A Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board is so much fun to serve at your next Christmas party. This perfect appetizer will put a festive touch on your table and is just what you need for family gatherings. It's very easy to make by following the instructions I provided.

What is a Charcuterie Board?
The term "Charcuterie" refers to cured meats such as salami, prosciutto or another type of dry cured pork. While Charcuterie boards originally started as an appetizer of these meats and cheeses, the more modern day version of a charcuterie board is a display of food including cured meats, cheeses, dried or fresh fruit, olives, crackers, nuts or whatever you might want to include.
A large meat and cheese board is a great way to feed your family and friends while entertaining them at a holiday party. If I am having a small gathering, I will make charcuterie skewers instead which are great for an intimate dinner too.
I make charcuterie boards often and I have been waiting all year to make a festive Christmas charcuterie board for the holiday season. Let the holiday entertaining begin with this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board!
Isn't she pretty? This will be a great addition to my table centerpiece on Christmas eve along with Holiday Cranberry Vodka Punch.
How to Make a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Making a charcuterie holiday board in the shape of a christmas tree is actually quite simple. I'll admit that I can be artistically challenged but this appetizer board is not hard to make at all using ingredients from your local grocery store.
Instructions
- First you gather all your finger foods then layer them into a triangular tree shape.
- Add some fresh garnishes like berries and rosemary or other fresh herbs to make the "tree" look pretty.
- Use a cookie cutter to make slices in different shapes to decorate your "charcuterie tree".
- Serve with jam, cranberry sauce or some flavored honey along with crackers.
**Exact instructions and ingredient amounts in recipe card below.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients I used for this particular charcuterie board but feel free to swap out your favorite meats, cheeses and fruit.
- Several types of cheese, cubed - While I make suggestions in the recipe card, you can use your favorite.Harder cheeses seem to be easier to work with than soft cheeses if you have to cut them into cubes. You can also use fresh mozzarella balls.
- Genoa salami and Pepperoni, small circle cut - or use pieces of ham or other type of cooked smoked sausage
- Fresh Blackberries and Raspberries - or use your favorite berries
- Green Olives - I like to make my own fancy marinated olives to save money rather than buy the expensive ones from a specialty store.
- Pistachios - Or whatever nut you like.
- sliced cheese (provolone, cheddar or mozzarella) - you will use cookie cutters to cut out shapes for the tree
- Fresh rosemary and dill sprigs - You will need fresh herbs for this recipe.
- Jam or other dipping sauce - I also like to use honey or my homemade cranberry sauce.
Charcuterie Christmas Tree Tips
- Make sure the board is big enough to feed all your guests. You can always use a bigger board and add more ingredients.
- You can easily mix and match cheeses, meats and other ingredients to use your favorites and make a beautiful board. For example, sub in black olives for the raspberries and green grapes for the green olives. Be creative and use what you like the most!
- You can make the board ahead of time but I would not do it more than a few hours in advance. Make sure to have room to refrigerate it. This appetizer should not be left out for more than two hours.
- To store leftovers, disassemble tree and put leftovers in plastic bags or air tight containers in the fridge.
Variations
- While this is a fun way to serve appetizers at holiday parties, you can also make a dessert board with all fruit, nuts and mini cookies or pieces of poundcake. You could serve some chocolate sauce in small bowls for dipping too.
- If you would like to do a vegetarian board, substitute fruit, nuts, cherry tomatoes or olives for the meats. You could also line up a row of crackers if you'd like. This won't actually be charcuterie however it can be a pretty Christmas tree cheese platter.
- If there is a nut allergy, leave out the pistachios and substitute pretzel sticks for the base of the tree.
- Be creative and enjoy!
More Festive Christmas Appetizers
- Mini Tomato Pesto Caprese Skewers
- Cranberry and Brie Tartlets via Swirls of Flavor
- Savory Christmas Veggie Pizza via On My Kids Plate
- Greek Shrimp Appetizer Skewers
- Holiday Goat Cheese Appetizer via Souffle Bombay
If you like this Christmas Charcuterie Board, please give it a 5-star rating below.
RECIPE
Christmas Tree Charcuterie BOard
Equipment
- large wooden board
- small star cookie cutter
- toothpicks (for serving)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Fontina cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces Colby jack cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces small salami slices
- 8 ounces small pepperoni slices
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- ½ cup green olives
- ⅓ cup pistachios
- 3 slices cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- 8-10 Rosemary and/or Dill sprigs
- ½ cup jam or honey
Instructions
- Start at the base of your tree ( board ) with your colby jack cheese and leave room to add the pistachios as the trunk of the tree. Start your second row of fresh blackberries, making sure this layer is slightly shorter than the first one to form a triangle
- Take your salami slices and fold them in half then fold again into quarters. Stack all of your salami in a row, using toothpicks to hold them together if necessary making sure this layer is shorter than the last to continue into a tree form. Place your fourth row of cubed fontina cheese on the board then a row of green olives.
- Next fold the pepperoni slices in half then quarters (just like the salami) and use toothpicks to hold them together if necessary and place them in the sixth row. Next goes the cheddar then the raspberries to form the point of the top of the tree.
- Use a small star cookie cutter and cut out some stars from teh slices of cheese. Place a star at the top of the tree then extra on the tree or board to decorate. You can also decorate with berries as ornaments.
- Place the rosemary and dill sprigs between your layers for the Christmas tree look. Last, place the pistachios to form the "trunk" of the tree!
- Serve with jam or honey and crackers. Enjoy!
Notes
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