Christmas Charcuterie Board

If you need a holiday appetizer or a terrific centerpiece for your holiday table, try making a Christmas charcuterie board! Check out this example of a fun holiday charcuterie board for inspiration.

What Is Charcuterie?

Charcuterie boards have become very popular recently, and while I may be a slight latecomer to the idea, I have fallen in love! Charcuterie – pronounced [shar-koo-tuh–ree] – boards have French origin and are basically the meat version of the cheese board.

Make one of these yourself, and you’ll be amazed at the super fun reaction you’ll receive from your friends and family. It’s seriously one of my favorite appetizers to make for a crowd!

But it can also be made into an amazing starter course for a more formal event, a featured light-meal dish for a holiday gathering, or even a fun family dinner idea!

Whether you make it for a special event or an everyday occasion, your Christmas charcuterie board will be a giant hit!

What is on a Christmas Charcuterie Board?

But, if I’m honest, instead of being a board filled with a variety of oh-so-good meats, epic charcuterie boards include so much more than that, including:

• Cured meats
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Olives
• Veggies
• Fruits (or dried fruit)
• Crackers
• Baguette bread
• Spreads

The fantastic thing about charcuterie boards, in general, and holiday charcuterie boards specifically, is the endless variety of what you can put on them. Seriously, you are only limited by your imagination!

Who doesn’t love a meat and cheese board with some fun extras? Pick your favorite go-to’s and play around with everything else. Simply switching out a couple or a few ingredients will yield a board that feels wholly new and different each time.

Plus, if you have dietary restrictions that you’re working around, a charcuterie board couldn’t be easier to modify into a gluten-free version, a seafood version, an all-in-season collection, or a version that highlights a certain region or country.

Making one for a holiday is probably the MOST fun because you can get super creative with festive items. For example, a Valentine’s Day board may include things like red cinnamon candy hearts, conversation hearts, and many different varieties of chocolate.

On the other hand, a 4^th of July board would probably include lots of red, white, and blue in the form of meats, cheeses, blueberries, colored chips, and dip, etc.

Putting Together a Delicious Christmas Charcuterie Board

Be sure to include elements of all the 4 S’s: Salty, Savory, Spicy, and Sweet to keep everything balanced.

Here are some ideas of these elements.

Salty

• Cured meats
• Cheese
• Crackers
• Nuts

Savory

• Meat and cheese, baby – I love having a variety of each, say 3-4 different choices of both meats and cheeses

Spicy

• 1-2 items are all you need if you know some people enjoy spicy items. If you know that people don’t like it, you may consider leaving them off altogether. If you DO include spicy items, make sure to let your guests know that there are spicy items – and which items contain heat.

Sweet

• Fruit – fresh and dried options: pineapple, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, dates, figs, etc
• Spreads – jams, jellies, fig spread, etc

Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas

I let myself have a lot of fun with this board and made a board with a holiday kids theme. I used:

• Little Debbie Vanilla Christmas Tree Cakes
• Clementines
• Strawberry Yogurt
• Red sugar sprinkles
• Green Christmas tree sprinkles
• Club Crackers
• Guacamole
• Red and green tortilla chips
• Blueberries
• Turkey Pepperoni
• Mozzarella cheese sticks
• Honey roasted peanuts
• Strawberries
• Mini marshmallows
• Green grapes

Tips for a Great Charcuterie Board

Here are a few ideas for putting together a truly epic holiday charcuterie board.

• Don’t fall into the belief that there’s only one way to make a charcuterie board. Let your imagination flow and feel free to get creative! No 2 boards will ever be the same, and that’s just as it should be!
• Use what you have on hand – or what you love and give the board your own flair. Never apologize for your combinations.

If you love feeding people terrific food, add a charcuterie board to your repertoire, and I feel confident you’ll be amazed how easy it is to make – and serve! Happy holidays with this Christmas charcuterie board!

How to Make This Kid-Friendly Christmas Charcuterie Board

Follow these steps to create your Christmas charcuterie board.

Step 1

Start by making your Santa hat strawberries. Cut the cap off, and then cut the tip of the strawberry just enough to flatten it. Dip a mini marshmallow in the strawberry yogurt, and place it on the flattened end of the strawberry. Repeat this process with all strawberries.

Step 2

Place the Little Debbie Vanilla Christmas Tree Cakes in the four corners of your plate. Next, place the strawberry yogurt and guacamole into small bowls and place them in the middle of the plate, leaving space between them. 

Step 3

As you continue to build your Christmas charcuterie board, peel and separate the clementine segments and place them in a circle around the yogurt bowl. Fill in with red and green tortilla chips around the guacamole. 

Step 4

Place pepperonis to the left of the top right Christmas Tree and to the right of the bottom left Christmas tree, making sure to overlap the pepperoni.

Place peanuts to the left of the bottom right Christmas Tree. Then place a few of the Santa hat strawberries beside them so that the peanuts and pepperoni surround the strawberries.

Next, place peanuts to the left of the pepperoni at the top of the board, and then fill in with strawberries and the cheese sticks at the top left corner.

Step 5

Place the blueberries and club crackers to the left of the clementines, then add green grapes sporadically around the board for some extra holiday color.

I hope you enjoy this fun Christmas charcuterie board idea!

Christmas Charcuterie Board Notes

A holiday charcuterie board is a fun way for kids to get excited about eating while still getting the nutrition they need!

• The pepperoni, peanuts, and cheese sticks are a good source of protein
• The grapes, clementines, blueberries, and strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C.

More Holiday Yumminess:

If you love this fun Christmas Charcuterie board idea, be sure to check out these other ideas too!

• Adorable Santa Gnome Cake Mix Cookies
• Cinnamon Roll Snowman: A Fun Breakfast Idea
• Make This Deliciously Easy Oreo Fudge Recipe
• 3-Ingredient Grinch Punch Mocktail Recipe
• Easy and Festive Holiday Fruitcake Cookies
• Homemade Decadent Holiday Gingerbread Whoopie Pies