From spring holidays like Easter and Mother's Day to end-of-the-year celebrations like Christmas and New Year's, it seems like the holidays are always right around the corner.
To never arrive at a holiday party or a family get-together empty-handed, here are some amazing charcuterie board ideas.
TL;DR - Easy Holiday Charcuterie Board Ideas
Charcuterie boards are a great addition to your holiday spread, but what exactly is a charcuterie board? Here are some hints to help you out:
- A charcuterie board is an assortment of meat, cheese, bread items, and extras like fruits, nuts, dips, and sauces.
- Many charcuterie boards follow a holiday theme, including ingredients and color schemes that match the occasion.
- There are many options for holiday charcuterie boards, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Valentine's Day.
The first place to start is by purchasing a quality charcuterie board. Explore our selection of bamboo cheese boards for the perfect accompaniment to your holiday charcuterie recipes.
We have also covered numerous charcuterie board ideas below to get the ball rolling.
What is a Charcuterie Board?
Traditionally, charcuterie boards include meats and cheeses, which are accompanied by other items like bread, crackers, nuts, fruits, olives, and spreads.
Now, any collection of finger foods can make up a charcuterie board. Some examples include breakfast charcuterie boards, dessert charcuterie boards, and holiday-themed boards.
Why They're Perfect for Any Festivity
There are many reasons you should make a charcuterie board for your next holiday party, such as:
- They are a great conversation starter.
- They are an excellent appetizer for a full-course meal.
- They can be made ahead of time.
- They take a short amount of time to assemble.
Where to Buy a Charcuterie Board
If you are using quality ingredients in your charcuterie creations, then you want a quality board.
At BlauKe, we only use the best sustainable materials. Our eco-friendly cheese boards are water and mold-resistant, making them wonderful food trays for any party!
What to Put on a Charcuterie Board
Even though charcuterie boards look like a collection of randomly placed items, there is an art and a science to them. To create a well-balanced board, stick to the 3-3-3-3 rule: 3 meats, 3 cheeses, 3 starches, and 3 extras.
This handy chart will help you get started:
| Ingredient | Type (with Examples) |
| Meat |
Cured pork (like prosciutto, capicola, or chorizo) Cured sausage (like salami or mortadella) Cured beef (like bresaola or pastrami) |
| Cheese |
Soft cheese (like mascarpone, brie, or Camembert) Semi-soft cheese (like Havarti, mozzarella, or muenster) Firm/semi-hard cheese (like Manchego, provolone, cheddar, or gouda) Hard cheese (like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, or parmesan) |
| Starches |
Plain breads (like baguette or crostini) Textured breads (like naan or focaccia) Sweet breads (like ciabatta or brioche) Crackers (like saltine or butter) |
| Extras | Nuts, fruits, vegetables, olives, or dips (like hummus or guacamole) |
Holiday Charcuterie Board Ideas
Making a charcuterie board is a great way to celebrate the holidays. No matter the occasion, there is a charcuterie board recipe for it.
From Christmas wreaths to Mother’s Day boards, here are some ideas you have to try:
Christmas Charcuterie Board
With a string of holiday parties to attend, Christmas is the busiest time of year - which means it is the best time of year for charcuterie board recipes.
Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
Gather your ingredients in a circular pattern on the outside of your board for an interesting take on the typical organization of a charcuterie board. Group the ingredients in alternating colors or by alternating types for more visual appeal.
Grinch Charcuterie Board
Give your charcuterie board a Grinch theme by placing guacamole in a large bowl and making his trademark face with olives and peppers. Arrange more red and white ingredients in a triangular shape along the top of the bowl to make the Grinch’s Santa hat.
Christmas Candy Charcuterie Board
Who doesn’t love Christmas candy? Gather a few of your favorites and organize them in groups on your board to make a Christmas charcuterie board that is both colorful and fun.
Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board Ideas
With the right ingredients, you can make the perfect Christmas tree. Try arranging your ingredients in layers alternating by color or placing sliced cheese in place of the leaves.
Christmas Cookie Charcuterie Board
This cookie board is perfect for when you are running low on time. Choose several types of cookies and stack them neatly in a pattern or angle them to show off their beauty.
Christmas Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Create a beautiful, elevated breakfast for your guests with ingredients like fresh fruit, waffles, bacon, egg bites, or pancakes. This recipe is perfect for Christmas morning or celebrations starting earlier in the day.
Christmas Brunch Charcuterie Board
Mixing breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles with traditional charcuterie foods like meat, fruit, and cheese makes a satisfying brunch charcuterie board everyone will love.
