Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board: It doesn’t get more festive than your favorite meats, cheese, fruit, vegetables and nuts displayed in a Christmas tree shape. This holiday charcuterie board is the perfect appetizer for all of your Christmas parties!
I don’t know about you, but for our family, the holiday season means our calendar fills up with holiday gatherings, Christmas parties, our big family dinner, a brunch or two and the occasional cocktail party. That means I need to have some go-to appetizer recipes and Christmas dessert trays ready to go for all these events. And I think this Christmas tree meat and cheese tray is the perfect appetizer!
Why you’ll love this idea
Charcuterie boards are a no-brainer for entertaining! I don’t see the charcuterie craze ending anytime soon. Everyone makes a stop to grab a plate of their favorite meat, cheese and fruit.
You can make this Christmas tree cheese board as simple or gourmet as you want by changing the ingredients that you use. If you omit the meat, this charcuterie tree can easily be vegetarian.
This easy festive cheese board can be prepped a few hours before your event so you can spend time right before the party making the punch and putting out the finishing touches.
Our simple appetizer is a festive way to add tons of holiday cheer to any table with the recognizable Christmas tree shape and adorable star topper!
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Ingredients
This simple recipe starts with your favorite ingredients displayed on a pretty platter or wood board. You can grab basic staples from your grocery store or local gourmet store.
- 12-15 mini pretzel sticks
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 8 oz. yellow cheddar cheese
- 4 oz. prosciutto
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 4 oz. mozzarella cheese pearls
- 2/3 cup Kalamata olives
- 4 oz. salami slices
- 4 oz. white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup green grapes
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1 slice Havarti cheese
See the printable recipe card below for ingredients, nutrition information and detailed recipe notes. We have lots of Christmas tree charcuterie board ideas below, too!
Instructions
Here are the step-by-step instructions with photos to walk you through putting together a festive charcuterie board!
Prep your ingredients:
- Drain the mozzarella pearls on a paper towel lined plate.
- Cut the cheddar cheeses into 1/2 – 3/4 inch cubes and set aside.
- Use a 2-3 inch star cookie cutter to cut a star shape from the slice of Havarti cheese.
- Then, tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces and set aside.
- Remove the stems from the green grapes and wash and dry them if necessary.
Assemble Charcuterie Tree
- Now, at the bottom of a large rectangular platter or oval serving platter, group the pretzel sticks together vertically to form the Christmas tree trunk.
- Then, lay 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary horizontally directly above the pretzel sticks to create the bottom edge of the Christmas tree.
- Add a slightly shorter row of yellow cheddar cheese cubes above the rosemary. As you build the Christmas tree charcuterie board, each row will get a little shorter, creating the triangular tree shape.
- Next, arrange the prosciutto pieces in a row on top of the yellow cheese cubes.
- Now, place a row of fresh raspberries above the prosciutto.
- Next, add a row of drained mozzarella pearls.
- Now, add a row of Kalamata olives.
- Now, fold the salami slices in half and in half again. Add the folded salami in a layer above the olives.
- Now, add a row of white cheddar cheese cubes.
- Arrange the grapes in a row above the white cheese cubes.
- Now, use the pecan halves to form the top of the tree, angling them into a triangle.
- Place the cheese star at the top of the Christmas tree shape.
- Finally, tuck small sprigs of fresh rosemary in and around the tree to create the look of greenery. You can also use fresh dill or parsley.
Grab some tongs and cheese knives and serve your Christmas tree snack board immediately with an assortment of dips, jams, honey, bread and crackers.
Variations
This charcuterie Christmas tree recipe is SO flexible. You can use different meats, your favorite cheeses, nuts, fruits and vegetables to make the rows. Here are some different ingredients to build your tree shaped charcuterie:
- Cubed ham
- Sliced turkey rolled up and sliced
- Summer sausage or kielbasa cut into cubes
- Peppered salami
- Baby carrots
- Pepperjack cheese cubes
- Swiss cheese cubes
- Cauliflower florets
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Grape tomatoes
- Red grapes
- Strawberries
- Green olives
- Broccoli florets
- Black olives
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Chocolate covered blueberries or cherries
- Dark chocolate morsels/chips
- Cinnamon glazed pecan halves
- Rosemary roasted mixed nuts
- Roasted walnuts
- Dried fruit like apricots, golden raisins, cherries or cranberries
- Sprinkle pomegranate seeds to look like seasonal berries
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board FAQs
A savory charcuterie board is normally put together with various meats, cheeses, nuts, olives, pickles, spreads or dips and served with different kinds of crackers, chips, crisps and breads.
