These individual Charcuterie Cups are seriously the most impressive appetizer for any gathering. DIY them for last-minute parties, Mother’s Day, Christmas, or laid-back game nights with friends. I even made these individual cups for both my bridal shower and wedding this summer! Plus, you get to customize with your favorite nuts, cheeses, meats, fruits, and crackers. They get a bite of sweetness with Natural Delights Mini Medjools date rolls too!
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Natural Delights Medjool Dates. All opinions are my own; I never feature a brand that I don’t love!
Table of Contents
What is a charcuterie cup?
A charcuterie cup is like a mini charcuterie board served in an individual cup. They’ve gained popularity over the past few years. You can also make these into “charcuterie boats” served in a boat shaped tray.
Why you’ll love it
If you love sweet + savory, you’re in for a treat. These mini charcuterie cups bring together sweet, savory, crunchy, and creamy flavors in every cup. Here’s why they’re always a hit:
- Perfect Portion: With charcuterie in a cup, it’s already broken out into individual portions. This makes them easy to serve and enjoy without the mess of a traditional charcuterie board. You can even prep them ahead of time.
- Customizable: Easily swap out ingredients to fit your dietary preferences or whatever you have on hand.
- Visually Appealing: With vibrant colors from the fruits and elegant garnishes, these cups are not just appetizers – they’re a feast for the eyes. We guarantee they’ll wow your guests!
Is charcuterie healthy?
Charcuterie often gets a bad rap, but it can definitely be healthy! Here’s how each element brings balance to these cups:
- Nuts: Mixed nuts like almonds, cashews, and pecans offer a powerhouse of healthy fats, protein, and fiber helping keep you satisfied.
- Cheese: Did you know some cheeses have probiotics? These are ones that have been aged but not heated such as swiss, provolone, and cheddar. Studies have actually shown that cheese is effective at maintaining and delivering viable probiotics to the human intestine. There’s even some notable health benefits from eating probiotic cheese like reduced GI infections, lower cholesterol levels, and improvements in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Of course, don’t rely on cheese alone. Be sure to vary your diet with other probiotic food sources too!
- Meats: Meats like salami and turkey offer a source of protein and essential vitamins, minerals such as B12 and niacin. You’ll even find some brands with “reduced sodium” if you want to lower your salt intake.
- Fruits: Fruits like grapes and berries add a burst of antioxidants, vitamins, and natural sweetness.
- Natural Delights Mini Medjools: These bite-sized Natural Delights Mini Medjools are filled with simple ingredients like almonds, dried cranberries, and Medjool dates. They provide energizing carbohydrates and satiating fiber. Plus, you can enjoy 4 of these mini medjools for just 150 calories with zero added sugars. Click here to find Mini Medjools near you!
Ingredients you’ll need
To create these delicious cups, here’s the ingredient you’ll wanna round up:
- Mixed Nuts: Choose from almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts. You could even do a mixture.
- Cheese: You can either cut into cubes from a block or buy pre-cubed.
- Meat Slices: Choose your favorite type of sliced meat such as salami, prosciutto or turkey slices for a leaner option.
- Fruit: Offers a pop of color and phytonutrients.
- Natural Delights Mini Medjools: These date rolls come in 3 delicious flavors including Coconut, Cacao Pecan, and Sweet & Salty Almond. Feel free to pick up your favorite flavor or mix and match!
- Crackers: We recommend a whole grain version for a boost of fiber. Opt for varieties like multigrain or seed crackers for added crunch and nutritional benefits.
- Fresh Herbs: Herbs top off these charcuterie cups with an elegant presentation and delicious aroma. Add these right before serving so they don’t wilt.
How to make DIY charcuterie cups
Creating individual charcuterie cups is easy and fun. They’re also perfect for getting kiddos involved in the kitchen and letting them choose their favorite elements!
- Prepare the Cups: Place a layer of nuts at the bottom of each cup, about 2 tablespoons per cup. This helps to weigh down the charcuterie cups and adds a crunchy base.
- Prepare the Skewers: Thread a toothpick or small skewer with all the elements, including Natural Delights Mini Medjools.
- Fill the Cups: Insert the prepared skewers into the cups so they’re upright.
- Add the Crackers: Right before you’re ready to serve, add 2-3 crackers around the skewer. This keeps the crackers from getting soggy and ensures they are crisp and fresh for your guests.
