Handheld charcuterie? Count me in. These charcuterie skewers are a simple, no-cook app that you can throw together in just a few minutes. With meats, cheeses, fruits, olives, and pickled peppers, they’re a cute, crowd-pleasing app for dinner parties and get-togethers with friends!

Charcuterie skewers on a white marble tray next to glasses of red wine, crackers, and brown paltes of olives and almonds on a white counter.

I’ve accidentally started a tradition where our friends invite us over for a get-together and I show up cheese board in hand. A platter of meats and cheeses seems to make any event feel a little more elevated, even if we’re just playing Mario Party or sipping beers in the back yard.

And while this French cheese board or these individual charcuterie cups are some of my favorites to bring along, I’ve really been loving this handheld version lately. They’re more casual, less fussy, and your friends can grab-and-go while they mingle or pour another drink.

In the cheese course I took when I was in culinary school, they taught us how to pair cheeses with fruits, olives, meats, and other snacks based on their flavors and textures. This was probably one of my favorite courses we took and definitely sparked my love for cheese boards and charcuterie. Based on what I learned all those years ago, I decided to make half of the skewers sweet and creamy and half savory and salty.

But, of course, this app is super easy to customize, so feel free to have fun with it and use your favorite pairings! You can really use whatever meats, cheeses, and add-ons you like. Make them vegetarian or keep them more traditional with extra cured meats. There’s really no way to mess up this appetizer!

The ingredients I used

White and brown plates of cheeses, cured meats, peppers, olives, cornichons, grapes, dried apricots, and raspberries on a tan counter.

If you want to make these skewers just like I did, here’s everything I used! Of course, feel free to swap out the ingredients with your favorite charcuterie snacks. For the “salty and savory” skewers, I used peppered salami, prosciutto, Scotch bonnet cheddar, havarti, Castelvetrano olives, and cheese-stuffed cherry peppers. To make the “sweet and creamy” skewers, I used mini brie cheese, havarti, dried apricots, grapes, and raspberries.

To make these vegetarian, replace the meats with veggies or another 1-2 cheese options.

Make these skewers

Three steps to making meat and cheese skewers. In photo 1, skewers are threaded through cheese and olives on a tan counter next to white bowls of meats, olives, and pickles. In photo 2, a hand is folding salami into quarters. In photo 3, the skewers have meat, cheese, and pickles.
To make savory skewers, start by threading a cheese cube and olive on half of the skewers. Then, fold the salami into quarters and add them to the skewers. Lastly, add another cheese cube, a pickled pepper, & a rolled up slice of prosciutto.

When you prep the ingredients, you want them to bite-sized, but large enough that they won’t fall apart when you add them to the skewers. I recommend slicing the cheese into 1-inch cubes. For the cured meats, fold them into quarters or roll the meats and cut them in half.

Two steps to making cheese kabobs. In photo 1, hands are threading a mini brie cheese on a wood stick with cheese, dried apricots, and grapes. In photo 2, the cheese kabobs are on a tan counter next to white bowls of raspberries, salami, and pickles.
To make the sweet skewers, add a cheese cube, dried apricot, and grape. Then, add a mini brie cheese or another cheese cube to the skewers. Finish the skewers with a raspberry or other berry that you like.

It’s important to pair the ingredients together so the flavors don’t clash. Match the cured meats with savory, salty ingredients like Scotch bonnet cheddar, olives, and pickles. Try pairing sweeter cheeses, like Brie, with fresh or dried fruit. Some cheeses, like havarti, can go sweet or savory!

A white marble platter of charcuterie skewers next to crackers and glasses of red wine.

Make-ahead & store these skewers

These skewers are a perfect make-ahead appetizer! You can make them the night before, but I would recommend making them about 1-4 hours in advance so the cheeses don’t dry out. If you have leftover meat and cheese skewers, place them in an airtight container. Refrigerate them for up to 2-3 days. After a few days, the ingredients will start to dry out.

Halve or double for a party

This recipe is so easy to scale up for a party or down for a casual snack. If you’re halving the recipe, you can use less variety (1-2 cheeses + 1-2 meats) to scale down the grocery list. If you’re scaling the recipe up for a party, feel free to use a large variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, and other add-ons!

To make larger skewers, use 10-12 inch BBQ skewers instead. Start with the savory ingredients (meats, olives, etc.) at the bottom, working your way up to sweeter ingredients (grapes, dried apricots, etc.) at the top.

A white platter of charcuterie skewers on a white counter next to crackers, glasses of red wine, and white bowls of almonds and olives.

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The Best Charcuterie Skewers

Yield: 24 skewers
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Handheld charcuterie? Count me in. These charcuterie skewers are a simple, no-cook app that you can throw together in just a few minutes. With meats, cheeses, fruits, olives, and pickled peppers, they're a cute, crowd-pleasing app for dinner parties and get-togethers with friends!
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Ingredients

  • 228 grams havarti cheese (8 ounces)
  • 114 grams Scotch bonnet cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
  • 12 mini brie cheeses
  • 12 slices of peppered salami
  • 6 slices of prosciutto
  • 12 pitted Castelvetrano olives
  • 12 cheese-stuffed cherry peppers
  • 12 dried apricots
  • 12 red grapes
  • 12 raspberries

Equipment

  • Cheese knife or chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • 24 6-inch skewers

Instructions 

  • First, slice the havarti and cheddar cheeses into 1-inch cubes. Fold the slices of salami into quarters. Then, roll the prosciutto and slice each piece in half so you have 12 rolled pieces.
  • On 12 of the skewers, thread one cube of havarti cheese, one Castelvetrano olive, a slice of peppered salami, one cube of cheddar cheese, a stuffed pepper, and a prosciutto roll.
  • Then, on the other 12 skewers, thread one cube of havarti cheese, a dried apricot, a grape, a mini brie cheese, and a raspberry. Let the skewers come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to switch up the ingredients with your favorite pairings. Try using different semi-soft or semi-hard cheeses, cherry tomatoes, cornichons, cured meats, berries, etc.
If you can’t find mini brie cheeses, use 1-2 small wheels instead. Cut the brie wheels into 8-12 wedges and thread them on the skewers.
It’s important to pair the ingredients together so the flavors don’t clash. Match the cured meats with savory, salty ingredients like Scotch bonnet cheddar, olives, and pickles. Try pairing sweeter cheeses, like Brie, with fresh or dried fruit. Some cheeses, like havarti, can go sweet or savory!
Use bite-sized ingredients so they’re easy to snack on. Keep the ingredients around 1-inch or so.
To make the skewers even prettier, use a mix of colors and shapes. Try a mix of fruits, pickles, meats, and cheeses for visual contrast.
If you want to make larger skewers, you can use 10-12 inch BBQ skewers instead. Start with the savory ingredients (meats, olives, etc.) at the bottom, working your way up to sweeter ingredients (grapes, dried apricots, etc.) at the top.
Bring the skewers to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Room temp cheese brings out all of the best flavors and textures!
Cuisine: American, French
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1skewer, Calories: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 4.8g, Protein: 10.1g, Fat: 11.7g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 633mg, Potassium: 112mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 2.9g, Calcium: 135mg
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