Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
What’s better than a typical charcuterie board or cheese plate? Well, a CHRISTMAS TREE Charcuterie Board, why of course! This “CharcuterTREE” board is such an easy festive and delicious Christmas party appetizer.
Tis the season for holiday parties and delicious buffets full of tasty festive treats. Serving a crowd? You must make these festive Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board! It has all the tasty cheese board favorites like cheese (of course), meat, veggies, fruits and more.
The best part? It’s so easy to shape like a festive Christmas tree for a show-stopping holiday party snack or appetizer.
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board Ingredients
Below are the ingredients I used in my Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board as well as other ingredients that you might find delicious to add on too! Make your board tailored to your favorite festive flavors of meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies. These are just a few suggestions to get those holiday appetizer juices flowing..
MEATS
- Prosciutto
- Genoa Salami
- Sopressata
- Chorizo
- Pepperoni
CHEESES
- Extra Sharp Cheddar, cubed
- Mozzarella Cheese, cubed
- Colby Jack Cheese, cubed
- Smoked Provolone, to cut into stars
FRUITS
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Grapes (purple, red, green)
- Cranberries
- Olives (fun fact: olives are fruits)
- Pomegranate Arils
VEGGIES
- Red Pepper Drops (love these from Delallo brand)
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Bell Pepper
- Celery Sticks
- Carrot Sticks
NUTS
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Candied Nuts
- Cashews
CRACKERS, ETC
- Crackers
- Crostini
- Mini Toasts
- Pretzel Sticks
- Bagel Crisps
- Pita Chips
GARNISH
- Rosemary Sprigs
How to Build a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
While charcuterie boards may look time consuming or difficult to create, they’re actually quite simple and this tree shape is even easier because you have a guide for how to shape your board.
Most of the “work” that goes in to creating a Christmas tree charcuterie board is just gathering the ingredients and prepping, washing, and chopping them. Once you have all your ingredients, it’s just a matter of shaping them into a tree!
- Select a large wooden board as the base for your charcuterie board. You can also use a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper!
- Start by washing and prepping your fruits, veggies and cheeses. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars from sliced cheeses. Use smaller stars as ornaments on the tree and a larger star at the top of your tree.
- Start at the top of your board by placing a large cheese star.
- Layer your ingredients in horizontal rows as you build your Christmas tree down the board, each row wider than the one before it until you reach the bottom.
- Finish by creating the Christmas tree stem with pretzel sticks.
- Go back over your Christmas tree to tuck in rosemary sprigs to look like branches, sprinkle on cranberries or pomegranate arils, add in extra nuts for texture, etc.
Can you make a Charcuterie Board ahead of time?
The holidays are WILDLY busy, this I know! Save yourself some time and prep your Christmas tree charcuterie board in advance! All you need to do is carefully wrap it with plastic wrap. I do suggest adding pretzel sticks and crackers just before serving. But you can save quite a lot of time just prepping ingredients and creating the basic shape of your tree.
What to Serve with this Christmas Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath
- Christmas Deviled Eggs
- Christmas Cheese Trees
- Cheesy Puff Pastry Twists
One other little festive trick I like to use is serving my board with twinkle lights twirled around the board. It’s such a small detail but it adds a twinkling glow to my party table that makes everything feel extra special!
I love to serve unique shaped charcuterie board and Christmas is the PERFECT time to get creative in the kitchen! My kids absolutely love making a Christmas Tree cheese plate for a quick dinner or snack idea too. This is a great way to get the kiddos involved in helping out in the kitchen.
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- large board
- star cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 8 ounces white cheese (like mozzarella, swiss, etc. – cubed)
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar (cubed)
- 4 slices cheese (yellow or white) (for cutting in to stars)
- 6-8 rosemary sprigs (for garnishing)
- 1/2 cup nuts ((almonds, pecans, etc))
- 1-2 cups grapes ((green or purple))
- 4 ounces salami ((or other meat))
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1/2 cup red pepper drops ((or cherry tomatoes))
- 1 cup cucumber slices
- 1/3 cup olives
- 1/3 cup cranberries
Instructions
- Wash, prep and cut all cheeses and veggies, if needed.
- Begin by cutting out a 2" to 3" star out of cheese for the top of your Christmas tree. Set it at the top of the board.
- Layer your cheeses, olives, berries, veggies, crackers etc in horizontal rows as you build your Christmas tree down the board, each row wider than the one before it until you reach the bottom.
- Finish at the bottom by making the tree trunk out of vertically placed pretzel sticks.
- Tuck in fresh rosemary sprigs to look like tree branches.
- Garnish with cranberries. Add in extra smaller stars or snowflake-shapes using cookie cutters and sliced cheese. Place around the board for extra decoration!
- Serve with an assortment of extra crackers, bread rounds, etc.
Notes
- Make a vegetarian board by omitting meats and including more veggies and fruits.Â
- Stick to an all green and red color scheme if you like (focus on cherry tomatoes, green olives, green and red bell peppers, cucumber slices, etc.)Â
- Make miniature Christmas tree charcuterie boards for individual servings.Â
- Create a Christmas tree forest by using an extra-large board and making several Christmas trees next to each other.Â
- Love desserts? Make a sweet Christmas tree board with cookies, chocolate fudge, sprinkles, etc.Â
I made christmas tree charcuterie board according to your recipe, it took only a short time to make and it tasted great, my daughter loved it, thanks for sharing!