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.

Entertaining and not sure where to start? Try an 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. Add traditional antipasti like cheese, meats, marinated vegetables, olives, crackers, breads, and more to a platter 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!

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 in an antipasto platter

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 we stocked up on many of the items for this platter. You can also make a few components homemade (which we recommend!). Here are some ideas for an antipasto platter:

Marinated mozzarella: It’s fast and easy to make homemade Marinated Mozzarella Balls, but you can also find them purchased
Marinated mushrooms: These Marinated Mushrooms have incredible flavor
Olives
Aged cheeses
Jarred marinated artichoke hearts
Jarred roasted peppers or pepperoncini
Other marinated items from a grocery olive bar or deli counter
Cured meats (prosciutto, salami, chorizo, sopressata, bresaola, etc)
Cherry tomatoes or other fresh vegetables
Crackers
Italian breadsticks
Focaccia bread slices

Tips for styling the 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.

More appetizer ideas

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

This antipasto platter recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free crackers or omit.