How to Put Together a Rustic Grazing Table

A grazing table is a great option for party food that is easy to put together and can serve a large amount of guests. It is a feast for the eyes the your guests will enjoy the buffet of delicious foods.

This post contains affiliate links, which means should you click the links and/or purchase something I will receive a commission. This helps to support my blog and provide you with fun, free material. Please read my full disclaimer here.

Hi Friends! The minute I laid eyes on a grazing table I was in love. Charcuterie boards have been my go-to party platter for some time. They are easy to make, gorgeous to look at and stuffed full of delicious foods. A grazing table is pretty much a giant charcuterie board. Sign. Me. Up.

If you are a hostess like me, you know the stresses of planning and executing a party. The decor, the guest list, and of course the food. Grazing tables are a great food option because they are not only an easy buffet they also add a little to your overall theme and decor. Especially if you add a big balloon garland like I did. Check out how to make a balloon garland like a pro. It is super easy and brings such a fun and whimsical feel to the grazing table.

Grazing tables are especially great for a late summer party and can go straight into fall. Uh, harvest grazing table anyone?!

The other great thing about grazing tables is how creative you can get with them. The themes options are endless. I choose to go with a rustic look, but you could easily do a whimsical theme (I am thinking sweet fruits with puffs of cotton candy), harvest (all the fall flavors), dessert (cookies, brownies, cupcakes, oh my!), or even candy grazing table. I created a Halloween candy board which would be so fun as a grazing table.

Since I created a rustic grazing table, that is what I will be showing you today, but you know what I always say, get creative with it! Let’s jump into how to make your own rustic grazing table.

Choose your layers

Once you decide a theme, choose your containers or platters. It is good to have levels to your grazing table so it is not just one flat buffet. To go along with my theme, I choose a wooden basket, wood slices, small mason jars and a clay pot.

Also, a small tin cup; funny side note – it says Alcatraz on the other side of it. My husband and I bought it on a trip to California when we toured the prison. I love the look though! Scroll down to see some great options for containers and platters for a rustic theme.

Don’t overdue your grazing table with too many containers or platters but just enough to create some dimension. Lay them out first so you can get an idea of where everything should be and to make sure your table has balance. You don’t want one side of your table to be heavy with platters or containers so make sure to scatter them throughout.

Put the Basics on First

Once you have your layers on the table, fill them! These will most likely be the dips, spreads or breads. I places breads in the rustic basket so my guests had the option to make a sandwich. The jars were filled with jams, hummus, nuts and olives.

Now you will add everything else. My foods consisted of pita chips, crackers, cherries, blueberries, banana chips, small tomatoes, cheeses, pretzels, corn nuts, and even some lemonade ring candies for some fun.

Add you foods to the table by placing a big clump of the same thing to one part of the board, but put another clump of the same thing on another part of the board. This way you have big mixture of everything.

Also, don’t worry about it being perfect, that is the beauty of a grazing table! If I placed something such as nuts in a cup of on a platter, I purposely scattered some out of the cup or off the side of the platter. However you put your food together, just remember to not leave any spaces.

Add the final touches

Okay, so all the foods are crammed together and looking lovely. Now it is time to add the final touches to your table. Fill and open spots with fresh or faux flowers or whole artichokes or halves fruits like pomegranate or orange. Scatter these on your board with the same process in mind as when you added you’re layers. Balanced and not overdone.

And you are done! How easy was that, am I right!? Your guests will be drawn to this beauty and probably spend the whole night hovering over your grazing table, well grazing!