A Christmas Charcuterie Board is the perfect appetizer for holiday parties. It’s fun, festive, and full of cheese, meats, fruit, nuts and other tasty snacks! Plus, it’s really easy to put together yourself for a show-stopping appetizer for the holiday season.

Christmas Charcuterie Board

A Christmas Charcuterie Board makes a great addition to family gatherings, such as Christmas Eve or your Christmas Day feast. It’s also perfect for an upcoming holiday party or holiday gatherings where this beautiful board will be the center of attention.

This gorgeous charcuterie board is a great way to let guests pair different meats, delicious cheeses along with fruits and snacks to create their own favorite appetizer combination.

Why You’ll Love this Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Large variety of delicious finger foods.
• It’s a robust and easy appetizer. Everything is pre-made, no cooking is involved.
• All ingredients can be found at your local grocery store, Sam’s, Costco or Trader Joe’s. Almost all items on this board came from Costco.
• Fun and festive, with a color scheme that’s perfect for Christmas parties.
• A fun way to make a holiday display.

What is the Difference Between a Cheese Board and a Charcuterie Board?

A cheese board is heavily focused on pairing cheeses with complimentary foods, typically sweet foods and crackers. You’ll find that a cheese platter will often offer a variety of soft and hard cheeses, with many of the cheeses of a more exotic variety.

A charcuterie board is more heavily focused on meats with a few well paired cheeses. Plus, an added variety of fresh fruit, nuts and snacks.

What You Need for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

For a Christmas theme, we’re combining mostly red, green and white ingredients to create a festive board full of Christmas colors. For the holidays, focus on a Christmas color scheme with red and green foods for the perfect festive touch.

• A large platter or wooden cutting board. I chose a large white platter to add brightness and stick to the Christmas theme.
• Small bowls or ramekins for any jams or honey.
• Sharp knife to slice charcuterie meats and cheeses
• A festive cookie cutter to create a design in the round brie. I chose a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter, but you could also use a snowman, snowflake or an angel.
• A shot glass to make the Salami Rose

Charcuterie Boards

If you’re looking for a large platter or wooden board for your Christmas Charcuterie Board, here are a few options for a gorgeous rectangular board.

• White Platter similar to the one I am using.
• Rectangular Wood Board made of beautiful bamboo.

What do you Put on a Christmas Charcuterie Board?

It’s just like a traditional charcuterie board with a few added Christmas food items to add holiday flavors:

• Smoked or cured meats
• Seasonal Fruits, such as sugared cranberries
• Everyday fruits like grapes and cherry tomatoes
• Sliced or cubed hard cheeses
• Soft cheeses, such as Brie
• A variety of olives
• Jams
• Nuts
• Sweet snacks
• Festive garnishes like fresh rosemary, fresh dill and cinnamon sticks

More Christmas Treats

Christmas Marshmallow Pops

Santa Cupcakes

Cutest Ever Grinch Oreo Balls

Non-Alcoholic Christmas Punch

Adorable Polar Bear Cupcakes

How to Make a Salami Rose

1. Your salami must be at room temperature or it doesn’t fold and stick as well together.
2. Take your first slice of salami and place half of it in the shot glass with the remaining folded over the rim of the glass.
3. Take your second piece of salami and place it halfway over the first piece, half of it in the glass with the remaining folded over the rim of the glass.
4. Take your third piece of salami and place it halfway over the second piece of salami, half of it in the glass with the remaining folded over the rim of the glass
5. Keep going around the glass until you’ve used about 9 pieces of salami.
6. Take your glass and turn it upside down and lightly press the salami pieces on top of a flat surface upside down.
7. Remove the salami from the shot glass, set the rose to the side.

Christmas Charcuterie Board Layout

Here are two infographics to illustrate the final layout of all the ingredients.

I am using a 16×12 platter. Hopefully, this will help you easily see how I’ve laid out this board.

Here is the infographic for the right side of the board:

Now, here is the infographic for the left side of the charcuterie board:

How do You Put a Christmas Charcuterie Board Together?

Here comes the fun part! Follow these step-by-step instructions and you’ll have the most gorgeous Christmas snack board. You can find the specific ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.

