This charcuterie Christmas tree is sure to brighten up your holiday table. This festive board combines a variety of cured meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, crackers, and olives. The best part is it's completely customizable and so easy to make.
Nothing is more impressive during the Christmas season than a beautiful charcuterie Christmas tree. Fill your board with your favorite cheeses and cured meats, like prosciutto and thinly sliced salami. Add little touches of color with seasonal fruits, olives, and fresh rosemary.
The most fun part is gathering all your ingredients and shaping it into the most stunning AND delicious Christmas tree.
For more easy appetizer recipes, try my Baked Brie with Fig Jam and Easy Sourdough Garlic Bread.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Customizable- This "recipe" is more of a guide. Feel free to add your favorite cheeses and meats, along with any fruits that are in season. There is no right or wrong way. Just make it delicious!
- Perfect for gatherings- This charcuterie board is an absolute crowd pleaser. It's the perfect communal appetizer and a great way to keep your guests satisfied.
- Make ahead friendly- You can arrange all of the ingredient ahead of time so you can enjoy the festivities.
- Quick and easy- This board is easily assembled in 30 minutes. Also, it's a great way to get the kiddos involved and have fun.
Ingredient Notes
Like I mentioned above, feel free to customize your board to your liking. You can pick and choose from some of the ingredients I've listed below and also throw in some of your favorites.
- Cheese- I like to have at least 3 different cheeses on my boards to give my guests some variety. I used cheddar, Gouda, and rosemary Asiago. I like some of my cheeses sliced, cubed, or in wedges.
- Meats- Use an assortment of cured meats, like pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto. Then, roll some up or place them in bundles to create some movement on the board.
- Fruits- You can use fresh or dried fruits. I used persimmons, pomegranates, apples, and dried orange slices.
- Nuts- I always add nuts to my boards for some crunch and to give it some texture. Pecans, almonds, or pistachios are great options.
- Crackers- Use a variety of shapes, sizes and flavors.
- Assorted veggies- Cornichons and green olives.
- Greenery- I love using sprigs of fresh rosemary. Not only because they smell amazing but they really give you that rustic feel of a Christmas tree.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Outline board. To begin with, I use butchers twine to outline the triangular shape on my wooden board. This will help keep things moving in the right direction.
STEP 2: Build board. Starting from the bottom up, begin to fill in the tree with cheeses, meats, nuts, fruits, and veggies as desired. In order to keep things nice and neat, group ingredients together.
STEP 3: Fill in the empty spaces. This is where I like to add my pomegranates, olives and sprigs of rosemary.
STEP 4: Add the star. I used a simple star shaped cookie cutter and filled it with small cubes of cheddar cheese for a finishing touch.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Choose a board or platter. You can also use any rectangular cutting board or half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
If you decide to make this board ahead of time, leave the crackers off until right before serving. They will get stale and soggy inside the fridge.
In keeping with the shape of a Christmas tree, start arranging your ingredients from the bottom up. Butcher twine is a great outlining tool I use in order to keep the shape moving in the right direction.
Refills. Always have extra meats and cheeses, along with crackers to replenish your board incase you have some hungry guests.
FAQ
Yes, omit the meats and replace them with extra veggies or dips to make it a little more hearty.
I suggest 3 oz of meat and cheese per person. This equivalent to 3-4 slices of cheese and 4 slices of salami or prosciutto.
Generally, you should't let your charcuterie board sit out longer than 2 hours.
Storing
I recommend storing this charcuterie Christmas tree inside the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to keep the meats and cheeses from drying out.
If the board hasn't been sitting out longer than two hours, leftover meats, cheeses, veggies and fruit can be wrapped up and refrigerated for eating at a later time.
However, if the board has been sitting out for two hours or longer, it's best to discard the items.
Other Charcuterie Boards To Try
If you decide to try this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR RATING on the recipe card and leave a comment below. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
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📖 Recipe
Charcuterie Christmas Tree
Ingredients
- 6 oz Salami
- 6 oz Pepperoni
- 6 oz Prosciutto
- 6 oz Gouda sliced
- 6 oz Rosemary Asiago cheese sliced
- 6 oz Extra sharp cheddar cheese cubed
- 1 Persimmon sliced into wedges
- 2 Gala apples extra small, sliced into wedges
- ½ cup Pomegranate seeds
- ¼ cup Cornichons
- ½ cup Olives green
- ½ cup Nuts pecans, almonds or pistachios
- 4 Dried orange slices
- 4 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- 8 oz Assortment of crackers
Instructions
- To begin with, I use butchers twine to outline the triangular shape on my wooden board. This will help keep things moving in the right direction.
- Starting from the bottom up, begin to fill in the tree with cheeses, meats, nuts, fruits, and veggies as desired. In order to keep things nice and neat, group ingredients together.
- Fill in the empty spaces with pomegranates, olives and sprigs of rosemary.
- I used a simple star shaped cookie cutter and filled it with small cubes of cheddar cheese for the Christmas tree topper.
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