This Holiday Charcuterie Board is sure to give you lots of ideas for a beautiful cheese board worthy of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve celebrations! I’ll show you how to make a perfectly festive charcuterie platter filled with cheese, meats, crackers, fruits, and more.
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Why We Love This Christmas Cheese Board Recipe
This holiday version of a classic charcuterie board incorporates fun, festive, and flavorful ingredients that are sure to impress your guests. With a wide array of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and crackers, there’s something for everyone in this versatile appetizer.
Holiday Charcuterie Board Ideas
In addition to the typical meats and cheeses, I try to change up the other ingredients for my cheese boards to make it feel more festive for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or whatever holiday I’m celebrating.
I love using sugared cranberries, figs and pomegranate seeds, fresh rosemary sprigs, and this Christmas cheese ball for Christmas parties.
If I’m making a charcuterie board for New Year’s Eve, I usually add mini cheese ball bites, candied pecans, and cheese stuffed olives.
And for a fall-themed Thanksgiving board, I add things like roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin hummus, this pumpkin-shaped cheese ball, or apple butter for a hint of sweetness.
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How to Store
Store holiday charcuterie board leftovers tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this fun and festive cheese board alongside other holiday-themed appetizers, like cocktail meatballs, sweet potato souffle cups, sausage rolls, bacon wrapped dates, cranberry chicken wings, or ham roll ups.
And don’t forget the festive cocktails, like holiday punch, Christmas sangria, jingle juice, or cranberry margaritas.
Just like a classic charcuterie board, you want a good mix of cheeses, meats, breads/crackers, nuts, and fruits. To make it festive, look for holiday-appropriate items, like rosemary, dried cranberries, or holiday-themed cheeses.
There are no hard and fast rules for making charcuterie. Just keep in mind that everything should be easily accessible.
Plan for 3 ounces of meat and cheese per person!
Yes! I would recommend waiting to cut your fruit until the day of, but everything else can be sliced, prepped, and wrapped in plastic wrap, and stored for up to 24 hours.
More Appetizer Boards To Try
- How to Make a Charcuterie Board
- Hummus and Vegetable Board
- Cream Cheese Fruit Board
- Easy Antipasto Skewers
Holiday Charcuterie Board Recipe
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Ingredients
Cheeses: Choose 3-5 of varying texture
- Blue cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Goat cheese
- Pimento cheese
- Smoked provolone
- Smoky port wine cheese log
Crackers/Breads: Choose 2-3
- Nut and seed crackers
- Baguette slices
- Breadsticks
- Pretzels
- Pita chips
Meats: Choose 2-3
- Salami
- Prosciutto
- Sobresada
- Ham
Fresh Fruits: Choose 1-2
- Grapes
- Figs
- Apples
- Pears
Dried Fruits: Choose 1-2
- Dried apricots
- Dried figs
- Dried plums
- Dried pears
- Dried persimmons
- Apple chips
Brined/Marinated Items: Choose 1-2
Nuts: Choose 1-2
- Almonds can be candied or roasted
- Cashews
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
Holiday Themed Ingredients: Choose 2-3
- Rosemary Sprigs
- Seasonal winter fruits pomegranate, citrus, persimmon
- Sugared cranberries
- "Holiday" cheeses
- Christmas cheese ball
- "Holiday" breads/crackers
Instructions
- Place the cheeses: Grab a large platter and arrange your cheeses. Place them roughly equidistant, but not in an overly “organized” way.
- Add the crackers and meats: Next, place your crackers and meats around your cheese. Make piles or fan them out.
- Arrange the fruit, nuts, and other bites: Start with larger items like grapes and other fruit, placing them around the board. Next add smaller items like nuts, olives, and dried fruits to fill in the space.
- Keep adding and arranging until your vegan charcuterie board looks balanced and full. Add any decorative holiday elements. Serve and enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If you are making this platter ahead of time, arrange everything but leave off the crackers and breads, leaving space to add them before serving. Cover and refrigerate up to overnight. When ready to serve, add on the crackers and bread.
Nutrition Information
How to Make a Holiday Charcuterie Board Step by Step
Arrange the Cheeses: Choose your favorite cheeses, and arrange them on your board or platter. Place them roughly equidistant, but not in an overly “organized” way.
Add the Crackers and Meats: Next, place your crackers and meats around your cheese. I like to add thin rolls of prosciutto and “fan” other slices of meat by folding them into quarters (in half, then half again, to form a triangle with a rounded edge, as shown).
Arrange the Fruit, Nuts, and Other Bites: Start with larger items, like bunches of grapes and other fruits, and place them around the board in a visually-pleasing way. Move things around and see how it looks! Next add smaller items like nuts, olives, and dried fruits to fill in the empty space.
Balance the Board: Keep adding and arranging until your holiday charcuterie board looks balanced and full. Add any decorative holiday elements. Serve and enjoy!