STEP 1: Use a Christmas cookie cutter to cut out a design in the round brie. Press the cookie cutter about 1/4 of the way into the brie. Remove the cookie cutter, then use a sharp knife to cut out the design following the lines left by the cookie cutter. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the brie, leaving a bottom layer of the cheese.

STEP 2: Place the larger items on the board: the Christmas tree brie cheese, the ramekin for the jam, blue cheese wedge, brie wedge and the blueberry goat cheese log.

STEP 3: Create the salami rose (follow the steps above to make the rose) and place close to the top corner.

STEP 4: Add the first round of meats. Surround the top half of the brie wheel with rolled prosciutto and rolled dry coppa.

STEP 5: Take your salami and fold it in half and then fold it again into quarters.Stack the salami together in a line. Place the salami on the board.

STEP 6: Take your pepperoni and fold it in half and then fold it again into quarters. Stack the pepperoni together in a line. Place the pepperoni on the board.

STEP 7: Add the remaining meats: prosciutto wrapped mozzarella and soppressata wrapped mozzarella, Dry Coppa,and Soppressata, on the board.

STEP 8: Place two strips of square sliced cheeses: Colby Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese and Fontina. Add the mozzarella balls and Babybel cheese.

STEP 9: Add ramekin of jelly and fill in areas with fresh fruits: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, green grapes, red grapes and tomatoes.

STEP 9: Continue to fill in the empty spaces with green olives, black olives and kalamata olives.

STEP 10: Add a few sweet treats. I’m using churro coated almonds, yogurt covered raisins and chocolate coated blueberries.

STEP 11: Add the finishing touches to make it feel like a real holiday charcuterie board. Add sugar coated cranberries, fresh sprigs of rosemary, cinnamon sticks and fresh dill sprigs.

STEP 12: Lastly, spoon cranberry areolas into the cut out shape in the center brie.

TIP: Once you create your Christmas charcuterie board, cover it in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. Allow the board to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the meats and cheeses to warm up.

What to Serve with this Holiday Charcuterie Board

• A variety of crackers
• A honey dipper or a small spoon for the jam
• Small cheese knives so guests can cut the brie
• Toothpicks for guests who prefer not to use their hands
• Small plates

Tips for Making a Christmas Charcuterie Board

• It will be much easier to work with meats that are at room temperature.
• If you’re having trouble keeping the meats in line, use a few toothpicks to hold them together until the board is full. Then gently remove the toothpicks.
• Always start with the largest items.
• Spread the ingredients around so large amounts of the same meats or cheeses aren’t next to each other.
• When adding fillers, start with larger items. In this case, start with grapes and raspberries.
• A full board is the better way to make a beautiful display, don’t leave any holes.
• Allow ingredients to lean on each other to hold everything neatly together.

Variations and Substitutions

The great thing about the best Christmas charcuterie boards is you can make it your own. Feel free to choose your favorite ingredients that feature your favorite meats, savory items and sweet treats.

Here are a few more ideas for variations or substitutions:

• Jams: fig jam, strawberry cranberry jam, raspberry jam
• Add a bowl of fresh homemade cranberry sauce
• Other Cheese ideas: pepper jack cheese, Gouda or Havarti
• Dried Fruit: apricots and dates
• White chocolate covered fruits and nuts
• Green or red apple slices
• Add pieces of a candy cane for a cute garnish

How Long Can a Charcuterie Board Sit Out?

A charcuterie board should sit out no longer than 3 hours. Once it’s mostly gone or it’s time for the main course, cover again with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator.

How to Store Leftover Ingredients

Once Christmas dinner or the holiday party is over, separate any leftover cheeses, meats, fruits, olives, etc… and place each one in an airtight container and return to the refrigerator.

This gorgeous Christmas charcuterie board tastes amazing and will look incredibly appetizing on your holiday table. The best part is watching your guests create their own simple appetizer plates from your beautiful creation.

