21 Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas for Fun Platters in 2024

Christmas charcuterie board ideas involve a variety of colorful produce, proteins and other festive items that welcome the Winter festivities. There are traditional layouts as well as more modern takes this major religious holiday. 

Traditions are fun and important for any family or friend group — especially in this modern and innovative age. According to an article in Current Issues in Comparative Education, all about microenvironments, “fundamental to them all was found to be the underlying (desired, even if not always fully realized) cultural values, as also significantly reflected in local religious beliefs.” So, try to blend a little tradition with some updated treats for your Christmas charcuterie board ideas. Our list will help you with this! 

Christmas charcuterie board ideas are traditions that involve Christmas party food along with some DIY Christmas decorations — a delightfully delectable way to begin the season! 

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• Simple Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas
• Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas for Two
• Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas for Adults
• Christmas Charcuterie Cups Ideas

Simple Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas

1. Christmas Classics

What should I put on a Christmas charcuterie board? There are classic Christmas foods such as cinnamon rolls and popovers and figgy pudding. Then there are Christmas traditions that involve peanut brittle, spiced nuts or hanging strings of cranberries and popcorn. Why not combine these food items for some traditionally special Christmas charcuterie board ideas.

2. Vegetarian

If you're okay with cheese and eggs, but you want to forego the meat, you can slice hard-boiled eggs and pair them with tomato and lettuce for Christmas colors. Go full veggie and find an array of meat-free edibles like fake mortadella, chorizo and salami. Also, look for cheeses that use whey instead of rennet like mozzarella, paneer, ricotta, and cream cheese. Then there are the vegetarian charcuterie classics like fruits, vegetables, nuts, jams, chutneys, mustards, pickles, olives and, of course, loads of crackers and breads. Spread these all out in the shape of a Christmas tree and you have your Xmas flare. 

3. Candy Tree

Form a tree out of a variety of colorful candies such as peppermint bark, candy canes, green “watermelon slices” candy, Reece's Pieces to represent ornaments, mini marshmallows and candy raspberries as popcorn and cranberry strings. These are the ultimate types of party food.

4. Christmas Colors

What do you put on a cheese platter for Christmas? Fruit makes a refreshing start for all Christmas charcuterie board ideas. Work with strawberries, grapes of either red or green, kiwi slices and mozzarella cheese curds or chunks of other white cheeses.

5. Apple Picking

Turn the fruits of your apple-picking labors into a delightful Christmas snack with slices of golden delicious apples, Macintosh apples or other apples of various colors along with a caramel dipping sauce or some local honey for gold.

Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas for Two

6. Sweets for Sweethearts

With a date night at stake, what could be better than a board full of candy! Reese's peanut butter trees make a good base with wrapped Hershey's kisses to represent silver bells. You can even build mini chocolate Christmas trees with Reese's for some adorable Christmas charcuterie board ideas for two. You can include the Christmas-colored versions of any brand of candy for added charm.

7. Mediterranean Holiday

Take a tip from the Caspian Sea with scrumptious foods from across the Mediterranean. Prosciutto rolls, green olives, tzatziki sauce or a white aioli, along with gently browned chicken make for fantastic Christmas charcuterie board ideas for two involving all the usual colors (red, green, gold and white). Christmas is celebrated all over the world after all. 

8. Evergreen Boughs

Decorate the platter with boughs and display your charcuterie elements like cheeses, crackers, fruit and produce in the shape of a tree — no matter what color items you choose, your partner will get the gist of the season feels.

9. Savory Canes

If you're looking for a mouthwatering meal made of snacks for your two-person evening, you'll enjoy Christmas charcuterie board ideas involving big round slices of mozzarella cheese and tomato slices. Why is this typical charcuterie so Christmassy? If you wrap the white and red together in a certain way, you can make it look like a candy cane!

10. Door Decoration

Form a wreath shape with small kebabs of salami and olives and a white cheese chunk for some festive decoration. Surprise your loved one with Christmas charcuterie board ideas that are sentimental as well as being a hearty meal! Just be sure you don't use it as one of your actual Christmas door decorating ideas.

Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas for Adults

11. Southern Festivities

Dip into Southern dining or a Tex-Mex fusion when you pair green jalapeno peppers, sugar snap peas, Lima beans, tortilla chips (or other crackers) and red salsa with pimento cheese dip and a small dish containing corn cut off the cob. Serve these Christmas charcuterie board ideas with Margaritas to make your day extra merry. Feliz Navidad!