Christmas Eve Charcuterie Board
Mixing decadent cheeses with meats, nuts, and pieces of bread can turn an ordinary cheese plate into a work of art. You can make this for a party or a cozy night in with your significant other.
Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
Just like Christmas, you can have a lot of fun with Thanksgiving charcuterie boards. You can create a turkey theme or have a board with nothing but dessert.
Either way, your charcuterie board is bound to be a talking piece at your next get-together.
Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board
Your kids can help make a turkey cheese board by arranging meats, cheeses, and vegetables in a half-circle to resemble the feathers. Place more ingredients vertically for the body, and you have a themed charcuterie board that will be a hit before dinner.
Fun Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
Making a fun Thanksgiving board doesn’t mean it has to be a turkey. There are many other inspirations for a charcuterie board. Turn a bowl on its side and arrange fruit and vegetables coming out of it to resemble a cornucopia, or artfully arrange your ingredients into the shapes of leaves.
Thanksgiving Fruit Charcuterie Board
A fruit and cheese board is perfect in its simplicity. Ideal for a holiday party or just a small get-together with some friends, the selections of colorful fruits add sophistication to this simple cheese board.
Dessert Charcuterie Board for Thanksgiving
It's a fall dessert lover's dream come true! Present your favorite Thanksgiving desserts like cookies, pies, and cupcakes on a charcuterie board to elevate their presentation.
Small Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board
It doesn’t take much to artfully present your ingredients. Folding your meat into cones or halves and surrounding them with fruit, cheese, olives, and green garnishes is all you need to boost a simple party tray into a beautiful charcuterie board you’ll be proud to serve your friends and family.
New Year's Eve Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board is always a hit at a New Year’s Eve party. Your guests can snack on delicious food combinations while they ring in the New Year.
This charcuterie board presents your guests with different options already assembled instead of them trying to decide what to try next. It pairs lovely with wine as you all celebrate the year to come.
Valentine's Day Charcuterie Board
Valentine's Day is the perfect time of year to show your love. What better way to show your loved one how you feel about them than with a homemade gift of a charcuterie board?
Valentine's Day Dessert Charcuterie Board
This is a different way to give hearts and flowers! Arrange Valentine’s Day desserts like cookies, cupcakes, and candy in heart shapes or flower shapes on your board for the ultimate gift.
Valentine's Day Candy Charcuterie Board
You can make a Valentine's Day candy board by adding your favorite candies to your board. You can use bowls of loose candy as centerpieces while hiding any empty spaces with individually wrapped treats.
Valentine's Day Breakfast Charcuterie Board
Any Valentine’s Day breakfast needs a touch of sweetness. Make bread items like pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and waffles your main centerpieces, and add fruits and spreads to make all types of food combinations.
Halloween Charcuterie Board
Halloween is one of the most popular holidays, and Halloween parties are in a league all their own. With so many costume and theme ideas, you can get excellent inspiration for charcuterie boards.
Halloween Candy Charcuterie Board
If you want to make a board with just candy, go for it! Pair individually wrapped candies with bowls and piles of loose Halloween candy to give your candy board that classic look.
Halloween Dessert Charcuterie Board
Halloween isn't just about candy; it's also the best time of year to make baked goods! Use your imagination and try to make bats, ghosts, worms, and other Halloween-themed desserts to arrange on your special board.
Spooky Halloween Charcuterie Board
A spooky cauldron could be the focal point of this charcuterie board, with treats radiating outwards from it. Fill in your extra space with treats that look like spiders, ghosts, bats, or mummies.
Halloween Hand Charcuterie Board
The Halloween Hand Charcuterie Board is one of our favorites. Use some soft cheeses, like goat cheese or cream cheese, and mold it into a hand shape. Then roll the cheese in prosciutto to look like human skin. The darker the prosciutto, the creepier it looks!
Halloween Fruit Charcuterie Board
Compared to cauldrons and hands, a fruit board is relatively tame. Use chocolate and vanilla piping to give the fruit eyes and faces to give your board that Halloween vibe.
Halloween Skeleton Charcuterie Board
To make a skeleton charcuterie board, use cheese to outline the skeleton - or use a plastic one as your centerpiece and surround it with meats, cheeses, and crackers. Don’t forget the Halloween candy!
Halloween Party Charcuterie Board Ideas
You can’t have a collection of Halloween boards without a Nightmare Before Christmas theme! This one is perfect for a movie night or a costume party. Make sugar cookies with Jack and Sally’s faces on them, or use cheese or marshmallows to make skulls.
