24 Best Riffs On TikTok's Butter Board Trend

Few food trends in 2022 have caused as much of a stir as the infamous butter board. The concept went viral when Justine Doiron posted a video on her TikTok page, saying she wanted to make them the next charcuterie board. She credits Portland chef Josh McFadden with creating the dish. (In an interview with USA Today, McFadden said he's been making them for about a decade.) The design is deceptively simple: Spread softened butter on a board (or plate) and add flavoring components, like flaky salt, lemon zest, herbs, edible flours, honey, or anything else that suits your fancy. Serve the board with warm bread and watch your guests devour it with reckless abandon.

Dorion's video not only attracted over 8 million views and 1 million likes as of publication, but the butter board trend spawned a series of riffs. Some of them were more goofy than serious (we're looking at you, mayonnaise board and soup board!), but many boards, like the ones below, look good enough to replicate. Consider serving these riffs to TikTok's butter board at your next potluck or holiday dinner.

The hummus board is brilliant because it takes one of our favorite appetizers and turns it into an interactive eating experience for your guests. You can start with homemade hummus, or spice up store-bought hummus with a secret ingredient like wasabi. After spreading the hummus on the board, adorn it with your favorite toppings (like olive tapenade, crispy chickpeas, or a simple drizzle of high-quality olive oil). 

You can keep it vegetarian-friendly, or add meat like one TikToker who made their hummus board by adding roasted chicken, marinated onions, tomatoes, chili and garlic sauces, and kebab pickles. A side of warm pita is a must.  

One TikToker who was "over butter boards" gave this dish a personalized spin by using feta as the base instead of butter. The idea is outstanding, but you'll need to put in a little prep work to make the feta spreadable. Mix the feta with cream cheese or yogurt in a food processor to create a whipped feta dip. 

Keep in mind that the feta is quite salty, so adding a little lemon juice, honey, herbs, or spices will temper the briney vibes. After spreading the feta on a board or plate, top it with marinated olives and pine nuts to give it visual appeal and help your guests scoop it up by serving with crackers, sliced baguette, or a flatbread like pita.

All of these board concepts use a soft, buttery substance because they're easy to spread over the board's entire surface. Most cheese isn't that easy to spread, but burrata totally works here because of the way it's made. These mozzarella pouches are filled with fresh cream and mozzarella curd, exploding with creamy goodness as soon as they're sliced. If you choose the right way to eat burrata — at room temperature — the curd will spread easily! 

From there, choose some interesting toppings, like @spoonforkbacon's stunning centerpiece created with prosciutto, figs, honey, chopped nuts, and basil. Your favorite pizza toppings work here, too, if you don't want to go with the sweet and salty vibe.

This sharable version of bagels and lox is absolutely perfect for a large brunch gathering! This concept is as easy as it gets, as shown by a Tiktoker who uses the back of a spoon to cover a platter with cream cheese dollops. All you need to finish this spread fit for a bagel are bite-sized pieces of smoked salmon and a few dill sprigs, but it helps to brighten up the cream cheese with a little lemon zest. 

Finish the board with a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning (that's a combination of poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, dried onion flakes, garlic powder, and sea salt), if you want to make your own blend at home). For an unorthodox but party-appropriate bagel-serving experience, cut a bagel into 16 pieces and use them to scoop up the seasoned cream cheese.

Once we knew that cream cheese worked to make a copycat butter board, we realized you could use any soft cheese! Try using one TikToker's base of tangy chevre combined with strawberries for a sweet-and-tangy appetizer plate (or use one of Trader Joe's spicy chevre options to kick things up a notch). Ricotta can be used as well, and we love how @chefcapon added flavor by mixing the cheese with pesto and a red pepper puree to give it a colorful contrast. 

Finally, if you take a cue from @laurent.dagenais and use Boursin cheese, you'll be starting with an already flavorful, savory base which pairs perfectly with sweet figs and salty prosciutto.

Regular yogurt wouldn't make a very good riff on a butter board, so you'll want to look for thicker options like strained skyr. Siggi's official TikTok channel shows them spreading their thick yogurt onto a piece of parchment paper before topping it with apple cinnamon flavorings to make a dessert board. The parchment makes the cleanup much easier, which we're definitely on board with!

Another TikToker made a savory version that starts with straining regular yogurt to make labneh, removing excess whey and leaving the yogurt with the consistency of cream cheese. To turn it into a Lebanese-style labneh board, top the yogurt with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, zaatar, and olive oil and serve with pita bread.

A butter board isn't vegan from the get-go, considering that butter is made with dairy. That didn't deter TikTok sensation @thekoreanvegan (aka Joanne Molinaro) from making her own riff. The base of the board is vegan butter, a plant-based alternative to butter that's often made with a combination of oils. It doesn't have the same rich flavor as the dairy version, though, so Molinaro added a layer of pumpkin puree. 

