My Favorite Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas

I️’ve been making Christmas charcuterie boards for my family during the holidays for several years now, but this year has taken a unique turn, as I️ now have my own charcuterie business! I️ love a good charcuterie and cheeseboard any time of year, but there’s something extra fun about making a festive board for Christmas. I️ thought I️’d round up some of my favorite board ideas and ingredients, in case you’re looking for some inspiration to make your own board this holiday season!

My Charcuterie Board Formula

Quality ingredients are important, but one of the keys to a beautiful charcuterie board is the arrangement. To achieve the look I️’m going for, I️ follow a simple formula.

1 – Start with your cheeses. The number of cheeses you include will vary depending on how many people you’re serving and the size of your board. My rule of thumb is to always include a soft, semi-soft and hard cheese – and go from there, adding additional cheeses as needed. I️ always arrange my cheeses first before adding anything else.

2 – Add your charcuterie meats. Once I️’m happy with cheese placement, I️ will fill in with a few charcuterie meats. I️ typically choose 2-3 types for a variety. I️ like to get creative by making salami roses or a prosciutto ‘river’ across the board. I️ also try to arrange summer sausage or sopressata in a whimsical format.

3 – Arrange serving dishes. A great charcuterie board always includes accoutrements like jams, jellies, hummus, honey, mustards, etc. I️ like to use mini ramekins or jars on my board, filled with a few of these items. For my third step, I️ arrange these bowls/jars on the board before adding anything else.

4 – Fill in with fruits. After the main items have been added, I️ like to go back in and fill in empty spaces and keep the meats and cheeses from touching each other with fresh fruit. I️ always include grapes and berries, and seasonally, items like pomegranates, figs and persimmons.

5 – Add your garnish. Lastly, I️ like to top off my board with tiny, rich gems of flavor in the form of nuts, candies, and dried fruits. I️ also tend to include a few fresh-cut flowers to complete the look of my board!

My Favorite Christmas Charcuterie Board Ingredients

The best part about a holiday charcuterie board is getting creative with your color scheme! Here are some of my favorite Christmas charcuterie board ideas, by color:

Red

• Salami
• Prosciutto
• Sopressata
• Raspberries
• Cherries
• Strawberries
• Pomegranate
• Red Grapes
• Beet Crackers
• Sugared Cranberries
• Cranberry Goat Cheese
• Cranberry Stilton

Green

• Green Grapes
• Kiwi
• Pears
• Cucumber
• Olives
• Gherkins
• M&Ms or other green candies
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Kiwi Berries

White

• Manchego
• Brie (use a cookie cutter to make a holiday shape!)
• Aged Cheddar
• Humboldt Fog
• Dorothy’s Creamery Comeback Cow
• White Chocolate Covered Pretzels
• Vanilla or Peppermint Meringues
• St. Andre Triple Cream
• Jordan Almonds
• Sesame Seed Almonds
• Gruyere

Of course, the sky really is the limit when it comes to creating a Christmas charcuterie board! I️ love making each board with unique ingredients and playing around with a different arrangement of cheeses and meats. The great thing is, you can really customize a board according to your budget. I️ prefer to shop for my supplies at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, but you can also find some great budget-friendly items at Aldi and Lidl! If you make a board this holiday season using my tips, I️’d love to see them! Tag me on Instagram @brittanywboyce or Facebook @dreamsandcoffee 🙂

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