Cute Halloween Charcuterie Board
For a different twist, get a pumpkin-shaped board and fill it with a combination of different snacks – like candy, fruit, meats, and cheeses.
Kids Halloween Charcuterie Board
Just like the Nightmare Before Christmas board, Halloween movie night won’t be complete without a Hocus Pocus charcuterie board! Use cheese to shape the faces of the Sanderson sisters, and complete the board with witches’ brooms made of pretzels and Reese’s cups. You can even decorate brownies with piping to make Winifred’s favorite book!
4th of July Charcuterie Board
The 4th of July means family get-togethers, barbeques, and parties. The red, white, and blue color scheme provides lots of inspiration for 4th of July-themed charcuterie boards.
4th of July Dessert Charcuterie Board
For the ultimate patriotic board, line up red, blue, and white candy, American flag-shaped pastries or cookies, and anything else that fits the color theme.
Fall Charcuterie Board
These fall charcuterie boards are full of fall inspiration. From classic desserts to seasonal fruits, your guests will love the sweet flavor profiles on these boards:
Fall Dessert Charcuterie Board
Here is the perfect bitesize board for the dessert lover! Instead of making larger desserts and slicing them up at the party, why not make a charcuterie board filled with mini-pies?!
Fall Fruit Charcuterie Board
The vibrant colors of fall fruits like pomegranates, grapes, pears, and figs blend well together, creating a sweet treat that is good for you.
Easter Charcuterie Board
These Easter boards include candy, desserts, and chocolate bunnies – the sweets Easter is known for!
Easter Candy Charcuterie Board
Showcase the best of Easter candy with a candy charcuterie board. You can display lots of bunnies and peeps, and the pastel colors will keep with the Easter theme.
Easter Dessert Charcuterie Board
This is the ultimate Easter dessert tray! Line a rectangular charcuterie board with baked cookies, hard candies, chocolates, and baskets of peeps.
Easter Bunny Charcuterie Board
Arrange Easter candy in the shape of a bunny. Or, to save time, make a few chocolate bunnies the focal point of your charcuterie board and surround it with other sweet ingredients. Add baskets and fake grass to complete the look.
Easter Egg Charcuterie Board
An oval board is handy for an Easter board. Instead of placing items in groups, place the ingredients in lines to recreate a striped Easter egg.
Easter Brunch Charcuterie Board
Mix ingredients like bread, meat, and cheese with fruits to make the ultimate Easter brunch charcuterie board.
Easter Fruit Charcuterie Board
Try a gorgeous spread of fruit for the fruit lover. It is a fresh take on the classic charcuterie board that makes a great appetizer. Instead of serving typical charcuterie ingredients, serve nothing but spring fruit. There are many options, including strawberries, pineapple, bananas, and mangos.
Mother's Day Charcuterie Board
Making a board of fresh meats, croissants, and fresh fruit combines foods your mom will love. It's perfect for a Mother's Day brunch!
Father's Day Charcuterie Board
Load up all of Dad's favorite snacks on this Father's Day charcuterie board. With different types of meats, pickles, and peppers, this charcuterie is sure to satisfy.
Best Tips to Make Your Holiday Charcuterie Board Stand Out
Here are some tips to make a winning board every time:
- Use quality ingredients with a variety of flavors and textures on your board.
- Use a theme
- Fold slices of meat into neat triangles or make a salami rose.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are the most frequently asked questions we receive about holiday charcuterie boards:
What is the 3-3-3-3 Rule for Charcuterie Boards?
The 3-3-3-3 rule includes 3 meats, 3 cheeses, 3 starches, and 3 extras. This way, you can create countless food combinations while creating a well-balanced charcuterie board every time.
What Are the Things to Avoid on a Charcuterie Board?
Here are some things to avoid when making your charcuterie board:
- Serve too much so that no one eats the main course (try to aim for 2-3 oz of meat and cheese per person)
- Having no organization or theme for your board
- Including the same colors and textures in your ingredients
How Do You Make a Kid-Friendly Charcuterie Board?
Try to incorporate your child's favorite finger foods when making them a charcuterie board. You can also try:
- Cutting the ingredients into shapes like stars, hearts, triangles, etc.
- Sticking to a theme, such as movie snacks, desserts, etc.
- Using food combinations you know they like, such as salty snacks, sweet treats, and simple dips.
Conclusion - Holiday-Themed Charcuterie Board Ideas
Any charcuterie board can become a holiday-themed centerpiece with a bit of imagination. Charcuterie boards are completely customizable, making them great additions to any holiday party.
Now that you know how to make the perfect charcuterie board, check out our collection of cheese boards to make a holiday charcuterie board yourself!
