Impress your guests with this Trader Joe’s Holiday Cheese Board. Use this list to assemble the perfect Christmas charcuterie board. Some of my favorite Trader Joe’s Cheeses
Make-ahead
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: How to assemble an eye-catching, stress-free cheese board
Worth It: Impresses a crowd without any fuss
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
Make a festive holiday charcuterie board that will wow your guests
My favorite appetizer at any holiday gathering is ALWAYS the cheese board. For most family holidays it is my job to make the biggest most elaborate charcuterie spread that I can think up.
Our Christmas charcuterie boards always wow our friends and family. Follow this simple guide to bring an amazing cheese board to one of your holiday parties this year.
A good holiday cheese board has a mix of different meats and cheeses, a few savory items like olives and pickles, and a few sweet items like jam or dried fruits.
How many people will this Cheese Board feed?
This exact charcuterie board is perfect for 6 very hungry people or 10-12 people when there are other appetizers available. Just double all of the ingredients for a larger gathering.
When I make my Christmas charcuterie board for my family, I am usually planning to feed at least 25 people.
Amy and I love to make big charcuterie boards into meals. I made this one for us for dinner one night and we basically demolished it between the two of us.
For a holiday party, you could also make this charcuterie wreath!
Kitchen Items Needed
I like to use a large wood slab lazy susan as the canvas for my cheese board. In my opinion it is easier to arrange the items on something round and flat. It is nice that board rotates so that guests don’t need to reach around to try all of the items.
Then, I grab some small bowls for the nuts, jam and olives. I always have a set of small glass bowls on hand. Lately, I have been using these soy sauce bowls for things and love the way they look.
Lastly, you will need some toothpicks, small spoons, and cheese knives for serving. If your cheese is particularly hard, consider safely putting a sharper knife out.
Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients that I used to make my holiday charcuterie plate. I also listed some alternatives incase you cannot find or do not like the item I suggest.
- Organic Raspberry Fruit Spread – you can find this near all the jams and jellies. There are lots of options there including a cherry jam that would be great.
- Double Cream Brie with Truffles – This is my favorite item on the cheese board, but if you don’t like truffles you can replace this with a standard Double Cream Brie or Trader Joe’s new Sliceable Brie Cheese
- Uncured Applewood Smoked Salami – Amy and I agreed that this was DELISH, but if you can’t find it or are not a fan I would use another type of salami or prosciutto in its place. If you are vegetarian, I recommend replacing this with the cranberry goat cheese log.
- Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives – These are with the pickles and beans. Now I know blue cheese is controversial, but hear me out. Blue cheese is not my favorite, but I actually really enjoyed these olives. Of course, you can replace them with standard olives, mixed marinated olives, or mini gherkins.
- Fig & Olive Crisps – These are just the perfect holiday cracker. At my Trader Joe’s they are on the shelves above the freezer items.
- Pecan Pralines – OKAY I think these are new and they are heavenly. If you can’t get these, definitely do your best to add some kind of candied nut to the board.
- Creamy Toscano Cheese Soaked in Syrah – I could go on and on about this wine soaked cheese, but just trust me, its delicious. If you can’t find this, I recommend replacing it with a nutty, aged cheese like an aged gouda.
- Brioche Toasts – Usually I buy a baguette, slice it on a bias and toast it up to make little crostinis, but when I need to save time I buy these brioche toasts. They are rather large and I recommend breaking them in half before placing them on the board.
- Truffle Marcona Almonds – I know this is the second truffle item on this Christmas charcuterie board, but it’s the holidays!! Again if you don’t like truffle, grab the rosemary marcona almonds or some standard salted marcona almonds
- Unexpected Cheddar – It is my firm belief that every single cheese board should contain a good cheddar. This is hands down my favorite cheddar of all time from Trader Joe’s if you’re shopping at another store keep an eye out for Kerry Gold cheddar.
Additional Garnishes
I like to keep my cheese boards simple. I focus on high quality cheese and serve it with a delicious red wine.
That said, there are many garnishes you can add to make this holiday charcuterie board more festive! Use sprigs of fresh rosemary and some sugared cranberries to really make the red and green pop.
You can also buy some shiny wrapped candy like Rolos or Hersheys Kisses to add a pop of glittery silver and gold to this Trader Joe’s cheese board.
Ingredient Substituions
I got all of my ingredients at Trader Joe’s, but you can really grab these ingredients anywhere.
For an even creamier option, grab a triple cream brie instead of the double cream truffle brie that I suggested. If you grab a regular brie, substitute one of the other hard cheeses for an Italian truffle cheese.
Every cheese lover will be thankful for extra options like a marinated mini mozzarella balls or a semi soft cheese like a fresh gouda. Lastly, be sure to have plenty of cured meats for the meat lovers in your group. My favorites are a genoa salami, spicy salami and a classic prosciuttto.
Can I get the ingredients somewhere else?
Yes! Of course you can buy all of these charcuterie board ingredients at a standard grocery store. They might not have the exact same items, but you will be able to get some very similar things.
In addition to Trader Joes, in my area I like to go to Costco or Wegmans for cheese board items. Any grocery store will have some good options. Don’t forget to check for items in the deli section like fun olives and spreads.
Let’s make a Trader Joe’s Holiday Cheese Board!
To begin, grab the cheese board that you are going to use and clean it thoroughly or line it with parchment paper.
Then, take 4 small bowls and add the olives, fruit spread, pecan pralines, and marcona almonds each into one bowl. Arrange the bowls on the charcuterie board. I usually make a diamond shape.
Next, open the cheeses and slice a few slices off each cheese. This encourages guests to dig in. Then, arrange the cheeses on the charcuterie board between the bowls.
Open the pack of salami and fold into a triangle by folding it in half and then in half again. Next, use your salami triangles to make a salami river between cheeses.
Then, break the brioche toasts in half and arrange the toasts and fig and olive crisps on the cheese board.
Finally, add some toothpicks, small spoons and cheese knives for serving.
Can I prepare this cheese board ahead of time?
Yes! If I am having people over I will usually prep the cheese plate ahead of time.
Place all of the ingredients on your cheese board except for the crackers. Then, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
Once you are ready to serve your cheese board, add the crackers to the board and serve!
Check out these other charcuterie board recipes!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Trader Joe’s Holiday Cheese Board
Ingredients
- 1 jar organic raspberry fruit spread
- 1 small wheel double cream brie with truffles
- 1 package uncured applewood smoked salami
- 1 jar blue cheese stuffed olives
- 1 wedge creamy toscano cheese soaked in Syrah
- 1 pack pecan pralines
- 1 box fig & olive crisps
- 1 pack unexpected cheddar
- 1 bag truffle marcona almons
- 1 box brioche toasts
Instructions
- Grab the cheese board that you are going to use and clean it thoroughly or line it with parchment paper
- Take 4 small bowls and add the olives, fruit spread, pecan pralines, and marcona almonds each into one bowl
- Arrange the bowls on the charcuterie board – I usually make a diamond shape
- Open the cheeses and slice a few slices off each cheese – this encourages guests to dig in
- Arrange the cheeses on the charcuterie board between the bowls
- Open the pack of salami and fold into a triangle by folding it in half and then in half again
- Use your salami triangles to make a salami river between cheeses
- Break the brioche toasts in half
- Arrange the toasts and fig and olive crisps on the cheese board
- Finally add some toothpicks, small spoons and cheese knives for serving
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Leave a Reply