This Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board is easy to make with an assortment of cheeses, meats, nuts, fresh fruit and crackers. It’s the perfect fun and festive appetizer for the holidays and sure to be a showstopper at your Christmas party!
The holidays are here in full swing and that means tons of entertaining and Christmas holiday parties to attend.
Cheese boards and charcuterie boards are the best for entertaining because they are quick and easy to put together and they are always a crowd-pleaser.
You can make your cheese board as simple as you like with just a few of your favorite pantry ingredients. Or make a stunning and extravagant centerpiece and pile on as many artisan spreads and crackers you’ve been saving.
Your guests will love having all the delicious choices to choose from. The best part about making cheeseboards is that there is no cooking and no baking required. Just perfect when you’re trying to save that precious stove and oven space.
Having a variety of ingredients for your Christmas Tree cheese board is key when you’re feeding a crowd — that way there is something for everyone.
What you will need
1. THE CHEESE BOARD:
There are lots of items you can use as your cheese board:
2. CHEESE
Cheese is and should be the star of any amazing holiday cheese board so be sure to pick up some good quality cheeses.
Pick a variety of about 3-5 cheeses depending on how large your board is.
- Soft
- crumbly
- semi-soft
- semi-hard cheese
- hard cheese
It’s a good idea to arrange the cheeses first on your cheese board and then start assembling the rest of the ingredients around then.
For these cheeseboards, we used:
- Aged Cheddar
- Brie – rich and creamy
- Blue Cheese
- Smoked Gouda – cut into cubes
- Goat Cheese
Be sure to set the cheese out to come to room temp prior to serving.
3. What type of Charcuterie / Meats should I use for the best Cheeseboard?
Use a variety of your favorite cured or deli meats with different textures.
Seafood (such as smoked salmon) makes a great option to add to give your guests more choices.
For the perfect Christmas Tree cheeseboard, here are some great options you can easily find:
- Proscuitto
- Ham
- Bacon
- Pate
- Pâté
- Salami / Sausage
- Smoked Salmon
- Beef Jerky
- Pepperoni Sticks
- Grilled Shrimp
Since this is a Holiday Cheese Board, it would be a great idea to choose meats that are smoked with maple, sage and other flavors of the season.
4. CRUNCHY SNACKS / CRACKERS FOR THE BEST CHEESE BOARD:
I love using 2-3 different types of crackers. Some conventional square crackers to crunchy or long bread-sticks are some great breads to start off with.
Just lay them on the cheese board around the meet and wherever there are opening.
- square crackers
- crunchy breadsticks
- cheese sticks
- mini baguettes
- cheese crisps
- salty crackers
FOR LOW CARB / KETO -FRIENDLY – Leave out the crackers and use crispy cheese bites (Whisps) and pork rinds instead.
5. WHAT FRUITS & VEGGIES ARE BEST IN AN CHRISTMAS TREE CHARCUTERIE BOARD?
Adding seasonal fresh fruit and veggies not only adds a bright pop of color but they also add flavor and texture.
Use a variety of dried and fresh fruit you like or have on hand.
For a festive Christmas Cheese Board, you can try adding:
- Clementines
- Cranberries
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Orange – or other citrus
- Pears – Bosc, Bartlett
- Plums
- Pomegranate
More options:
- Dried Apricots
- Fresh Berries (Strawberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry)
- Broccoli – low carb
- Cauliflower – low carb
- Cucumbers – low carb
- Cherries
- Freeze-Dried Raspberries – low carb
- Olives – low carb
- Radishes – low carb
- Red Bell Peppers – low carb
- Pineapple
- Plaintain Chips
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
- Zucchini – low carb
7. Nuts and other extras / condiments
Use your favorite nuts, sauces and spreads.
- almonds – low carb
- pecans – low carb
- pumpkin seeds
- macadamia nuts – low carb
- Pili nuts – low carb
- honey
- jam
- chutney
- apple butter
- fig spread
How to assemble your Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
- String (if needed as a guide): Place a long piece of string/yarn/thread onto a medium / large wooden board. Shape into a large triangle and use it as a guide to build the tree (if needed).
- Cheese: Cut cheese (while cold) into cubes and use a star or snowflake cookie cutter to cut some cheese slices for the tree topper or to decorate the top and side of the board.
- Meats: Fold the prosciutto into roses and fold the salami / pepperoni into folds, piling 3-4 pieces on a decorative toothpick.
- Assemble: Build the tree starting from the bottom up (using the string as a guide, if needed) to fill in the tree with rows of cheese, meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, as desired.
- Trunk: Use crackers or pretzels to build a tree trunk at the bottom of the tree.
- Topper: Top with some star-shaped cheese or cookies of choice.
- Empty spaces: Fill in any empty spaces with pomegranates, crumbled soft cheese or olives, then add some rosemary sprigs around the edges for “branches”.
- Serve the cheese board at room temperature with additional crackers on the side.
This Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board is easy to make with an assortment of cheeses, meats, nuts, fresh fruit and crackers. It's the perfect fun and festive appetizer for the holidays and sure to be a showstopper at your Christmas party!
- Assorted cheese of choice : a variety of 2-4 wedges/blocks/pearls: Brie, parmesan, provolone, cheddar, Muenster, goat cheese, blue cheese etc. (dairy-free or regular), cut into cubes, stars , snowflakes or slices
- Assorted meats of choice: salami prosciutto, large pepperoni etc.
- Assorted nuts of choice: almonds Marcona almonds, pistachios etc
- Assorted fruit of choice: pomegranate apples, kiwi, pears, grapes, blueberries, citrus, persimmons etc.
- Assorted veggies of choice: marinated artichokes mix of olives, and pickles
- A variety of your favorite crackers
- Fresh rosemary: for garnish
- A variety of your favorite crackers and pretzels (gf or regular)
- Optional: String of lights or candy canes for a festive touch
- String (if needed as a guide): Place a long piece of string/yarn/thread onto a medium / large wooden board. Shape into a large triangle and use it as a guide to build the tree (if needed).
- Cheese: Cut cheese (while cold) into cubes and use a star or snowflake cookie cutter to cut some cheese slices for the tree topper or to decorate the top and side of the board.
- Meats: Fold the prosciutto into roses and fold the salami / pepperoni into folds, piling 3-4 pieces on a decorative toothpick.
- Assemble: Build the tree starting from the bottom up (using the string as a guide, if needed) to fill in the tree with rows of cheese, meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, as desired.
- Trunk: Use crackers or pretzels to build a tree trunk at the bottom of the tree.
- Topper: Top with some star-shaped cheese or cookies of choice.
- Empty spaces: Fill in any empty spaces with pomegranates, crumbled soft cheese or olives, then add some rosemary sprigs around the edges for "branches".
- Serve the cheese board at room temperature with additional crackers on the side.
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