Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Learn how to make a stunning Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board with my easy tips! It’s makes a show stopping holiday appetizer or a fun Christmas Eve meal, and it can be customized with your favorite seasonal fruits and veggies, meats, cheeses and more!
I love creating beautiful boards when I’m hosting a gathering. My cheese board is a hit at any gathering, and my chocolate dessert board is pure heaven for chocolate lovers.
When the holidays roll around, it’s time to pull out all the stops. It doesn’t get much more fun and festive than this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board!
This is a great way to showcase a variety of meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies, and add any other nibbles that you desire, in a fun and festive way.
You can go as simple or complex as you like with this recipe, and no matter what you do, it’s guaranteed to wow your guests. 🙂
Table of contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- There’s nothing more crowd pleasing than a charcuterie board! They’re festive, fun and there’s something for everyone.
- This tree shaped charcuterie board is a fun way to change up a cheese board for Christmas and is guaranteed to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.
- It’s versatile! It can be served as an appetizer or a meal with sandwich rolls as well.
- It can be customized so many ways based on your personal tastes.
Recipe ingredients
All of the ingredients for this Christmas charcuterie board are completely interchangeable with your favorite meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies and more.
You should include roughly 1-2 ounces of meats and 1-2 ounces of cheeses per person.
Ingredient notes
- Meats. I purchased a combination of antipasto meats at Costco that was very reasonable. It included two varieties of salami, prosciutto and dry coppa. You can use your favorites or omit it altogether to make this charcuterie board vegetarian.
- Baby camembert or brie. This tree shaped charcuterie board is topped with a wheel of petite camembert with a star cut out. Camembert is a bit earthy and pungent in flavor, so choose baby brie if you prefer a milder cheese.
- Goat cheese. It’s not a cheeseboard for me without goat cheese as it pairs so well with jams, fruits and more. I purchased a very inexpensive two-pack of goat cheese logs at Costco and used one to roll in chopped dried cranberries and thyme for a festive touch. Goat cheese is sold in logs coated in herbs, fruits and more, but they are quite expensive. Sub with my mini goat cheese balls!
- Manchego cheese. If you’re not familiar with manchego cheese, it’s a sheep’s milk Spanish cheese that is aged from 3 months and up. Choose 3 months for a softer cheese and 6-12 months for harder. It comes in small wedges which I cut into triangles and arranged them in a fun pattern.
- Seasonal fruits. I chose pomegranate arils, red grapes, sliced apples, persimmon and red Bartlett pear to showcase on my board.
- Veggies. Cucumbers and colorful cherry tomatoes add pops of color, but they can be substituted with your favorites.
- Crackers. Choose your favorite assortment of crackers, including fruit, nut and seed, sourdough, whole grain and more. You can also serve crostini or your favorite toasted bread.
- Accompaniments. The sky is the limit here! This board includes Castelvetrano Spanish olives, marcona almonds, honey, fig jam and fresh rosemary to decorate the “tree”.
Plan your board
Making a Christmas charcuterie board is incredibly easy, but it does take a bit of planning when it comes to choosing the amount of ingredients you need based on how many you’ll be serving, and choosing the right size board or how you want to display your ingredients.
Pro tip: Plan your board around how many people you’ll be serving, then choose an array of your favorite ingredients and have an idea as to how you want to assemble your Christmas board.
- Choose your board. I used a tree shaped board that I purchased from Sur la Table, but in reality you can use a large cutting board, rimmed baking sheet or platter and simply assemble your ingredients in the shape of a tree. Anything goes!
- Select a minimum of 3 cheeses. Choose a variety of soft (brie, goat, feta, fresh mozzarella, blue), hard (cheddar, parmeggiano-reggiano, pecorino), and aged (gruyere, manchego, gouda). Plan on roughly 1-2 ounces of cheese per person.
- Choose a minimum of 2 cured meats. Proscuitto, salami and serrano ham are great options. Plan on roughly 1-2 ounces of meats per person.
- Include fresh, seasonal ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and herbs. Choose an array of colors and flavors that will pair well with the meats and cheeses you’ve chosen.
- Select crackers and bread in a variety of shapes, colors and textures. Water, whole grain, seeded and even grain free crackers, sliced baguette, crostini or breadsticks are great options.
- Include a spread and/or honey or maple syrup. Fig jam, cranberry sauce, pesto chutney and whole grain mustard work well with almost any meat and cheese selections.
- Add sweet and savory accompaniments. These include a variety of items such as dried fruits, sugared cranberries, roasted nuts, cornichons, olives, roasted red peppers or pickled vegetables.
How to make a Christmas charcuterie board
Once you have a plan, it’s type to prep your ingredients and assemble your board! Prep your baby brie star, goat cheese log, then slice your cheeses, veggies and fruits.
Pro tip: Prep the star and goat cheese log up to a few days in advance.
Prepare the baby brie or petite camembert star
- Slice the baby brie or petite camembert in half width-wise.
- Using a mini star cookie cutter, cut a star shape out of one half of the cheese.
- Spread a very thin layer of jam over the bottom half of the cheese, then place the cheese with the star cut out over the jam. Reserve the star shaped cheese to decorate your board.
Prepare the goat cheese log
- Chop 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves and combine in a small bowl. Spread out over a plate large enough to hold your goat cheese log.
