Make a Christmas charcuterie board for your next holiday gathering. This appetizer tray is filled with plenty of meats, cheeses, and crackers shaped into a festive Christmas tree!
Heather's recipe summary
Made with: A variety of meats, cheeses, nuts, and spreads shaped into a festive Christmas tree.
Make ahead of time: Assemble your charcuterie board and store it until the party starts.
Yield: Feeds 12 or more people.
Other holiday boards: Easter Charcuterie Board, Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board, and Halloween Charcuterie Board
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Items for a charcuterie board
- Meats - Choose 2 to 3 cured meats. I added pepperoni, salami, and chorizo to the board shown in the photos.
- Cheeses - Choose 2 to 3 cheeses for your board. A combination of soft and hard cheeses with a variety of mild and strong flavors works best.
- Crackers and bread - A simple baguette that's been sliced and toasted makes an excellent addition to any charcuterie board. Add some crackers or pretzels along with your sliced baguette for some variety.
- Spreads - Any spreads like fig preserves, cranberry sauce, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, Dijon mustard, or honey make great additions.
- Seasonal produce - Grapes require little prep and keep well on an appetizer tray.
- Extras - Nuts, seeds, pickles, olives, or even seasonal candies are all great options. Stovetop Candied Pecans are a personal favorite of mine.
Tips and tricks
Board ideas - There's no need to run out and buy a special charcuterie board for the holidays. Use a large wooden cutting board (like shown) or a clean 13x18 sheet pan covered in parchment.
Serving cheeses - Slice hard cheeses into cubes or slices beforehand. Serve soft cheeses (like brie) with a small knife for spreading.
Serving meats - Large rounds of pepperoni or salami can be folded into quarters (like shown) for a ribbon effect that fills vertical space, adds visual appeal, and fits more meat on the board.
Use small jars for spreads - Four-ounce mason jars make excellent spread containers and look like ornaments on your charcuterie tree.
Run out of room? - Add extra ingredients around the edge of your board (like shown). Extra crackers, tiny bunches of grapes, or a bowl of nuts are great space fillers.
Frequently asked questions
A charcuterie board can sit out at room temperature for a maximum of two hours before requiring additional refrigeration. I recommend placing only a portion of your perishable ingredients out at a time and refilling from the refrigerator as needed.
Most of your board can be assembled up to 8 hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Use a single cracker or bread slice as a spacer, assembling the meats, cheeses, spreads, and produce on your board. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, adding your bread and crackers last to prevent them from getting soggy.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Christmas Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Meats and cheeses
- 12 ounces cured meats
- 16 ounces cheese
Crackers and bread
- 8 ounces crackers
- 1 thin baguette, sliced and toasted
Extras
- 16 ounces seedless white grapes
- 4 ounces raspberry jam
- 4 ounces fig preserves
- 4 ounces Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces pistachios
- 6 ounces candied pecans
Instructions
- Line a half baking sheet or large wooden cutting board with parchment paper.
- Starting at the bottom of the board, add a row of overlapping sliced baguette.
- Add a row of meat to the board (large pepperoni or salami rounds can be folded into quarters), followed by a row of cheese.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients, slightly shortening the rows with each addition to create the shape of a tree. Add small bowls of jam and mustard throughout the tree to look like ornaments.
- Extra ingredients like crackers, bunches of grapes, or a bowl of nuts can be added around the edge of the board to fill space.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Extra ingredients: Not all of the items listed will fit onto your board at once. Extra items that don't fit can be stored to refill as needed.
- Variations: Add pickles, olives, Christmas candy, chocolate covered pretzels, or leftover cranberry sauce to your charcuterie board.
- Board size: I used a 15x20 wooden cutting board in the photos shown. A 13x18 half sheet pan would also work well. You could also divide items between two smaller boards (meats and cheeses on one board and crackers/spreads on a second board).
- Storage: Your charcuterie board can sit out at room temperature for 2 hours before requiring refrigeration. Store your prepared board (without crackers/bread) in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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