- Garnish with Herbs: Finally, garnish each cup with a few sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme. This really gives them a presentation pop!
- Add Stickers: For a special touch, you can personalize each cup with custom stickers ordered through Canva or Etsy. I did this for my bridal shower!
Recipe tips and tricks
- Serving Tips: Try pairing these charcuterie cups with a crisp white wine or a light rosé. They also go great with sparkling water infused with fresh fruits.
- Creating Shapes: You can use a festive shaped cookie cutter (like a heart or Christmas tree) to cut the cheese into fun shapes. For my bridal shower cups, I used a small heart-shaped cookie cutter.
- Scaling Tips: This recipe makes about 8 individual charcuterie cups, but feel free to double or triple the recipe if you need more! Each cup makes a hefty snack portion.
Perfect for holidays and parties
These charcuterie cups can truly elevate any event. Their variety make them a crowd-pleaser for so many occasions like:
- Bridal showers
- Weddings
- Summer parties
- Mother’s Day
- Christmas
- Holiday gatherings
- Game nights
- Family celebrations
Customize it your way
Like all of my other recipes, these cups are completely customizable. You get to choose what ingredients you want to use. Here’s some ideas of items to fill your individual charcuterie with. Remember: you can always do a mixture too!
- Nuts of your choice: Pistachios, walnuts, almonds, cashews, etc.
- Cheese of your choice: White cheddar, gouda, brie, mozzarella pearls, etc.
- Meat of your choice: Prosciutto, turkey slices, salami, mortadella, etc.
- Fruit of your choice: Berries, grapes, figs, etc.
Could I add veggies to this charcuterie cup?
For this recipe, we focused more on making fruit charcuterie cups. However, you could certainly add some veggies into the mix if you’d like. Small veggies like cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices are typically best for skewering.
Can I make these individual charcuterie cups ahead of time?
These charcuterie cups are best fresh but you can also assemble them up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just be sure to cover them with plastic wrap (or the plastic covers these charcuterie cups come with) so the cheese doesn’t get hard. Then, store in the fridge to keep them fresh. Add the crackers right before serving otherwise they will get soggy in the fridge.
How do I store leftovers?
If you end up with any leftover cups you can either cover them with saran wrap or move the charcuterie skewers over to an airtight container. Either way, these should last in the fridge for up to 2 days. If the crackers become soft, replace them with fresh ones before enjoying again.
Need more help with recipes for your busy schedule?
In my coaching + cooking program, I help busy people with beginner cooking knowledge become confident in the kitchen so that they can enjoy nourishing foods they love and stress less about mealtime. Click here to learn more about this virtual program led by a dietitian.
Individual Charcuterie Cups
Recommended Products
Ingredients
1 cup mixed nuts of your choice:
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
8 ounces (1 cup) cheese cubes of your choice:
- White cheddar
- Swiss
- Gouda
- Sharp cheddar
- Mozzarella pearls
- Brie Bites
- Parmesan
8 ounces meat of your choice:
- Salami
- Soppressata
- Prosciutto
- Mortadella
- Summer sausage
- Deli meat
1 cup fruit of your choice:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberry Halves
- Blueberries
- Cherries pitted
- Grapes
- Figs
- Sliced Apples
- Grapes red or green
- Olives
1 cup Natural Delights Mini Medjool dates (~16 pieces)
- Coconut Mini Medjools
- Cacao Pecan Mini Medjools
- Sweet & Salty Almond Mini Medjools
16 crackers of your choice:
- Multigrain Crackers
- Flatbread Crackers
- Crisps
- Mini Rice cakes
- Sliced Baguettes
- Chia Seed Crackers
- Pita Chips
- Tortilla Chips
- Pretzels
- Nut Thins
- Mini Breadsticks
Fresh herbs of your choice, for garnish:
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Mint
Instructions
- Place a layer of mixed nuts at the bottom of each cup (about 2 tablespoons per cup). This helps weigh down the charcuterie cups.
- Thread a toothpick or small skewer with a small cheese cube, piece of sliced meat, piece of fruit, and a Natural Delights Mini Medjool. Repeat to make about 2-3 skewers.
- Insert the prepared skewers into the cups, standing upright in the nuts.*
- Right before you’re ready to serve, add 2-3 crackers around the skewer. Finally, garnish with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
save this individual charcuterie cups recipe on pinterest:
Loved it! I customized this recipe by using almonds, mozz pearls, turkey, and raspberries!