There’s no better way to impress Christmas dinner guests than with an edible Christmas tree charcuterie board, adorned with red and green meats, cheeses, veggies, and more!
While I’ll show you how to make the Christmas charcuterie board pictured, you can also easily customize it to include everything you and your family and friends love! I have a full list of red and green charcuterie components that you can include on your board. The decorating is the easy part. Start from the bottom of the board as the longest layer, and work your way up to the top of the tree. There’s no need for special equipment; you’ll just need a big cutting board and some toothpicks to make the prettiest piece of Christmas food art!
Make it ahead and pop it in the fridge for a relaxed and stress-free Christmas dinner. And did I mention, red wine is a perfect accompaniment to this red and green charcuterie thing? Wink.
Finish the feast with some beautiful Red Velvet Cookies that take 30 minutes to make…YES PLEASE.
Table of Contents
What You Need to Make a Christmas Charcuterie Board
While you can use whatever red and green charcuterie snacks you’d like, here’s what I use to build my Christmas charcuterTREE. I like to add some white elements for contrast too!
- Sliced salami of choice – reddish pink salami is not only delicious but beautiful! Try using regular genoa salami, peppered salami, or calabrese which is a bit spicy.
- Cheese block of choice – I like using sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you like (pecorino, jack, Parmigiano-Reggiano, etc.).
- Cherry or grape tomatoes – like Christmas ornaments, tomatoes are perfect on a Christmas charcuterie board! On the vine tomatoes look even cooler.
- Ciliegine fresh mozzarella balls – ciliegine fresh mozzarella are bite-sized and look like ornaments, too! Drizzle them with pesto on the board for an extra festive touch.
- Green olives of choice – I love Castelvetrano or Frescatrano green olives. They’re mild and crowd pleasing. You can even make Citrus Marinated Olives if you’re an olive lover like me.
- Peppadew peppers – peppadew peppers are bright red, marinated, sweet piquanté peppers. You can usually find them in the charcuterie section of the grocery store.
- Salted, shelled pistachios – pistachios are green, buttery and delish!
- Fine Garlic & Herbs Boursin – this is NOT an ad for Boursin cheese. Boursin is a super accessible, spreadable Gournay cheese round that comes in a fun foil package that makes a great (and yummy) star for our tree!
- Rosemary sprigs – rosemary sprigs make your Christmas tree come to life!
- Crostini or crackers – crostini or crackers are the perfect tree trunk. Make Homemade Crostini for an extra special touch.
- Coarse salt – coarse salt sprinkled around the board looks like snow.
- Optional sauces or dips to serve – like pesto or red pepper hummus, not only are sauces and dips a tasty addition, they can serve as pops of green and red too!
How to Make A Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!
- Salami.
Arrange 3-5 slices of salami, each folded, on toothpicks. Place the decorated toothpicks in a row along the bottom of the cutting board, moving from left to right. Repeat until the row is filled with these decorative toothpicks!
- Cheese.
Form a layer of cheese chunks just above the salami, making it slightly shorter.
- Tomatoes.
Place a layer of cherry tomatoes (preferably on the vine) above the cheese chunks, slightly shorter in length.
- Mozzarella.
Above the cherry tomatoes, arrange mozzarella balls in a slightly shorter layer.
- Olives.
Time for olives! Create a layer above the mozzarella balls that is slightly shorter.
- Peppers.
Add a couple of peppadew peppers in a layer that’s slightly shorter than the olives.
- Nuts.
Add a handful of pistachios above the peppadews.
- Star.
Top the pistachios by crowning your charcuterTREE with a Boursin star. Unbox the Boursin, discard the top foil, but keep it in the outer foil wrapper. Crimp the foil wrapper’s edges to mimic a star, and place it at the top of the tree!
- Trunk.
Make a tree trunk by arranging 4-6 crackers or crostini in a rectangular at the tree’s base.
- Garnish.
Lay rosemary sprigs around the parameter of the charcuterTREE.
- Snow.
Sprinkle the board itself (not the charcuterTREE) with coarse salt, like snow!
- Serve.
Serve with sauces or dips, and little bowls of more meats, cheeses, crostini, etc. if you’d like!
Pro Tips
- If you choose to add different elements to your charcuterie board, I recommend including a relatively equal amount of red and green components for the most impressive tree! Also include flavors that vary in texture and taste.
- A large cutting board is key for a large group of people; if your crew is smaller, you can use a smaller board and reduce the amount of ingredients listed.
- Try to create layers that are equal thickness to create the most visually appealing board.