You can also make a dessert charcuterie board with various types of cookies, candies, sweets, chocolate, cupcakes, fruit and sweet dips and spreads.
Get creative! Large platters, food safe chargers, glass cutting boards and even a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper can be used to make a charcuterie board.
Simply put, a charcuterie tree is a variety of meat, cheese, nuts, olives, fruit and vegetables placed on a large platter or board in the shape of a Christmas tree!
We use pretzel sticks as the base of our charcuterie tree (the tree trunk), but you could also use a piece of pumpernickel bread, brown crackers or large pretzel rods to make the trunk of the tree.
Storage
Store the individual ingredients separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
More Christmas Appetizers
If you are looking for another adorable Christmas tree shaped appetizer, how about our Pinwheel Christmas Tree Appetizer? If you need a few sweet treats to nibble on before dinner or between cocktails, this Christmas Tree Cake Dip or this Christmas Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball are crowd pleasers.
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a review below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 12-15 pretzel sticks
- 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 8 oz yellow cheddar cheese
- 4 oz prosciutto
- 1 cup raspberries
- 4 oz mozzarella pearls
- ⅔ cup Kalamata olives
- 4 oz salami slices
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup green grapes
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 1 slice Havarti cheese
Instructions
Prep Your Ingredients
- Drain the mozzarella balls on a paper towel lined plate.Cut the cheddar cheeses into ½-¾ inch cubes and set aside.Use a 2-3 inch star cookie cutter to cut a star shape from the slice of havarti cheese.Then, tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces and set it aside. Remove the stems from grapes and wash and dry them if necessary.
Assemble Charcuterie Tree
- Now, on a large rectangular or oval serving platter, group the pretzel sticks together vertically in a pile to create the trunk of the Christmas tree.
- Then, lay 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary horizontally to create the bottom edge of the Christmas tree.
- Add a slightly smaller row of yellow cheddar cheese cubes above the rosemary. As you build the Christmas tree charcuterie board, each row will get a little shorter, creating the triangular tree shape.
- Next, arrange the prosciutto pieces in a row on top of the yellow cheddar cheese cubes.
- Now, place a row of raspberries above the prosciutto.
- Place the drained mozzarella pearls in a row above the prosciutto.
- Then, add a row of Kalamata olives.
- Now, fold the salami slices in half and in half again. Add the folded salami in a row above the olives.
- Add a row of white cheddar cheese cubes.
- Arrange the grapes in a row above the white cheese cubes.
- Now, use the pecan halves to form the top of the tree, angling them into a triangle.
- Place the cheese star at the top of the Christmas tree shape.
- Finally, tuck small sprigs of fresh rosemary in and around the tree to add the look of greenery.
- Serve the Christmas tree charcuterie board immediately with dips, jam, honey, bread and crackers.
Notes
- The number of ingredients and quantity of ingredients may vary depending on the size of your platter. Keep additional ingredients stored in the fridge and replenish them as necessary.
- This recipe is very flexible, so you can substitute your favorite cheeses, fruit, vegetables and olives when building the Christmas tree shape.
- If you make the board in advance, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. Add the pretzel sticks just before serving.
- We don’t recommend leaving the board out at room temperature for more than two hours.
- To store, disassemble the tree and store individual ingredients separately in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Kristyn says
So fun & delicious!! You have everything on there that my family loves!! Charcuterie boards are always a hit, especially these holiday ones!
Kristen says
This was so cute. I made a pumpkin instead of a tree for fall and everyone loved it.
Jen says
Turned out SO CUTE!! Everyone loved it!!