Holidays Hanukkah
December 4, 2026
A Hanukkah board works best kosher-style: build a dairy board (cheese, smoked salmon, latkes with sour cream and applesauce) or a meat board (beef salami and pastrami, no pork), and keep the two apart. Shape it like a menorah or a Star of David in blue and white, add something fried in oil, and plan about 2 oz each of the main foods per guest before a meal.
Dairy board · 10 guests
Crisp latkes with sour cream and applesauce, smoked salmon with whipped cream cheese, capers and red onion, a sharp cheddar and a soft goat cheese, plus cucumbers and rye crisps. Every item is dairy or pareve, so nothing on it is meat.
Smoked Salmon · Cream Cheese · Capers · Pickled Red Onions · Aged Cheddar · Fresh Chèvre · Rye Crispbread · Apples · Dill Pickles
Get the shopping list for 10 →Meat board · 8 guests
Beef salami, pastrami and smoked turkey with deli mustard, half-sour pickles, olives, hummus and baba ganoush, with rye and challah. No cheese or butter on this one, so it can follow a meat meal.
Pastrami · Whole Grain Mustard · Dill Pickles · Mixed Marinated Olives · Hummus · Baba Ganoush · Cocktail Rye · Pita Chips
Get the shopping list for 8 →After the candles · 12 guests
Chocolate gelt, jelly doughnut holes, rugelach, halvah, dried apricots and dates, pistachios and a bowl of honey. Choose a pareve (dairy-free) chocolate if it follows a meat meal.
Dark Chocolate · Dried Apricots · Medjool Dates · Pistachios · Honey · Apricot Jam · Shortbread
Get the shopping list for 12 →Each one has what to buy, why it works and a timeline.
Served as an appetizer before a meal, plan about 2 oz of cheese, 2 oz of meat and 6–8 crackers per guest. If the board is the party food, plan 3 oz of each; if it's dinner, 4 oz. From 20 guests, add 10% (included below).
| Guests | Cheese | Meat | Crackers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 12 oz | 12 oz | 36–48 | Full list |
| 12 | 1½ lb | 1½ lb | 72–96 | Full list |
| 20 | 2¾ lb | 2¾ lb | 120–160 | Full list |
Plan every board this season
Exact shopping lists, prep timelines, placement steps and pairing science for 50 boards, including Thanksgiving, Holiday Entertaining, New Year's Eve and Game Day, in Charcuterie Lab: 50 Boards Built by Science.
Yes, with kosher-certified products and one rule: meat and dairy don't share a board. Build a dairy board (cheese, smoked fish, latkes) or a meat board (beef or turkey salami, pastrami), not both, and skip pork and shellfish. If guests keep strictly kosher, ask which certifications they use and serve on new or dedicated boards.
Latkes with sour cream and applesauce, smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers, two cheeses, rye crisps, fruit, and something sweet like chocolate gelt or doughnut holes. Blue and white foods (blueberries, white cheese, cucumber) make it look the part.
Hanukkah remembers the story of a small jar of oil that burned for eight days, so foods fried in oil, like latkes and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), are the tradition.
As an appetizer before a meal, plan about 2 oz of cheese and 2 oz of meat per guest, plus 6 to 8 crackers. If the board is the party food, plan 3 oz of each and 10 to 12 crackers; if it's dinner, 4 oz of each. From 20 guests, add 10%.
Yes. Fry them earlier in the day, cool them on a rack, then reheat them in a single layer at 375°F for about 8 to 10 minutes so they crisp again. Add them to the board last so they stay warm and crunchy.
Read more: Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese: Why This Pairing Works · Vegetarian Charcuterie Board: A Cheese-Forward Build That Actually Satisfies
Other holidays: Halloween · Thanksgiving · Christmas · New Year's Eve · Super Bowl · Valentine's Day · St. Patrick's Day · Easter · All holidays
Free printable
How much to buy for any guest count, the build order, fridge timing and pairing rules on two printable pages. Plus the Lab Report: one pairing that works and why, and new printables the day they land.
