Create March Madness charcuterie and fruit platters for watching the games when you and your friends gather to cheer on your favorite teams. Include vegetarian and gluten-free choices to accommodate those with different food preferences.
Serve Charcuterie to Feed a Group
Basketball in March is all about the madness and fun of watching college teams win on buzzer-beaters and lose on airball shots! It is exhilarating, exasperating, and emotionally charged. It is March Madness!
Include Variety for March Madness Charcuterie
Whether you are hosting just a few guests to cheer on your favorite team or a large group, you’ll need plenty of snacks. Charcuterie and fruit boards are easy to put together and can offer enough variety to please everyone.
Be sure to include plenty of hearty cold-cut meats, a variety of cheeses, and several types of crackers.
Nuts are for nibbling between courses, so have plenty on hand to refill containers.
Pickles are a good filler food, and the smaller ones tend to go fast, so have extras on hand.
Create Separate March Madness Charcuterie Boards
Fruits can be scattered across the charcuterie board, but if you have several, consider creating a separate board for them. Plan on refilling popular fruits like grapes, watermelon, and strawberries. Keeping some fruits separate from the cold cuts makes it easier to accommodate vegetarians. Watch and cut replacement fruit ahead so it is easy to refill the board during the game.
Serve Chips and Dip on the March Madness Charcuterie Board
Serve a dip like Creamy Jalapeno (recipe below) with a bowl of chips. This dip can be made a day in advance and is kept in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve smaller amounts and refill containers since it has mayonnaise and should not sit out for hours.
Get Creative
Get creative with your food boards. They can be designed for vegetarians by separating the meats and placing them on individual boards. Have a board that contains a variety of dips for veggies, crackers, chips, and even fruits. Maybe a dessert board with chocolates, small cakes, or cookies. Whatever you serve, let your guests help themselves between those incredible shots!
Use Platters or Boards
It is not necessary to have wooden charcuterie boards for serving food. Use large platters, cake plates on pedestals, and small containers. Once the food is placed on the serving boards or platters, it will be beautiful and inviting! Arrange it in patterns and groupings for the best presentation.
Other Game Day Recipes
Click on each name to link to the recipe.
Chuy’s Copycat Creamy Jalapeno Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons salsa verde (used Herdez mild salsa verde)
- 5 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix (used Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning)
- ยฝ cup pickled jalapeno peppers (used Mezzetta tamed jalapeno peppers)
- ยฝ cup cilantro, fresh
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor; blend on high until they are chopped finely. The dip should be smooth with specks of green.
- Chill for 2 hours or overnight to let the flavors develop.