Nuts make excellent ingredients for charcuterie boards and many of the best boards have hearty, sweet or salt nuts as one of their key elements. Nuts are a versatile ingredient as they can be flavored in many different ways and the best nuts for charcuterie board offer delicious flavor and texture.. Below you can find information on different types of nuts as well as options for flavoring.
You can simply buy flavored nuts, or buy raw nuts and cook them with flavoring. Scroll to the end for suggestions on how to pair nuts on a charcuterie board and recipes to make your own delicious nuts.
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What are the Best Nuts for a Charcuterie Board?
Nuts are one of my favorite things to add to a charcuterie board and I rarely make a board without them. Nuts add an earthy element.
- Pecans
- Peanuts
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Macadamia
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Nuts for Charcuterie Board Designs
When choosing nuts for a charcuterie board, select the nuts based on size, shape and flavor. Below you can find some of the common flavoring added to nuts:
Raw: If you are making a simple board, you can choose to serve raw nuts. We love raw almonds and if you are serving nuts with other flavorful ingredients, you can choose to serve raw nuts.
Salted Nuts: Most nuts come in a slightly salty version. This is typically just nuts with salt added but can also be cooked or baked. Peanuts, almonds, and pistachios are often served salted.
Sweet Nuts: Many nuts are served sweet. This can be done with a natural sugar like maple syrup or honey. Sweet nuts are often covered in salt as well.
Spicey Nuts: Some of the most interesting nuts are served covered in herbs or spices. These are often quite hot and add a kick to and charcuterie board.
You can find many recipes for nuts online – like this great collection from Bon Appetite.
Other Charcuterie Board Ingredients
- Best Bread for Charcuterie Boards
- Best Dried Fruit for Charcuterie Boards
- Best Crackers for Charcuterie Boards
- Best Veggies for Charcuterie Boards
- Best Pickles for Charcuterie Board Designs
Best Nuts for Charcuterie Board
Pecans
Pecans are a lovely nut for charcuterie boards and can be flavored in a multitude of ways. These nuts are some of the most hearty and delicious to add to a charcuterie board. They bring a rich and buttery flavor and some of the best flavorings add maple syrup, bourbon, and chocolate.
Pecans pair well with goat cheese, apple slices, and dried fruits.
Peanuts
Peanuts are small and have a buttery flavor even when served raw. This nuts are best served salty or savory and can be put into a small bowls or placed directly on the charcuterie board. While we love shelled peanuts, these can make a mess on a charcuterie board, so choose pre-shelled peanuts.
Pair peanuts with apple or pear slices and sharp cheese like cheddar.
Walnuts
Walnuts are a deep and rich flavor. Raw walnuts can be delicious, but the texture is a bit weird. We prefer either spicey or candied walnuts with some salt to add to the flavor. Adding just a few walnuts to a charcuterie board gives the board a varied texture and delicious flavoring.
Apples, chocolate, and goat cheese all pair well with walnuts.
Pistachios
Pistachios can be served in or out of the shell. We usually keep our pistachios simple with just salt, but you can find flavored pistachio nuts. Since the pistachio flavoring is more mild than many other nuts pistachios don’t overpower other flavors on your charcuterie board.
Piscachios pair well with other nuts, apples, cheese, and citrus.
Almonds
Almonds are my favorite nut and with a mild taste are often flavored in many different ways. You can find sweet, salty, spiced and candied almonds and they are one of the only nuts we serve raw on a charcuterie board. Place the almonds in a bowl or directly on your charcuterie board.
Almonds pair well with chocolates, meats, and most fruits.
Cashews
Cashews are a meaty nut that can be flavored in many different ways. They are one of the best nuts to be flavored in a savory way with ginger, maple syrup, cumin, turmeric, lime, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
Pair cashews with mangoes, blueberries, and pickled foods.
Macadamia
These more exotic nuts make a great addition to a charcuterie board. These small and round nut that is delicious and is perfect on a tropical charcuterie board.
Pair macadamia nuts with chocolate, figs, and tropical fruits like coconut and pineapple.