12. Platter Shapes

Nowadays you can take your Christmas charcuterie board ideas to the next level buy purchasing boards in the shape of an evergreen tree, circular or octagonal wreaths, a circle with antlers for a reindeer face, or snowmen. Whatever you would regularly put on your charcuterie board will work with this simple concept – perfect for when you know you will be running late to the party.

13. Holly Berries

Craft holly berries or mistletoe with almonds sticking out of hummus or soft cheese in the shape of berries, paired with some boughs of holly to make it realistic. Perhaps, double-check that no one in the party has any allergies before you attempt this legume-heavy recipe. These Christmas appetizer ideas go great with some bourbon, brandy or rum eggnog. 

14. Red and White

This is simple and sweet when you combine bright red pomegranate seeds and soft white cheese (like Brie) for classic and low-key Christmas charcuterie board ideas. Throw in a bit of sliced watermelon to balance the flavors — if you can find it at this time of year. For the best Elf on the Shelf ideas, hide the little guy among the colors that match his outfit, make him do something sneaky in the middle of the dish.

15. Snowman

Create a snowman shape with lots of white foods like cheese or sliced hard-boiled eggs minus the yolk (which you can use to make a creamy hollandaise sauce). Use black olives or almonds for the mouth and buttons and eyes, with a carrot for the nose. You'll love figuring out the best design to share with your friends as one of the best Christmas brunch ideas. For a more adult-related theme, surround your Olaf creation with shot of Jagermeister, a classic Hot Toddy, or some Hot Apple Cider. It's definitely one of the top Christmas potluck ideas to take to a friend or family. 

16. Prancer

In the same vein, let your inner child out to play when you create a reindeer face on a charcuterie board involving gingerbread and flaky Christmas cookies and peppermint bark. For these Christmas charcuterie board ideas for adults, have your reindeer deliver some special treats like glasses of Vermouth or deliciously spicy mulled wine. 

Christmas Charcuterie Cups Ideas

17. Pretzel Cup

There's something a little upscale about these cup-style Christmas charcuterie board ideas involving candy canes, honey, cheese and yogurt-covered pretzels.

18. Flowering Protein

Discover the art of origami with deli meats when you learn how to fold these thinly sliced cuts into flowers and pair them with a few simple additions like a small chunk of cheese and something green like peas which you can spread out in individual cups — a new style for your Christmas charcuterie board ideas.

19. Simply Separate

If you have sanitary concerns and don't like your Christmas charcuterie board ideas to be shared, then finger food ideas are better kept in individual portion sizes like cups. Fill yours with cooked and spiced cauliflower, broccoli and red bell peppers to cover the main Christmas colors. Cover with grated cheese, feta or have a cheesy dip ready on the side in small individual paper cups. 

20. Ball Game Snacks

A new twist on snacks often found at a ball game, bring them to your Christmas party with individual charcuterie cups filled with honey mustard dipping sauce (to represent gold), pretzels, hot dogs (to represent red) and some green veggies (maybe green peppers like the ones that usually go with Italian sausage carts). Work up an appetite at your party and quench it with these Christmas charcuterie board ideas that are full meals! Go team Santa!

21. Hot Chocolate

Create a buffet for hot chocolate Christmas charcuterie board ideas, then stack your choices of mini marshmallows and hot chocolate choices and fondue fruits in a cup to pair with your mug of hot chocolate. This could be one of the top Christmas breakfast ideas to try.

What are the must-haves on a Christmas cheese board? Beyond all the usual suspects like several artisanal cheeses, you can also put ruby red pomegranates, persimmons, winter citrus, apples, pears and grapes. Remember that the cheese board is not all about the cheeses, but the drinks and other foods that complement the different intensities of the cheeses. A selection of wine also assists the flavors. Ask your local wine shop about wine and cheese pairings.

What do you put on a charcuterie board for a Winter party? You could include warm and cozy snacks, sugary treats and remember to add some hot drinks to wash it all down. Dive into this list of Thanksgiving charcuterie board ideas to get some inspiration. At the end of the day, all you need is a creative spirit and a little bit of time!

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