To make things even more interesting, sprinkle on pumpkin pie spice and granulated sugar before taking a butane culinary torch to the top. This adds a caramelized topping to the dish (like a crème brûlée) and lightly melts the vegan butter, turning this board into a luscious dessert.

Guacamole is a classic appetizer because it's easy to share among friends. But instead of scooping the avocado dip into a bowl on game day and serving it with a side of chips, break out a board and start spreading. TikToker @kellyscleankitchen showed us how easy it is to spread store-bought guacamole over a large cutting board (you can use homemade guacamole if you prefer). The spread is garnished with raw red onions, chopped tomatoes, and fresh cilantro before being scooped up with a chip.

If you don't want to showcase the flavors of guacamole, follow the lead of @stephcooksstuff and make an avocado toast board instead. Use smashed avocado as the base and top with lemon zest, feta, and everything bagel seasoning. To add a little protein to the mix, add chopped hard-boiled eggs to the top.

In early 2022, Papa John's captivated Twitter with talk of a strange cocktail made by combining vodka and Papa John's garlic sauce in a shot glass with a Parmesan rim. While we're not sure if we're ready to test that concoction, we are 100% all in with a Papa John's garlic sauce board. 

The chain's official TikTok channel released a video of someone spreading the tantalizing sauce over a board and serving it with garlic knots, chicken wings, pepperoncini, chicken poppers, and breadsticks. We're not sure if the post was a joke or not, but we're taking the idea very seriously.  

Most of the boards on this list fall firmly into the appetizer category, making them a great addition to a pre-dinner spread at a holiday party. If you're looking for a dish that's a little more filling but still has the same communal spirit, look to the rice board. A Tiktoker posted the idea by starting with a base of steaming-hot rice and adding slices of griddled spam, sesame seeds, and yellow pickled radishes. This gives the rice board a spam musibi vibe, but any toppings can be added as desired. 

To provide a little dazzle at the end, finish the rice off with a drizzle of sriracha. Instead of serving the board with bread, the creator uses chopsticks to grab a portion of rice and dab it onto pieces of crispy nori. How fun!

It was only a matter of time before the riffs to Tiktok's butter board trend left the arena of spreadable ingredients and went back into the charcuterie board style of individual bites. The board created by @pastaevangelists shows different pasta shapes and styles being plated and served with a side of marinara. Included in the round-up are radiatori noodles, ravioli, and cheese-filled tortellini. 

If you're going to make this board for your next dinner party, keep in mind that there's nothing to keep the pasta rooted to the plate since there isn't a base spread. You might want to assemble it in the place where it will be served to avoid pasta flying around everywhere as you move it.

There are no shortage of cheesy butter board variations, but the mac and cheese board might just be the most fun way to serve your queso. Kraft Mac and Cheese's official TikTok page recommends spooning different shapes and styles of mac onto a board, alternating between elbows and spirals to give the board a visually pleasing textural contrast. 

Have some fun with this board, flavoring half of it with buffalo sauce or garnishing it with tasty toppings like bacon, garlicky bread crumbs, or blue cheese crumbles.

We love mashed potatoes, no matter how they're served: on the side of a traditional holiday dinner, plopped in a bowl topped with fried chicken, or even slathered on a cutting board and scooped up with a hollowed-out, fried potato skin. If you're planning to serve this board for dinner guests, plan to make about two potato skins per person (or one large Idaho potato, sliced in half). Upgrade your mashed potatoes using plenty of butter and add cream or milk until it's the right consistency for spreading over the board. Top with gravy (like this TikToker) for an extra flavor boost.

We also love the idea of using this concept as a breakfast board. It would be so easy: Simply reheat leftover mashed potatoes and top them with bacon and scrambled eggs.

As Mexican food becomes more popular worldwide, fun flavors like chamoy are easier and easier to find. The condiment is made from salted, dried fruit that's mixed with chiles, giving it a sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor. Chamoy available as a sauce or a powder, and it's also used to make candy and pickles. Put all of those products together, and you have a flavor-packed board that's not only fun to eat, but looks delightfully wacky.

To demonstrate the idea, a TikToker used chamoy sauce as a spread for the board. (Some of the commenters suggested using parchment paper to keep the wood from staining under the red sauce.) Then it's topped with candy, powdered chamoy, and served with chamoy pickles and fresh fruit.

Viral TikTok videos can be more than just entertainment; they can also serve to educate viewers on cuisine around the world. We're grateful for people's commitment to creating riffs on TikTok's butter board trend because it helped us learn about bhorta, a traditional Bangladesh side dish made from steamed and mashed vegetables or fish. 

TikToker @nabela combined a lightly fried onion, garlic, and chili mash with various flavors, like potatoes, cilantro, and shrimp. The result is a visually stunning board that's scooped up with a variety of crackers and different types of bread.

Dabeli is a flavorful snack potato-based that's both sweet and spicy, thanks to the addition of garlic chutney and a spicy peanut sauce (via My Vegetarian Roots). It's typically formed into a patty and served on a bun, but @myvegetarianroots thought the dish's components would make a good candidate for a shared board — and we agree. 

