Making a Christmas Charcuterie Board is a fun way to elevate your holiday party. Have a festive board with beautifully arranged meats, cheeses, fruits, and treats, is a simple but creative way to serve guests at any holiday gathering. 

Easy Christmas Charcuterie Board

A Charcuterie board for a Christmas party  is visually stunning with the right mix of holiday colors. Reds, greens, and golds, can make your board pop as a table centerpiece. It can also be assembled quickly, and easily, with a variety of foods for everyone. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun while making a Christmas charcuterie board. The foods always seem to come together, and you can enjoy seeing the impressed looks on guests faces as they see your handy work. 

The beauty of a festive Christmas charcuterie board is it can be customized to the size of your gathering, dietary restrictions for any guests, and can still be a beautiful presentation of your food for the party.

Ingredients to Include on Your Christmas Charcuterie Board

To create a balanced  board, try to have a good combination of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and sweets. I also add a dip or sauce as well, if it goes with some of the options on the board. 

Cheeses:

• Brie: Its creamy texture pairs well with fruit preserves and crackers. For extra holiday flair, top it with cranberry sauce or pomegranate seeds.
• Pepper Jack: We live in the southwest, so we like a little spice to everything. I found pepper jack, Colby, and cheddar cubed cheese already cut and ready to go at the grocery store. 
• Cheddar: A sharp or smoked cheddar brings a savory richness to the board.
• Goat Cheese: Roll it in dried cranberries or pistachios for a festive touch.
• Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola: For guests who enjoy strong, tangy flavors, blue cheese is a great option.
• Mozzarella Balls: These are perfect to put on a skewer with red cherry tomatoes and will add gorgeous color to your charcuterie board. 

Meats:

• Salami: Thinly sliced and easy to grab, salami is always a crowd-pleaser.
• Prosciutto: This salty, delicate meat pairs beautifully with fruit and cheeses.
• Ham: The holidays aren’t the same without delicious slices of ham, which can be rolled up or cut into slices. 
• Pepperoni: For a little spice, pepperoni rounds are a good addition to a charcuterie.

Fruits:

• Cranberries: Fresh or dried cranberries bring a festive red pop to your board.
• Pomegranates: Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over cheeses or meats for a burst of tart flavor and red color.
• Grapes: Red grapes and green grapes are sweet and festive colors. 
• Pears and Apples: Slice them thin and toss them in lemon juice to prevent browning. They’re perfect with cheddar or brie.
• Berries: Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, are all perfect for filling small empty spaces on your board, and providing color.
• Grapefruit, Oranges, and Tangerines: These citrus favorites are all holiday classics, and can add extra colors to your board. Peel ahead of time and have slices on the charcuterie board for easy grabbing. 

Crackers and Breads:

• Crackers: Simple, light crackers are perfect to serve with meats and cheeses.
• Breadsticks: Crispy breadsticks are easy to snack on and easy to grab and put on a plate. 
• Pita Crackers: These are fun and salty, and are delicious with just about any meats or cheeses you have on your charcuterie board.
• Sliced Baguette: Thinly sliced, toasted baguette rounds are great with meats and cheeses. 

Nuts:

• Almonds: Smoked or roasted almonds add a savory, crunchy element.
• Pistachios: Their bright green color makes them perfect for Christmas charcuterie boards.
• Candied Walnuts: This sweet treat is another holiday favorite. I put these in a small dish with a small serving spoon for easier serving.  

Treats:

• Chocolate Oreo Truffles: I love making  the little Grinch Oreo balls for the holidays, and they are a perfect additional to a charcuterie board. 
• Candy Canes: Mini candy canes or peppermint bark add a touch of old timey traditional Christmas flavor.
• Holiday Cookies: Small gingerbread cookies or sugar cookies like these easy 3 ingredients sugar cookies with holiday sprinkles or red velvet cake mix cookies, are the perfect grab and go cookie for a charcuterie board. 

Dips:

• Honey: A small bowl of honey is perfect for drizzling over cheeses and fruits.
• Rosemary & Mint Sprigs: Fresh herbs like rosemary and mint not only add a festive green color but also bring a lovely aroma to the board.

Extras:

• Cherries: Stemmed cherries are a beautiful red color and they  make a great edible garnish that guests can grab and add to their plate. 
• Greenery: I like to add sprigs of rosemary as a garnish to add green and provide a savory scent.
• Pretzels: These are perfect for a charcuterie board, especially if you are having kids as guests.  

How to Arrange Your Christmas Charcuterie Board

There really isn’t a right or wrong way to arrange your board. A good rule of thumb to follow is try to have three meats, three cheeses, three fruits, and three sweets. At least start with that, and build on to your list as you go. I like to have all of my ingredients out and in front of me as I am arranging so I can visualize where it will all be placed and spaced. 

I begin with the meats and cheeses, because they are usually the most popular items on the board. Fan them out or have them trail across the board for easy picking. You can roll prosciutto or salami into “roses” for a decorative touch.

I fill in the center of my charcuterie board with the fruits, and place crackers, breads, and sweets, (when adding them directly to a board) on the corners and edges of the board so they are on the sideline to be grabbed after the meats and cheeses. 

Fill in any empty spaces with fruits or nuts, so the board can’t be seen. Lastly, I add my rosemary sprigs to top off the brie cheese or or tuck into any crevices that need a festive filling. 

Tips for making Christmas Charcuterie Board

• Balance Flavors: Make sure there’s a good balance of sweet, savory, and salty elements on your charcuterie board.
• Make it Easy to Grab: Provide skewers, tongs, forks, or toothpicks near the table so foods are touched as little as possible. 
• Keep it Colorful: The more colorful your board, the more inviting it will look. Focus on red, green, and white foods to keep the Christmas theme.

Christmas Charcuterie Board Variations

• Shape It: There are fun shaped Christmas charcuterie boards you can purchase like a Christmas tree charcuterie board, or use a round board for a wreath-shape board. 
• Give it a Theme: If you have an entire food table, you can make an appetizer board, a cheese board, a dessert board, or a cookie board. You can also customize it by only having foods of red and green. 

FAQ’S

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