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!
The round shape of this Christmas wreath charcuterie board also makes it incredibly easy to shape, so it’s a great way to elevate your charcuterie game without spending hours on the details. It’s one of my favorite holiday appetizers (and honestly, the ring shape would look great all year round).
Why We Love This Christmas Charcuterie Wreath
- Absolutely stunning: This is the prettiest antipasto wreath! Each detail adds a layer of texture (and flavor) to this holiday charcuterie wreath. Your eyes will want to take it all in, but don’t wait too long, or it’ll get all snatched up!
- Feeds a crowd: The meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers are filling and so flavorful. You’ll be surprised by how many people can graze on this festive charcuterie board! One board is enough for 8-10 people.
- Easy to make: Although it looks complicated, just take it one step at a time. I’ll show you exactly how to arrange each of the components to make the most deliciously festive Christmas wreath charcuterie board. You’ve got this!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: The natural foliage is a beautiful addition to the wreath shape, giving it a sense of movement and a wonderful aroma.
- Sugared cranberries: These sugar-coated cranberries are absolutely beautiful and give this festive appetizer a little sparkle.
- Cheeses: Slice a log of goat cheese into pieces. Look for a holiday flavor, like cranberry, for your cheese board. I also like to slice sharp cheddar into triangles. Choose 1-2 hard cheeses to cube or crumble.
- Cured meats: You’ll need at least 2-3 types of meat. I like to fan or gather prosciutto, layer mini salami, and fold pepperoni into roses. See how to make the ultimate charcuterie board for a tutorial on how to do the roses.
- Glazed almonds: The coating looks wintery, and the sweet nuts taste great with the savory ingredients. 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: Wash and drain red grapes and raspberries. Feel free to use other seasonal fruits.
- Honey: A bowl of honey looks amazing and tastes even better drizzled onto the sliced meats and cheeses.
- Star-shaped cookies: These add a really festive look to this edible wreath. Either buy star cookies at the store or make your own!
- Meringues: These contrast the dark colors on the wreath and are a nice pop of sweetness.
- Naan crisps: You can choose any type of crackers for this gorgeous Christmas charcuterie board, but these have a wonderful texture and flavor.
How to Make a Charcuterie Wreath – Step-by-Step 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. Serve and enjoy!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- 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.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
The great thing about this delicious appetizer is that it can be made on any type of surface. The wreath shape is absolutely perfect for a round serving tray or large platter, though! This means you can easily repurpose your favorite serving tray and just leave the center open or invert a mixing bowl to use as a guide.
Otherwise, I recommend using a square-shaped board or large rectangular tray to give yourself enough room to make a large circle.
There are a few reasons why you’ll often see honey in a charcuterie spread. First of all, it tastes amazing. It can take savory meats and cheeses to the next level by adding a sweet, floral note. You’ll be surprised at how much the flavors change with a little sweetness!
Charcuterie boards also often feature a variety of cheeses, and it’s traditional to include honey on cheese trays. I also find the little vats of honey stunning with their amber-colored shine, and they can make any charcuterie board look exquisite!
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.
Storage Guidelines
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, but it also pairs well with these other seasonal appetizers and treats:
- Olive Penguins
- Christmas Fruit Wreath
- Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch
- Christmas Fruit Tree
- Pomegranate Sparkler
- Raspberries with Chocolate Chips
- Cranberry Chicken Meatballs
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 lots of flavor.
- Adjust the shape: Although the round shape is lovely, you can easily adjust the shape of your holiday charcuterie board to any design. You can even fill in the circle and make it look like an ornament!
More Holiday Recipes
- Christmas Wreath Veggie Tray
- Easy Christmas Fruit Salad
- Christmas Wreath Salad
- Thanksgiving Turkey Charcuterie Board
- Easter Charcuterie Board
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
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.
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