Indian Charcuterie Board – Easy Indian Grazing Platter

An Indian charcuterie board is one of my favorite shortcuts for easy entertaining. Fill a large grazing board with samosas, kachori, Indian snacks, chutneys, cheese, fresh fruit and a little mithai and you have an impressive appetizer spread with very little cooking.

I make this Indian grazing platter for everything from Diwali and Holi parties to casual get-togethers. Most of the board can be store-bought, and you can easily change the ingredients depending on what you have.

Think of it as a traditional charcuterie board with a very desi twist — plenty of crunchy snacks, spicy chutneys, hot appetizers, fresh fruit and Indian sweets.

Hosting a party is definitely not for the week hearted!

​You have to make your house presentable, cook or order stuff, plate it and then after all of that, you have to have some energy to actually enjoy the party that you are throwing.

​I get you! I am in that exact boat couple of times a month.

What goes on an Indian charcuterie board?

Here is an idea - Make a "Chat" cuteri or an Indian grazing board. What I mean is..Make a giant platter of all things Indian.

Just like any good charcuterie board, you need a mix of creamy, crunchy, salty, fresh and filling things.

A classic charcuterie board usually has cheese, cured meats, crackers, preserves, fruit, nuts and pickles. This is the same idea — just very desi.

Cheese & creamy things – Hung yogurt dip, baked brie with mango chutney, masala paneer or marinated feta.

Dips & chutneys – Green chutney, tamarind chutney and mango chutney take the place of the mustards, jams and preserves you would usually find on a cheese board.

Crackers & crunch – Instead of crostini and crackers, use chakli, khakhra, mathri, banana chips and namak para.

The big fillers – Think of these as the substantial part of the board. Samosas, kachori, tikki, kebabs, dhokla or khandvi.

Fresh things – Grapes, raw mango, guava, cucumber and carrots balance all the fried, salty things.

Pickles & extras – The equivalent of olives and cornichons: Indian pickles, sirka onions, fried chilies, thecha and nuts.

Something sweet – Ladoos, kaju katli, jalebi or whatever mithai you happen to have around.

Crisps & Chips → Crackers, Crisps & Crunch

There are a zillion Indian Crisps to choose from. Depending on where you are from and what is available. Here are some of our favorite options

• Sweet Crunchy Stuff- Shakar paare, Rose Cookies
• Mathris - Methi, Stuffed ones, Namak Paare,
• Chips - Potato Chips, Banana Chips, Tapioca Chips, Karela Chips, Beetroot Chips
• Khahras
• Chaklis, Ribbon Pakoras

Nuts & Dry Fruits

These play exactly the same role as the nuts and dried fruit on a regular cheese board. For Nuts, Go for something that you can get out of a packet.Something like

• Spicy Masala Coated Nuts
• Spicy Cashews
• Salted & Roasted Pistachios
• Stuffed Dates

Cheese in the desi Charcuterie board.

Cheese is probably the trickiest part of a desi charcuterie board. Apart from paneer, nothing immediately screams Indian cheese board.

But don't worry, I have got you!

You don't necessarily need three wedges of cheese. Think of this as the creamy, rich part of a traditional charcuterie board.

Here are some options

• Papdi chaat dip
• Masala Paneer
• Baked Brie with Mango Chutney
• Marinated Feta
• My go to part dip - Greek Yogurt Dip
• Garlic Labneh

Big Fillers

This is for those guests who have not eaten anything since morning, either in anticipation or are just perpetually hungry like my husband. You can choose any of the below options

• Bhels and healthier chaats like edamame chaat
• Samosa & Kachoris
• Vadas
• Dhokla,Dabeli and Khandvi
• Kebabs

Fruits

I always add fruits. It's non negotiable. This is always a hit with my son and his friends. The fruits disappear first. Always.They also do the same job they do on a traditional cheese board — adding freshness and sweetness between all the rich, salty things.

For some Extra Indian feel try the below ideas

• Raw Mango- cut into slices topped with chili and salt
• Guava- Cut into wedges with chili and salt
• The regulars- Grapes , Strawberries, watermelon slices
• If you can get- some nostalgic Indian berries and fruits- Ber, Star fruit, phalsa, rose apple, small bananas

Veggies

Cut up cucumbers and carrots are my go to. They are great for munching especially for those who have food guilt or are just trying to maintain their sugars like me.

I like to serve these chilled and super fresh!

Extras

Think of this as the olives-and-cornichons corner of a regular charcuterie board.

Except here, bring on all the indianness you can think of — the pickle your grandma makes, sirka onions, fried chilies, white butter, thecha... literally anything.

Bring any indianness you can think of! The pickle that your grandma makes, white butter, literally anything! I have added sirka onions and fried chilies. This is completely upto you.

One time I added pappadam and Thecha- the pounded chili chutney from maharashtra.

Extra- Neembo and chili.

Sweets

I know sweets aren't technically compulsory on a charcuterie board, but this is an Indian party. There has to be something sweet!

Add whatever you already have — ladoos, kaju katli, jalebi, barfi or even stuffed dates.

You don't need a lot. A few little sweet bites scattered around the board are enough.

How to make a Desi Charcuterie Board

Here is how to go about it.

Step 1: Add Bowls

I like to add the big bowls for dips and chutneys first.

Place one in the center and the rest along the corners. Let it overhand a bit. It makes it look from a juvenile arrangement to a platter beaming with addictive stuff.

These are your anchor elements. Once you have them place, you have to place the rest around it.

Step 2: Smaller Dips & bowls

Now add the smaller bowls like nuts and pickles. These are not needed in big quantities but need to be contained.

Step 3: Add the Big Fillers

Add all the big filling items like samosas and kachoris next. This will occupy a huge amount of space.

I add the sweets and fruits next.

Step 4: Fill the gaps

This is one hack to take a mediocre snack board and elevate it to salivating levels!

Fill the small spaces with decorative stuff like flowers, nuts and small fruits.

Entertaining Hacks

You definitely need some quick and easy wins! Here are some easy Entertaining hacks

• Put everything out on the table before your friends come. That way YOU will get to enjoy the party!
• Have Plenty of easy finger foods and dips or make an easy peasy but Oh so so AMAHZING dip at home.​
• Platter it all. Use store-bought chips and crisps, and olives and plate it up nicely.
• Add fruits and Veggies too- These make for great fillers.. Especially after the chips are over. You need to keep the folks munching right?
• Make the Air Fryer your best friend- Quickly air fry store-bought potato wedges, shrimp popcorn without really putting in effort. This is especially a hit with the kids! Here are some Quick Air Fryer ideas for you.

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Indian grazing board- FAQs