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This vegan dessert charcuterie board is piled with chocolate-covered strawberries, peanut butter cups, chocolate pretzels, and fresh berries! It takes about 20 minutes to put together, and it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, Easter, date nights, and dinner parties.
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Vegan Dessert Charcuterie Board
- Why You’ll Love It: A crowd-pleasing, no-bake dessert spread you can make with store-bought or homemade treats.
- Time and Difficulty: 20 minutes. Easy.
- Main Ingredients: Peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-covered pretzels, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes.
- Method: Wash and dry the fruit, arrange the chocolate treats in clusters, then fill in with fruit and extras.
- Texture and Flavor: Rich chocolate, salty-sweet pretzels, and juicy, tart berries.
- Quick Tip: Dry the fruit completely so the chocolate doesn’t sweat.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Dessert Charcuterie Board So Good
The next time you’re struggling to decide on a single dessert for an event, make a crowd-pleasing dessert charcuterie board instead. This version highlights vegan chocolate, baked goods, and fresh fruit, so there’s something for everyone.
It’s stress-free to throw together and can be as simple or as fancy as you’d like with store-bought or homemade treats. Best of all, you can customize it for any diet, mood, or occasion. The one in the photos is a chocolate lover’s Valentine dessert board.
Dessert Charcuterie Board Ingredients
Refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Peanut butter cups: Use store-bought vegan peanut butter cups, or make my homemade vegan peanut butter cups.
- Chocolate-covered strawberries and pretzels: These are the anchors of the board. Check labels to make sure the chocolate is dairy-free.
- Fresh fruit: Raspberries, blackberries, and red or green grapes add color and a juicy contrast to the chocolate.
- Optional extras: Add vegan brownie bites, chocolate truffles, white chocolate pieces, chocolate-dipped vegan marshmallows, mixed nuts, or dried cherries or cranberries.
How to Make a Dessert Charcuterie Board
Before you start, choose a large board or platter. If you’re adding dips or spreads, set those bowls on the board first and arrange everything else around them. You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Wash the raspberries, blackberries, and grapes and dry them completely.
Step 2: Place the larger chocolate items on the board first, arranging them in separate clusters to create structure.
PRO TIP: Moisture makes chocolate sweat, so pat the fruit dry and let it air-dry for a few minutes before it goes on the board.
Step 3: Add the fresh fruit between the chocolate clusters for contrast in color, shape, and texture.
Step 4: Fill any open spaces with optional extras, and spread everything evenly so no section feels too heavy or too empty. Serve right away, or refrigerate for up to 1 hour if your kitchen is warm.
Top Tips for a Dessert Charcuterie Board
- Mix and match: Use a mix of colors, sizes, textures, and flavors for the best look and taste.
- Start with anchors: Place the largest items, bowls, and jars first. Then fan out the medium-sized items before filling gaps with small bits.
- Keep it bite-sized: Guests can grab and enjoy without needing to cut anything.
- Have extras: Keep a few backups on hand to refill the board as needed.
- Provide utensils: Set out toothpicks, mini forks, spoons for dips, or small tongs.
- Keep wet and dry apart: Place juicy fruit and dips away from pretzels and cookies so nothing gets soggy.
