The perfect Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board for your Holiday party: no-stress, easy to put together, affordable, and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Bonus point? It looks pretty and straight out of Pinterest! Wine pairing, suggested amounts, and substitutions included!
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
When making this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board, I kept in mind everything you guys had suggested. You wanted affordable, no-stress, and easy to put together and I am here to deliver!
This Christmas Charcuterie Board is quick and easy to assemble, no need for any fancy tools or Christmas tree-shaped cutting board. I used some regular parchment paper to prove you guys you don’t need to go out and buy any specific items (you can obviously use a cutting board or marble platter for a fancier option).
This baby is sure to be a crowd pleaser because of the popular picks I selected while still being affordable (2022 prices) and I will also recommend a few of my favorite wine pairings!
In this post I made sure to answer all of your most asked charcuterie board questions (with a Christmas twist) and right at the end of the post you’ll find the in-detail recipe card with all the ingredients I used to make this board.
Now let’s get started! 🎄❄️ 🎶
What to put on a Christmas Charcuterie Board
- Cheese. You want to start with cheese and build around the flavors/textures of the cheeses you picked out so that they make sense with everything else. For this charcuterie board I went with 2 types of each product so we have two cheeses: a soft cheese and a semi-hard one. I went with Brie and Gouda cheese, they’re both very popular picks so you know that mostly everyone will enjoy them.
- Meats. I went for two classics cured meats: salami and prosciutto. Again, very popular. You could offer breadsticks to go with the prosciutto, it’s a fun way to eat it (you just wrap it around the breadstick).
- Nuts. I picked walnuts and almonds for a nice crunch. Always make sure you don’t have anyone with a nut allergy over or they won’t be able to eat any of the foods on your board.
- Fruit. Mandarins and pears. I went for mandarins because they just scream winter and Holiday season to me, they’re juicy and tangy which you don’t have on the board, while pears provide a softer texture and a sweeter flavor (perfect paired with Brie).
- Vessels. Any type of bread, breadstick, cracker you offer is considered a vessel. I left the option open because it really depends on what you and your guests prefer. Any cracker of your choice will work, crostini are great, ciabatta or sourdough bread are wonderful paired with prosciutto & salami because they don’t add any extra saltiness to the meats, breadsticks are another fun option but really, anything works.
- Dips. This is optional. I didn’t add any to the board because they’re not always everyone’s cup of tea. From what I noticed, most people go straight for the cheeses and meats, some will snack on the nuts and fruit (here and there) but dips aren’t always loved by everyone because it really depends on what you pick out in the first place. If you want to add two, I would recommend a caramelized onion jam (amazing with Brie) and olive tapenade. Other popular choices would be fruit jam, fig chutney, mustard, or pepper jelly if your people love spicy.
- Decorations. I decorated this board with some stars made out of deli Cheddar cheese, fresh rosemary and pomegranate seeds. I really really recommend the pomegranate seeds because they add a fun pop of color and really add to the Christmas Tree vibe (also, they’re good).
How to make a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
- Visualize the Christmas Tree. What I mean by this is keep in mind that you will need to build a triangle big enough to add all of your ingredients so you need to have enough for the wider layers at the bottom and enough for the smallest layers at the top. You don’t necessarily need a fancy Christmas Tree cutting board and I really wanted to prove this point by not using one myself just so I could show you guys that you don’t need to go out and buy an item that you’ll use once a year. I used parchment paper but you can totally use a regular wooden cutting board or marble platter if you have one big enough. If you want a Christmas Tree-shaped board, here‘s one I found that’s really cute.
- Cut all the cheeses. I got a block of Gouda and a Brie wedge. I cut the Gouda into blocks and the Brie into triangles.
- Start with the bottom layer. In a traditional charcuterie board I would recommend you start by placing down the cheeses but this one has to have a specific shape and requires some extra attention or it will turn out lopsided (don’t build on the side, keep the board in front of you to avoid this) so I recommend starting with the bottom layer going upwards.
- Be careful with the meats. Be very gentle with your prosciutto as it can easily fall apart. I twisted mine a few times to give it an effortless “wavy” look and decided to roll the salami. You could shape it in a different way but it does depend on what kind of salami you get and how big each slice is, mine had pretty big slices.
