Making a giant Rainbow Charcuterie Board is a beautiful and vibrant way to serve salad – Because let’s be honest, salad isn’t the most exciting meal. This board would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or Pride Month, don’t forget to add some gold at the end of the rainbow!
After making a Valentine’s Day Breakfast Board, I couldn’t resist doing a fun rainbow board for St. Patrick’s Day or any Pride Month!
Salad might not be the most exciting meal for a kid. (Or a grown-up, if we’re being honest.)
But working a salad into a giant rainbow with golden nuggets at the end? It’ll definitely score some points.
(And you don’t have to dye anything green, which is an added bonus for everyone.)
In case you’re wondering, my board is the Big Board from Reluctant Entertainer! It’s the 26″ round maple board, and it holds a LOT of food. It’s super fun to fill up for parties!
First, I want to share some tips on making a salad board…
Tips for Making a Rainbow Salad Board
- Line your surface with paper towels, parchment, or a thin kitchen towel or cloth napkin.
- If you’re doing a rainbow board, use a sheet pan to plan out your colors as you’re prepping vegetables and fruit.
- If you have picky kids, remember that some fruits and vegetables come in lots of colors and you can prep them in different ways.
- Have a few “fun” toppings for vegetable-loathing eaters.
- Put items in containers that are very small, hard to pile, or things that you may not want touching other things.
- Put some gold at the end of the rainbow!
What is a rainbow charcuterie made of?
I just wandered my produce section for rainbow inspiration, but here’s a list you can use as a guide! This list is by no means exhaustive, but it should give you some good inspiration.
- RED: Bell peppers, tomatoes, apples, salami, bacon, radishes, berries
- ORANGE: Carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes or squash, oranges
- YELLOW: Bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, cheese, pineapple chunks, roasted corn, apples
- GREEN: Cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, snap peas, sprouts, pickles, olives, avocados, apples, grapes, zucchini, fresh herbs, cabbage
- BLUE/PURPLE: Carrots, blueberries, cabbage, red onions, roasted beets, olives
- WHITE: Cauliflower florets, cheese, jicama, daikon radish, mushrooms, tuna, shredded chicken, chickpeas
I used two kinds of cheese and diced apples for the “clouds” in my rainbow. I also added a dish full of cooked bacon.
I find that my kids are more likely to venture out and try new things if it’s mixed up with things that they like. I mean, who doesn’t like cheese, bacon, & apples?
Use different color vegetables of the same type to your advantage! Your kid only eats carrots? No problem. Use both shredded carrots and baby carrots. You can also use rainbow carrots (orange, yellow, white, & purple).
Even if they’re super picky, sometimes they’ll eat a familiar food in a different color because it might seem safer than an unfamiliar food.
Our kids inhale bell peppers — luckily those come in lots of colors, too. So do cherry & grape tomatoes.
My family is pretty split when it comes to salad dressing. Not all of them like ranch or vinaigrettes. So I keep both on hand.
I also added a container of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Other kind of crunchy things would go well here — like tortilla strips & croutons.
By the way, I’ve got a great Dry Ranch Dressing Mix recipe if you need one. It’s dairy-free and paleo friendly, too!
Whether your salad board is big or small, having vegetables arranged in a rainbow makes a killer presentation.
I got my 26″ wide salad board here, if you’re wondering. It’s made by House of Hyacinth paired with Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer. I love it so much, but it does require a LOT of food to fill it.
Needless to say, we had a salad bar “box” (the board doesn’t fit in a fridge haha) for a few days that I loved making salads from!
FAQs
Charcuterie traditionally contains meat – The word “Charcuterie” is derived from the French words for flesh (chair) and cooked (cuit). But nowadays, we can make our Charcuterie boards however we see fit!
You can add anything! Since this is a platter that will be snacked from, you can even add flavors you wouldn’t normally pair together!
Other Charcuterie Board Ideas on Perry’s Plate:
Lazy Deviled Egg Board – Want deviled eggs without having to scoop out the yolks and pipe them back into the whites? Do it the lazy way!
Holiday Smoked Salmon Board – A smoked salmon charcuterie board makes the perfect appetizer (or meal!) during the holidays!
Healthy Holiday Charcuterie Board & Easy Cheese Fondue (non-alcoholic) – Putting together a healthy charcuterie for the holidays is easy. And so is this classic cheese fondue that’s non-alcoholic and kid-friendly. It’s our family’s favorite Christmas Eve tradition!
Valentine’s Day Breakfast Board – Putting together a sweet & festive Valentine’s Breakfast Board is super easy and fun to do for your family!
If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
Rainbow Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Red:
- Bell peppers
- Tomatoes
- Apples
- Salami
- Bacon
- Radishes
- Berries
Orange:
- Carrots
- Bell peppers
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Squash
- Oranges
Yellow:
- Bell peppers
- Carrots
- Hard-cooked eggs
- Cheese
- Pineapple chunks
- Roasted corn
Green:
- Cucumbers
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Snap peas
- Sprouts
- Pickles
- Olives
- Avocados
- Grapes
- Zucchini
- Fresh herbs
Blue/Purple:
- Carrots
- Blueberries
- Cabbage
- Red onions
- Roasted beets
- Olives
White:
- Cauliflower florets
- Cheese
- Jicama
- Daikon radish
- Mushrooms
- Tuna
- Shredded chicken
- Chickpeas
Gold:
- Foil covered candy
- Gold chocolate coins
Instructions
- Line your surface with paper towels, parchment, or a thin kitchen towel or cloth napkin. I do this even if my board is sealed and food safe, just for protection.
- While you are preparing your vegetables, use a sheet pan to plan out your colors. This will give you a good idea of how much of each color you actually have, and you won't have to rearrange things on your board quite as much.
- Include a few "fun" toppings for vegetable-loathing eaters.
- Place some ingredients that are very small, hard to pile, or things that you may not want touching other things in little containers.
- Add some GOLD at the end of your rainbow.
- Serve!
Notes
I did not include exact amounts of each ingredient since it depends on the size of your board and the size of your vegetables.
Assemble the board to suit your tastes. Start off with choosing fruits and veggies that pair well together. Add your larger items first then smaller items to fill in the gaps.
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