Spooky Charcuterie Board

This Spooky Charcuterie Board is the ultimate Halloween entertaining centrepiece —and the best part? Zero cooking required. Built around a show-stopping pumpkin cream cheese ball, a spiderweb dip, cute cheese broomsticks and mini mandarin pumpkins, this board is packed with clever details that look impressive but come together easily. Consider this your most deliciously haunted spread of the season. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ball Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ball 

• 2 blocks cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp grated red/orange cheese
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• 4 tbsp grated red/orange cheese, to coat
• 1 capsicum top, for the stalk

Spiderweb Dip Spiderweb Dip 🕸️

• Your favourite dip (I used pumpkin + caramelised onion)
• Greek yoghurt
• Kalamata olives, for the spider

Cheese Broomsticks Cheese Broomsticks 🧹

• 2 mozzarella string cheeses
• Pretzel sticks
• Fresh chives

To Build the Board

• 2 mandarins
• Celery
• Quince paste
• Edible eyes
• Charcoal crackers
• Seeded crackers
• Kalamata olives
• Almonds
• Red capsicum, sliced into sticks

Method

1. Make the pumpkin cheese ball. Add the cream cheese, 2 tbsp grated cheese, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mash together until well combined.
2. Shape into a ball, then wrap tightly in cling wrap and use your hands to create a round pumpkin shape. Unwrap and roll in the remaining 4 tbsp grated cheese until coated.
3. Wrap the cheese ball in cling wrap again, then tie kitchen twine around the outside to create the pumpkin creases, as shown in the video. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the board.
4. Make the spiderweb dip. Spoon your dip into a small bowl. Add the Greek yoghurt to a piping bag and pipe a web over the top. Use pieces of Kalamata olive to create a little spider in the centre.
5. Make the broomsticks. Cut the mozzarella strings into smaller pieces. Gently pull apart one end to create the broom bristles, then insert a pretzel stick into the other end. Tie a chive around the cheese to finish.
6. Make the mini pumpkins. Peel the mandarins and place a small piece of celery into the centre of each to create the stalk.
7. Finish the cheese ball. Remove the twine and cling wrap, then place the capsicum top into the centre for the pumpkin stalk.
8. Build your board. Add the pumpkin cheese ball and spiderweb dip first, then arrange the broomsticks, mandarin pumpkins, quince paste with edible eyes, charcoal crackers, seeded crackers, Kalamata olives, almonds and capsicum sticks around them.