Very Merry Christmas Cheese Board

Celebrate the season with this very merry Christmas Cheese Board! In this post you’ll learn not only how to make a holiday cheese board, but how to make it for any size gathering and customize with the things you love.

about this christmas cheese (charcuterie) board

Technically this would be a charcuterie board, but when it was originally made, it was simply a cheese board.

However, with me and my obsession with charcuterie boards, I couldn’t leave it as just a cheese board. I needed to add in meats and additional extras to really round out this board and make it the centerpiece of any gathering.

The holidays are the perfect time to bust out a cheese board. It ends up being the ideal centerpiece for so many occasions, whether it’s a Christmas party or Christmas Day while the kids play with all their new toys under the tree.

The best part about a cheese board is that it is totally customizable. You can use the suggestions I make below, but you can also use whatever you like! It’s about pulling together a variety of flavors and textures that will have people coming back for more.

Note: This recipe and post is an updated version of the original posted on December 13, 2016.

what goes on a christmas charcuterie board?

A Christmas cheese board embodies the festive flavors of the holiday season! This board stands out as a unique addition to any holiday gathering with a ton of variety in flavors and textures. It’s not only a lovely way to highlight the flavors of the season, but also to feed a crowd without getting stuck making a complicated dish. You can use meats, cheeses, nuts, pickled vegetables, crackers, and seasonal fruits to fill up your board. If you prefer to make it vegetarian, you can easily omit any meats.

types of cheese for a christmas cheese board

Hard cheese. Opt for a range of hard cheeses. While I personally enjoy parmigiano reggiano, any robust hard cheese works wonders. Aged varieties, with their intensified flavors, are a reliable choice—pick the one that suits your taste buds!

Common cheese. You can use a gouda (smoked or aged is generally preferred), cheddar, or jack cheese for the board. Think of this one as a more basic type of cheese.

Soft cheese. For a luxurious touch, include a soft cheese like brie. I simply serve the wheel because it’s easy to cut into, but it’s also fun to decorate with pomegranate jewels and a slice of dried (or fresh) orange. Alternatively, goat cheese is a tasty substitute. I actually doubled up on the soft cheeses for this board with a slice of rich Humboldt Fog goat cheese. Another option is fresh mozzarella in any form!

Funky cheese. Introduce a touch of funk with a cheese like stilton, a milder blue cheese variant. Camembert or your preferred pungent cheese can also bring that distinctive flair to your board.

here’s what you’ll need

The ingredients for a cheese board can be whatever you want! Here’s what I suggest using:

Cheeses. 3 different types of cheese (at a minimum) are preferred for a cheese board. You can also bump that number up to 5 or 6.

Meats. Having variety is key, so have a few different types of cured meats for flavor and texture variation. Pick whatever intrigues you the most! You can even just buy a charcuterie pack from your local store which comes with all the meats already sliced. I also like to add in some crispy prosciutto!

Crackers. Pick up a variety crack box, or get more specific with your choses depending on what you like to eat. I used pretzel sticks from Trader Joes on this board for variation and they were a big hit! Perfect for wrapping slices of prosciutto around and dipping in fig jam. You could also use crunchy breadsticks.

Fruit. Make sure to use seasonal winter fruit. Clementines, cranberries (I recommend dried or roasted because raw is not so tasty), grapefruit, kiwi, kumquats, mandarins, orange, pears, persimmon, pomegranate tangerines, and quince are all in season right now.

Extras. Jams, honey (especially homemade hot honey!), compotes, and more for spreading on crackers. Crunchy elements like nuts (both savory and sweet) are great – I recommend marcona almonds, pistachios, almonds, cashews, or pecans.. Pickles like gherkins or pickled anything will do on this board! I even include slices of a chocolate orange for a little sweet element to break up the savory items. You could even add in a candy cane or two.

this recipe’s must haves

Instead of buying a custom charcuterie board to only break out on special occasions, use a large cutting board! I love this solution because it always looks great and you don’t have to find a place to store the board for the rest of the year (or until the next holiday gathering).

