Charcuterie Tree

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A festive charcuterie tree is the perfect Christmas appetizer for your holiday party! It’s fun to build and makes a gorgeous centerpiece on the table. Get into spirit of the season with savory bites of Italian charcuterie, creatively arranged in a spiral around the tree cone. This appetizer display is a great solution for pre-dinner mingling!

Decorated charcuterie tree standing vertically on a platter with a white background.

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Why We Love This Recipe

Fun holiday project for kids.
Getting your kids to eat more than just cookies and candy at holiday parties is no problem with this decorative and impressive appetizer display.

Have them help create it, too! This is an easy and fun activity to do with your kids.
A simple and gorgeous Christmas food display!
This impressive presentation of party food is incredibly simple to make, and a real showstopper.
Entirely adjustable to your preferences.
The great thing about charcuterie boards is that you can use whatever kinds of meats, cheeses, jams, nuts, crackers, or fruit that you like!

Close up of a charcuterie tree with meats, cheeses, olives, and stars stuck into a styrofoam cone with toothpicks.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

These are some delicious options for creating a charcuterie Christmas tree, but you can swap them out for anything else that you like.

Prosciutto – This dry-aged, thin meat is perfect for adding to any charcuterie board. You can find it at most local grocery stores.
Salami – Have fun with this one! There are so many different options when it comes to salami. Try one with pepper edges, wine-infused, or smoked. You may be able to find different selections of these in the deli section of the grocery store or you can order them online.
Pepperoni – The kids always love a good pepperoni. If they are too big, fold them into fourths before pinning them to the tree.
Olives – Buy your favorite olives, just make sure they’re pitted. The deli section of the grocery store may have different selections of olives to choose from. If not, you’ll be able to find them in jars as well.
Cornichons – Little pickled vegetables are perfect for snacking on. You can use any that you like. Some examples are onions, asparagus, or okra.
Cherry peppers – If you like things a little spicy, add some pickled peppers to the mix. You can use cherry, pepperoncini, or any other hot peppers.
Gouda – Cubed cheese is a classic option for these boards. Try regular or smoked gouda.
Cheddar – A mild cheese, like cheddar, is always great, but you can try adding in some funky options as well.

🎯 TFN Pro Tip

Looking to make a meat and cheese board? Check out this cheese for charcuterie boards for the best tips.

Tips for Assembling a Charcuterie Christmas Tree

Use a styrofoam cone for the tree.
Find a cone for your holiday appetizer at a local craft store like Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, or JoAnn’s. If that’s not an option, you can always order one online.

They’re pretty inexpensive as well!

Drawing a line on a styrofoam cone with a pencil.

Use different colored toothpicks.
When pinning the ingredients to the tree, use a variety of colors for the toothpicks.
This gives the effect of Christmas lights, while also adding an extra touch of decoration.

Placing a cube of cheese on a cone with a toothpick.

Place skewers of appetizer bites in an ascending spiral shape.
This is where the wow factor really comes in!

Use the toothpicks to pin the Italian charcuterie ingredients in an ascending spiral shape. It works best to start at the bottom of the cone and work upwards from there.

This effect is jaw-dropping and really takes the presentation to the next level!

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Meats and cheeses pinned to a foam cone with toothpicks.

Ensure the ingredients are close together.
When putting the foods on the tree, make sure they are close enough together that very little white from the cone shows through.

This also adds to the overall Christmas tree effect.

Placing a sprig of rosemary in the tree.

Tips for Creating a Spiral of Charcuterie

A great way to add crackers to this dish is to set the Christmas tree tower in the middle of a large serving platter. Then, fan the crackers around the base of the charcuterie tower.

Party-goers will easily be able to choose a cracker and meat or cheese from the tree at the same time.

Here are the steps for creating the display:

Start by drawing a line from the top of the tree down in a spiral shape to give yourself an anchor point.
After filling in the top of the tree with ingredients to establish a pattern, work down, filling in the bottom section with another pattern.
Fold the pepperoni into fourths (fold in half, then in half again), and the salami slices in half. Then, roll them into a rose-like shape. The meat is easy to work with because it’s easy to move once it is pinned on. This way, you can move it as necessary, to fill in any gaps.
Use a paper towel to clean any excess grease from the meat skewers for the charcuterie tree.
For a final flourish, cut small pieces of rosemary and use them to fill in gaps.

Holding an olive on a toothpick in front of a tree.

Recipe FAQs

How do you anchor the tree tower?

To make sure your decorated styrofoam appetizer tree doesn’t move around on the platter, you can use a small amount of washable glue to the bottom.
Once it dries it will stick to your platter and when you’re ready to clean up, it will wash away with no problem.

Can I make a charcuterie tree in advance?

This appetizer board is best made right before serving since all the meats and cheeses need to be refrigerated until you’re ready to eat them.
The great thing is that it’s very simple to put together, that it will take you hardly any time at all!

How do I add crackers to a charcuterie tree?

A great way to add crackers to this dish is to set the Christmas tree tower in the middle of a large serving platter. Then, fan the crackers around the base of the charcuterie tower.
Party-goers will easily be able to choose a cracker and meat or cheese from the tree at the same time.

How do I store leftovers?

Remove any leftover food skewers from the charcuterie tree and transfer them to an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
Stored in the refrigerator, they’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days. There’s no need to heat them up – Just pull them from the fridge for a quick mini charcuterie lunch!
Freezing the meat, cheese, and other food items after you’ve had them out on the tree is not recommended. Go ahead and keep them chilled in the fridge, and enjoy them over the next couple of days.

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