How to Make a Holiday Charcuterie Board—A Beginner’s Guide

‘Tis the time for hors d’oeuvres and happy hours, eating and gathering, and bringing together loved ones around an abundance of food. For me, that means making my fair share of cheese and charcuterie boards, and I have to say—in years of practice, I’ve hit upon a tried and true formula for creating a beautiful, delicious, and winning holiday charcuterie board. don’t blow your budget.

Today’s post falls into the non-recipe category, but since I get so many questions from you guys whenever I share my cheese boards on Instagram, I thought it might help to kick off this charcuterie season with an essential guide to making a charcuterie board perfect for any Christmas gathering. Scroll through for all my tips on how to choose store-bought meats and cheeses, how to prepare them, and the finishing touches that make it feel like a real treat.

First, Choose the Best Charcuterie Board

Choosing the right board to arrange your cheese and charcuterie is the first step. Think about the material (wood, marble, or ceramic), the shape (do you want it round or rectangular?) and perhaps most importantly, the size.

I may be biased, but the Casa Zuma Charcuterie Board is my number one choice for a good holiday charcuterie board (or food boards of any kind). Its 1″ thickness makes it feel very sturdy no matter how much I load it, and the walnut and oak boards have a nice grain that reflects their handmade quality. They just feel special.

Choose the board size based on the number of people you are serving. Our large board is perfect for a large group, and our small board is perfect for 1-4 people.

Add Your Holiday Charcuterie Board Ingredients

Building a great cheese board is all about variety—you want texture, color, and interest. Here’s everything you need to make the perfect holiday charcuterie board.

Cheese

What are the best cheeses to include on a holiday charcuterie board? In general, you want to mix hard and soft cheeses, and mix types. On this board that serves 5 or more people, we have my favorite cheeses: blue cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and creamy goat cheese. You can add sheep’s milk manchego, creamy brie, fresh mozzarella, or aged gouda or gruyere, if you want to increase the numbers. For a small batch, you can get away with 2 types of cheese (usually cream cheese and hard cheese) and call it a day.

Meat

I like to serve 2 types of meat on most of my charcuterie boards: sliced ​​salami and thin slices of prosciutto, both of which can be found at any local grocery store.

Crackers and bread

This is a container to serve all those cheeses and spreads. I usually have a toasted baguette, a plain water cracker, and then a seeded gluten-free cracker like Mary’s Gone Crackers.

Fruit

Adding a variety of fruit or two to your holiday charcuterie board is a great way to make it feel seasonal. In the winter, I like to add persimmons, pears, cranberries, pomegranates, and dates to my board, while a summer board might include fresh berries and cherries. I also like dried fruit, like cranberries or apricots, for a chewy texture.

Pro tip: Italian chef Erind Halilaj told us, “Parmigiana goes well with grapes.”

Nuts

Salt crunch is a must on any cheese board, and marcona almonds, toasted pistachios, salted cashews, or chopped pecans are great ways to add it.

It is spreading

I always include one delicious spread on my boards that allows guests to create their “perfect bite.” Fig chutney goes well with blue cheese, and I love tart citrus marmalade with parmesan. When in doubt, put a bowl of sweet honey dripping on anything.

Olives

My choice? A rich green pitted olive (and a small bowl for disposal.) I like castelvetrano or cerignola olives for the meatiest, most satisfying flavor.

I like to think of that one “wow factor” thing that makes a charcuterie board memorable. Edible flowers sprinkled on top, or in this case, a special honeycomb sword that becomes the pièce de resistance. It can be an unexpected way to serve it, like a whole wheel of brie topped with a nice jam.

Tips for Putting Together a Holiday Charcuterie Board

Here’s my easy way to create a great board every time:

Step 1: Start with the cheese

They will anchor the board and guide all your writing. I like to spread the cheese to different corners of the board so it feels even.

Step 2: Add the Meat

This is another “rich” feature on the board, and I like to keep the meat a little different from the cheese. I pile the prosciutto in small stacks and spread the salami in overlapping rows.

Step 3: Add the Fruit

This is where all that beautiful seasonal color comes in, so treat it like a craft project that adds visual interest where needed. I usually put the fruit next to the cheese that tastes best at the moment, so I take the guesswork out of pairings for my guests.

Step 4: Fill in the Final Touches

Now comes the fun part. Fill in the gaps with all the adjustments that will make the board look really overflowing. Adding small bowls and ramekins keeps things organized and interesting, and they’re a great vessel for other small snacks and any dips or spreads you choose to display. I add crackers and breads, then olives, nuts, chutneys, and even fresh herbs like these rosemary sprigs as my final touch.

How to Keep a Budget

Yes, it really is possible to make a great charcuterie board that won’t break the bank (key during the holidays!) Here are my top tips for keeping a charcuterie board on a budget.

Add only one type of expensive cheese

I always choose one cheese to be my “splurge” and make sure everyone has a chance to try it–everyone will be so impressed with this unforgettable cheese that they won’t notice if the others aren’t a little standout.

Cut Strategically

This is a trick I learned back in my dieting days! I way that you present some cheese can make you feel delicious and very important. Serve the parmesan on a long rim of leather that takes up a lot of space on the platter. Cut affordable cheddar into long thin slices that can be packed or fanned out (and keep it from looking like a block of grocery store cheese.) And as mentioned, I like to serve brie to the whole wheel and surround it with a pear. slices and sprinkle with honey.

Mix with Garnishes

This is the most effective secret to creating an affordable charcuterie board since your garnishes are usually the most affordable items. Cut a baguette, spread a few toasted walnuts, slice some apples, put a bowl of olives, and decorate a few slices of affordable salami in any empty places on the board. When in doubt, pile on more grapes!

See this post for more tips on creating a budget-friendly cheese board.

How Much Meat and Cheese Per Person

When I created cheese and charcuterie trays for holiday parties as an event planner, I learned to include between 1-2 ounces of cheese and 1-2 ounces of meat per person. This is a great appetizer piece, knowing that guests will also eat fruits, nuts, bread, and olives. If you’re serving a charcuterie board as a main dish, break it up into 2 -3 ounces each.

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