How to Make a Cheese Platter Kids Will Love

A cheese platter is perfect for any time of day, any time of year, any occasion. Calling it a “cheese platter” makes it sound fancy, but the reality is, cheese platters are so very simple to put together.

My kids call our cheese platters a “Plate of Stuff.” That is a good way to describe it. It is a plate, full of all kinds of food stuff. Sometimes I make each child an individual plate, and other times I serve to everyone from a large wooden cutting board.

I make cheese plates all the time. It’s perfect when I need fast, easy, healthy snacks for kids. My kids eat them at meal times, too. They love it. The best part is there’s no cooking involved! I can use whatever variety of foods I already have on hand in the fridge and pantry.

Cheese Platter Ideas.

There’s no set rules for what I put on a kid-friendly cheese platter. I do think it is good to keep things simple. Our cheese plates usually include a small variety of the following items: 1) Cheese, 2) Crackers, 3) Fruits and/or Vegetables, and 4) Deli Meat. If the kids are really hungry, all I have to do is add more to the plate.

Kid-friendly cheese choices include mild cheeses like: Cheddar, Colby-Jack, Monterey Jack and Swiss. RITZ crackers are my family’s go-to cracker choice because they taste so good with everything.

I have learned that cheese and cracker platters can be a great way to get kids to try different foods. Sometimes I attempt to be sneaky about it and put a small piece or two of a new fruit or vegetable on the plate. The kids get curious and try at least a taste. This trick almost always works. Other finger foods besides fruits and veggies to try: baby pickles, olives and hard-boiled eggs.

A few of my favorite ways to make a cheese plate even more irresistible to kids:

• Put foods on a toothpick. Kids love to use toothpicks to pick up foods. There’s just something fun about it!
• Cut foods into small pieces. Kids love to eat bite-sized food.
• Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes with foods like fruit and cheese. Kids love to eat food that has been made into fun shapes.
• Arrange food in fun ways. Remember: It doesn’t have to be food art. Keep it simple: Stack crackers, put fruit slices in circles, make patterns with food on the plate.

One of the things my kids love for me to put on their cheese plate are deli meat roll-ups. Their favorite combination is an oven-roasted chicken and pepperoni roll-up. I know, it sounds like a strange flavor combination – chicken and pepperoni?!?!? We tried it a few months ago at a free samples demo and my kids were hooked! I highly recommend giving it a try.

Deli Chicken and Pepperoni Roll-Ups with Cheese and Crackers

Print Recipe

This deli meat combination is a real crowd pleaser. Deli chicken and pepperoni roll-ups are a fun addition to cheese and cracker plates.

• CourseAppetizers, Snacks

Servings

1 serving

Servings 1 serving

Deli Chicken and Pepperoni Roll-Ups with Cheese and Crackers Print Recipe This deli meat combination is a real crowd pleaser. Deli chicken and pepperoni roll-ups are a fun addition to cheese and cracker plates. CourseAppetizers, Snacks Servings 1 serving Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 thin slice Oven-Roasted Chicken Deli Meat
• 1 thin slice Pepperoni Sandwich-sized pepperoni
• 1/2 ounce cheese cube
• 1 RITZ Cracker

Servings: serving

Instructions

1. Top a slice of oven-roasted chicken with a slice of pepperoni.

   
2. Starting at one end, roll up the deli meats together.

   
3. Use a knife to cut the roll-up into 1-2 inch long pieces. Hold each piece of the deli meat roll-up together with a toothpick.

   
4. Serving Suggestion: Top a RITZ cracker with a deli meat roll-up and a cheese cube.

I can’t walk down the Cracker aisle at Walmart without picking up at least one box of RITZ Original Fresh Stacks. I usually buy two at a time to save myself a trip back to the store. My kids love RITZ Original Fresh Stacks, and I can’t make a good cheese plate without their favorite crackers.

What would you put on your cheese plate? Have you ever made a cheese and crackers platter for kids? Share your food ideas and tips with us in the comments below.