How to Make a Grazing Table for 40

Learn how to make a grazing table for 40 people! Includes a shopping list for all of the grocery items you will need.

Ready to upgrade your charcuterie game? The first time I made a grazing table for a party, I was hooked!

Grazing tables are a super fun way to provide dinner or snacks for a larger group, even weddings! Learn how to make a grazing table is easy, it just takes time, and a little preparation.

This post is intended for a larger group of 40+ people. If you have less people, check out this post: How to Make Charcuterie for 15.

"You are a lifesaver. I'm 34 weeks pregnant, finishing work this week, and it's two weeks til Christmas. My fiance has invited 20 people around on Saturday for baby shower/leaving drinks, and I could not get a caterer for love or money. Neither do I have two brain cells to rub together to put on a grazing table. This is absolutely brilliant, thank you!!!"

Decide the Location of your Grazing Board

A sanitized countertop is a great option for your grazing board. The one pictured stretched about 7 feet wide, a bit over 1 foot wide.

You can choose to lay butcher paper or parchment paper down, or put the items directly on the countertop.

I chose to use parchment paper for easy clean up.

I did have to use a double layer of parchment, because one layer was not quite wide enough. I had the two sheets overlap a bit to give more width.

If you don't have a countertop available to you, consider using a portable card table.

Ideally, guests will be able to graze from both sides, but that is not always possible.

Shop for your Grazing Table Ingredients

Now, it's time to get shopping! The ingredients for a grazing table can be expensive. My secret weapon? Aldi!

Aldi has wonderful specialty cheeses and cured meats. They also have a good assortment of crackers, fruits and nuts, especially during the holiday season. It's a great place to get the bulk of your charcuterie ingredients!

The ingredients for the spread pictured in this post cost around $200, totally from Aldi. This makes the cost for feeding people at this party around $5 per person, since there were 40 guests in attendance. Not too shabby!

The shopping list at the very bottom of this post is designed to be HEAVY portions for 40 people. If you're serving dinner in addition to your grazing table, cut the list in HALF to have the right amount of charcuterie appetizer for 40 people.

You don't need to splurge on every single ingredient. Buy the staple meats and cheese that everyone enjoys, and just a few special high-end cheeses or meats to mix throughout your grazing board.

How to arrange your Grazing Table ingredients 

Arranging the ingredients on your grazing table is truly more of an art than a science. Because of that, I've included suggestions below, but want to encourage you to do what feels best! 

• Add height: Add 1-2 serving small plates or serving trays. If you have a pedestal server, this is a great time to use it! If you don't, I like to put a serving plate on top of an upside-down bowl to make a pedestal.
• Place bowls: Place 2-3 small bowls for dips and nuts. 
• Dips and jams: Place these in small bowls or in their original containers, with a small spoon. 
• Add cheese: Cheese is truly the star of charcuterie tables, although charcuterie technically means meat! Cheese is ALWAYS the first thing to be eaten! 
  • Place a variety of sliced and whole chunks of cheese on the table. 
  • If you place a whole chunk of cheese (like a wheel of brie, or blue cheese wedge), make sure you have a cheese knife placed by it, and slice the first slice. People are typically timid about being the first ones to cut into a whole piece of cheese!
  • Arrange sliced cheeses in both tall piles and lines for visual interest. 
• Add fruit and veggies: I typically add fruit and veggies next because I want to make sure that there is COLOR interspersed throughout the grazing table. If you hold these items until last, you'll have to squeeze them into the empty spaces. 
• Add meat: Now, it's time to add the meat! I like making tall piles of salami circles. You can also lay meat slices next to your lines of cheese slices, or in a circle around a chunk of cheese. Make a few salami roses for visual interest, if you have time!
• Add everything else: Now, add nuts, desserts and crackers. Fill in all of the gaps and any empty serving trays that you have left. If you don't have space for all of these, no worries! You can replenish them throughout the night. 

In addition to the food, there are just a few non-food items you may need to complete your grazing table:

• Toothpicks: Place these close to olives or other small items that can be skewered. 
• Serving tongs: Place these around the edges so that your guests can grab their items hands free. 
• Small plates: Enough for each of your guests to have two rounds of charcuterie. 
• Napkins: Cocktail sized napkins work great!
• Spoons: 1 for each dip, jam or mustard. 
• Cheese knives: 1 for each whole block of cheese you plan to serve. I typically leave brie and blue cheese wedges whole. 

Looking for a healthy option? You may like: How to make a Fruit Charcuterie Board

Remember to give yourself enough time to get the board together!

For the grazing table pictured in the post, it took my husband and I about 1 hour total to get everything set.

And remember, cheese can sit out at room temperature for about 4 hours. So, set the timer and encourage your guests to enjoy the grazing table when they arrive!