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A grazing table combines the best of cheese and charcuterie boards with crudités and hors d’oeuvres. They are perfect for hosts who want to abate guests’ hunger without filling them up before the main event — or to supplement a seated or coursed meal. It’s an ideal format for large gatherings to facilitate mingling without the need to pass appetizers around and a great option for the holiday season. While many components shouldn’t require much prep — like slicing apples, arranging fresh fruit or vegetables, and curating meats and cheeses — adding a few homemade jams, crackers, and pickles is an easy way to impress your guests with the very best.
Here are our prime candidates for your next grazing table, from homemade crackers to pickles and spreads. Choose the best light appetizers to get your guests grazing.
Sourdough Crackers
Turn sourdough starter discard into crispy crackers with cornmeal, flour, and seeds. Top the two-hour snack flex with za’atar, smoked paprika, or finely chopped fresh rosemary mixed with finely grated Parmesan for added flavor.
Feta-Stuffed Marinated Olives
Adeena Sussman turns Castelvetrano olives into a fragrant, bright, and herbaceous addition to any grazing table spread with za’atar, feta, lemon, chile, and parsley.
Green Peppercorn-Marinated Feta
Marinate cubed feta to soak up the flavors of piquant peppercorns, crushed red pepper, and thyme for this make-ahead cheese board anchor.
Fig Jam
Julia Hartbeck
All you need is figs, sugar, and lemon juice to make your own spread that pairs perfectly with cheese and crackers.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Diana Chistruga
This silky-smooth and simple pâté from the legendary Jacques Pépin comes together in 35 minutes. You’ll simmer pale chicken livers in water with aromatics before straining and blending it with butter in a food processor.
Crispy Biscuit Crackers
Carla Hall has a great trick for leftover biscuits — cut them into thin slices and sprinkle with a dash of cayenne to make these ridiculously crunchy crackers .
Classic Cheese Ball with Spiced Pecans
Cream cheese and cheddar cheese come together for this super savory Southern hors d’oeuvre with nutty crunch from chopped pecan halves.
Candied Jalapeños
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Cook red and green chiles in a spiced syrup of ginger, coriander, allspice, and vinegar for spicy, sweet, and tangy cowboy candy. Serve these candied jalapeños alongside a wedge of brie or goat cheese on your grazing board.
Suya-Spiced Mixed Nuts
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
F&W’s Chandra Ram coats mixed nuts with butter and suya spice for a Nigerian-inspired riff on a popular bar snack. This hot, sweet, and salty recipe was inspired by chef Simileoluwa Adebajo’s Chicken Suya.
Pickled Snack Peppers
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Thinly slice and pickle sweet mini peppers in a simple solution of white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. The peppers retain their brilliant colors to brighten any table.
Rhubarb-and-Currant Mostarda
Give fresh rhubarb and dried black currants gentle heat and acid from dry mustard, mustard seeds, and red wine vinegar in this tart, juicy spread for cheese and crackers.
Beer Cheese
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
A casual entertaining addition, this spread makes use of flat beer and comes together in 10 minutes with grated cheddar, cream cheese, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Air Fryer Burrata
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco
Coat cream-filled burrata with breadcrumbs and then bake it in the air fryer until it is crispy on the outside and melty inside for a gooey cheese component in 40 minutes, sauce optional.
Stilton-Stuffed Pickled Peppers
Pair pickled peppers, like spicy peperoncini and mild Peppadew, with Gorgonzola or Roquefort in these bite-sized snacks from Justin Chapple.
Cheese Straws
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Shell Royster
These crispy and salty cheese straws, from chef Scott Peacock and iconic Southern cher Edna Lewis have a playful presentation that’s sure to please a crowd.
Sugar and Spice Nuts
Coat raw cashews and almonds with sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, chile, and salt, then brown for 45 minutes in this snack recipe from entertaining expert Bronson van Wyck.
Dried Apricot and Cherry Mostarda
Grace Parisi’s take on this Italian fruit and mustard condiment takes 20 minutes, complementing dried apricots and dried cherries with ginger and mustard.
Sweet Cauliflower-and-Carrot Pickles
Showcase colorful market produce by marinating the vegetables in a sugar and Cointreau mixture with a spice bag and refrigerating them overnight to pickle.
Cranberry-Licorice Compote
This sweet and tangy compote is spiced with star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus zest, and Pernod. It pairs well with fresh goat cheese.
Porcini-and-Pecan Pâté
Delight plant-based party guests with a vegan pâté made from porcini and portobello mushrooms, from chef Sean Baker of the Berkeley restaurant, Gather.
Warm Olives with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon
Marinade olives in olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, and garlic for a citrusy upgrade in just 25 minutes.
Fresh Raspberry Preserves
Balance juicy raspberries with a bit of acidic red wine vinegar to temper the sweetness for this one-hour, four-ingredient spread from 2016 F&W Best New Chef Iliana Regan of Michigan’s Milkweed Inn.
Homemade Wheat Crackers
Susan Spungen makes thin, crunchy crackers with pantry staples and an egg white in an hour and 15 minutes.