This Christmas Charcuterie Board has a red, white, and green theme for a festive spread! Follow the step-by-step instructions to learn exactly how to put it together to create a beautiful board for your holiday events.
A Red, White, and Green Christmas Charcuterie Board!
My Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board has been such a successful post year after year, and it’s one of my favorites of all time on the blog!
I dreamed up this holiday charcuterie board ingredient by ingredient until I had a red, white, and green theme going. We eat with our eyes, so the festive colors of this Christmas Charcuterie Board bring out the merry in us all.
Call it an abundance board, a charcuterie board, or a grazing board – it’s perfect to set out at a holiday gathering and enjoy all day. After you finish reading this tutorial, you’ll be able to create it yourself to take to a holiday party or set out for nibbling on Christmas Eve.
If you have leftovers that didn’t fit on your board, you can serve them on Christmas Day.
I’m sure you guys have some ideas for even more ingredients you could add!
The key to a beautiful cheese board is to fill in all the spaces so it looks plentiful and abundant!
Once again I made this step by step so you could see how everything comes together. It’s really quite easy!
I followed the simple technique of anchoring with the cheeses and cured meats, following with fruit and crackers, and ending with the smaller pieces like nuts and herbs. You could even assemble it in a tree shape if you’d like.
Once you get the hang of the technique, you’ll be able to design your own boards using whatever ingredients you choose.
Christmas Charcuterie Board Ingredient List
Cheeses
I used the same trio as last time: a triple cream brie, a sharp cheddar, and a firm manchego.
I think it’s always great to have one to serve with preserves (a goat cheese log rolled in rosemary would also be especially festive!), one to cube, and one to slice.
Come to think of it – the manchego could have been dressed as little Christmas trees if I’d turned the triangles 90 degrees!
Meats
A trio of Spanish meats will give you some variety. I could have used two of these because the meats go fast!
Look for one that has two different shapes – long prosciutto and little salami rounds.
Fruit
Fresh fruit, thinly sliced, and dried fruit.
Pomegranates are especially festive, as do plump dried cranberries or cherries.
Green pear, red apple, either kind of grapes, berries – stay in your color theme and there are tons of options!
Vegetables + Dip
I added red and green peppers and cucumbers to my board plus a vibrant green vegan kale pesto for dipping. A white herby ranch or cream cheese-based dip would be great too!
Crackers
The little red beet crackers were perfect for my theme! I also love the little toast-shaped crackers for the holidays. Regular white-ish crackers will do too.
I skipped the yellow cheese straws for this year.
Nuts + Olives + Decor
You can’t have a cheese board without truffle almonds!
A tin of holiday nuts would serve you well here – smoked almonds, cashews, candied pecans, etc.
I tucked sprigs of rosemary from my garden and used a fig spread to decorate the brie.
Something Sweet
I think for a holiday board a little sweetness really rings true to the season. While dark chocolate almonds would have been nice, they didn’t fit my color scheme!
So instead I used peppermint meringues from Trader Joe’s! Little perfect clouds of seasonal surprises on top added the perfect festive touch.
Graham crackers or Christmas cookies would be a nice touch too.
Your Shopping List
Many of these can be found at Trader Joe’s. Otherwise look for similar products at other grocery stores.
- Block of sharp white cheddar
- Triple Cream Brie
- Block of aged manchego
- Package of charcuterie meats
- Fig & Olive crisp crackers
- Box of assorted crackers
- Red beet crackers
- Truffle or smoked almonds
- Green olives
- Red and green bell peppers
- Cucumber
- Pesto for dipping
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate
- Red grapes
- Green pear
- Dried cranberries or cherries
- Dried Fuji apples
- Peppermint Meringues
- Fig preserves
- Fresh rosemary
The Video!
How To Assemble Your Christmas Charcuterie Board
First step: Prep your ingredients on a separate cutting board
- Unbox crackers
- Keep the brie whole
- Cube the cheddar
- Slice the manchego in triangles and stack vertically. Once you have a tower, you can turn on its side to be seen as zig zags on the board.
- Roll the longer meats into cigars
- Fold circle meats into “flowers” by folding in half and folding in half again
- Wash and slice fruits and vegetables into thin slices or strips
- Pour vegetable dip into a little bowl
Second step: Arrange cheeses evenly across the board.