What to Put on a Dessert Charcuterie Board
I went all-in on chocolate and fruit for this Valentine’s board, but you can mix and match any of these:
Vegan Chocolate Treats
- Vegan chocolate bars (white, milk, or dark chocolate)
- Chocolate bark, like peanut butter chocolate bark, vegan peppermint bark, or matzo bark
- Vegan peppermint patties
- Chocolate-covered peanut butter balls
- Chocolate-covered pretzels, raisins, coffee beans, or vegan marshmallows
- Truffles and bonbons, like chocolate coconut balls or cookie dough bonbons
Vegan Cookies
- Soft vegan chocolate chip cookies
- Triple ginger cookies
- Vegan chocolate crinkle cookies
- Vegan lemon shortbread
- Raspberry thumbprint cookies
- Snowball cookies
- Oreos, wafer cookies, biscotti, or sweet crackers
Other Vegan Baked Goods
- Brownies and blondies, like strawberry brownies or Biscoff brownies
- Mini cupcakes or muffins, like raspberry cupcakes
- Mini donuts and donut holes
- Dessert bars, like vegan lemon bars, strawberry oat bars, or banana chocolate chip bars
- Mini tarts and pastries
Other Vegan Sweets
- Toffee or easy vegan fudge
- Rice crispy treats or caramel corn
- Cups of mousse, trifle, or parfait
- Banana chips or baked apple chips
- Vegan muddy buddies
- Your favorite vegan candy
Fruit and Nuts
- Berries and cherries
- Seedless grapes on the stem
- Sliced apples and pears, orange segments, or melon
- Kiwi, figs, or pomegranate
- Dried apricots, dates, cranberries, or cherries
- Raw, roasted, or candied nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pistachios
Dips and Spreads
- Chocolate sauce or vegan date caramel sauce
- Vegan vanilla buttercream for dipping
- Cookie butter, chocolate hummus, or a sweet vegan yogurt dip
- Jam or raspberry coulis
PRO TIP: Swap the treats to match any theme. For Valentine’s Day, use heart shapes and lots of pink and red. For Christmas, go with red, white, and green and your favorite holiday cookies.
Common Problems to Avoid
- Sweaty chocolate: Dry the fruit completely, and don’t move chocolate straight from the fridge to a warm room.
- Soggy pretzels or cookies: Keep them away from juicy fruit and dips.
- A board that looks sparse: Pile items high and fill every gap with small extras like nuts and dried fruit.
- Melting in a warm room: Assemble close to serving time, and keep the board out of direct sun.
Dessert Charcuterie Board FAQs
Yes, a few hours ahead. Slice any fruit just before serving, and add the berries last so they stay fresh. Don’t chill the chocolate too long, or it will sweat when it comes back to room temperature.
Use bowls and treats of different sizes and heights, and avoid placing similar colors and shapes right next to each other. Arrange items in lines, curves, and clusters, then fill the gaps with small things like nuts and dried fruit. A quick sketch of the layout ahead of time can help.
Plan on 4 to 5 ounces of fruit and chocolate per person, plus 1 or 2 larger treats like cupcakes or brownies.
Mix a few homemade treats with store-bought ones, choose fruit that’s in season, and fill gaps with inexpensive extras like pretzels, nuts, and dried fruit from the bulk bins.
Refrigerate leftover fresh fruit in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Keep crunchy items like pretzels, crackers, and candied nuts in a sealed container at room temperature.
More Vegan Charcuterie Boards
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Charcuterie Board (Grazing Platter)
Vegan Appetizers
4th of July Charcuterie Board
Vegan Appetizers
Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
![Completed Christmas Veggie Tray [Tree OR Wreath] on a white surface.](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Holiday-Wreath-Vegetable-Tray-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-16-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Christmas & Hanukkah
Christmas Veggie Tray
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Vegan Dessert Charcuterie Board
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Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan peanut butter chocolate cups
- 1 cup vegan chocolate-covered strawberries
- 1 cup vegan chocolate-covered pretzels
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup red or green grapes
Optional additions
- ½ cup vegan brownie bites
- ½ cup vegan chocolate truffles
- ½ cup vegan white chocolate pieces or bark
- ½ cup vegan chocolate-dipped marshmallows
- ½ cup mixed nuts for contrast and crunch
- ½ cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Wash and thoroughly dry the raspberries, blackberries, and grapes. Moisture will cause chocolate items to sweat, so make sure the fruit is completely dry.
- Place the larger vegan chocolate items on the board first. Arrange the peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered strawberries, and chocolate-covered pretzels in separate clusters to create structure.
- Add the fresh fruit between the vegan chocolate clusters. This gives contrast in color, shape, and texture.
- Fill any open spaces with optional sweets like vegan brownie bites, truffles, white chocolate pieces, or dried fruit.
- For visual balance, distribute items evenly so no section feels too heavy or too empty.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving if your kitchen is warm.
Notes
- Focus on different shapes: round cups, long pretzels, soft berries, and clustered grapes keep the board interesting.
- If making ahead, add the berries right before serving for the best texture.
- Keep everything bite-sized so guests can grab and enjoy without needing utensils.
![Completed EASY Chocolate Depression Cake [Wacky Cake] sliced against a white surface.](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/36-Crazy-Cake-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-1-2-378x378.jpg)
