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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so maybe you want to be the hostess with the mostess. Or maybe it’s just a movie night, or you’re trying to spice up wine night Wednesday, and you want to create a food board for snacks that are more unique. Whatever it is, your next function needs to be elevated — and in this case, you might actually want to reinvent the wheel with a food board that isn’t just meat and cheese. 

A charcuterie board, a popular appetizer (and easy to whip up) has transformed into a completely different game — and there are no limits. Food boards, like butter boards and hummus boards, and even “bring your own board” parties, have taken TikTok by storm. There are endless options for dips, treats, and savory snacks to decorate your board with and share with your friends and family.

And I can’t get enough of these boards. Without further ado, here are five fantastic food board ideas for your next party.

Charcuterie Board
@justjennysboards

Holiday time is a special time and can be very difficult Check up on your friends and family and hug them tight! Life is precious! 💚♥️💚♥️💚 #charcuterie #charcuterieboard #cheese #cheeseboard #holidays #holidaytime #holidayseason #tiktokvideo #tiktokviral

♬ Carol Of The Bells – Lindsey Stirling

You can’t go wrong with a classic charcuterie board, and there are endless possibilities for what to put on it. Start with a traditional charcuterie — with a sampling of brie, gouda, and parmesan — paired with bread, grapes, and nuts. You can do an “adult lunchable,” but this time with fancy cheeses and ham. (Aged manchego, anyone?) Try your hand at folding the meat into flowers using these TikTok hacks. This quintessential staple party app is a sure way to start things off. Pair it with wine and good vibes, of course.

Butter Board

Don’t jump into the main course. Butter your guests up first… literally. The butter board, which gained popularity on TikTok last year, is a great way to let your creative side shine. A spread of seasoned butter on a serving tray is the perfect dip for your next function. Layer the butter with some unique jams, sweeten it with some fruit, and add honey and spices for the finishing touches.

Brunch Board

Bless your guests with something they haven’t seen before: a brunch board. This board can feature waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, whipped cream, and syrup. You can also create a brunch board with croissants, strawberries, and powdered sugar, with mimosas to accompany it. Or, level up with a lox and bagel brunch board complete with cucumbers, a variety of picked onions, fresh dill, and chives. 

Candy Board

Candy boards are a great way to sweeten the vibes, especially if you’re hosting a movie night. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you can even make a pink-themed candy board. Add pink cookies, jelly beans, Starbursts, and SweeTARTS for an extra garnish. Transform the game completely by making your candy board the table centerpiece, and surprise your guests with this cotton candy mocktail kit.

Chip & DIp Board

You can’t go wrong with chips and guac, so why not make it a board? You can pair it with salsa and margaritas. Or create a nacho charcuterie board. Your next party will be a success with ground beef, pico de gallo, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, and more.

Maddie Solomon is a writer for Her Campus, where she reports on pop culture, travel and local adventures, national style trends, and more. She is a writer, advocate, and Jewish professional interested more broadly in community building, social justice, and civil rights. Maddie graduated from Occidental College in 2021, where she majored in Political Science with an Education minor. Her work has been published in The Denver Post, Women's Media Center, The Jewish Journal, Persephone's Daughters, amongst other publications. Maddie grew up in Denver, and carries her college experiences in Los Angeles – the land of sunsets, tacos, and oceans. She moved to Boston last summer to explore a new East Coast post-grad life and lives in a Moishe house. In her free time, she enjoys coffee hopping, going to concerts, soul cycle, Shabbat dinner parties and bringing people together, traveling, and exploring Boston with her friends.