Trader Joe’s Cheese Board On-The-Go

Weeknight-easy

Beginner-friendly

You’ll Learn: Creative ways to arrange meats and cheeses so they stay fresh and visually appealing

Worth It: Big flavor on a budget with everyday ingredients

Bonus: Scales up well for crowds and potlucks

I love to make cheese plates and charcuterie boards for pretty much any gathering. The only downside is that it can be difficult to take a charcuterie board on the go. Then one day I had the inspiration to make this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go.

When I make a cheese board there are 2 places that I like to go to for ingredients: Trader Joe’s and Aldi. I like these two stores because they carry a wide variety of items for cheese plates and they are affordable. The nice thing about Trader Joe’s is that I can get the same items over and over again.

To make this board on-the-go I chose a balance of ingredients that will please a crowd. I wrote another blog post all about making an epic charcuterie board. In that post I wrote about how to chose a mix of items for a balanced cheese board.

Keep reading to the end of this post to see the exact list of ingredients that I used to make this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go. I also included the exact price of each item!

One day, Iwas walking through Home Goods when I got the idea for this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go. I was shopping for my home and picked up a couple of drawer organizers. As I was holding one in my hand, I thought, “This is like a food container. I can use this like an on the go tray.”

When I came home, Iused this exact drawer organizer to make my Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go. This organizer works wells because it has one long open side and another side with smaller compartments. For this board, I used the long open side for meats and cheese because I don’t mind them touching.

Then, I use the other side with smaller compartments for items that I don’t want to touch each other. Flavorful items like nuts, pickles or pickled veggies and crackers on that side. I also use small dressing containers to hold things like dips and sauces. Keep reading to see the exact ingredients I used in this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go.

This particular cheese board was for a smaller group of people. I made this on for about eight adults, but it would have fed up to 10 people. The ingredients I chose were 3 cheese, 1 meat, some nuts, pickled veggies, and some basic water crackers.

When I got home I added some strawberry jam and grainy mustard to my store bought ingredients. Some other dips that I like to add to a cheese board are olive tapenade, fig jam or even a spicy pepper jelly. You cold also put smaller pickles or olives in the small containers.

I filmed a video of myself putting this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go. Before I put my cheese boards together I like to slice the cheese into bite size servings. I also fold my salami slices into quarters to help them fit into the drawer organizer. Hit play on the video below to watch me throw this quick and delicious appetizer together.

As I said before, I chose three cheese, one meat, some nuts, pickled veggies and crackers to make this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go. It was really fun to walk the aisles of Trader Joe’s and chose not only things that I know will taste amazing, but also things that will keep the price reasonable. A cheese board of this size at a restaurant would be extremely expensive and I was able to get all of these ingredients for less than $35.

Trader Joe’s Cheese Board Ingredients and Prices:

• English Coastal Cheddar – $6.07
• Goats Milk Gouda – $6.69
• Italian Truffle Cheese – $7.43
• Salami – $4.49
• Truffle Marcona Almonds – $5.99
• Giardiniera – Spicy Pickled Veggies – $1.99
• Water Crackers – $1.39
• Total = $34.68 / 8 people = $4.34 a person

I will gladly take a cheese board with a cost of less than $5 per person over one at a restaurant or one at the store any day. With this Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go you can pick exactly the ingredients that work for your group.

You can grab a drawer organizer and make a Trader Joe’s cheeseboard on-the-go for kids with cut raw veggies, ranch dressing, pretzels, and grapes. Or you can make a dessert board with a chocolate dip, fruit, and some shortbread cookies.

The possibilities for this simple and delicious appetizer or tailgating snack are endless. If you make your own version of a Trader Joe’s cheese board on-the-go, please let me know in the comments or on Instagram!