This stunning Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board is an eye-catching appetizer, perfect for any holiday party or seasonal gathering. The best part is that it comes together with just a few moments of effort as you fold and arrange the ingredients into a wreath shape. Your guests will be so impressed!
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Holiday Wreath Charcuterie Board
With the fresh sprigs of rosemary circling the outside like a real wreath and the pops of Christmas colors, this is truly the most gorgeous charcuterie board!
Best of all, it uses a regular round charcuterie board, so it’s an easy board to assemble and it always looks gorgeous. It’s one of my favorite holiday appetizers (and honestly, the ring shape would look great all year round).
Before You Get Started
Here are some helpful tips to know before assembling your charcuterie board:
- This charcuterie board was built on a 14” round wooden cutting board. You can use whatever size round board you can find, or you can still build the round shape on a large square or rectangular cutting board, or tray.
- Store any extra ingredients in the fridge and use it to refill the board as it gets low.
- If you use blue cheese, keep it wrapped separately until you are ready to serve, as the strong aromas can permeate the other cheeses.
- Plan to budget $60-$80 for a board for a party of 8-10 people. You can save money by using less expensive fruits, nuts, and cheeses. You can also shop at discount stores like Aldi or Costco, both of which have a great selection of charcuterie board friendly foods during the holiday season.
For more holiday appetizers, you’ll also love this Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: This really defines the wreath shape and adds a really refreshing scent. You’ll need quite a bit!
- Sugared cranberries: These sugar-coated cranberries are absolutely beautiful and give this festive appetizer a little sparkle.
- Cheeses: You’ll want to use about 3 types of cheese including something soft (like goat cheese), a sharp cheddar or gouda, and a hard aged cheese. This gives everyone something to enjoy and lots of different textures and flavors.
- Cured meats: You’ll need at least 2-3 types of meat. I like to fan or gather prosciutto, layer mini salami slices, and fold pepperoni into roses. See how to make the ultimate charcuterie board for a tutorial on how to do the roses.
- Glazed almonds: We love these cinnamon honey roasted almonds. Regular roasted almonds or other flavored almonds also work well.
- Green olives: Serve these in a small bowl to keep the brine from getting onto the other ingredients.
- Fresh fruits: I like to add lots of red and usually use red grapes and raspberries. Feel free to use cherry tomatoes, green grapes, pomegranate arils, or even kiwi berries for a seasonal touch.
- Star-shaped cookies: For the star shaped cookies, try this healthy shortbread cookies recipe or 3-ingredient almond flour cookies for a healthier option. You can use your favorite festive cookie cutters like stars or snowflakes.
How to Make a Charcuterie Wreath
- Lay Your “Greenery Foundation: Start by arranging fresh rosemary sprigs around the outer edge of your board to create the wreath shape, leaving about ¼–½ inch of space from the edge. Make sure you leave a 4–6 inch circle empty in the center — that classic wreath look makes the spread feel festive. Tip: Use longer sprigs for dramatic loops and shorter ones to fill gaps.
- Add the Big Pieces First: Place cheeses and other large items — like goat cheese slices, cheddar triangles, and a small honey bowl — evenly around the wreath. This gives you anchor points and makes filling in later easier. Tip: Position cheeses at varying angles for visual interest, and cut firm cheeses into bite-size chunks for easy snacking.
- Layer Meats and Olives: Next, tuck in the cured meats (like prosciutto, pepperoni, and mini salami) and a small bowl of olives. Fold or fan your meats for texture — prosciutto roses or salami folds make the board feel extra special. Tip: Keep anything with liquid (like olives) in a bowl so moisture doesn’t spread over crackers or cookies.
- Fill With Color and Flavor: Use clusters of red grapes, sugared cranberries, glazed almonds, and naan crisps to fill remaining spaces around the wreath. These smaller items add pops of color and help balance the layout. Tip: Group similar colors (reds together, greens together) to create visual rhythm and make it easier for guests to choose pairings.
- Finishing Touches: Finally, place star-shaped cookies and mini meringues throughout the wreath for a festive final layer. Tuck in a few extra rosemary sprigs if you want to amp up the garland effect. Tip: Add tiny bowls of jam, honey, or mustards near complementary cheeses to elevate flavor combos.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Storage Guidelines
For serving: Charcuterie boards are best served at room temperature. Boards can be made a few hours ahead of time and covered and kept in the fridge. Set out 30 minutes before serving to allow ingredients to come up to room temperature.