Third step: Add meats in curved line around cheeses, arranging the longer rolls as vertical as possible
Fourth step: Arrange bowls of dip and olives
Fifth step: Add fruits and vegetables all around board
Sixth step: Decorate with crackers in stacks and rows
Seventh step: Fill in edges and holes with nuts, dried fruit and herbs
Eighth step: Add preserves to brie and meringues on top!
If you’re taking your board outside or need a germ-safe way to share this, consider mini to-go containers like this Picnic Charcuterie Board.
Just divide up and pack everything inside of a holiday themed to go box or holiday tin and enjoy one per family.
Leave a cheese board on your friends’ doorsteps instead of cookies this year!
Charcuterie Board Making Tips
Use a separate board for prep as for serving
When you cut your cheeses, fruits, and fold meats, you’ll get the board dirty so keep one for prep and one for serving.
How to cut triangle cheese for a charcuterie stack
Turn the manchego on its side and slice into triangles. Then stack them vertically. Once you have a tower, you can turn on its side to be seen as zig zags on the board.
How to fold and roll meats
- Roll oval meats into cigars
- Fold circular meats into “flowers”
Board Size
If you don’t have a large enough board, you can put two smaller cutting boards together or use a large tray or platter.
Taking The Board To A Party
If you need to transport board after assembly, you can use the knives to keep plastic wrap from smushing the board. And you can put the whole board inside of a large tray with sides to prevent it from shifting in the car. A large shallow box would work too.
Use bowls for spreads
If you’d like to add a dip like a beet hummus, use a small bowl and put it down early with the cheeses.
Christmas Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- Block of sharp white cheddar
- Triple Cream Brie
- Block of aged manchego
- Package of charcuterie meats
- Fig & Olive crisp crackers
- Box of assorted crackers
- Red beet crackers
- Truffle or smoked almonds
- Green olives
- Red and green bell peppers
- Cucumber
- Pesto for dipping
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate
- Red grapes
- Green pear
- Dried cranberries or cherries
- Dried Fuji apples
- Peppermint Meringues
- Fig preserves
- Fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients on a separate cutting board. Unbox crackers. Cube the cheddar. Slice the manchego in triangles and stack vertically. Once you have a tower, you can turn on its side to be seen as zig zags on the board. Roll the longer meats into cigars. Fold circle meats into “flowers” by folding in half and folding in half again. Wash and slice fruits and vegetables into thin slices or strips. Pour vegetable dip into a little bowl
- Arrange cheeses evenly across the board.
- Add meats in curved line around cheeses, arranging the longer rolls as vertical as possible
- Arrange bowls of dip and olives
- Add fruits and vegetables all around board
- Decorate with crackers in stacks and rows
- Fill in edges and holes with nuts, dried fruit and herbs
- Top brie with preserves and meringues on top!
MORE PARTY IDEAS:
More Charcuterie Board Ideas:
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- Picnic Charcuterie Board
-
- Kids Charcuterie Board
Susan Dewhirst says
Fun! My 14 year old has been wanting to do something just like this. How do you suggest eating the pomegranate seeds when served this way? They stain so easily.
Kath Younger says
I considered the POM quarters to be decoration, but I took the other half and removed the seeds so they are sprinkled around. Birch eats them and they don’t stain his fingers (but I don’t know if he even knows how to squeeze them!)
Kelly says
Can you share how large your board is please?
Kath Younger says
Good question – it’s 19″ by 14″
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
The board looks amazing, Kath! Thanks for the tips! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Ani says
This is absolutely stunning!
Kath Younger says
Thank you!
Laura says
Love this! I hope you’ll keep the charcuterie board series going! The video and shopping list are my favorite part. You really have an eye for this!
C L says
I hope this year everyone is making this petite sized for household only gatherings and not having big xmas parties. Can’t wait to return to big gatherings in 2021.
Jessica says
I completely agree!
I also wonder how a charcuterie board like this looks as the party progresses. Would making two or three smaller boards keep them tidier as people dismantle them?
Ann Duncan says
I made your Thanksgiving board and it was a big hit! I think I’ll make this one too. Thank you for the clear shopping list and directions. Everything looks so pretty and delicious!
Kath Younger says
Yay!
Lauren says
The Christmas board was a big hit for our church party! Thank you for the step by step instructions. That really helped a lot! It turned out beautiful!
Kath Younger says
Yay so glad!