After spreading out the potato mixture, the dabeli is garnished with spicy peanuts, shredded coconut, pomegranate seeds, and thin sev (a crispy noodle snack). A drizzle of three chutneys — mint, garlic, and tamarind-date — gives the dish a stunning look, as well as a complex depth of flavor. Serve the buns on the side for scooping.  

Homemade sushi is fun to make, but it's not exactly easy to pull together. The rice has to be cooked and cooled properly, the fish sliced in exactly the right way, and it has to be made right before your guests arrive — refrigerating homemade sushi isn't a good idea because the textures deteriorate very rapidly. A sushi board, however, makes things easier by skipping the rice (with that in mind, "sashimi board" is probably more accurate).    

TikToker @wavemountdora starts by finely chopping raw tuna and salmon and layering the two fish between mashed avocado and cream cheese. You can really have some fun with these boards, adding thinly sliced cucumbers, tempura shrimp, pickled ginger, wasabi, or any of your other favorite sushi ingredients.

A peanut butter board seems like a no-brainer especially if you're looking for something sharable on the sweeter side. The spread is naturally thick and creamy, and it can be combined with any number of toppings and scooping implements to create a delectable treat. One TikToker started with a creamy peanut butter base and added chopped peanuts for texture, dark chocolate for richness, and toffee pieces for extra crunch. 

You could also add spices like cinnamon sugar to amp up the sweet vibes, or add a drizzle of honey or caramel sauce. Serve a peanut butter board at your next party with freshly sliced apples, dehydrated banana chips, or pretzels.

If you can have a butter board, it stands to reason that you can have a buttercream board. Dessert boards are a fun way to create an interactive post-meal experience by combining rich frosting with cookies and bite-sized pieces of cake. You don't have to worry whether your guests are fans of chocolate, vanilla, or prefer something on the fruitier side since you can include a sampling of buttercream flavors. 

For added flair, TikToker @neurotic.mom pipes the frosting using a pastry bag, laying fruit, cookies, and graham crackers around the buttercream squiggle to create a visual masterpiece.

This board is a gorgeous way to showcase dulce de leche, a creamy Latin American treat similar to caramel but made with milk. The thick, sugary topping has a bold and nutty flavor (almost similar to butterscotch). It's perfect for serving on cake but equally delicious when spread on toast.

You can make dulce de leche at home by simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk in water on the stovetop, or pop it in the slow cooker. From there, take the advice of @onesweeetmama and give the topping a gorgeous swirly appearance (instead of the typical spread look) by piping the dulce de leche out of a pastry bag. This dessert board is a perfect opportunity to slice into some fresh apples or pears.

We already know that the combination of Nutella and Biscoff is delicious — it certainly works when you're freezing brownies — so we were stoked to see a TikToker who combine the two spreads with chocolate icing for a dessert board. The Nutella has a rich, hazelnut flavor while the Biscoff brings cinnamon and caramel vibes. From there, you can get as crazy as you like with the toppings. 

Keep things fresh with strawberry slices, or dive deep into sugary goodness with chocolate candies and sprinkles. If you want to add a little texture to this dessert, reach for chopped nuts like peanuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts.

A homemade cannoli is a real treat, and they make a fantastic dessert after an Italian meal. We love finding cannoli hacks that make the process easier — like warming pizzelle cookies in the microwave and rolling them into a tube instead of deep-frying dough to make a shell — so we were happy to see TikToker @eattravelrock put together a cannoli board. 

The filling, made by combining mascarpone cheese with powdered sugar and mini chocolate chips, is soft and easily spread over a board. From there, serve sweet cheese spread with the cookie of your choice. Pizzelle or waffle cookies will have a similar flavor to a traditional cannoli shell, but vanilla wafers or Biscoff cookies work really well here, too.

Many of us remember the joy of getting to lick the mixing spoon after making cookies as a child, but it's not actually safe to eat raw cookie dough. The raw eggs can contain Salmonella, and the flour harbor E. coli, both of which can lead to foodborne illness. Luckily, there's a way to enjoy the irresistibly soft, chewy texture of cookie dough: eggless edible cookie dough. It makes a great one-bite dessert when rolled into a ball, but it can also be turned into a dessert board. 

One TikToker spread chocolate chip cookie dough over a board and topped it with white chocolate chips, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. The dough is good enough to eat with a spoon, but it's even more fun to scoop up with a graham cracker!

If the weather isn't cooperating, or it's too cold to enjoy time spent outdoors around a firepit, take the s'mores inside with this brilliant butter board riff. A TikToker @areesa showed how to turn s'mores into a fancy presentation by piping marshmallow fluff onto a board with a star tip. This tip creates texture on top of the fluff, which becomes gorgeous and caramelized with the help of a butane culinary torch. 

From there, all you need is the chocolate topping of your choice — a drizzle of chocolate sauce would work, or you can add chunks of chocolate for texture — and some graham crackers to bring the campfire vibes home.