Continue to Content

Yield: 25

Christmas Charcuterie Board

Print

A Christmas Charcuterie Board is the perfect appetizer for holiday parties. It's fun, festive, and full of cheese, meats, fruit, nuts and other tasty snacks! Plus, it's really easy to put together yourself for a show-stopping appetizer for the holiday season.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Meat

• 8 oz Salami, rolled (8-10 pieces)
• 8 oz Pepperoni, rolled (16 pieces)
• 8 oz Prosciutto, rolled (5-6 slices)
• 8oz Dry Coppa, rolled (5-6 slices)
• 8 oz Soppressata, rolled (5-6 slices)
• 4 Prosciutto wrapped Mozzarella, (bought at Costco)
• 4 Soppressata wrapped Mozzarella (bought at Costco)
• 1 Salami Rosette (9 pieces of salami)

Cheese

• 8 oz Brie, round
• 3 oz Brie, wedge
• 6-8 Cheddar Cheese, slices squared
• 6-8 Colby Jack Cheese, slices squared
• 6-8 Fontina, slices squared
• 1 Blue Cheese, wedge
• 1 cup Fresh Mozzarella Pearls (aka Mozzerella Balls)
• 4-6 Mini Babybell cheese
• 4 oz Blueberry Goat Cheese Log

Fruit

• 6 Strawberries, halved
• 1⁄2 cup Green Grapes
• 1⁄2 cup Red Grapes
• 1⁄4 cup Pomegranate Areolas
• 1⁄2 cup Blueberries
• 1⁄2 cup Blackberries
• 1⁄4 cup Cranberries, rolled in sugar
• 1⁄4 cup Baby Tomatoes

Olives

• 1⁄2 cup Green Olives
• 1⁄2 cup Kalamata Olives
• 1⁄2 cup Black Olives

Jam

• 1⁄4 cup Red Pepper Jelly

Sweets

• Churro coated Almonds
• Yogurt coated Raisins
• Chocolate coated Blueberries

Garnishes

• Cinnamon Sticks
• Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
• Fresh Dill Sprigs

Instructions

1. Use a Christmas cookie cutter to cut out a design in the round brie. Press the cookie cutter about 1/4 of the way into the brie. Remove the cookie cutter, then use a sharp knife to cut out the design following the lines left by the cookie cutter. Make sure you don't cut all the way through the brie, leaving a bottom layer of the cheese.
2. Place the larger items on the board: the Christmas tree brie cheese, the ramekin for the jam, blue cheese wedge, brie wedge and the blueberry goat cheese log.
3. Create the salami rose (follow the steps above to make the rose) and place close to the top corner.
4. Add the first round of meats. Surround the top half of the brie wheel with rolled prosciutto and rolled dry coppa.
5. Take your salami and fold it in half and then fold it again into quarters.Stack the salami together in a line. Place the salami on the board.
6. Take your pepperoni and fold it in half and then fold it again into quarters. Stack the pepperoni together in a line. Place the pepperoni on the board.
7. Add the remaining meats: prosciutto wrapped mozzarella and soppressata wrapped mozzarella, Dry Coppa,and Soppressata, on the board.
8. Place two strips of square sliced cheeses: Colby Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese and Fontina. Add the mozzarella balls and Babybel cheese.
9. Add ramekin of jelly and fill in areas with fresh fruits: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, green grapes, red grapes and tomatoes.
10. Continue to fill in the empty spaces with green olives, black olives and kalamata olives.
11. Add a few sweet treats. I'm using churro coated almonds, yogurt covered raisins and chocolate coated blueberries.
12. Add the finishing touches to make it feel like a real holiday charcuterie board. Add sugar coated cranberries, fresh sprigs of rosemary, cinnamon sticks and fresh dill sprigs.
13. Lastly, spoon cranberry areolas into the cut out shape in the center brie.

Notes

I am using a 16x12 inch rectangular platter.

See recipe post for important tips, instructions on how to make a salami rose, and variations.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Organic Extra Large Bamboo Board with Lifetime Replacements
• 
  Set of 2 Melamine Rectangular Serving Trays/Platters - White (2)
• 
  Honey Dipper Wooden Stick, Charcuterie Utensils
• 
  Ramekins (4 Oz, Set Of 6), White

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

25

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 688mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 26g

Nutritional values are estimates and not exact.

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