similar to a serving option for Easy Edamame Salad, the convenience of sharing food in a small, clear plastic to-go cup (affiliate link) is something guests always enjoy.

You can customize your charcuterie cups based on personal preferences and the ingredients available or in season.

These cups are a fun way to offer a variety of meats and cheeses for guests. Each charcuterie cup has a unique balance of flavors and textures and is prepared for a single serving.

Pro Tip: Serve Charcuterie Cups alongside your favorite dipping ingredients, condiments or sauces. I recommend mustard, fig jam, Blue Cheese Vinaigrette, Cauliflower Hummus or even Homemade Guacamole without Tomatoes.

🧀 Ingredients to Have on Hand

Ingredients for charcuterie cups labeled and on wooden planks.

Sliced Meats: Charcuterie cups are completely customizable so you can use any type of deli meat, prosciutto, salami or pepperoni that your family or guests will enjoy. Choose two types of meat.

Cheese: Plan to use two types of cheese. I like cubed cheese like pepper jack and colby jack, but wedges of brie cheese, or your favorite sharp cheddar or monterey jack cheese will also be delicious.

Trail Mix: This provides a nice foundation in the bottom of the charcuterie cup and another tasty snack for folks to enjoy. Trail mix also adds a variety of textures that to great with smooth cheese.

Fresh Fruit: Blackberries are ideal for charcuterie cups since they hold their shape and can be placed in between the other ingredients arranged in the cup.

Wrapped Chocolates: It's a nice surprise to find wrapped chocolate inside each charcuterie cup. I recommend wrapped candy so the flavors of the meat or cheese don't rub off on the chocolate.

Assorted Crackers: Include crispy varieties of crackers, mini bread sticks or pretzels in each charcuterie cup. These not only add eye appeal but offer a crunchy starch ingredient for each cup.

Scroll to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

📖 Customize Your Charcuterie Cups

Four charcuterie cups on a plank with a cloth napkin.

Pretty much any ingredient that you'll find on a charcuterie board can be added to a single-serving charcuterie cup.

The key is to create a balanced combination of flavors and textures. Charcuterie cups have a lot of "wow factor" and eye appeal, so use ingredients with a variety of colors and shapes.

Pro Tip: I recommend serving condiments like hummus, honey, fig jam or extremely soft cheeses separately. Arrange those items in small bowls near the charcuterie cups so folks can add as much or as little as they want. This also helps keep the cups easy to eat from, without making a mess.

Add a sprig of fresh rosemary or any fresh herb such as dill or sage. This adds interest and fresh appeal to each cup. The scent of the fresh herb adds more than you might think! Plus, it looks great.

Use a variety of crackers. Plan to add two or three crackers around the edges of each cup. Look for crackers that have a variety of shapes, textures and flavors. You can also use baguette slices.

Note: Some links below are paid links through Amazon Associates. Your cost is the same, but I make a small commission.

Use plastic picks, bamboo skewers or sturdy toothpicks to thread the meat, cheese or any other ingredients that will hold its shape on a stick. Grapes, cherry tomatoes or olives are great options.

🥗 Step-by-Step Instructions

Cubes of cheese and several slices of salami with rosemary on the side.

Step 1: Dice the cheese and set it aside. You'll use about ¼ cup of each variety of cheese per cup. (Photo #1)

Step 2: Slice the meat and have it ready as you assemble each cup. You'll need one slice of each meat, per cup. (Photo #2)

An empty cup and one with trail mix in the bottom.

Step 3: Have the plastic cups ready for assembly. (Photo #3)

Step 4: Add two tablespoons of trail mix or mixed nuts to the bottom of each cup. (Photo #4)

Charcuterie cups with trail mix, olives, meats and cheeses added.

Step 5: Thread the meat and diced cheese onto a plastic pick and add to the cup. Alternate the cheese and meat to create a great visual. (Photo #5)

Step 6: Add two additional plastic picks filled with the other variety of cheese and meat plus olives. (Photo #6)

A small bowl of blackberries and one of wrapped chocolates.

Step 7: Add two or three fresh berries - or fruit of your choice to each cup. (Photo #7)

Step 8: Add several crackers and place a wrapped candy in each cup, as a nice treat. (Photo 8)

Charcuterie cups arranged on a table outdoors.

Step 9: Tuck in several crackers around the edges of the cup and add a sprig of fresh rosemary. (Photo #9)

💭 Recipe FAQs

What should I put in the bottom of a charcuterie cup?

I like to use trail mix, but any sturdy ingredient like dried fruit or mixed nuts will work great. You want to use ingredients that will support the skewered meats and cheeses and serve as a foundation for the other ingredients.

Can I make charcuterie cups the night before?

For the most part, yes. The meats, cheeses, olives and fruit will be fine overnight. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and refrigerate them. But I recommend adding the crackers and fresh herbs on the day you plan to serve charcuterie cups. This keeps the crackers from potentially getting soggy and assures that the herbs will be fresh and aromatic.

What's the best combination of ingredients for charcuterie cups?

This recipe is a guide to get you started and here's a plan that might help. Look for 2 types of meat, 2 varieties of cheese, and 3 additional ingredients to add shape and texture such as olives, cherry tomatoes or fruit.

Also Include 2 different types of crackers, a layer for the bottom of the cup such as trail mix, a fresh herb, and one treat - like wrapped chocolate.

🥘 What to Serve with Charcuterie Cups

When we serve charcuterie cups it's usually because we are entertaining, which means these are party cups!

Pair charcuterie cups with your favorite selection of wines: red, white and sparkling options are wonderful. Also offer plenty of sparkling water, craft beer or your best cocktails.

🍽 Other Tasty Appetizer Recipes

Charcuterie Cups are sure to become a crowd favorite at your next gathering. Check out these additional dips, sauces and appetizers for more ideas and inspiration.

If you tried Charcuterie Cups or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.

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5 from 115 votes (107 ratings without comment)