First, pasta feta bake was trending, and we showed you how to make it vegan with easy dairy-free swaps. Next, pasta chips were all over TikTok, and we showed how to make those without dairy as well. Now "butter boards" are having their star turn. Essentially a butter board is a large cutting board smeared with butter and garnished with a variety of toppings that can easily be scooped up with crackers, pitas, veggie sticks, pretzels, you name it. Here is how to make a delicious butter board, vegan.

"Butter boards" are everywhere on social media, thanks to creators such as @justine_snacks and others, who started the trend by showing how you can use a butter base, add all sorts of toppings, and scoop up the mixture on a chip as a social, fun snack. Now her followers (who number half a million on IG alone) and other users are creating their own versions with various different toppings like figs, chives, honey, salt, jams, olives, and more. As creative and indulgent as the boards look and taste, the one caveat is that too much butter is highly unhealthy.

Why Butter Boards Are Not Healthy

Some health experts are using their social media platforms to raise concerns about the amount of saturated fat people end up consuming in a butter board (many times more than the daily recommended amount of 5% of their daily calories. It's easy to get that entire amount or more (about 100 grams of saturated fat) in this one photogenic snack. Leading cardiologist Dr. Joel Khan says that a diet high in saturated fat has been linked to the risk of heart disease.

Adding to the harmful effects on one's heart health, experts are also suggesting that this dish may be "unsafe" to eat due to the inability of cleaning a wooden cutting board. If there are cracks or knife scapes in cutting boards, these can harbor bacteria that make you sick, including those that cause infections like E. coli and salmonella. (To prevent this, we suggest making your recipe using a porcelain platter or serving tray instead.)

Try the Alternative Butter Board Trend Instead

On a lighter note, there is a healthier way to enjoy this dish thanks to the subset trend called "butter board alternatives." These boards are made with hummus instead of butter, containing the "perfect food," chickpeas. Chickpeas are a low-carb, high-protein, and high-fiber legume that helps repair our muscles after a workout and helps us stay fuller longer to promote weight loss or maintain a healthy weight.

For the healthiest way to enjoy hummus, make your own from scratch to avoid preservatives and an overwhelming amount of oil with our classic hummus recipe. If you want to add more pizazz to your plate, try any one of our unusual but tasty hummus recipes where you'll find everything from hummus made with beets to chocolate hummus.

Make this Butter Board Alternative Recipe

Registered dietitian and creator of The Beet's Plant-Based Diet, Nicole Osinga, wants you to try her vegetarian hummus board which is made with chickpea hummus and red pepper hummus and covered with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onions, dill, and feta. Make it vegan and hold the cheese or swap it for a dairy alternative, like Violife's vegan feta.

We couldn't agree more.

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