This is the EASIEST Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board! Make this simple and festive holiday charcuterie board for your upcoming holiday party.

I have to tell y’all, I was way before my time with this festive Christmas charcuterie board! The first photograph evidence of me making a charcuterie board in a tree shape was over 10 years ago for a Christmas party.

a photo of christmas tree charcuterie

This is WAY before I offered charcuterie as a service during the pandemic and taught folks how to make a good traditional charcuterie board here in on the blog!

This festive charcuterie board is perfect for holiday gatherings. I love to make it on Christmas Eve, which is usually a pretty casual gathering for us, full of wine and finger foods!

I love serving this Christmas charcuterie board with a Mistletoe Margarita and a few other appetizers like these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts and Candied Bacon Baked Brie!

a photo of christmas charcuterie with a cheese star

But this is the perfect party platter for anytime during the holiday season! And the best part? Literally ANYONE can make this Christmas tree board! My 8-year-old son can make it without a lot of help.

Holiday Board Substitutions:

  • Use your favorite crackers, any shape will work!
  • Instead of cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers, substitute baby carrots, dried fruit (I like apricots), or seasonal fruits. I love using fresh fruits, especially colorful berries!
  • Use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand instead of the fresh rosemary or thyme
  • Instead of green grapes, use green olives
  • You can absolutely use your favorite meats instead of salami. Prosciutto folds nicely as well.
  • Substitute a sliced goat cheese log for any of the ingredient rows
  • Substitute your favorite hard cheese for the pepper jack and cheddar cheese cubes. You can cut up a block of blue cheese, aged white cheddar or smoked gouda. There are so many delicious cheeses

I would NOT recommend using soft cheeses because they do best when sliced right before serving. Harder cheeses are better for this beautiful board!

a photo of hands folding a piece of salami

Board Addition Ideas:

Have fun with it! You can surround your charcuterie tree with with candy canes. Or, stud wrapped Hershey’s kisses throughout the tree to make ornaments!

a photo of a christmas charcuterie board

Alternative Shapes:

You can absolutely experiment with different shapes than the shape of a Christmas tree! Stars are super cute!

You can also make a Christmas Charcuterie Wreath by arranging the ingredients in a circle and surrounding them with rosemary sprigs.

a photo of a christmas tree charcuterie board

Where To Find Affordable Charcuterie Ingredients:

My favorite places to find affordable charcuterie ingredients are Aldi and Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have access to either of those, I think Wal-Mart is a good alternative too for basic items like we have on this board.

How Long Can Charcuterie Stay at Room Temperature?

Charcuterie items can stay at room temperature for about 3 hours, at which point you will need to throw any leftovers away.

a photo of a christmas tree charcuterie board

Recipe Equipment:

You will need a large board for this charcuterie tree. The board I used was approximately 11.5 inches by 15 inches. You will also need a star shaped cookie cutter.

Even if you don’t make this charcuterie board, I hope that you find the perfect holiday appetizer for the Christmas season! You can find all of my other holiday appetizer recipes here.

a photo of christmas charcuterie on a wooden board

The Easiest Christmas Charcuterie Board

Yield: Serves 2-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This is the EASIEST Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board! Make this simple and festive holiday charcuterie board for your upcoming holiday party.

Ingredients

  • 1 slice of colby jack cheese
  • 1 bunch green grapes
  • 8-12 round crackers
  • 3 ounces dry salami
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese cubes
  • 6 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 6 ounces pepper jack cheese cubes
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced into rounds
  • 10 mini pretzel sticks
  • Sprigs of fresh thyme or fresh rosemary

Instructions

  1. First, make your tree topper. Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut a star shape out of the slice of Colby jack cheese. Place the star at the top of a wooden cutting board.
  2. Beneath the star, add the green grapes.
  3. Beneath the grapes, place the crackers in an angled row.
  4. Fold each piece of salami into quarters, then place in a row behind the crackers.
  5. Add cheddar cheese cubes underneath the crackers. The row should be slightly longer than the crackers to start creating the shape of the tree.
  6. Add the cherry tomatoes as the next layer, again, making a slightly longer row.
  7. Next, add the pepper jack cheese cubes, then the cranberries and cucumbers.
  8. Then, add the pretzel sticks to form the trunk of the tree.
  9. Finally, lay the fresh herb sprigs in between some of the rows to mimic tree branches.

Notes

Serve extra crackers in a bowl on the side.

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled for larger crowds. You can use a larger cutting board, or put it directly on a counter lined with parchment paper.

Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 782Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 93mgSodium 1811mgCarbohydrates 86gFiber 5gSugar 19gProtein 31g

The nutrition for this recipe is calculated by an app and may be incorrect.

Did you make this recipe?

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