DIY Christmas Cheese Board for a Party
on Dec 12, 2018, Updated Nov 26, 2024
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How to make a DIY Christmas Cheese Board for a party complete with what cheese to buy, how to make it festive for the holidays, and more easy tips!
It’s party season, which means you have a great excuse to try your hand at making a cheeseboard! I’m here to tell you that it’s one of the simplest things that you can make for a party and so many people LOVE to eat them. It’s just so much fun to dig in and try new things. I love to make these seasonal by adding very seasonal ingredients! When you combine the classics (cheese, fruit, crackers) with fun seasonal ingredients (festive shapes, holiday flavors, seasonal produce) then you have a cheese board that’s fit for an occasion!
Easy, no-bake, party perfect, and SO great to eat. Pick up a few new cheeses, a variety of crackers, and some fun seasonal treats and get to laying out that spread. What more do you need this holiday party season?
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s looks fancy but it is easy to throw together.
- It is so fun and festive.
- It’s so easy to customize. You can mix and match your favorite flavors.
Ingredients
- Cheeses
- Peach Jalapeno Jam
- Whole Grain Mustard
- Kalamata Olives
- Assorted Crackers, Melba Toast, Sesame Sticks, etc.
- Salami
- Sliced Apples and Peeled Mandarin Oranges
- Christmas Sweets and Treats
- Board
- Cheese Knives
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make a Christmas Cheese Board
Step #1. Place the cheese on the board. Pre-slice a couple kinds if you’d like.
Step #3. Place crackers around the cheeses. Add the fruit and salami.
Step #2. Place the condiments in small bowls and arrange them on the board.
Step #4. Fill in the gaps with sweets and treats. Serve.
Recipe FAQs
Don’t feel like you have to have everything I have to make a cheese board! Buy some cheeses you already know and love, add one or two that are new, pick up some of your favorite crackers, then round it out with some fruit, sliced meats, and treats. It always turns out great!
Meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits, nuts, and spreads, plus anything else that you love with the other ingredients!
Half of the fun of a cheese board is stacking up your crackers with different combinations of cheese, fruit, and condiments. My favorite is always a cracker with cheese plus an apple slice, a little bit of whole grain mustard, and just a drizzle of jam or honey. You’ve got to try it stacked up just like that. And trust me on the mustard even if you don’t normally like mustard. I’ve converted many-a-friend to this combo – even the mustard haters. It’s just a well-balanced bite that will leave your taste buds singing!
Expert Tips
- There’s no wrong way to cheese board! That’s the beauty of it. You can add just about anything you’d like (such as nuts, meat, or pickled veggies) or take off anything you don’t like.
- Thomas bought these very inexpensive cheese knives for my stocking last Christmas, and I love them! I use a few nice boards and these knives over and over again.
- Variety is fun! Add what you like and leave off what you don’t, but try to have a nice variety to make things interesting.
- Don’t feel like you need to have some great cheese knowledge to pull off a cheese board. Stick with what you like! I usually include a cheese with fruit in it, a sharp cheddar, a smoked Gouda, and then something new to me. I get most of these cheeses at the little town next to me or Costco. Don’t over complicate things. Good cheese doesn’t have to be unpronounceable or a million dollars a pound.
- Find Christmas treats and shapes like gingerbread men, trees, stars, and candy canes to make this board festive.
More Christmas Recipes to Consider
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
The Perfect Icing for Gingerbread Cookies
Cut Out Cookies
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe for Perfect Holiday Decorating
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup: Cozy Holiday in a Bottle
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Easy Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
DIY Christmas Cheese Board for a Party
Ingredients
- cheese – I used Jarlsberg, similar to Swiss, aged Cheddar (I used a white Seriously Sharp from Cabot), a rosemary crust cheese, a simple herb and onion cheese, and a goat cheese with cranberries
- peach jalapeno jam
- whole grain mustard
- Kalamata olives
- assorted crackers/Melba toast/Sesame sticks
- salami
- sliced apples and peeled mandarin oranges
- Christmas sweets such as candy canes, red and green M&M's, chocolate covered stars, Christmas tree cookies, minty popcorn balls, gingerbread cookies, Hershey kisses
- board
- cheese knives
Instructions
- Place your cheeses on your board. Feel free to pre-slice one or two of the cheeses if you desire.
- Place condiments (jam and mustard) in small serving bowls (bonus points if the dishes are festive!) and place on board.
- Place crackers etc. around the cheeses.
- Add fruit and salami.
- Fill in the gaps with candies and other treats.
- Garnish with candies and small seasonal items.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Thomas bought these very inexpensive cheese knives for my stocking last Christmas, and I love them! I use a few nice boards and these knives over and over again.
- Find Christmas shaped treats and shapes like gingerbread men, trees, stars, and candy canes to make this board festive. The little trees that aren’t cookies on my board are actually cheese crackers!
- Half of the fun of a cheese board is stacking up your crackers with different combinations of cheese, fruit, and condiments. My favorite is always a cracker with cheese plus an apple slice, a little bit of whole grain mustard, and just a drizzle of jam or honey. You’ve got to try it stacked up just like that. And trust me on the mustard even if you don’t normally like mustard. I’ve converted many-a-friend to this combo – even the mustard haters. It’s just a well-balanced bite that will leave your taste buds singing!
- Cheese board are easy! Don’t let it overwhelm you. Start out with things you know you love and go from there!
This looks amazing! I have never seen a cheese board in person….I’m just not the party animal I used to be. I will remember this if I ever venture out….I can dribble dehydrated goodies in all the spaces…hmmm…maybe I should make one for here!