Serve up a gorgeous, show-stopping appetizer at this year's holiday gathering with a Christmas Charcuterie Board!
Combining a colorful mix of meats, cheeses, and more is the easy, no-cook route to dish out a festive party platter.
Below, you'll find our very best suggestions for what to put down on your board for an extra delicious spread, how to assemble it, plus simple ways to make it over-the-top beautiful!
Looking for more awesome Christmas party recipes to try this holiday season? Bookmark this bold and spicy Texas Trash party mix in your internet browser!
INGREDIENTS FOR A CHRISTMAS CHARCUTERIE BOARD
For an extra special, Christmasy board, think in red, green, and white! It's the colors that make this board so very perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.
MEATS AND CHEESES
Let's begin with charcuterie board basics -- the cheese and meats. Feel free to choose a few different types of meats and/or cheeses for your board. For this board, in particular, the cheeses you will find present are fresh mozzarella, aged cheddar, and brie.
Fresh mozzarella was strung onto small skewers along with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves for an extra Christmas-y look.
If you plan to copycat this idea, you can easily elevate the flavor of your skewers by drizzling them with a store-bought balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper once in place!
A yellow or orange cheese would have detracted from the look of our board, so instead, an aged white cheddar went down.
Other white, semi-firm cheeses you might like for a Christmas charcuterie board are Fontina, Havarti, or Gouda. These cheeses are all mild in flavor and well-liked! Note, good, high-quality cheeses are typically found near the deli section of your grocery store.
As you can see, the brie got a Christmas time makeover with a spread of raspberry jam, sprigs of Rosemary, and fresh cranberries on top. You could also do something similar with a log of goat cheese!
For our meats, we took the simple route -- three different types of salami.
Other easy-to-find cured meats you might consider using for your board are prosciutto, soppressata, and mortadella.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Grapes are a great addition to your charcuterie board. A mix of red and green grapes, cut into tiny snack-sized clusters works well, and a sliced red pear made for a nice seasonal touch. Partridge in a pear tree, anyone? A totally fitting addition to a Christmas charcuterie board!
Dried fruits like cranberries, strawberries, and/or kiwi would also work on this board!
A small white bowl off to the side housed green olives, and the veggies were also kept in line with the red, green, and white color guidelines! Sliced cucumber, red radishes, and red cherry tomatoes surround a bowl of hummus for dipping.
BREAD, CRACKERS, & NUTS
When you are choosing crackers or bread for your Christmas charcuterie board keep in mind that it is best if these items are neutral in flavor. This allows the other ingredients like meats or cheeses to shine!
However, an exception was made for rosemary crackers because of their pretty green (and festive) speckle.
Water crackers, wheat crackers, and sliced baguettes are excellent choices for charcuterie boards.
Next, candied pecans. While this little nibble does not fall into the red, white, or green color category, it is a Christmas-time staple in the south and a welcomed addition to any southern Christmas charcuterie board!
HOW TO ARRANGE YOUR CHRISTMAS CHARCUTERIE BOARD
Although cutting boards are commonly used for charcuterie boards, you'll find a board or serving platter that has an edge or a lip on it especially handy when it comes to building your selections. You can use that lip to prop up and fan out items beautifully.
Whenever I am arranging a charcuterie board, I always begin with the largest items first. Oftentimes, this consists of items that will be housed either in a bowl or on a small plate.
The key is to place the heaviest-looking items down first and begin building around them with smaller, more lightweight items.
In the case of this Christmas charcuterie board, the bowls housing the olives, hummus, and candied pecans went down first, along with an 8-ounce wheel of brie and a small plate housing the mozzarella skewers.
Once the larger items were in place, fruits, sliced cheeses, folded salami, and sliced vegetables were used to fill in the spaces.
Once all of the items are in place, feel free to add in fresh herbs like basil for a pretty green pop or even sprigs of trimmed rosemary for a festive Christmas tree kind of vibe.
6 MORE BOARD IDEAS YOU’LL LOVE
- Dessert Charcuterie Board
- Halloween Charcuterieie Board
- Thanksgiving Snack Board
- Meat and Cheese Tray
- Summer Sausage Platter
- Warm Weather Cheese Platter
Dessert Charcuterie Board
Halloween Charcuterie Board | Perfect For Parties!
Thanksgiving Snack Board
Meat and Cheese Tray
How to Make a Cheese Platter with Summer Sausage
Warm Weather Cheese Platter | Entertaining Ideas
A fun combination of red, white, and green foods to create the ultimate Christmas charcuterie board! This meat and cheese board is quick and easy to assemble, and absolutely perfect for your holiday party.
- 1 (8-ounce) package Cigliegine mozzarella balls
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, separated
- ⅓ cup basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction (optional)
- 8 ounce wheel of brie
- 2 tablespoons cherry, raspberry, or strawberry jam
- About 4 sprigs of rosemary, cut into 2-3" pieces (optional)
- 3 cranberries (optional)
- ⅓ cup green olives
- ½ cup garlic-flavored or regular hummus
- ⅓ cup candied pecans
- 4 ounces White Cheddar Cheese, sliced
- 8 ounces sliced salami
- ½ baguette thinly sliced on a bias
- 2 cups green and red grapes, mixed
- ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced on a bias
- ¼ cup sliced radishes
- ½ package (2.5 ounces) water crackers
- ½ package (2.5 ounces) rosemary crackers
-
The items listed above are merely a suggestion. Feel free to get as creative as you like when it comes to adding to your Christmas Charcuterie Board. Think of the colors you want on your board and find food that matches them, include a variety of textures, and avoid any items that fight with one another flavorwise.
-
Have ready a large, round or rectangular serving board or cutting board.
-
To make the mozzarella skewers, alternate adding the mozzarella balls, tomatoes, and basil leaves onto a short skewer. Then, stack the skewers on a small plate, and place on the board. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-
To assemble the brie, place the brie on the board and spread the jam across the top. Top with small sprigs of rosemary and cranberries, if desired. Place on the board
-
Place the olives, hummus, and candied pecans in individual, small bowls and add to the board.
-
Then, add in the remaining elements as you'd like, fanning out items like crackers, pears, salami, and cucumber slices. Serve and enjoy!
