Pancake Board (Breakfast Charcuterie Platter)

Tips, tricks and ideas for the Ultimate Pancake Board - a Breakfast Charcuterie Platter piled with pancakes, crepes, fruit, toppings and dips.

Read on for all the best tips, tricks and ideas for the Ultimate Pancake Board - a Breakfast Charcuterie Platter that's impressive, yet so easy! Pancakes, crepes, fruit, toppings and dips are all piled high, ready to wow your guests.

Turn pancakes into an epic feast.

It's a board, tray or platter, that's piled high with pancakes, crepes, fruit, dips and all your favorite toppings.

A pancake platter might look fancy, but it is sooo easy.

Just make your favourite pancakes, then arrange them creatively on a large tray or board.

You can get creative with pancake breakfast ideas. Add your favorite fruit, dips, syrup and toppings and presto: the most awesome breakfast EVER.

A pancake board is the perfect breakfast to serve when you have guests over or for a party. We’ve even made it for dinner (brinner!) and it’s always received with squeals of delight from the kids (and grown ups).

It’s more fun than just serving up a plate of pancakes or crepes, and everyone can help themselves to their favorite bits.

What is a charcuterie board?

Pronounced shahr-koo-tuh–ree, it's a French word that means delicatessen or cooked/cured meats. Combine that with board or platter and it's basically a spread of artistically displayed deli meats, cheeses, crudites, nuts etc...

But why not take the concept and give it a twist? I've instead made mine into a breakfast pancakes board!

It's so easy to get creative with a charcuterie board and make a fun spread - for breakfast.

So sure, pancakes are not at all 'charcuterie', but they certainly make a pretty breakfast platter.

Why You'll Love This

It’s a super easy crowd pleaser.

Serve it for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

It’s easy to take for a potluck, picnic, party or tailgate.

You can get creative with pancake breakfast ideas on the platter.

A fun twist on the classic charcuterie board.

You can prep much of it ahead of time: get all the fruit ready and then just flip up some pancakes and assemble.

Customise your pancake board with everyone’s favorite toppings.

A pancake charcuterie board is a fun way to make breakfast special.

It’s the perfect brinner - breakfast for dinner.

It makes a creative buffet for a breakfast world party or meeting.

Grab all your favorite pancake topping ideas - get creative!

A pancake charcuterie board is a visual feast as well as a tasty feast.

You can use a variety of flavours of breakfast pancakes - from crepes to thick fluffy pancakes in all sorts of flavors.

It’s all on one large board or tray, so it’s easier to transport than lots of dishes.

It makes an epic spread alongside a Fruit Platter.

How to make a pancake board (charcuterie platter)

Step 1: get yourself a board/platter/serving tray. Something large enough for all your guests.

Step 2: Prep all the fruit - ensure it's ripe, cut and ready to eat.

Step 3: Gather your favorite toppings and dips. Whip up any dips you want to include and gather some maple syrup or any other syrups. Where necessary, put into small bowls or jugs.
Tip: small glasses or vintage teacups work well if you don't have little bowls.

Step 4: Think about any other toppings that will work on your pancake charcuterie board, such as nuts or breakfast items (I sometimes add veggie sausage and bacon). A dish of scrambled eggs works too - this all turns it into more of a breakfast board.

Step 5: Whip up the pancakes. I like to make a variety: silver dollar pancakes, vegan pancakes, French crepes... Get creative with flavors and shapes. Check out my epic list of Breakfast Pancake Recipes.

Step 6: Now you're ready to assemble your pancake charcuterie board! Star with the largest items and place them onto your tray decoratively. Work your way through all your fruit and toppings, grouping them together until it's piled high and full.

Serve and enjoy!

Pancakes

Obviously, pancakes are the heart of this breakfast board. I like to make a variety of pancakes. Small, large, fluffy, thin.

For this one, I have fluffy pancakes, crepes and Danish aebelskiver - round pancakes. Get creative with your pancake breakfast ideas!

It's great to give everyone a selection to try. Crepes, French toast and waffles are great additions too!

Try some of these pancakes on your breakfast charcuterie board.

