Christmas Charcuterie or Charcuter-tree Board? I’ll let you decide what to call this fun and simple holiday appetizer that can be thrown together for your next holiday party in no time at all!
My 5 minute Christmas Punch or sweet and salty Shortbread Christmas Crack would also make tasty additions to your holiday parties!
This Charcuterie Christmas Tree is the perfect festive treat!
This Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board is one of the easiest board to build! It’s simple, approachable, and makes for a lovely centerpiece at a holiday party!
This board sticks to the savory side, using fresh fruits, meats, and cheeses. Rosemary is used to help add to that “tree” look. This recipe is more of a starting point and you can always use your imagination to come up with some new and exciting additions to the board!
Why I love this Charcuterie Board Christmas Tree
- Healthy! I love all of the holiday pies and fudge as much as the next person! But sometimes I do feel the need for some healthy snacks to lighen the load that heads to my stomach!
- Easy To Assemble! All you have to do is layer the food in rows to resemble a Christmas Tree!
- Customizable! See an ingredient on the tree that you don’t like? Just swap it out for something you do enjoy! Kind of like exchanging a christmas gift you don’t necessarily like 😉
- Switch Up The Shape! You can easily turn this Christmas Tree into a Wreath!
- Make It Ahead! Arrange the cold ingredients on the board the night before and store it in the refrigerator! The next day when it’s time to serve just add on the pretzels!
Charcuterie Tree ingredients
This Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board doesn’t take any cooking or baking! Instead, all you have to do is simply grab the ingredients from your local grocery store!
Then just arrange them on a large rectangular platter or wooden cutting board and you’re done! To make this festive Charcuterie Board you’ll need:
- Cheeses – I used four types! Cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and colby cheese, all of which get cut into cubes. For the fourth cheese I used fresh mozzarella balls!
- Vegetables – Cherry tomatoes. If these aren’t your favorite you can easily swap them out for a different vegetable!
- Fruit – Green grapes and purple seedless grapes.
- Olives – I chose to use a combination of both green olives and black olives.
- Pretzels – These are arranged on the board to represent the trunk of the Christmas tree.
- Fresh Rosemary – Used for the branches of the tree!
After you’ve built your edible Christmas tree it’s time to enjoy it with crackers and/or chips! I enjoy serving this Charcuterie Board with club crackers, pita chips, whole wheat crackers, more pretzels, and some artisan crackers!
What Other Types Of Cheeses Do You Recommend Using On This Charcuterie Board?
- Havarti
- Swiss
- Monterey Jack
- Gouda
Just be sure to steer away from cheeses that are too crumbly. I find those types of cheese can be too difficult to serve in the tree!
How To Make A Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
- Arrange the pretzel sticks vertically at the bottom of a rectangular platter or wooden cutting board. This will create the trunk of the Christmas tree.
- Lay a row of fresh rosemary horizontally across the bottom of the board to establish the base of the tree.
- Place your ingredients in thin, shorter rows to create a triangle. Making sure to arrange them in a way that spreads the colors of the ingredients out evenly!
- Lay a row of pepperoni slices followed by a mixture of pepper jack and colby cheese.
- Add a row of black olives and then a row of green grapes.
- Place another row of rosemary to create branches throughout the tree.
- Add the salami and mozzarelle balls. To do so, fold the salami in half and then use the mozzerlla balls to prop the pepperoni slices up.
- Arrange a row of tomatoes and then a row of red grapes.
- Cut out a star from a slice of colby cheese and place it at the top of the tree. Place little springs of rosemary throughout the tree.
- Serve with club crackers, pretzels, or bread chips!
How to serve a Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Once you’ve prepared it, the work is done and it basically serves itself! But it’s much more enjoyable with a glass of Christmas Sangria in hand!
How to store Christmas Tree Charcuterie
To store your Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board wrap it tightly but carefully in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Enjoy it within 3 to 4 days!
You will want to remove the crackers and pretzels to store them in a Ziploc bag. This will prevent them from going stale or soggy.
How Long Can A Charcuterie Board Be Safely Left Out Of The Fridge?
It should not be left out any more than 2 hours at the maximum. However, if the environment is fairly warmer, I’d recommend putting it away after an hour and a half.
