Christmas Charcuterie Board

A Christmas charcuterie board is a lot of fun. It also happens to be incredibly easy to make. You can buy everything pre-made, combining your favorite dips and spreads with meats, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. Or show off some of your homemade dishes and elevate it slightly with a more sophisticated and personal feel.

We pulled some existing Southern Living recipes, like Rosemary Browned Butter Pecans, homemade jam, and of course pimiento cheese to make this Christmas charcuterie board a little more Southern than the typical spread.

In short, you can really make a board like this with whatever ingredients you have on hand. We chose the ones we did because the flavors go well together, and they look pretty—and we all eat first with our eyes!

Learn how to build a Christmas charcuterie board, and get tips for making this the highlight of any holiday party.

Ingredients for Christmas Charcuterie Board

Everything about this charcuterie board screams holidays, but everything about it is also easily adaptable to personal preferences.

• Meat: Prosciutto and salami are great options because they're well loved and easy to work with for fun "decorations" on the board. You could also use capicola or soppressata.
• Cheese: Brie, goat, and pimiento cheeses are tremendous choices because they can be enjoyed with any number of other elements of this board. But if you like your cheese to have a little more funk, no one will stop you from using Stilton, sharp Cheddar, or an aged Gouda.
• Fruits and vegetables: We didn't use any vegetables on this board, but you could add radish rounds or quarters, bell pepper sticks, or miniature carrots for easy dipping. All will go beautifully with the olives, pomegranate arils, and grapes. Raspberries would be beautiful, too.
• Crunchy foods: You'll want something a little crispy and crunchy to go with the soft cheeses and tender meats. That's the roll of the pecans and crackers. Pick your favorite kinds. The more unique, the better, we say.
• Spreads: Pimiento cheese counts here, too, as does the refrigerator jam. Any jam or fruit butter would be delicious.
• Garnishes: Fill in the blank spaces with rosemary sprigs for that "Christmas tree" look.
  

How To Make a Christmas Charcuterie Board

You can arrange things in whatever pattern you want them to be arranged. We just recommend that you put down larger items, like bowls with dips and spreads, first so that you can make sure you have room for them.

Then, fill in with smaller things. And keep adding until the board is full. You want this to feel luscious and bountiful. If it looks a little thin, use a smaller board and compress the size of the wreath.

We also made flowers out of the prosciutto and folded the salami to look like fans, but it doesn’t matter how you put them on the board. If you don't have time, layering them is perfectly acceptable.

Can You Make a Charcuterie Board in Advance?

You can make the components ahead of time, but do not assemble until you’re ready to serve. A charcuterie board is best when it's freshly presented. 

Tips for the Best Christmas Charcuterie Board

Besides being a great way to feed a crowd, a charcuterie board is very forgiving. You can do just about anything you want and it will still look fantastic. The Test Kitchen pros share a few secrets to help you along the way.

• Create a shape. The bowl in the center of the platter helps you keep the shape of the wreath.  
• Fill in for dramatic effect. Arrange the rosemary sprigs on the inside and outside of the “wreath” for the green effect.
• Shrink the board size. If your charcuterie board is feeling a little thin, move it to a smaller board. Pressing in with all the ingredients will help it look more voluminous.

Variations

As mentioned, the best thing about a charcuterie board is that it's easy to mix and match the ingredients you like and the things you want to highlight. Here are a few of our favorite swaps:

• In place of pecans, you can make any seasoned nut mixes. Try Bourbon Candied Nuts.
• Change out the fig jam for a more savory spread, like Bacon Jam or the always-classic Pepper Jelly.
• You can turn this into a Christmas tree if you would prefer!