How to Style the Perfect Christmas Charcuterie Board

This holiday-inspired cheese board is the perfect low-carb keto appetizer, packed with a combination of the best cheeses, meats, fruit, and nuts. Effortlessly recreate this easy Christmas charcuterie board with my how-to video, featuring ideas & hacks for slicing & styling it perfectly!

The Perfect Holiday Appetizer!

Holiday parties are coming up, and I’ve got a great addition to any table spread this holiday season! This beautiful, festive Christmas Charcuterie Board will wow all of your guests! It features the perfect mix of favorite meats, cheeses, fruit, and nuts for any and all Holiday gatherings.  

I love making a cheese board because it is friendly for so many diets and especially great for keto! It’s also gluten-free and grain-free, and if you’re plant-based, you can enjoy fresh fruit, nuts, and olives! 

Something for everyone, the perfect appetizer! Also, to easily recreate this Fall cheese board for the winter holidays, I give some easy swaps below!

If you’re looking for even more fun appetizer inspo, check out my Summer Keto Cheese Board!

The Best Ingredients (that are also Keto!)

To make this easy for you to replicate, I’ve partnered up with The Cheese Lover Shop so you can conveniently buy all of the cheeses and meats you see in the photo above on the left! All of them have been taste-tested and hand-selected by me! 

This was such a fun thing for me to do, and I truly think you will love my choices!  The combination of each of these together is the perfect variety of meats and cheeses for an exceptional, festive Christmas charcuterie board!

You can purchase all of these items in the photo on the left directly from the Cheese Lover Shop, or you can find alternative hard cheeses and soft cheeses at your local grocery store, Trader Joe’s or specialty cheese shop. Here’s what I’ve chosen:

• D’artagnan Saucisson Sec
• Saint André Heavenly Triple Crème
• Esquirrou P.D.O Ossau-Iraty Wedge
• Beehive Pour Me a Slice
• Dorothy’s Diggin’ Truffles
• D’artagnan French Cured Ham
• Supreme Brie
• Saint Agur Blue Cheese Wedge
• Divina Pitted Greek Olive Mix
• Papillon Pérail

In the photo on the right, I’ve put together my favorite fresh produce items, nuts, and fresh salami (all keto & low carb-friendly!) that I highly recommend to round out your cheese board.

• dried orange slices: I got these at Sprouts in the bulk section by the nuts and dried fruit. I believe Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have them as well.
• salami: Our favorite is this applewood smoked salami from Trader Joe’s, which is nitrate and nitrite-free. But any fresh salami would work; use what you love.
• strawberries: I love slicing them in half with the green still on, it looks so so so pretty! We’re in California, so we can find strawberries year-round. 
• raspberries
• blueberries
• green grapes: Red grapes also work well! 
• blackberries
• roasted whole pecans
• pumpkin seeds
• fresh herbs: (not pictured above) fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage to garnish. 
• olives: You can do a variety of olives– green olives, black olives, and kalamata are all great options. 

Ingredient Swaps for Winter Holidays

If you’re not in produce heaven like me in California, it’s super easy to make this Christmas Charcuterie board with more winter-forward items:

Take Out

• strawberries
• raspberries
• blackberries

Add-In

• dried cranberries
• pomegranate seeds
• dried or fresh figs
• dried apricots

Christmas Charcuterie Board Tips & Tricks

Recommended Wooden Board: I am using this serving tray from Target as my cheese board, which I really love because it has handles, making it easy to carry in the room. Plus, it has raised sides, so you can really PILE ON all the cheeses and not worry about them falling off, ha! I do recommend putting down a layer of parchment paper so the cheese doesn’t sit directly on the wood. To make cleanup a little easier.

Making Ahead: You can assemble this board 1 day ahead of time! 2 important tips for assembling ahead:

1. Don’t add any of the “crunchy” items until just before serving. For this cheese board, I would NOT add the pecans, pumpkin seeds, or the dried orange slices until I’m setting it out to serve. The crunchy items will absorb the moisture from the fruit and cheese and get soft/soggy in the refrigerator overnight.
2. After assembling, cover the cheese board completely with plastic wrap for optimum freshness.

Decorate: You’ll see in the video all of my hacks for a salami rose, how to fill empty spaces and more! In addition to these tricks, feel free to use a cookie cutter to add different shapes to the meats and cheeses according to the holiday– for example, a star shape would be really cute.

You can also use mozzarella balls to make tiny snowmen and small bowls to accompany your olives, cherry tomatoes, or nuts. Use festive items like candy canes, tree-shaped candies, and other sweet treats to make this a super fun Christmas party staple! Get creative and have fun! 

How and When to Serve

This Christmas charcuterie board is really the perfect appetizer for Christmas Eve or before Christmas dinner. You can also serve it at holiday parties and big family dinners. The best part about the board is that it’s an array of finger foods, so people can graze and fill up without the need for plates and utensils! 

Bring To Room Temperature Before Serving: One of my biggest tips is to let all of these cheeses, meats, + fruits get to room temperature *before* serving! Don’t serve them all cold out of the fridge. You can appreciate the subtle flavors of the cheeses, meats, and fruits so much more when they’re all room temperature. I like to cut all the items when they’re cold, assemble the cheese board, and then set the tray out for about 30-60 minutes before I plan on serving. This will give them time to come to room temperature and have maximum flavor.

Watch Step-by-Step Instructions for How To Style Your Board!

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