Christmas Tree Cheese Board FAQs
If you’re not a salami fan you can totally swap it out for pepperoni! You could also just tear up pieces of prosciutto and use that as well.
I wouldn’t recommend that substitution since it will make the board fairly messy with the tomato juices. If you can’t find cherry tomatoes try looking for grape tomatoes and then just cut those in half.
If you can’t find grape tomatoes you could use slices of red bell peppers or baby carrots. That way you can keep some color on the Christmas tree!
– Havarti
– Swiss
– Monterey Jack
– Gouda
Just be sure to steer away from cheeses that are too crumbly. I find those types of cheese can be too difficult to serve in the tree!
More Christmas Recipes from Sugar and Soul
Everyone will love this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board at holiday gatherings or even just having at home to snack on! If you’re feeling festive grab another Christmas recipe to share with friends and during the holiday season!
- Christmas Popcorn – Kettle corn popcorn gets covered in melted white chocolate, white cake mix powder, and then covered in sprinkles!
- No Bake Christmas Krispie Treats – The classic family treat gets dressed up for the holidays using Christmas colored sprinkles and candy!
- Easy Christmas Funfetti Bread – A quickbread that’s made with pantry staple ingredients is studded with holiday sprinkles!
- Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies – Perfect to decorate at home as a family or to bring to the holiday party to give the kids something festive to do, ready in under 30 minutes!
- Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes – Made with a boxed cake mix and then decorated like a Christmas tree!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Large round platter or wooden board
- Star-shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
- Fresh Rosemary
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese cubed
- 8 ounces pepper jack cheese cubed
- 8 ounces colby cheese cubed
- 8 ounces fresh mini mozzarella balls
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup black olives cured and pitted
- 1 cup green olives cured and pitted
- 4 ounces pepperoni sliced
- 4 ounces salami sliced
- 2 cups green and/or purple seedless grapes
- 1 slice colby jack cheese
- ¼ cup pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Use a large rectangular platter or wooden cutting board.
- Place your pretzels vertically at the bottom of the platter/board to create the trunk of the tree.
- Then lay a row of fresh rosemary horizontally across the bottom of the board to establish the base of your tree.
- After that, just begin placing your ingredients in thin, shorter rows to create a triangle.
- Make sure as you are assembling your tree to plan it out using a mix of colors!
- Continue by laying the pepperoni slices
- Then add a mixture of the pepper jack and colby cheeses
- Next, a row of black olives
- Then a row of green grapes.
- Next, lay another row of rosemary to create branches throughout the tree.
- Then, add your salami and mozzarella balls. This is important because you want to fold your salmi in half and use the mozzarella balls to prop the slices up.
- Add another row of rosemary, then place your cheddar cheese and green olives.
- Continue adding rows of rosemary throughout the assembly to create the look of tree branches.
- Lastly, add your tomatoes and red grapes
- Use a star shaped cookie cutter (or a paring knife) to cut out a star from a slice of colby cheese
- Place the star on top and add little springs of rosemary throughout and you’re all set!
- Serve with club crackers, pretzels or bread chips!
Notes
- How To Store: To store your Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board wrap it tightly but carefully in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Enjoy it within 3 to 4 days! You will want to remove the crackers and pretzels to store them in a Ziploc bag. This will prevent them from going stale or soggy.
- What Can I Use Instead Of Salami? If you’re not a salami fan you can totally swap it out for pepperoni! You could also just tear up pieces of prosciutto and use that as well.
- Can I Slice Up Large Tomatoes To Use In Place Of Cherry Tomatoes? I wouldn’t recommend that substitution since it will make the board fairly messy with the tomato juices. If you can’t find cherry tomatoes try looking for grape tomatoes and then just cut those in half. If you can’t find grape tomatoes you could use slices of red bell peppers or baby carrots. That way you can keep some color on the Christmas tree!
- How Long Can A Charcuterie Board Be Safely Left Out Of The Fridge? It should not be left out any more than 2 hours at the maximum. However, if the environment is fairly warmer, I’d recommend putting it away after an hour and a half.
- What Other Types Of Cheeses Do You Recommend Using On This Charcuterie Board? Be sure to steer away from cheeses that are too crumbly. I find those types of cheese can be too difficult to serve in the tree! Here are some that we do recommend:
- Havarti
- Swiss
- Monterey Jack
- Gouda
Nutrition
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