Ultimate Antipasto Platter
An antipasto platter is a stunning Italian appetizer perfect for parties! Here’s what to buy and how to arrange it on the board.
When I’m entertaining, I’ve found there’s nothing guests love more than a huge antipasto platter! This board of Italian appetizers is an explosion of colors and flavors, and it’s almost guaranteed to be the centerpiece of any party.
Stock up on traditional antipasti like cheese, meats, marinated vegetables, olives, crackers, breads, arrange them on a board, and serve with small plates to let your guests get to snacking. You can make homemade components, or grab a bunch of items from your local deli counter or olive bar. Here’s how to put together this beautiful tray!
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“Stunning! I love doing antipasto for Friday dinner and always struggle with ideas for veggies… this post solved it :)” -Isabel
What Is an Antipasto Platter?
An antipasto is the first course of an Italian meal: a starter or appetizer. Antipasto is the singular, and antipasti is the plural for more than one dish. Traditional antipasti you might enjoy in Italy include cured meats like prosciutto and salami, cheeses, olives, marinated vegetables, pepperoncini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and more.
An antipasto platter is a tray layered with Italian antipasti (cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables, and so forth). Similar to a cheeseboard, it’s an easy appetizer to whip up for entertaining because it’s more about arranging items than cooking them.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredients you’ll use for an antipasto platter can vary greatly based on your tastes and what’s available to you! Check your local grocery store deli counter or olive bar for ideas. Some groceries have whole displays dedicated to marinated vegetables and olives, which is where I stock up on many of the items for my platters. You can also make a few components homemade. Here are some ideas for an antipasto platter:
- Marinated and aged cheeses: These homemade Marinated Mozzarella Balls take ten minutes and always disappear quickly. I also like adding a few aged cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, or aged provolone.
- Olives: Use a mix of colors and sizes. My favorite are mild green Castelvetrano olives, or dress up a plain jar with my Marinated Olives.
- Marinated vegetables: Marinated Mushrooms, artichoke hearts, Roasted Bell Peppers, pepperoncini, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cured meats: If you’re a meat eater, add something like prosciutto, salami, soppressata, bresaola, or mortadella.
- Fresh vegetables: I like adding a fresh element like cherry tomatoes or radishes.
- Bread and crackers: Pick from Italian breadsticks, Homemade Crackers, or squares of Focaccia Bread.
- Extras: Add some Spiced Nuts or Olive Tapenade for spreading.
How to Build an Antipasto Platter
It’s one thing to assemble all the ingredients for an antipasto platter: it’s yet another to style it into an attractive platter! Here are a few tips for making a beautiful board, similar to styling a killer cheeseboard.
- Place the largest ingredients on the board first, then fill in with smaller ingredients. In this case, it’s small bowls of olives and marinated vegetables. Make sure the bowls aren’t too large so they don’t crowd the board.
- Fill in the remainder of the space on the board with piles of marinated vegetables, crackers, breads and other items. Arrange the ingredients with variation in color and shape in mind. Start with the largest ingredients and gradually fill in the smaller items.
- Add garnishes like herbs or flowers. Once the board is mostly complete, tuck in a few sprigs of fresh herbs to complete the tray. Serve with small plates, forks and toothpicks if desired.
How Long Can an Antipasto Platter Sit Out?
Making your antipasto platter in advance? If you’re making this for a party, here are a few serving tips to make prep a breeze:
- A cheese board can sit out for up to 2 hours at room temperature. This source suggests a 2 hour maximum for cheese.
- Make the board up to 24 hours in advance, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. This makes party prep easy! Allow it to come to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
Dietary Notes
This antipasto platter recipe is vegetarian, since the meat is optional. For gluten-free, use gluten-free crackers or omit.
Frequently Asked Questions
For an appetizer, plan on about 2 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of cheese per guest, plus a handful of olives and marinated vegetables. If you’re using the platter as a meal, plan for 4 ounces each.
No. Charcuterie refers to cured meats, so a charcuterie board is built around meats. An antipasto platter is Italian and uses cheeses, olives, and marinated vegetables.
Something light and acidic is great! Something like Chianti, Pinot Grigio, and dry Prosecco all pair well with the rich salty food.
Ultimate Antipasto Platter
An antipasto platter is ideal for entertaining! Pile a board with Italian antipasti like cheeses, cured meats, olives, marinated vegetables, and more.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Marinated Mozzarella Balls (or purchased)
- 1 cup Marinated Mushrooms (or purchased)
- 1 cup mixed olives
- 2 blocks aged cheese
- 1 cup jarred marinated artichoke hearts or roasted peppers (or other marinated items from a grocery olive bar or deli counter)
- 2 types cured meats (optional; like prosciutto, salami, chorizo, sopressata, bresaola, etc)
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
- 2 handfuls crackers
- 1 handful Italian breadsticks
- Optional other items: focaccia bread slices, roasted nuts, jarred pepperoncini, etc
Instructions
- If using homemade, make the Marinated Mozzarella Balls and/or Marinated Mushrooms.
- Prepare the other ingredients as necessary: cut the cheese or meats, and place the olives and nuts in small bowls.
- Place the ingredients onto a large board. Place the bowls of items first, then fill in with cheese slices, meats, marinated veggies, crackers and breadsticks. Once the board is mostly complete, tuck in a few sprigs of fresh herbs to complete the tray (like rosemary or thyme sprigs).
- Serve immediately, with small plates, forks and toothpicks if desired. The antipasto platter can sit out for up to 2 hours at room temperature. Make the board up to 24 hours in advance, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate: allow to come to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
More Appetizer Ideas To Try
Looking for entertaining ideas? Here are a few more fun appetizer ideas:
- Throw your ingredients onto skewers for Antipasto Skewers
- Try a fun and simple Ultimate Cheese Board
- Make classic Spinach Artichoke Dip or French Onion Dip
- Whip up Easy Cranberry Salsa or Cranberry Goat Cheese
- Try Easy Fruit Dip or Quick Veggie Dip
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