- Roll the goat cheese log in the cranberry mixture until it is evenly coated. This works best if the goat cheese is room temperature. Freeze for 5 minutes or chill for one hour before slicing.
Assemble your board
- Start with a tree topper. In this case it’s petite camembert with a star cutout and a fig jam middle. You can make a star out of a piece of cheddar cheese as well!
- Arrange your ingredients. Arrange each ingredient in rows, making the next row a bit wider than the last, alternating in colors and even patterns for a festive touch and visual interest.
- Add rosemary. Outlining your tree with fresh rosemary sprigs really gives the board a nice Christmas tree feel.
- Surround the tree with accompaniments. Surround your tree shaped charcuterie board with bowls of olives, nuts, jams, honey and fruits for a festive, fun holiday feel.
FAQs
I suggest using a minimum of (3) cheeses for your board, and plan on roughly 1-2 ounces per cheese per person.
Use a variety of cheeses such as soft (brie, goat, feta, fresh mozzarella, blue), hard (cheddar, parmeggiano-reggiano, pecorino), and aged (gruyere, manchego, gouda).
Cured meats such as prosciutto, salami, coppa, pepperoni and soppressata are all great options. Plan on roughly 1-2 ounces per person.
There is no need to have a special tree shaped charcuterie board — you can make a Christmas tree charcuterie board on a rimmed baking sheet, large cutting board or platter.
Simply start with the tree topper, then work your way down, assembling ingredients by rows making each row wider than the last, alternating colors and textures to make the board as festive as possible.
Recipe notes:
- Pro tip: Plan your board around how many people you’ll be serving, then choose an array of your favorite ingredients and have an idea as to how you want to assemble your Christmas board.
- This Christmas charcuterie board may be assembled a few hours in advance. If using fruit that is prone to discoloration such as pears and apples, cut them and add them to the board just before serving.
- The nutrition information is an estimate only and is based on the ingredients that I’ve included here. This will change based on the ingredients and quantities that you include on your own board!
- This is a versatile appetizer or snack that may be customized with your favorite ingredients and scaled to feed any number of people.
- Don’t own a Christmas tree board? Use a rimmed baking sheet, serving tray, cutting board or whatever you have on hand and shape your ingredients in the form of a Christmas tree!
More Christmas appetizers you’ll love:
- Antipasto skewers
- Crudités platter
- Endive salad bites
- Sausage stuffed mushrooms
- Snowman cheeseball by Every Day I Dream About Food
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
Baby Brie Star Tree Topper
- 4.5 ounces baby brie sub with petite camembert
- 2 teaspoons fig jam
Cranberry Goat Cheese Log
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves chopped
- 10.5 ounce goat cheese log room temperature
Remaining ingredients
- 16 ounces antipasto meats such as salami, coppa or proscuitto
- 5 ounces manchego or other aged cheese, sliced into triangles
- 16 ounces assorted crackers
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- 1 medium apple sliced; sub with pear
- 1 large persimmon sliced; sub with orange or mandarins
- 1/2 cup fig jam
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup marcona almonds
- 1/2 cup olives
- 8 ounces red grapes
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
Prepare star tree topper
- Slice the baby brie or petite camembert in half width-wise. Using a mini star cookie cutter, cut a star shape out of on half of the cheese. Spread a very thin layer of jam over the bottom half of the cheese, then place the cheese with the star cut out over the jam. Reserve the star shaped cheese to decorate your board. Prep 1-2 days in advance.4.5 ounces baby brie, 2 teaspoons fig jam
Prepare the cranberry goat cheese log
- Chop 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves and combine in a small bowl. Spread out over a plate large enough to hold your goat cheese log.1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- Roll the goat cheese log in the cranberry mixture until it is evenly coated. This works best if the goat cheese is room temperature. Freeze for 5 minutes or chill for one hour before slicing. Prep 1-2 days in advance.10.5 ounce goat cheese log
Assemble the board
- Place the baby brie star tree topper at the top of your board.
- Arrange the cherry tomatoes beneath the star, followed by a row of meat, fruit, manchego cheese, more meat, sliced cucumber, then sliced goat cheese, making each row a bit wider than the last to create a tree shape. This is a rule of thumb — the board can be displayed any way you like!16 ounces antipasto meats such as salami, coppa or proscuitto, 5 ounces manchego, 16 ounces assorted crackers, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 English cucumber, 1 medium apple, 1 large persimmon, 1/2 cup fig jam, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup marcona almonds, 1/2 cup olives, 8 ounces red grapes, 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- Outline the Christmas charcuterie board with fresh rosemary sprigs, then surround it with crackers, jam, honey, almonds, olives and more fruit. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Plan your board around how many people you’ll be serving, then choose an array of your favorite ingredients and have an idea as to how you want to assemble your Christmas board.
- This Christmas charcuterie board may be assembled a few hours in advance. If using fruit that is prone to discoloration such as pears and apples, cut them and add them to the board just before serving.
- The nutrition information is an estimate only and is based on the ingredients that I’ve included here. This will change based on the ingredients and quantities that you include on your own board!
- This is a versatile appetizer or snack that may be customized with your favorite ingredients and scaled to feed any number of people.
- Don’t own a Christmas tree board? Use a rimmed baking sheet, serving tray, cutting board or whatever you have on hand and shape your ingredients in the form of a Christmas tree!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
