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Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board

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If you’re looking for a Christmas Charcuterie Board, it doesn’t get much easier than this one! This Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board is made with white(ish) and red(ish) finger foods shaped into a candy cane arch and decorated with sprigs of rosemary. So fast and easy. And just so dang cute!

The concept is easy. Gather up some red and white finger foods, arrange them in candy cane “stripes,” dress it up with a few sprigs of fresh or sugared rosemary and some mini candy canes, and your Christmas appetizer situation is set!

For this board, we have a meat-and-dairy situation, but here are a ton of Christmas charcuterie board ingredient ideas. Mix and match to make your Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board vegetarian, vegan, meaty, or just uniquely yours!

Ingredients for Christmas charcuterie board

Here are a whole bunch of red and white vegan, vegetarian, and meaty charcuterie ingredient ideas.

Red Vegan Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Tomato slices
  • Radishes
  • Pickled red onions
  • Cooked or pickled beets
  • Strawberries
  • Red grapes
  • Pomegranate arils
  • Watermelon
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Dried cherries
  • Dried cranberries
  • Sugared cranberries
  • Tiny “sweety” pepper drops
  • Red bell pepper strips
  • Roasted red bell peppers
  • Red mini bell peppers
  • Red bella olives or other red-hued olives
  • Field roast – the chipotle version has a nice reddish hue!
  • Tofurky smoked ham deli slices

White Vegan Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Tofurky plant-based chicken, cubed
  • Marinated tofu cubes
  • Mini vegan marshmallows
  • Cauliflower
  • Jicama sticks
  • Cocktail onions
  • Fresh baguette or other bread sliced at an angle
  • Saltine crackers
  • Oyster crackers
  • Water crackers
  • Club crackers
  • Any other light colored cracker!
  • Popcorn
  • Blanched almonds
  • Salted marconi almonds

And here are some ideas include eggs and/or dairy – so that in addition to all of the vegan ideas above, you could add some of these to your board.

Red Vegetarian (But Not Vegan) Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Babybel cheese
  • Red M&Ms
  • Red Hershey’s kisses
  • Red jelly beans
  • Red licorice wheels
  • Red macarons

White Vegetarian (But Not Vegan) Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Mini marshmallows
  • Yogurt covered raisins
  • Yogurt covered peanuts
  • Yogurt/white-chocolate covered pretzels
  • White jelly beans
  • White macarons
  • Parmesan cheese crisps (such as Whisps brand)
  • Mini mozzarella balls
  • Brie cheese cut into wedges
  • Manchego cheese
  • Goat cheese medallions
  • Goat cheese with dried cranberries
  • Provolone slices
  • Havarti slices
  • Chunks of Parmesan
  • Asiago
  • Feta chunks
  • Whipped feta
  • Straccino
  • Basically any white or light cheese you love, served up however you like!
  • Butter – served up butter board style, if you’re into that

Red Meaty Ingredients (or … Reddish) for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Dry (Soppressata) Salami
  • Calabrese salami
  • Pepperoni
  • Mini pepperoni
  • Prosciutto
  • Beef jerky
  • Chorizo
  • Salami-wrapped panino (salami-wrapped cheese)

White Meaty Ingredients for a Christmas Charcuterie Board

  • Cubed cooked chicken
  • Cubed smoked turkey

Or … Consider a Dessert Option!

Another idea is to make this board dessert-only! I’d swap in sprigs of peppermint for the rosemary and load on the sweets. Here are some some dessert-only ideas for the “stripes.” I’m thinking I might have to make one of these for next year!

Red Ingredients for Candy Cane Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board

  • Strawberries
  • Red grapes
  • Pomegranate arils
  • Watermelon
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Dried cherries
  • Dried strawberries
  • Dried cranberries
  • Sugared cranberries
  • Red M&Ms
  • Red Hershey’s kisses
  • Red jelly beans
  • Red licorice wheels
  • Red macarons

White Ingredients for Candy Cane Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board

  • Mini marshmallows
  • Mini marshmallows
  • White M&Ms
  • White chocolate chunks
  • White fudge covered Oreos
  • Yogurt covered raisins
  • Yogurt covered peanuts
  • Yogurt/white-chocolate covered pretzels
  • White jelly beans
  • White macarons
  • Sugar cookies or shortbread cookies (with white frosting would be even prettier!)
  • Powdered donut holes
  • Mini meringue cookies

However you make your Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board your own, I hope you have the most cozy, relaxing, holiday full of love. ♥️

Candy Cane Charcuterie Board
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Candy Cane Christmas Charcuterie Board

Easy, flexible, and adorable! This festive appetizer is the perfect little snacking situation for all your holiday get-togethers. Easy to customize for any diet!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 187kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Wooden board or platter Recommend a minimum of 14" tall by 10" wide

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces white cheddar 1/2 cup; sliced
  • 1 pepperoni link sliced; or meatless pepperoni
  • 4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
  • 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 cup white chocolate covered pretzels
  • 1/2 cup sugared or dried cranberries
  • 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup; cubed
  • 1 ounce dry salami about 8 slices; or meatless substitute
  • 4 ounces cherry 'ciliegine' size mozzarella balls about 1/2 cup
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs for decorating
  • Mini candy canes for decorating

Instructions

  • Beginning in the lower right corner of your board or platter, arrange a two-inch-tall row with the white cheddar. Add a row of the sliced pepperoni and repeat with the goat cheese and then the raspberries. Continue with the pretzels, creating a slight curve to the left to start the top of the "candy cane." Add the cranberries next to create the top of the candy cane. Add the cubed Monterey Jack cheese curving the opposite way of the pretzels, fold the salami and continue the shorter candy cane curve, and lastly add the mozzarella balls to finish the arrangement. Decorate with sprigs of rosemary and mini candy canes.

Notes

Make-ahead tips

The board is easiest to make right before serving so that the ingredients don’t move around or dry out (or, if you’re using mozzarella balls, so that they don’t form little puddles). However, you could always make the board as-is without the mozzarella or other delicate ingredients, cover carefully with plastic wrap, then add the mozzarella just before serving. 

Serving tips

The board can be left out for up to two hours; beyond that it’s best to put any leftovers back in the fridge. 

Quantity note

Exact amount of ingredients can vary depending on the size of your board or platter and how large you want to make your candy cane charcuterie.

Vegan & Vegetarian Options

Scroll up into the main blog post for tons of ingredient ideas for a vegan or vegetarian version. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 1mg

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