10 Trader Joe's Items To Add To Your Charcuterie Board

Trader Joe's is the best one-stop shop to get everything you need for a charcuterie board that's delicious, decadent, and Pinterest-worthy. TJ's has an eclectic selection of gourmet cheeses and offers tons of crackers, breads, and chips to pair with them. Its impressive collection of dips, sauces, and spreads makes it easy to assemble a charcuterie board that will leave a lasting impression on your guests.

When it comes to building a party-worthy appetizer, it can be overwhelming to decide between all the best Trader Joe's snacks to make a cohesive spread that looks and tastes amazing. I like to follow the 3-3-3-3 rule: Start with 3 cheeses, 3 meats, 3 carbs, and 3 accompaniments — like fruit, nuts, or dips — as the base of your board. As an avid Trader Joe's fan and the designated charcuterie board builder at every holiday and event, these are some of my absolute favorite charcuterie items from TJ's that have left my guests stunned and satisfied.

The olive fougasse from Trader Joe's is a staple on my boards, whether I'm building a spread for a holiday, birthday, or just a get-together with friends. I used to use focaccia, but this French-style bread has a similar texture with so much more flavor. There are actual kalamata and black olives baked into the bread, giving it a salty punch that pairs well with so many different cheeses and spreads. The bread is shaped into thin logs, which I like to cut into pieces and toast for a few minutes.

When toasted, the bread develops a nice crisp, making it the ideal base to a well-balanced charcuterie board. It's a nice alternative to regular crackers for when you want to elevate your board with little effort. If you really want to impress your guests, I suggest adding a thin spread of the Parmesan, garlic, and herb butter from Trader Joe's on your bread slices as soon as they come out of the toaster.

I know that olives can be a polarizing ingredient, but it's my humble opinion that no charcuterie board is complete without them. They add a hit of brine that breaks up some of the other milder flavors often found on the board. While I have tried several olives from Trader Joe's that make great candidates for a charcuterie board, the colossal olives stuffed with garlic cloves are hard to beat in a spread. Compared to other garlic-stuffed olives, the cloves in this TJ's product are crunchy and crisp, giving them a tangy bite with just a little bit of heat.

These olives are tasty enough to eat all on their own, straight from the jar. I have also made mini skewers for my board using small mozzarella balls, sausage chunks, and these garlic-stuffed olives. If you really want to go above and beyond, you can use them in martinis to pair with your board. One user on TikTok added a dollop of sriracha and a sprinkle of smoked pecan rub to dress up the olives, which would be an excellent flavor-enhancing option for those who love a kick of spice on their charcuterie board.

Typically, when I'm building a board, the meats are one of the last ingredients I decide on — I like to let the flavors of the cheese and other additions inform my decision. However, I know that I'll need at least three different kinds of thin-sliced meat, preferably with distinct flavor profiles. One of the best products I've found at Trader Joe's that simplifies the decision-making process is the Spanish-inspired charcutería, because it comes with three varieties of meats. It includes uncured salchichon salami, Spanish serrano ham, and uncured chorizo sausage, which is all you need to build a respectable board. 

The meat in the Spanish-inspired charcutería from TJ's is sliced extra thin, so you can play around with fun shapes on the board. I've used cookie cutters to make festive shapes, created roses using the salami, or just arranged them in aesthetic patterns on the board. Not to mention, building a charcuterie board can get expensive, but this array of meats costs just $5.99, and I have yet to find a deal that beats it.

Trader Joe's is known for its impressive selection of dips, spreads, and sauces, which is part of what makes it the perfect destination for gathering charcuterie ingredients. There are many TJ's dips that I've included in my own boards, but one that always seems to gain praise from my guests is the garlic spread dip. It tastes so fresh with a strong kick of garlic and subtle notes of citrus that pair beautifully with almost any bread, cracker, chip, or veggie you dunk into it. Plus, the consistency is light and almost whipped.

The garlic spread dip has such a positive reputation that it has TJ's customers wondering what else they can use it for, just to have an excuse to eat more of it. Fans have gotten creative with it, making pizzas and garlic sauce pesto pasta, or simply spreading it on sandwiches and falafel wraps. I'm known to make Mediterranean-inspired boards, where I spread the dip on naan, which is always a huge crowd-pleaser.

TJ's has several hummus options, and they often rotate out different flavors seasonally, but the one that takes the cake for me is the Mediterranean-style hummus. Granted, I am biased as a Mediterranean food fiend, but some shoppers on Reddit seem to agree with me, describing the product as having "just the right balance of savory, salty, citrus and umami flavors." Plus, you get 16 ounces for just $4.29, which is a pretty good deal on high-quality hummus.

