Oktoberfest Charcuterie Board
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Celebrate the world’s largest beer festival, no matter where you are in the world, with this delicious Oktoberfest Charcuterie Board! This German-style spin on a charcuterie board is easy to make and filled with authentic German foods! Pair it with your favorite German beers and you’ll immediately be transported to Munich for fun times with tasty snacks.
A few years ago I threw my husband an Oktoberfest themed birthday party, and it was a huge hit! I made this Oktoberfest charcuterie board and paired it with a beer tasting of 8 different German beers. It was the perfect pairing of beers and snacks!
With the real Oktoberfest coming up in September in Munich, I wanted to share this epic German-inspired charcuterie board. It’s full of different types of pretzels, mustards, cheeses, and grilled bratwurst. I visited GermanFoods.org Guide to German Food and Drinks to find the most authentic German foods to add to the board, that could be found in the states.
I purchased most of the items on the board from Trader Joe’s, but you can also find the items at any major grocery store. And if you want to get really authentic, I’ll share a list of German foods, and Oktoberfest decorations that you can order online to make an authentic celebration at home!
Serving this shareable snack board at an Oktoberfest party is a really fun way to celebrate this time of year!
What you’ll need
- Cheeses – the first three listed below are the types of cheeses that I used on my board at home. I’ve also listed some other German cheeses that you could add to the board.
- Beer cheese dip – it’s easy to make this 10 minute recipe ahead of time, then heat it up before adding it to the board. You can also use pub cheese instead.
- Cambozola (Triple Cream Blue Cheese) – this German cheese is mild and creamy, with a complex, rich flavor.
- Gouda – Germany has been producing Gouda for almost 200 years and the cheese remains one of the country’s most popular. It has a mild, buttery taste, and the flavor becomes sharper as it ages.
- Emmentaler
- Brie
- Blue cheese
- Camembert
- Muenster
- Meats – for this board, I added grilled bratwust and sliced salami. You could also add other varieties of German sausages, like Weisswurst, Knockwurst, or Currywurst.
- Mustards – it wouldn’t be an Oktoberfest charcuterie board without plenty of different varieties of mustard. My husband loves mustard, so we’ve built up quite the collection of authentic German mustards at our house. These are our favorites and highly recommended for this board. Also, feel free to use any mustards that you can find at your local grocery store or what’s already in your fridge. I recommend some sort of combination of sweet, medium, spicy, dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard.
- Pretzels and crackers – a combination of soft and crispy pretzels are a must on this Oktoberfest charcuterie board. To keep things simple, I heated up frozen soft pretzels while assembling this board. You could also make homemade soft pretzels in advance. I also added pretzel breadsticks from Trader Joe’s and pretzel slims, but any pretzel sticks or pretzel twists will work for something crispy. I also added Sourdough Rye Chips from Trader Joe’s. These were a great addition to the board, but if you can’t find them, you could use another type of rye chips, or just leave them off altogether.
- Other additions – I added the first three items listed below to the board. I’ve also included some other optional additions that would be great on this board.
- Sauerkraut
- Cornichons
- Trail mix – called Studentenfutter in Germany, a delicious mix of dried fruits and nuts is a popular snack in Germany and a great addition to this board.
- Fresh blackberries
- Apple slices
- Pickled beets
- Pickled asparagus
How to make it
- Fill small bowls or ramekins with the different mustards, sauerkraut, cornichons, and any other pickled vegetables. Arrange them on a large wood board. I used a round board that’s 15 inches in diameter. Mine is from World Market, but here’s a similar board I found on Amazon.
- Add any cheeses to the board, except the beer cheese dip. If it’s a hard cheese, I recommend slicing it before adding it to the board. If it’s a soft cheese, you can place it whole on the board with a cheese spreader.
- Place the board in the fridge while preparing the warm items for the board.
- Prepare the grilled bratwurst by first simmering the brats in beer and sauerkraut on the stove for 15 minutes. Grill the bratwurst for 2-3 minutes per side, then remove them from the grill and place them on a cutting board. Cover them with a piece of foil to keep them warm.
- Heat soft pretzels in the oven.
- Prepare the beer cheese dip on the stove. Pour the beer cheese dip into a bowl and add it to the board, along with the soft pretzels.
- Slice the bratwurst and add it to the board.
- Add the pretzel breadsticks, pretzel slims, rye crackers, sliced salami, and trail mix to the board.
- Serve the board with a stein of your favorite German beer, or use these beer flight boards like I did (pictured below), to serve the board with a variety of German beers.
Throw an Oktoberfest party
If you want to throw an Oktoberfest themed party, like I did for my husband’s birthday, check out some of my recommendations below.
- Set up a beer tasting. Purchase 8 different German beers, and set up flights of four beers for each guest of the party. After the first flight, serve the remaining four beers. I purchased these beer flight boards on Amazon, but if you’re having a larger party, you can just use plastic cups. These Oktoberfest themed plastic cups would be perfect!
- Get some decorations. Grab an Oktoberfest tablecloth, some Oktoberfest themed hanging decorations and Oktoberfest plates and napkins to serve with the Oktoberfest charcuterie board.
- Dress up for the party. If you really want to get in the spirit, purchase a Bavarian dirndl for the ladies and Lederhosen for the guys!
More fun party ideas
Check out these other ideas for your next party, from fun bar setups to more charcuterie board ideas!
Oktoberfest Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Mustards
Other additions
- ¼ cup sauerkraut
- ½ cup cornichons
- ½ cup trail mix
Cheeses
- 8 ounces cambozola, triple cream blue cheese
- 8 ounces aged gouda
- 2 cups beer cheese dip, click link for the recipe
Meats
- 2 grilled bratwurst, click link for the recipe
- 10 ounces sliced salami
Pretzels and crackers
- 4 frozen soft pretzels
- 5.3 ounces pretzel breadsticks
- 1 cup pretzel slims, or pretzel twists
- 1 cup rye chips
Instructions
- Fill small bowls or ramekins with the different mustards, sauerkraut, and cornichons. Arrange them on a large wood board.
- Add any cheeses to the board, except the beer cheese dip. If it’s a hard cheese, I recommend slicing it before adding it to the board. If it’s a soft cheese, you can place it whole on the board with a cheese spreader.
- Place the board in the fridge while preparing the warm items for the board.
- Prepare the grilled bratwurst by first simmering the brats in beer and sauerkraut on the stove for 15 minutes. Grill the bratwurst for 2-3 minutes per side, then remove them from the grill and place them on a cutting board. Cover them with a piece of foil to keep them warm.
- Heat soft pretzels in the oven according to the package directions on the box.
- Prepare the beer cheese dip on the stove. Pour the beer cheese dip into a bowl and add it to the board, along with the soft pretzels.
- Slice the bratwurst and add it to the board.
- Add the pretzel breadsticks, pretzel slims, rye crackers, sliced salami, and trail mix to the board. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The cheeses listed above are what I used on the board, you could also add emmentaler, brie, blue cheese, camembert, or muenster.
- The mustards listed above are the ones that I used on this board, you could add any mustard you would like, but I recommend a combination of sweet, hot and whole grain mustards. Lowensenf Whole Grain Mustard and Düsseldorf Style Mustard are both great additions.
Nutrition Facts
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