20 Vegetarian Cheese Board Ideas and Serving Looks to Adapt

Looking for vegetarian cheese board ideas with more than a few crackers on the side? Think green pears, little bowls of olives and cheese surrounded by colorful fruit.

These pictures include simple platters, big grazing boards and vegetable or dessert spreads to serve alongside them.

You can keep things simple or go all out. Choose cheeses labeled suitable for vegetarians, since some use animal rennet.

Check your dips too. Some pictured boards contain meat, so those sections offer layout inspiration with vegetarian swaps rather than arrangements to copy exactly.

Cheese boards and colorful serving ideas

figs, pears and cracker stacks

We’re starting off strong with this gorgeous spread of cheese, figs and green pears. I love the tall stack of rectangular crackers behind the round cheese.

The little piles of pistachios and pecans fill out the arrangement.

For your own version, tuck grapes and halved figs between the larger pieces instead of keeping all the fruit at one end.

grapes down the middle

If you are looking for something simple to arrange, this one is for you. Green and purple grapes run down the middle of the white platter, with cheese slices and crackers on either side.

Switch between pale and orange cheese in your rows to follow this look. The little leafy sprigs are a pretty finishing touch.

vegetables on two levels

Want a vegetable platter to sit beside your cheese board? This one uses two levels, with sliced squash and celery higher up and cucumber rounds across the front.

Read also: 20 Thanksgiving Menu Ideas and Table Touches for Your Holiday Dinner

The little stemmed dip bowls are my favorite detail. Try similar bowls for your chosen vegetarian dips rather than setting everything flat on the board.

bright dips and breadsticks

How pretty are those pink, green and orange dips together? This vegetable-and-cracker spread has long breadsticks at one end and pale rectangular crackers at the other. The red leafy wedges are gorgeous too.

I’d borrow the colorful dip arrangement for a cheese spread. Add little labels with your dip flavors so nobody has to guess.

olives and white cheese cubes

Don’t want to fill an entire board? No problem!

This little square dish keeps things simple with green and dark olives, white cheese cubes and a scattering of herbs and red flakes.

Try the same serving idea with vegetarian feta-style cheese. You can keep crackers on a separate plate.

honeycomb on a cheese wheel

I am obsessed with the honeycomb sitting on top of this white-rind cheese. The honey dripping down the side looks so pretty beside the purple grapes and halved figs.

Keep a small honey bowl nearby if you try this arrangement. Follow the curved cracker rows around the edge rather than piling everything in the middle.

tomato and basil skewers

How cute are these little skewers? The red tomatoes, folded basil leaves and white cheese balls look lovely with that dark drizzle.

For your own caprese-style bites, choose vegetarian mozzarella. Leave the skewer ends sticking out like these so they’re easy to pick up.

pear slices and leafy herbs

This board may just be one of my favorites here. I love the green pear slices beside the pale cheese wedges and orange dried apricots.

The walnuts piled on the round cheese are another lovely detail.

Try small bowls for your olives, preserves and nuts. Then tuck a few culinary herb sprigs around the cheese to follow this arrangement.

little jars down a long tray

If you love having plenty of dips and little extras, save this arrangement. Small jars and bowls sit between cucumber slices, carrot sticks, walnuts and cheese.

I especially like the tomatoes gathered at the front. Set your dip bowls in place first, then arrange your vegetables around them.

a rosemary-lined wreath

The rosemary around this wreath is so pretty. This picture also contains salami roses and other rolled meat, so it isn’t a vegetarian board as shown.

Borrow the shape with tomatoes, olives and vegetarian cheese balls. For your version, replace the meat with cucumber ribbons or folded cheese slices.

Keep the middle open to show off the wreath.

berries, chocolate and cookies

Calling all chocolate fans! This is a dessert board rather than a cheese board, with chocolate pieces, cookies and coated pretzels tucked between grapes and berries. I love the orange wedges at the ends.

Read also: 19+ Stunning Elegant Fruit Display Ideas That Impress

Serve a smaller version beside your cheese selection if you want something sweet too.

white cheeses and walnuts

Don’t want lots of bright fruit on your board? No problem!

The small rounds, white cheese balls and fanned slices look so pretty with walnuts and green herbs.

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I’d keep crackers on a separate dish here. That leaves plenty of room for the different cheese shapes.

a narrow board with cheese bites

This is a simple layout worth saving. A blue-veined wedge sits at one end, a small white-rind round sits near the other and orange cheese bites fill the middle.

The little cocktail picks are a useful touch. Add them to your own cheese cubes, then finish with green grapes and fig halves.

cucumber rings around dip

Here’s another vegetable platter to serve alongside cheese. I love how the cucumber slices form a ring around the central dip.

Carrots, celery, tomatoes and colorful peppers fill the outer sections.

You don’t need to copy the large quantity shown. Try the same arrangement on a smaller round platter.

tomatoes, basil and white cheese

The red and yellow tomatoes are gorgeous beside those large white cheese rounds. This board also contains folded prosciutto, so it isn’t vegetarian as pictured.

For your own meat-free version, use vegetarian burrata-style cheese and replace the prosciutto with extra tomatoes or bread. I’d keep the big basil leaves scattered throughout.

a cheese and olive checkerboard

How cute is this checkerboard arrangement? White cheese cubes alternate with green olives in neat little rows.

The red centers in some of the olives add a little extra color.

Try it with a vegetarian white cheese that holds its shape when cut. There’s no need for lots of extra decoration here.

cracker curves and chocolate squares

There’s so much to look at here, from the curved cracker rows to the line of chocolate squares. I especially love the cucumber slices following the outer edges.

The red folded slices and orange rounds resemble deli slices, but the image doesn’t establish whether they’re meat or plant-based. Choose labeled vegetarian alternatives for your version, or fill those spots with extra fruit and crackers.

rainbow vegetables and five dips

I love the purple, yellow and green cauliflower on this vegetable board. The five dip bowls down the middle are such a simple arrangement to borrow.

There isn’t a cheese selection shown here. Try this as a separate vegetable spread with your vegetarian cheeses served alongside.

dark berries and cheese fans

The blackberries and blueberries look so pretty beside the pale cheese fans. This board also contains folded cured meats, so it’s a layout to adapt rather than copy exactly for a vegetarian spread.

Keep the berries, pistachios and olives with your chosen vegetarian cheeses. Pear slices or extra crackers could fill the spaces left by the meat.

fruit flowers and vegetable ribbons

Last but definitely not least, look at those strawberry flowers and curled carrot ribbons! I love the cucumber flower in the middle too.

These boards visibly include meat roses and folded meat. For a vegetarian version, repeat the vegetable ribbons in their place.

If you add flowers, choose only edible varieties sold for food use.