Elevate the moment with a gorgeous holiday charcuterie board. This simple yet elegant holiday charcuterie board idea is easy to assemble and will have your guests coming back for more.

We love charcuterie boards during the holidays, like our Thanksgiving charcuterie board. They’re perfect for easy entertaining when hosting guests, and you can decorate them to fit any holiday celebration.

Ingredients for building a holiday charcuterie board

When building a charcuterie board for the holiday season, I like to start with a good base of the following:

3-4 slices of meat per person – variety of flavors and textures
1-2 oz. of cheese per person – variety of flavors and textures
Seasonal fruits, both fresh and dried
Crackers, nuts, seeds, or bread to fill

From there, you can add in additional seasonal flair. For example, for this Christmas holiday charcuterie board, I added in extras like chocolate covered pretzels and seasonal cheese like a cranberry sharp cheddar.

How to build a holiday charcuterie board

Start by selecting the right board for your spread. You can use large cutting boards, slate boards, or large marble or ceramic platters.
Once you know how many guests you’ll have, you can begin choosing your meat and cheese. Plan for 3-4 slices of meat per person, and 1-2 oz. of cheese per person. Choose a variety of flavors and textures with both the meat and cheese – from mild to robust. Arrange the meat and cheese on the platter, leaving space to fill in with your other ingredients.
Once you have your meat and cheese on the platter, begin filling in the open spaces with the fruit, crackers, nuts, bread, and seasonal extras. For a holiday charcuterie board, cranberries, candied nuts, chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels, seasonal marshmallows, caramels, or peppermints would be a good choice.
Finish your board off with seasonal touches, like adding in fresh pine around your board, or small twinkle lights. Give it that holiday flair!

A round wooden holiday charcuterie board covered with various meats, cheese, crackers, and sweets, surrounded by holiday greenery

FAQs

What is a charcuterie board?

Also more casually referred to as a meat and cheese board, a charcuterie board, (pronounced shahr-cute-uh-ree), is essentially an assortment of cured meats that are paired with various accompaniments such as cheese, fruit, bread, crackers, and sauces. There’s no right or wrong way to create a charcuterie board, but we’ll talk about some tips below to help you create your own masterpiece.

Tips for building a beautiful holiday charcuterie board

Create a balance between flavors and textures. You can achieve this by having a mix of hard and soft cheeses, sweet snacks and spicy spreads, and fresh fruit with salty nuts. These are just a few examples to help get you started.
With it being a holiday charcuterie board, add in extra holiday pieces like chocolate covered pretzels, candied nuts, and cranberry sauce.
Strike a balance with color if you can. Mix colorful fruit with neutral pieces like slices of bread and crackers.
Add in seasonal garnishes around your board such as greens, sugared cranberries, or sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Additionally, you can find great wooden boards to use as the foundation for your charcuterie board at places like Home Goods or World Market. During the holiday season is a great place to find a wide selection of boards.

How much food should I buy for my holiday charcuterie board?

Keep in mind that your charcuterie board should most likely be a small plate appetizer for your guests. Plan for around 3-4 slices of meat per person and about 1-2 ounces of cheese per person. From there, you can add in fillers such as bread, crackers, nuts, fruit, and other accompaniments to help fill your guests’ appetite.

a woman picking up a piece of white cheddar cheese from a holiday charcuterie board

What cheese goes with charcuterie?

Serving a variety of cheeses with your charcuterie board is ideal. A mix of soft, semi-hard, and hard cheese will pair best with your various cured meats. In addition to texture, be mindful of pairing mild and strong flavored cheese as well.

For your charcuterie board, this is a great time to grab specialty cheese that is around just for the holiday. Aldi is a great place to find seasonal cheese. On this holiday charcuterie board pictured, there are specialty cheeses such as champagne cheddar, white cranberry cheddar, and cranberry cinnamon goat cheese, just to name a few.

Recommended resources for building a charcuterie board

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Finish off your holiday menu with these holiday recipes!

Coffee Rub Prime Rib – a holiday centerpiece favorite!
Creamed Spinach – pairs perfectly with prime rib
Cranberry Mimosa – your guests will love this gorgeous holiday cocktail
Red Velvet Cake with Butter Roux Frosting – dazzle your guests with this classic Waldorf Astoria red velvet cake

Holiday Charcuterie Board

Yield: varies

Elevate the moment with a gorgeous holiday charcuterie board. This simple yet elegant holiday charcuterie board is easy to assemble and will have your guests coming back for more.

Ingredients

3-4 slices of meat per person – variety of flavors and textures
1-2 oz. of cheese per person – variety of flavors and textures
Seasonal fruits, both fresh and dried
Crackers, nuts, seeds, or bread to fill
Seasonal extras like jams, sauces, chocolate, marshmallows, etc.

Instructions

Start by selecting the right board for your spread. You can use large cutting boards, slate boards, or large marble or ceramic platters.
Once you know how many guests you’ll have, you can begin choosing your meat and cheese. Plan for 3-4 slices of meat per person, and 1-2 oz. of cheese per person. Choose a variety of flavors and textures with both the meat and cheese - from mild to robust. Arrange the meat and cheese on the platter, leaving space to fill in with your other ingredients.
Once you have your meat and cheese on the platter, begin filling in the open spaces with the fruit, crackers, nuts, bread, and seasonal extras. For a holiday charcuterie board, cranberries, candied nuts, chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels, seasonal marshmallows, caramels, or peppermints would be a good choice.
Finish your board off with seasonal touches, like adding in fresh pine around your board, or small twinkle lights. Give it that holiday flair!

Notes

Create a balance between flavors and textures. You can achieve this by having a mix of hard and soft cheeses, sweet snacks and spicy spreads, and fresh fruit with salty nuts. These are just a few examples to help get you started.
With it being a holiday charcuterie board, add in extra holiday pieces like chocolate covered pretzels, candied nuts, and cranberry sauce.
Strike a balance with color if you can. Mix colorful fruit with neutral pieces like slices of bread and crackers.
Add in seasonal garnishes around your board such as greens, sugared cranberries, or sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Additionally, you can find great wooden boards to use as the foundation for your charcuterie board at places like Home Goods or World Market. During the holiday season is a great place to find a wide selection of boards.

Jennifer

Jennifer is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Wanderlust and Wellness since 2016. She creates easy, approachable gluten-free recipes for the everyday home cook; because cooking gluten-free doesn’t mean food has to be complicated or tasteless.

Ingredients for building a holiday charcuterie board

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