How to Make a Waffle Charcuterie Brunch Board

Shake up your next special breakfast or brunch with a showstopping waffle charcuterie board as your edible centerpiece. Piled high with fresh fruit, bacon, eggs, lots of fun toppings, and as many varieties of waffles as you like, this breakfast board is sure to be a hit! Keep reading and we'll show you step by step how to make a delicious and visually stunning waffle board loaded with everything you need for a complete menu. Wondering how to keep those waffles warm until you're ready to serve? We have tips for that, too.

How to Make a Waffle Charcuterie Brunch Board

Creating a charcuterie board can feel a little intimidating. We've all seen the perfectly curated boards with fresh flowers and perfectly cut fruit as we scroll through Pinterest. However, your board does not have to be perfect to be amazing!

What you'll need:

• A wooden or marble board (or even a cookie sheet can work in a pinch).
• Utensils like forks and spoons for serving various waffle toppings.
• Vessels such as a syrup carafe and other small bowls.
• Savory foods like bacon, sausage, and eggs. (I used hard cooked eggs because they're easier to make ahead of time and serve neatly).
• Fresh fruit like berries, citrus, melons, or grapes. If you use sliced apples or bananas, sprinkle them with lemon juice to keep the slices from turning brown.
• Sweet toppings like white and dark chocolate chips, whipped cream, jams and jellies, confectioners' sugar, and syrup.
• Toaster or waffle iron.
• Sheet pan with rack to keep waffles warm in the oven.
• Waffle recipe or store-bought waffles.

How much for how many?

Your board can be as large or as small as you want. We chose to make this into a full brunch board with bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit, but you could keep it simple by just including waffles and their various toppings. Make sure there's enough of each item for each guest to have between 1–2 servings. For example, if you're making a board for two you'll want to have 2–3 of each type of waffle, 2–4 servings of fruit, 4–6 pieces of bacon, 2–3 eggs, etc. It's better to have a little extra than not enough.

Structuring the board:

This tends to be the part of any charcuterie board that makes most folks a little nervous. But it doesn't need to! You can get fancy by including all of the structural elements mentioned below, or you can go for a really simple look.

Tip: it's a good rule of thumb to build your board exactly where you plan to serve it. After assembling, it can be very challenging to move as berries and other small items love to roll off. You don't want to lose any goodies to the floor!

Step 1: Shapes. To have a beautiful charcuterie board, noticing the way the shapes flow into one another really matters. For this board I used piles, rivers, fans, lines, and scatters. I tucked all the elements close together, leaving as little empty space as possible. I prefer a really full board for a pretty finished look.

Step 2: Vessels. First, I guessed where my vessels would look good. I placed the syrup pitcher towards the center of the board and two small bowls on either side. These will hold white chocolate chips and whipped cream. If you're including things like jams or jellies you would choose smaller vessels for those too.

Step 3: Savories. Next I placed the savory items on the board. I created a fan with the bacon by having a little of it fanned to hang over the edge of the board. I made a river with the eggs where they flowed nicely between the syrup pitcher and the wooden bowl. I then created a line with the butter where it all lines up perfectly.

Read more: This Is Absolutely the Easiest Way to Make Bacon for a Crowd

Step 4: Fruit. Next I added the fruit. I made fans with the orange slices and piles with the raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. I added a few sliced strawberries on top of the strawberry pile for an aesthetically pleasing look.

Step 5: Sweets. Next I added sweets to the board. The whipped cream and white chocolate chips were placed into the wooden bowls and the syrup was poured into its pitcher. I reserved the dark chocolate chips to be added later as a way of filling in any gaps, as you will see below.

Tip: Heat the syrup in a small saucepan before pouring it into the carafe. For best results, heat the carafe first with very hot water while the syrup heats on the stove or in the microwave. Dry the carafe and pour in the syrup just before you're ready to serve.

Step 6: Waffles. Next, I added the stars of the show: the waffles. We have lots of great waffle recipes, but my ultimate favorite is this recipe for Tender and Easy Buttermilk Waffles. With more than 400 5-star reviews, these are sure to be a hit.

If you'd rather go with the convenience of toaster waffles, you can find lots of fun varieties at grocery stores, including squares, rounds, and minis in lots of flavors like maple, cinnamon, blueberry, buttermilk, and classic.

You can add as many size and flavor varieties of waffles as you like to your board. I chose two different styles of waffles: one mini and one large. The mini waffles were added around the wooden bowl and the large square waffles were added in a line in the center of the board. As I placed the waffles on the board some of the other items had to be shifted slightly to accommodate them. Don't be afraid to rearrange things as you create your board.

Tip: To keep waffles warm and crisp until it's time to eat, fit a wire cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet and set the sheet in the oven. Turn the oven on low (about 225 degrees F) to heat up. After making waffles in your waffle iron or toasting them in the toaster, lay each on the warm rack in a single layer. Do not stack them or they'll get soft and soggy.

Step 7: Finishing touches. These little details aren't necessary, but they really add that special something to your board. It's best to choose these elements based on the season. For spring you might choose delicate herbs or edible flowers like chives or lavender. Summer might be basil or marigolds. Fall is a great time for sage leaves and deep orange edible flowers. Winter could be rosemary or mint.

I chose to use peppermint leaves placed in a few empty spots on the board and then scattered the reserved dark chocolate chips in any remaining empty spots. For a truly special board it's important to not skip these finishing touches as they add a nice pop of color and freshness to bring the whole board together.

Switch it up by going savory

For a fun twist you can make savory corn waffles for your waffle board. You can still add fresh fruit to your board, and instead of syrups or whipped cream you can choose hummus, ranch dip, sour cream, or even salsa. Serve with fried chicken or chili.

I hope this waffle charcuterie board inspires you to get creative for your next brunch. Have fun and don't forget the mimosas!

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