To prep all the elements, you will need a chef’s knife and cutting board.

here’s how to assemble a christmas charcuterie board

add bowls

Start with the biggest items first. This helps you work around those items and space them apart on the board so they aren’t all clumped together. You can fill bowls with jam, jelly, honey, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and more.

add meats

Next up are the different types of meats. Meats can be presented simply in a row of slices, but you can also get creative with it. Fold pieces in half and fan them out (like what I did with the salami). Bundle prosciutto into piles. You can even create a rose our of salami if you want to!

add cheeses

Before adding the cheeses, slice, crumble, or cut them into chunks as desired. You can serve things like brie in a wheel or blue cheese in a wedge. I personally like to slice up harder cheeses like gouda and parmesan because it’s easier for guests to serve themselves that way.

add fruit

Use the fruit to start filling in the bigger open areas. Rows of thinly sliced fruits are ideal to easily add to crackers with cheese.

add extras

Use the nuts, dried fruit, and other little extras to fill in any open spaces left on the board!

fill in where you need to

You might not have any holes left at this point, so you don’t need to worry about adding anything else the board. I always end up with a few little gaps which I fill with fresh herbs, dried slices of citrus or cinnamon sticks.

tips and ideas

prep ahead where you can. There are certain elements of this board that can be made ahead of time! You can slice cheese, make marinated mozzarella balls, make cranberry jam, and more. Store each element separately in the refrigerator to easily move to the board when it comes time to serve. Skip slicing any fruits that might turn brown when exposed to air like pear.

dried fruit for flavor variety. For more fruity flavor on the board, turn to dried fruits that aren’t in season right now. You can use dried bananas, dried apples, dried apricots, and even dried cherries.

aim for simple. Simple is always best. Don’t worry about going over the top! Not every type of meat or cheese has to be present. You can go crazy with it if you want to, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping things simple and easy.

More easy board ideas to try: Fall Charcuterie Board | Tailgating Snack Board | BBQ Charcuterie Board | Fruit Charcuterie Board

what fruits can you put on this board?

You might be surprised to learn that there are plenty of winter fruits to add to this festive board! I used pears, persimmons, oranges, and pomegranate jewels. I think that 4 different types of fruit is plenty for a board like this.

If you are looking for more ideas to add to the board, here is a list of fruit that’s also in season in the winter: clementines, cranberries (I recommend dried or roasted because raw is not so tasty), grapefruit, kiwi, kumquats, mandarins, tangerines, and quince.

how long can this board sit out?

Here’s a tip for your Christmas cheese board: Make sure to serve any board featuring meats and cheeses at room temperature.

However, keep in mind that there’s a time limit to keep in mind. Don’t let it linger for more than 2 hours in total. If the clock ticks past that mark, package up the remaining meats and cheeses separately to store in the refrigerator.

how do I decorate a holiday charcuterie board?

I love to use seasonal elements to decorate a charcuterie board, no matter what time of year it may be. For winter, that means some fresh hearty herbs like rosemary sprigs. I also like to add in dried wheels of citrus (lime, lemon, and orange) to add a fun element to the board. Plus if you are picking up a bag of the dried citrus slices, you can use some to decorate the board and the rest to garnish festive holiday drinks.

how much should I plan on per person?

This board serves about 4 to 6 (4 as a meal, 6 to 8 as an appetizer). Whether you’re feeding a small crew or hosting a larger gathering, here’s the lowdown on portions for your Christmas cheese board:

Plan around 3 ounces of meat and cheese per person if it’s a pre-dinner nibble.

But, if your cheese extravaganza is the main event, amp it up to 6 ounces of meat and cheese per person.

Of course, these amounts don’t factor in the extras—just let your intuition guide you on the fruits and other tasty additions. For a more precise breakdown based on your guest count, check out the instructions below.

Need more inspiration for appetizers? Check out my appetizer recipe page!

what to serve with a Christmas charcuterie board

When you make a Christmas charcuterie board, there’s really no need to make another appetizer. The variety of cheeses, meats, crackers, fruits, and other snacks give you enough to choose from! I personally love a meal that’s all about grazing, so you can turn this into a lunch or dinner if you so choose.

If you want to serve a little something extra to make the season a little more merry, make a festive cocktail! Christmas sangria is my most popular cocktail on the site and easily serves a crowd. Or try a festive batch of Christmas punch!

For those of you who love to take advantage of the fruits of the season, whip up a pomegranate margarita, Christmas margarita, or a cranberry orange moscow mule!

more tasty holiday favorites

Add a gooey baked cheese to this holiday cheese board with easy baked camembert topped with cranberries and walnuts.

Bite-sized bacon wrapped dates are always a hit for any holiday gathering!

Need a sweet treat? Nothing beats a holiday classic like snowball cookies!

Toast to the season with a cranberry margarita.

Make Christmas morning even more special with this breakfast charcuterie board!

Finally, if you make this christmas charcuterie board, please be sure to give this recipe a rating and/or leave a comment! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment.

Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!

Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!