Because the hummus has more of a whipped consistency, it isn't too heavy when paired with cheese, meats, and crackers from your charcuterie. But even on its own, it shines. The topping of pine nuts, red bell peppers, olive oil, and spices brings a flavorful crunch to the spread. I find it's always a good idea to add hummus to a board if you have any picky eaters, since it tends to be universally loved.

The cheese is the glue that holds a charcuterie board together. The board would be nothing without it, so choosing the right cheese selection for your spread can be a little overwhelming. While Trader Joe's has an extensive array of different gourmet cheeses, many of which I have tried myself, there are a few that I always return to. One Trader Joe's cheese that ranks highly is the Saint André Triple Crème Brie. In fact, Trader Joe's helped make this iconic cheese popular in the U.S.

This Brie is the one I prefer to add to my boards because it's rich and light enough that it invites even those who are a little hesitant to try softer cheeses. One fan on Reddit concurs, explaining that it's a crowd-pleaser for their entire family, kids included. The Triple Crème Brie is not to be confused with the Double Cream Brie, which only uses 60% butterfat compared to 75% in the Triple Crème. The extra butterfat makes the cheese much creamier and less waxy, and although it has a slightly higher price tag, it's well worth it. If you're not baking it, I recommend always letting it soften at room temperature before serving.

When it comes to soft, spreadable cheese that pairs well with crackers, goat cheese is my go-to. I've tried several goat cheeses mixed with everything from herbs and nuts to jams and jellies, but the chèvre with fine herbs from Trader Joe's remains at the top of my list when I'm building a board to please the masses. One product reviewer applauds its versatility, saying the creamy cheese has a nice tang, making it a great backdrop for floral herbs. She explains that the French cheese is an excellent addition to a grazing board, or crumbled over salads, grilled veggies, and soups.

The product gets a glowing review and stamp of approval from a cheese expert who tried all of Trader Joe's cheese as well. She described the goat cheese as having a potent herb flavor from a blend of tarragon, parsley, and basil. Plus, this product is on the affordable side for cheese, costing $3.29 for a 5-ounce log. This cheese will disappear from your board before you know it.

Trader Joe's carries several different crisps and rotates out some flavors seasonally, such as the strawberry and jalapeño variety, which are the perfect sweet and spicy snack to add to your charcuterie board. But the ones that they tend to keep on the shelves year-round are the raisin rosemary and fig and olive crisps. These tasty crackers introduce a punch of flavor to your board that almost always complements your other charcuterie ingredients. Redditors explain that they love to pair the fig and olive crisps with TJ's garlic spread or chèvre with a dollop of honey to make a balanced bite.

The crisps have actual dried figs and raisins baked into the bread. The combination of sweet and savory notes makes them a delicious upgrade to a well-crafted charcuterie board. Also, the texture of the crisps is slightly different from normal crackers. It's similar to a very thin-sliced piece of bread that has been toasted to perfection. These crisps complement simple cheese that's particularly dense and creamy or sweet dips.

Once you have the basics covered with your cheese, crackers, and meats, you might be looking for the accompaniments that will fill out your board. I almost always reach for nuts as an addition, and the sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe's are one of my go-tos because of how extraordinarily flavorful they are. They lean slightly more spicy than sweet, which creates a warmth that I love as part of a holiday charcuterie board.

The pecans are seasoned with sugar, salt, cayenne, ancho chili, and paprika for the perfect blend of sweetness and a spicy kick. One Instagram user claims that pairing the pecans with Trader Joe's Cotswold cheese creates an unexpected match that will have your guests thinking you're a genius chef. Making small, intentional swaps like these spiced nuts instead of regular candied pecans are what really elevate a cheese board spread and make the flavors shine.

Depending on your cheese and dip selection, it might be a good idea to include both chips and crackers in your spread. The organic blue corn tortilla chips are almost always my chip of choice to pair with any dip. Compared to other tortilla chips, these are thin and perfectly salted. While they may not be strong enough to pile on toppings, they're so flavorful that they really don't need much. In fact, they're a delicious snack all on their own. But if you opt for a garlic spread, corn salsa, guacamole, or bean dip as part of your grazing board, these chips bring the perfect crunch.

In a ranking of the best Trader Joe's chips, this product took first place for the best thin tortilla chip, described as light, airy, and crispy. Not to mention, they're gluten-free, and you can actually taste the corn flavor. An added bonus is that the blue corn brings a pop of color to the board, which is part of what makes crafting a charcuterie board so fun. These chips are easily one of the most delicious Trader Joe's foods you can buy for under $5, so be sure to add it to your cart on your next visit.