My Go-To Party Appetizer
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Charcuterie boards are beautiful, but they're not exactly practical once a party gets going — guests end up hovering around one crowded board instead of mingling. Charcuterie cups solve that: everyone grabs their own individual cup and can wander the room with it in hand. This has become one of my go-to appetizers for holiday parties, and it's genuinely simple to pull together once you have the right supplies.
What You'll Need at a Glance
Best Overall Cups: CAMKYDE Charcuterie Cups with Sticks — Shop it here
Best with Labels (for allergens): Cups + Picks + Labels Set — Shop it here
Best Clear/Plastic Cups: Square Plastic Charcuterie Cups — Shop it here
Best Cocktail Picks: Decorative Bamboo Cocktail Picks — Shop it here
Best Serving Stand: 3-Tier Wood Serving Tray — Shop it here
Best Bonus Buy: Reusable Champagne Ice Mold — Shop it here
The Supplies
Best Overall Cups: CAMKYDE Charcuterie Cups with Sticks
These are my pick for most parties — sturdy kraft paper cups sized just right for one serving, and they come with cocktail picks included so you're not buying two separate products. At $9 for 50 cups, it's an easy way to stock up for a big gathering.
Shop the CAMKYDE Charcuterie Cups
Best with Labels: Cups + Picks + Labels Set
If you're serving a mixed crowd with allergies or dietary preferences, this set comes with blank labels so you can mark what's in each cup — nut-free, dairy-free, whatever you need. A small touch that guests genuinely appreciate.
Shop the Charcuterie Cups with Labels
Best Clear/Plastic Cups: Square Plastic Charcuterie Cups
For a more upscale, modern presentation — think a bridal shower or a cocktail party — clear square cups let the layers of meat, cheese, and fruit show through instead of hiding inside kraft paper.
Shop the Clear Plastic Charcuterie Cups
Best Cocktail Picks: Decorative Bamboo Cocktail Picks
If your cup set doesn't include picks, or you just want nicer ones, these bamboo picks are what I use to skewer the folded meat and secure everything in place so it doesn't shift around while guests are walking with it.
Shop the Decorative Cocktail Picks
Best Serving Stand: 3-Tier Wood Serving Tray
Lining cups up flat on a table works, but a tiered stand makes the whole spread look far more intentional and gives you more surface area without using more table space — great for tucking crackers or extra napkins on a lower tier.
Best Bonus Buy: Reusable Champagne Ice Mold
This is my favorite party trick that has nothing to do with the cups themselves: freeze this mold with greenery, citrus slices, cranberries, or pomegranate seeds inside, then use it as a chiller for a champagne or wine bottle. It's an easy, reusable way to make your drink station look as good as your appetizer spread.
What to Put in a Charcuterie Cup
Cured meats
Prosciutto, Genoa salami, soppressata, or pepperoni all work well. Fold each slice accordion-style so it takes up less space and looks more intentional than a flat, folded-over piece.
Cheese
Cube a semi-firm cheese like gruyère, manchego, gouda, or cheddar — anything too soft will get messy once it's speared on a pick.
Produce and extras
Grapes, berries, dried fruit, and stuffed or marinated olives (kalamata or castelvetrano) round things out. A sprig of fresh rosemary tucked in the top adds a nice holiday touch if that's the occasion.
Bread
Crackers or mini crostinis tucked in front of the meat and fruit finish the cup and give guests something to build a bite on.
How to Assemble Charcuterie Cups
Fold your cured meat slices accordion-style and use a mini skewer or cocktail pick to hold the folds together in the center of the cup. Tuck cubed cheese, olives, and fruit around the meat, then add crackers or crostini in front where they're easy to grab. Finish with a small rosemary sprig for holiday gatherings.
Plastic Makes Cleanup Easier
I will stand by the fact that if you use plastic to help you while hosting, it'll make your life so much easier. Whenever we're hosting and we're making stuff, even these charcuterie boards, you are constantly washing your hands using a cutting board. You're having dishes start to pile up, and if this isn't your only appetizer, there's no telling what can end up in your sink before the party even starts. In my opinion, one of my best hacks is using plastic, paper, and recyclable serving dishes, glasses, plates, etc., so that you can make the cleanup not a part of the hassle of hosting.
Plastic wine glasses
these plastic glasses are perfect for cocktails and hosting. I love these especially alongside the charcuterie board because, again, they can be thrown away with no cleaning, or if you do want to reuse them, they're durable enough to go through the dishwasher.
Plastic Champagne flutes
to go along with the wine glasses, I love to go ahead and grab these champagne flutes. They're great, especially when you have multiple types of wines or beverages that you're trying to hand out. These make everything feel a little bit fancier, and since these are stemless, there's less chance of spillage. Again, durable enough to go through the dishwasher, but also easy enough to just throw away at the end of the day
Swing top glass bottles
now, this is an amazing reusable item that I will always have on hand for any event, especially if you're doing anything with champagne and you want to have multiple flavors for mimosas, or you have lots of juices, or you pre-batched a cocktail. Buying these in bulk and then just sticking them in the dishwasher, they easily fit on a single prong in the bottom drawer of your dishwasher. They are my favorite go-to reusable hack!
Mini swing top glass bottles
if you're the hostess with the mostess and you want to offer something that can be usable, reusable, and even possibly a great gifting item, I highly recommend getting these mini swing-top glass bottles. They're fantastic for putting some olive oil in. If you want to offer them along with the charcuterie and pass around bread or have a bread plate, they're also a great parting gift!
Mini Bottles for favors
These small glass bottles are another great party favor as well as a nice thing to add with the charcuterie boards. You can add olive oil or vinaigrette in here. I have used these before when serving salad and put different dressings in them so that people can make their salad, then take a bottle of dressing with them, use as much as they want, and take the rest home.
Glass honey jars
again, another item that is great to pair with the charcuterie cups but also can be used as a favor to hand out at the end. You can go ahead and just buy your honey in bulk locally or from your favorite place, add it to the jars, and they can either add it to their charcuterie or take it home with them. This is such a great option.
Custom butter knife favors
I love these butter knives as another addition to the charcuterie board, or if you want to do a butter board. This is also great as another favor that you can give out if you are having people over and you want them to be able to take something home. You can always pair it with homemade or store-bought butter. Fantastic idea to pair with the charcuterie cups, though, because it keeps people eating, and it also gives them something they can take home.
Cute cocktail napkins
I love these cocktail napkins as well as any cocktail napkin to add under these cups. This allows people to use these for both their drinks and the charcuterie cups, or any other appetizer that you're passing around. These are so fun. I love the pattern and design on them, but also, you can use these to wrap around the charcuterie cups. If you use just a piece or two of tape, you can make a little decorative piece for your charcuterie cup. I did this for the 4th of July, and you can see that below!
Charcuterie Cups FAQ
How far ahead can I make charcuterie cups?
You can assemble them up to a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge — just add crackers right before serving so they don't get soggy.
How many cups should I make per guest?
Plan on one cup per guest if it's one of several appetizers, or 1.5-2 cups per guest if charcuterie cups are the main food being served.
Can I make these ahead for a large party?
Yes — the cup format actually makes charcuterie easier to scale for a crowd than a single board, since you can assemble a big batch ahead of time without worrying about one board getting picked over unevenly.
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