- Place down the nuts and fruit. I broke the walnuts into smaller pieces so they could fit the upper layer without looking bulky and used peeled almonds (TIP: you can peel them at home if you have unpeeled on hands, it takes a minute: simply boil some water in a saucepan, turn off the heat, place the almonds in the boiling water, let them sit there for a minute, take them out and the peel will come right off).
- Decorate the Christmas Tree. Cut a slice of deli Cheddar with a star-shaped cookie cutter (I used a medium one for the larger star on top and a smaller one for the stars I placed on the board). Add small sprigs of fresh rosemary to resemble a Christmas Tree. Then, top everything off with some pomegranate seeds. Be careful when handling the pomegranate because the seeds will stain literally anything so no pretty Holiday dress while assembling this lol.
Charcuterie Board Wine Pairing
Because we’re working with a young Gouda and a creamy Brie, I recommend Pinot Gris (aka Pinot Grigio) which works with both cheeses. Another great option would be Chardonnay. These are my favs.
Another alternative could be Pinot Noir which works with pretty much anything.
What is a good size for a charcuterie board?
What you want to look out for is the amount of each food, not the size of your board. Generally, it’s recommended to go for a standard 2-ounce of charcuterie per person but you do you, you know your people and what kind of party you’re hosting.
Just keep in mind that the more people you have, the more food you’ll need, the larger the tree will be so the wider layers at the bottom will require enough food to look as rich as the smaller layers at the top.
How early can you prepare a charcuterie board?
I recommend putting it together 1-2 hours before your guests arrive (add fruit last minute) since it doesn’t take much time. You can technically assemble it up to a day in advance if you leave out the nuts and fruit, cover everything with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
You don’t want to add the nuts and fruit because the nuts will turn soggy and the fruit will dry up. If you want to go to the extra mile you can also leave out the meats or pre-fold/roll them and place them in an air-tight container (this way you can be 100% sure the meats won’t dry up at all).
Honestly, I would simply make it the day of, 1 hour before everyone comes over and that’s what I recommend but lots of people make it in advance with no issues.
More Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas
Here are more ideas in case you don’t like the foods I picked out. These are all very popular.
- Cheeses: manchego, romano cheese, goat cheese, gruyere, cheddar.
- Meats: serrano ham, pepperoni, chorizo, mortadella.
- Fruits: figs, orange, apricots, cranberries.
- Nuts: pine nuts, pistachios, pecans.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! I hope you’ll love this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
MORE HOLIDAY APPETIZERS YOU’LL LOVE:
- Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions
- Savory Pumpkin Twists With Puff Pastry
- Italian Burrata Salad with Roasted Tomatoes
- The Best Olive Dip
Charcuterie Board Tree
Ingredients
Cheeses
- Brie (cut into wedges)
- Gouda (cubed)
Meats
- Prosciutto
- Salami
Nuts
- Almonds
- Walnuts
Fruit
- Mandarins
- Pears
Decorations
- Deli Cheddar Cheese (just 1-2 for the stars)
- Fresh Rosemary
- Pomegranate
Instructions
- Choose where you will build the charcuterie board, if you don't have a cutting board or platter, simply use parchment paper folded into a triangle. The suggested amount of serving per charcuterie per person is 2 oz. Start building the board up to 1-2 hours before your guests arrive.
- Cut all the cheeses. Cut the Gouda into blocks and the Brie into wedges.
- Prepare the fruit. Slice the pears and peel the mandarins.
- Build the charcuterie board. Start off with the bottom layer and place down the Gouda blocks. Gently give each slice of prosciutto a few twists and place it on the board. Arrange the mandarins followed by the almonds, Brie wedges, sliced pear, rolled up salami (cut in half if necessary, depending on how big your charcuterie board is), and walnuts.
- Decorate. Cut the deli Cheddar into stars using a medium star cookie cutter for the larger star and a smaller one for the smaller stars. Place the larger star on top of the tree and the smaller stars on top of the other ingredients, then add the rosemary sprigs, and the pomegranate seeds. Be careful with the pomegranate as it can easily stain surfaces, fabrics, and foods.
- Serve and enjoy with your preferred vessels (ciabatta bread, sourdough, crostini, breadsticks, crackers, etc) and wines (Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir).
Notes
- Cheeses: manchego, romano cheese, goat cheese, gruyere, cheddar.
- Meats: serrano ham, pepperoni, chorizo, mortadella.
- Fruits: figs, orange, apricots, cranberries.
- Nuts: pine nuts, pistachios, pecans.
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