Blackberry Pancakes
Zucchini Pancakes with Chocolate Chip
Classic French Crepes
Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes
Mini Pancakes on a Stick
Chocolate Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes
Almond Milk Pancakes

Check out my list of the 25 Best Vegan Pancake Recipes.

Fruit

I like to add a big selection of fruit to a pancake platter. It turns it from beige to a rainbow of colour. And a riot of colour is what a board like this should be. Plus fresh fruit is nutritious and tastes great.

Go for whatever you love and is in season. Make sure it's all perfectly ripe and ready to eat.

A mix of bananas, melon, berries and citrus all work well so everyone has their favourites.

Add a bowl of Maple Fried Bananas - pan fry them in 5 minutes for a tasty topping.

You could even make a separate Fruit Charcuterie Board! 

Pancake Topping Ideas

Syrups
You’ve got tohave classic maple syrup on your pancake board! Also try making some Blueberry Syrup or Raspberry Syrup. I like to put it into little jugs, but just a bottle on the table works too.

Fruit Compote
Fruit compote is usually made in just a few minutes with a couple of ingredients. You can make it ahead of time by a day or two. Try Raspberry Compote, Blueberry Compote, Pineapple Compote or other Fruit Compote Recipes.

Dips
A simple bowl of flavored or plain yogurt is always a nice touch. Or get fancier and try my easy 2 ingredient cheesecake-like Nutella Dip, or a healthy Chocolate Avocado Dip or even Strawberry Dip. A bowl of Cool Whip, jam, peanut butter, Walnut Butter, straight-up Nutella or whipped cream would be great too. Perhaps some marshmallow fluff if you're feeling decadent.

Extras
You can load up your platter with small dishes, or handfuls, of extras like:
Nuts
Chocolate Chips
Coconut Flakes
Sprinkles
Dried fruit
Crumbled Marzipan

International Classics
Try some global pancake toppings for your pancake board, such as:

Lemon and sugar - a British classic.
The Brits love pancakes so much that they have Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday), which marks the day before the beginning of Lent and is traditionally a day to make pancakes and use up food left in the house.

Polish naleśniki are thin crepe-like pancakes usually served with a fruit compote.

In Australia pikelets, small fluffy round pancakes, are often found pre-made in supermarkets and are served for dessert with fruit and whipped cream or ice cream.

Mexican hotcakes are made with cornmeal and often topped with condensed milk.

The board

You can really use any board you like or have to hand. A large cutting board will do, or a serving tray.

Ideally, the board will have a lip on it to hold in all the contents. But if you don't have one that's suitable, don't sweat it. Just assemble it where you plan to serve it so there's less risk of things falling out.

I like to use a wooden board, though sometimes I serve it on an old Victorian serving platter instead.

My favourite though is a vintage wooden serving tray. It's wooden, has a lip and has handles so I can carry it when necessary.

But really, you could use anything that has a food-safe finish. A big plate, serving platter or cutting board all do the job too.

Tips

Make sure you have a big selection. An assortment of ingredients is what makes a pancake charcuterie board special.

Layer the ingredients in rows and piles. I love a graphic look.

Group ingredients together so people don't have to hunt around the board for the last strawberry.

If you're feeling extra fancy, go on and warm up the maple syrup. It's soooo good warm on fresh pancakes.

Ensure a good distribution of colour around the platter - don't place the strawberries, watermelon and raspberries next to each other, leaving the beige items grouped on the other side.

Prep the fruit ahead of time so it's all ready to assemble when the pancakes are ready.

Be sure to have lots of colourful items. Pancakes are all beige so pops of colour from fruit and dips work well.

Make sure it's all ready to eat. I chop bananas and peel fruit where necessary.

For a fun twist, use some wooden skewers and alternate fruit and pancakes on sticks.

Small bowls work well to display little items like nuts and chocolate chips.

Make sure to add spoons for any dips. Cocktail sticks are great too so people can help themselves, hands-free.

Place tongs or serving spoons next to the board so people don't have to use their hands. A little stack of napkins is useful too.

Don't worry! This board is meant to be rustic. Anything goes.

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