Refrigerator: If you’re worried about having enough time to make your own charcuterie wreath board, you can definitely start to assemble it beforehand and store it in the fridge.
Just be sure to keep anything that’s sensitive to moisture off of the board, like the crackers, meringues, cookies, and honey, until right before serving. Cover the rest with a layer of plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
Food safety note: The rule of thumb for serving perishable foods is that they should only sit out for 2 hours. Since many of the ingredients on a charcuterie board are cured, they can often last a little bit longer.
Any foods that are out for 2 hours or less can be refrigerated in an airtight container for later. If you leave your charcuterie board out for 4 hours, the leftovers should be thrown away.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious charcuterie wreath is a wonderful appetizer for any holiday gathering, and can either be served as the only appetizer or paired with these hearty Cranberry Chicken Meatballs, my Christmas Fruit Wreath, and these refreshing Pomegranate Sparklers.
Since it already has a variety of meat and cheese, it’s good to balance it out with lots of fruits and veggies.
Recipe Variations
- Make mini wreaths: You could easily make individual-sized wreaths if you’d like! Set a wine glass or jar down to use as the center, and layer a bit of each ingredient in a round shape.
- Go savory: Instead of serving mini meringues and sugared cranberries, use kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, small mozzarella balls, and other savory snacks. Drizzle them with reduced balsamic vinegar for extra flavor.
- Adjust the shape: Although the round shape is lovely, you can easily adjust the shape for your own design. You can even add rows in the circle and make it look like an ornament!
More Holiday Appetizers
To get some more veggies in, make this colorful Christmas Wreath Veggie Tray and serve it with your favorite dip, or try this Hummus Wreath. For more fruit, check out these Christmas Fruit Ideas or try this Fruit Christmas Tree. It’s breathtaking!
Or if you want to make a similar board for a different holiday, you’ll definitely want to try this Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board or Easter Charcuterie Board. So many cute options!
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Christmas Charcuterie Wreath
Ingredients
- 12-15 fresh rosemary sprigs, depending on the size of your board
- 1 cup sugared cranberries
- 4 ounce log goat cheese, sliced (we used cranberry goat cheese)
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar, sliced into triangles
- 6 ounce wedge hard cheese, we used a marinara flavored cheese
- 4 ounces prosciutto, fanned or gathered
- 6 ounces pepperoni
- 6 ounces mini salami
- 1/2 cup glazed almonds
- 1/2 cup green olives, drained
- 2 cups red grapes, washed and dried
- 1/4 cup honey
- 8-10 star shaped cookies
- 8-10 m mini meringues
- Naan crisps
Instructions
- Start first by creating a border of rosemary around the outside edge of the board, leaving about ¼” of border space. When building the board remember to leave a 4 to 6 inch diameter circle bare in the middle.
- Place the cheeses evenly around the board in different spots. Continue to fill up the spaces with the largest items, such as the grape clusters, honey bowl, clusters of meats and olives.
- Then use the smaller items like the nuts, cranberries, naan crisps, and raspberries to fill in the smaller spaces and create pops of color among the board. Finish by strategically placing a few more sprigs of fresh herbs and the cookies and meringues around the board.
Notes
- This charcuterie board was built on a 14” round wooden cutting board. You can use whatever size round board you can find, or you can still build the round shape on a large square or rectangular cutting board, or tray.
- Store any extra ingredients in the fridge and use it to refill the board as it gets low.
- Charcuterie boards are best served at room temperature. Boards can be made a few hours ahead of time and covered and kept in the fridge. Set out 30 minutes before serving to allow ingredients to come up to room temperature.
- For the star shaped cookies, try this healthy shortbread cookies recipe or 3-ingredient almond flour cookies for a healthier option. You can use your favorite festive cookie cutters like stars or snowflakes.
- Use your favorite meats, cheeses, jams and accouterments. These cheeses were all found at the local Aldi store.
- If you use blue cheese, keep it wrapped separately until you are ready to serve, as the strong aromas can permeate the other cheeses.
- Plan to budget $60-$80 for a board for a party of 8-10 people. You can save money by using less expensive fruits, nuts, and cheeses. As well as shopping at discount stores like Aldi or Costco that have a great selection of charcuterie board friendly foods during the holiday season
- Any items that have been left out for over 4 hours should be discarded. Store any leftovers separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in December 2023 and the text and formatting were updated in December 2025.
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