15 Jolly Holiday Charcuterie Board Ideas

Expanding from its origins as platters of cured meat, cheese, olives, and the like, the charcuterie board format has become a popular way to present almost any kind of food you can imagine. If you’re planning a holiday party, then you might be considering incorporating a charcuterie board into your menu. Ahead, we’ll describe a total of the 15 best holiday charcuterie board ideas.

But first: have you thought about where you’ll be having your holiday party? If you’re in search of a venue, check out what’s available on Peerspace, which is the top digital marketplace for event venue rentals and other hourly space rentals. The location of your party can make or break the overall experience for your guests, so make sure to put some careful thought and planning into choosing a venue. Now, back to the charcuterie boards!

A final note of warning: we’ll be stretching the definition of a charcuterie board quite a bit for these holiday charcuterie board ideas (think: desserts, candy, sushi, etc.), so if you’ve only been considering traditional charcuterie boards centered around cured meats, prepare to have your socks knocked off by some of our most creative suggestions!

1. Holiday breakfast french toast board

Whether you’re preparing it for Christmas morning, or simply hosting a holiday-themed breakfast or brunch, this holiday charcuterie board idea is relatively easy to execute while also being visually impressive and delicious. You can also offer a variety of fruits, syrups, jams, and other toppings to make it extra special.

2. Sushi platter

Show your holiday guests how much you appreciate them by providing them with a sushi platter (which is pretty much the sushi equivalent of a charcuterie board). This is an especially luxurious holiday charcuterie board idea, so it’s a great one if you’re really hoping to impress!

3. Christmas candy charcuterie board

This holiday charcuterie board idea really is as simple as arranging an assortment of your favorite red, white, and green candies in an aesthetically pleasing way! It’s not only easy, it’s also super festive.

4. Candy cane caprese salad appetizer

Take advantage of the red, green, and white color scheme of caprese salad (a salad based on tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) by arranging it into the shape of a candy cane!

5. Vegan, plant-based platter

Around the holidays, we’re always looking for more ways to balance out our high consumption of delicious treats with fresh fruits and vegetables. With a vegan, plant-based platter drizzled with tons of fresh olive oil, it’s easy to do just that! Holiday charcuterie board ideas like this will delight all of your hungry guests.

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6. Hot chocolate charcuterie board

Hot cocoa is a delicious, warming beverage that truly puts us in the holiday spirit. Offer your guests a decadent hot cocoa bar in the form of a charcuterie board, including a variety of marshmallows, candy stirrers, chocolate chips, candy canes, cinnamon sticks, and so on and so forth.

7. Festive wreath charcuterie board

Use sprigs of rosemary topped with salami “flowers,” cheese, olives, crackers, and other tasty items arranged in an attractive manner. It’s truly delicious, not to mention a beautiful form of presentation!

8. Seafood charcuterie board

How about a cold seafood platter containing delicious options like oysters on the half shell, cocktail shrimp, snow crab legs, lobster tails, along with condiments like parsley, lemon, cocktail sauce, melted butter, and tartar sauce? You can even combine this presentation with sushi for an extra bountiful feel.

9. Hanukkah dessert charcuterie board

Options to include on a charcuterie board centering around Hanukkah desserts include rice krispie treats shaped like dreidels, dates, jelly donuts (known as sufganiyot in Hebrew), and Hanukkah gelt, as well as any fruit of your choice.

10. Traditional meat-centric charcuterie board

As we mentioned in the intro to this blog post, charcuterie boards have traditionally featured cured meats as their primary focus. As much as we love all the creative and unusual suggestions we’ve shared on this list, we also appreciate the traditional approach to charcuterie, especially if it means getting to eat lots of delicious salami, prosciutto, and sopressata.

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11. Produce and cheese in festive colors

Choose a festive color scheme for your charcuterie board, such as blue and white for Hanukkah, or red and green for Christmas. On a nice wooden board, arrange a variety of sliced fruit, veggies, pickles, cheese, and more in that color scheme, as in this linked example.

12. CharcuterTree

You’ve heard of charcuterie, but how about a cheerful and attractive CharcuterTree? Follow along with the Naughty Fork’s Instagram reel as a visual guide for how to arrange the components. Suggested additions include balls of mozzarella, squares of hard cheeses, green olives, folded cured meats, and sprigs of rosemary.

13. Pinecone cheese ball charcuterie

Use cheese balls decorated with almonds (whole and/or sliced) and arranged to look like pinecones as the centerpiece of a beautiful charcuterie board. Surround the pinecones with cranberries and rosemary sprigs for decoration as well as slices of bread, crackers, and other delicious accompaniments.

14. Italian bread and dipping oil charcuterie board

Is there anything more delicious than bread? Make cubed ciabatta the focus of your board and offer your guests an herbed olive oil, mozzarella, olives, tomatoes, salami, and other ingredients that pair well.

15. Charcuterie cups

Using long skewers, arrange your choice of olives, cubes of cheese, fruit, and the like in cups, akin to bouquets in vases. This simple solution transforms your charcuterie board into as many portable individual servings as you need. It’s also a creative, convenient, and hygienic alternative to the board.

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