Some kind of cheese board is a must at Christmas time, but this Christmas Tree Cheese Board is something a little bit extra and takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Basically, it's a Christmas tree shaped charcuterie board and it doesn't get much more festive than this! So easy to adapt with your favorite meat, cheese and all those delicious extras like olives and fruit.
This Christmas tree charcuterie board gets made every Christmas Eve. Sometimes we make one huge one, other times everyone makes their own mini cheeseboard Christmas tree and then votes for whose is the best. It gets very competitive!
These are SO easy to adapt, depending on what you like and what needs using up. We are sharing lots of Christmas cheese board ideas. If we are hosting a Christmas party, then we always put this out, along with our Christmas Fruit Tray, Christmas Fruit Wreath or Christmas Veggie Tray and they are the first things to be eaten.
This charcuterie board Christmas tree is one of those recipes that isn't really a recipe. You could pile all your ingredients on to a board or tray and serve it up.
Looking for more food platter ideas? Why not try our Greek Meze Platter, Tapas Platter or our Vegetarian Charcuterie Board.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Cucumber - You can either use a large English cucumber, or mini snacking cucumbers.
- Cheese - Anything goes here. We used a mixture of cheddar, red Leicester, Brie, Stilton and Wensleydale with dried cranberries for something a little festive.
- Meat - We didn't want to make this too meat heavy, so we just added one layer of Serrano ham. Prosciutto, salami or chorizo slices would work too.
- Tomatoes - You can use cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes if you want more of an intense tomato flavor.
- Grapes - Grapes and cheese just work so well together. Add green and red.
- Olives - Also a must on a cheeseboard. Any olives work here and for extra flavor you can add stuffed olives like garlic or chilli.
- Figs - These look so beautiful on this board and they pair well with the cheese.
- Nuts - These add a nice contrast texture to the soft cheese. We used pistachios, but almonds or cashews would work too. You could add pretzels instead of nuts for crunch.
- Crackers - The perfect match for cheese. Add a mixture of different sized crackers. We love sourdough rosemary crackers. You could make your own Homemade Crackers.
- Rosemary - This is optional, as it isn't actually eaten. However, it looks really nice at the bottom and makes it look more like a tree.
Nutritional Information
Please note that the nutritional information provided in the recipe card below is based on the exact amounts we used.
Depending on the types and amounts of cheeses, meats etc. that you use, the nutritional information can vary considerably.
Christmas Cheese Board Variations
Any cheese works here. The more variety of colors, the better. We like a mixture of hard cheese, and softer cheese. But we wouldn't recommend a really soft cheese that needs to be spread.
The focus here is cheese, with just one meat. But, if you wanted to make it more of a Christmas tree charcuterie board, then add a selection of deli meats.
To add some festive color, sprinkle some pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries over the Christmas tree cheese board before serving it up. They will look like twinkling lights. Other fruit that goes well is apple slices and cranberries.
For an extra burst of flavor to your Christmas tree shaped cheese board, add a layer of pickles. We like pickled gherkins, pickled onions and some pickled chillies.
Add a star at the top of your Christmas cheese board by getting a slice of cheese and putting a star cookie cutter in it.
How To Make a Christmas Tree Cheese Board - Step by Step
- Step 1: Assemble your ingredients in rows across a board.
Start from the bottom and make the rows smaller as you move upwards, forming a tree (or triangle) shape.
Serving Suggestions
We think this is a must on any party food table during the festive season. Some other recipes that go great alongside it are our Cheese Straws, Salmon Pate or Mushroom Tartlets.
If it is drinks you are looking for, then why not try our Slow Cooker Mulled Wine or Christmas Punch?
Extra Tips
- To make clean up even easier, line your board with parchment paper (baking paper) and then put everything on top of that. Obviously you will still need to clean the board, but it will catch any grease from the meat/cheese and make cleaning the board easier.
- If you have any crackers leftover, don't store those in the fridge as they will go soggy. They can go in an airtight container and be kept on the counter top.
- When building up this Christmas tree charcuterie board, start from the bottom and work your way up.
- Start with the larger items at the bottom.
- Try to mix up the shapes of everything. You can cut the cheese into cubes, as well as thin strips.
- A little drizzle of honey is really good over everything. But I would only do that for mini individual ones, rather than this large one, as it would get very sticky with everyone picking at it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to chop everything up and load it on top of a salad as an easy way to use leftovers.
We used this Christmas Tree Wooden Board, but any wooden board would would. You could even use a large baking tray.
More Christmas Recipes
If you’ve tried this Christmas Cheese board, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Christmas Tree Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 4 Mini cucumbers
- 100 g (3.5 oz) Serrano ham
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Cheese - various types; cubed
- 6 Cherry tomatoes
- 10 Grapes
- 10 Olives - green and black
- 20 Pistachios
- 4 Figs - quartered
- 20 Crackers
- Fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Assemble your ingredients in rows across a board.
- Start from the bottom and make the rows smaller as you move upwards, forming a tree (triangle) shape.
Recipe Tips
- To make clean up even easier, line your board with parchment paper (baking paper) and then put everything on top of that. Obviously you will still need to clean the board, but it will catch any grease from the meat/cheese and make cleaning the board easier.
- If you have any crackers leftover, don't store those in the fridge as they will go soggy. They can go in an airtight container and be kept on the counter top.
- When building up this Christmas tree charcuterie board, start from the bottom and work your way up.
- Start with the larger items at the bottom.
- Try to mix up the shapes of everything. You can cut the cheese into cubes, as well as thin strips.
- A little drizzle of honey is really good over everything. But I would only do that for mini individual ones, rather than this large one, as it would get very sticky with everyone picking at it.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
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