- Each layer should be slightly shorter, left to right, than the layer below it.
- Rosemary mimics the branches of a Christmas tree so well; it also adds a fragrant aroma that’s perfection!
- Some sections of the board will be bigger than others; I recommend placing small bowls of extra ingredients (crostini/crackers, nuts, etc.) so guests aren’t limited to what’s on the board. Include dipping sauces and spreads as well!
Video: Watch How to Make a Christmas Charcuterie Board
Are you a visual person? Me too! Watch the step-by-step video to help you build your charcuterTREE!
Substitutions and Variations
Not a fan of one or more elements of this Christmas charcuterie board? Not a problem! Here are some other red and green components to help you build your dream charcuterie Christmas tree:
Other Red Charcuterie Ideas
- Red grapes
- Red apple slices
- Strawberries, raspberries, Bing cherries, or pomegranate seeds
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Roasted red pepper hummus
- Radishes
- Pickled onion
- Radicchio leaves
- Bacon jam
- Cranberry sauce
Other Green Charcuterie Ideas
- Green grapes
- Green apple slices
- Cornichon pickles
- Other herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, or basil
- Edamame
- Endive leaves
- Pesto
- Green goddess dressing
- Spinach and artichoke dip
- Avocado Salsa
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The board I use is 18”x12”. Use a similar sized, large cutting board to use the below amounts of each ingredient. If the cutting board is smaller or larger, adjust the quantities accordingly.
The board in the photos can be made up to 2 days in advance, covered and refrigerated, however it’s best to assemble the board same-day for best results. If you use other ingredients on the board, some may need to be made/assembled more last minute.
Store leftover charcuterie in airtight containers, in the fridge if perishable, for 2 or more days depending on what is leftover. For example, fresh mozzarella only lasts 2 days whereas leftover nuts will last for weeks/months!
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love!
- Red Velvet Cookies (Using Cake Mix!)
- BEST Christmas Crack (With Chocolate Ganache!)
- Soft M&M Cookies (Easy 45-Minute Recipe!)
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Large cutting board (I use a 18”x12” board for the below quantities)
- 5-6 toothpicks
Ingredients
- ¾ pound sliced salami of choice
- ½ pound cheese block of choice, cut into bite-sized chunks
- ½ pound cherry or grape tomatoes, on the vine if possible
- ¼ pound ciliegine-sized fresh mozzarella balls, drained
- 6-8 green olives of choice, like Castelvetrano or Frescatrano olives
- 3-4 peppadew peppers, drained
- ¼ cup salted, shelled pistachios
- 1 Fine Garlic & Herbs Boursin (Gournay) cheese round
- 8-10 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 4-6 crostini or crackers, plus more for serving
- Coarse salt, to garnish
- Optional sauces or dips to serve, like pesto or red pepper hummus
Instructions
- I use a 18”x12” board for these quantities; adjust quantities if needed, depending on the size of your board! Add 3-5 slices of salami, each folded in half, on a toothpick. Lay each decorated toothpick on the bottom of the cutting board, from left to right. Repeat until there is no space on the cutting board to add another decorated toothpick!
- Create a slightly shorter layer of cheese chunks, right above the salami.
- Add a slightly shorter layer of cherry tomatoes (left on the vine if possible), above the cheese chunks.
- Then add the mozzarella balls in a slightly shorter layer, above the cherry tomatoes.
- Now it’s time for the olives. Add a layer that’s slightly shorter, above the mozzarella balls.
- Add a couple of peppadew peppers above the olives, in a slightly shorter layer.
- Add a handful of pistachios above the peppadews.
- On top of the pistachios, crown your charcuterie Christmas tree with a Boursin star. Take the Boursin out of the box. Remove the top foil, leaving the Boursin in its outer foil wrapper. Crimp the edges of the foil wrapper to replicate a star. Place at the top of the tree!
- Create a tree trunk by laying 4-6 crackers or crostini at the base of the tree in a rectangle.
- Lay rosemary sprigs around the parameter of the charcuterTREE.
- Sprinkle the board itself (not the charcuterTREE) with coarse salt, like snow!
- Serve with sauces or dips, and other little bowls of more meats, cheeses, crostini, etc. if desired.
Video
Notes
- The size of the cutting board determines how much you’ll need of each ingredient. If the cutting board is smaller or larger than the one I use (18”x12”), then you will need less or more ingredients!
- Other red and green variations on this Christmas charcuterie board are listed in my blog post!
- Feel free to serve more of each ingredient in separate bowls next to the tree.
- This is NOT an ad for Boursin cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
