Christmas Charcuterie Cups – individually sized charcuterie in a cup! The perfect easy make-ahead appetizer for Christmas.
Christmas Charcuterie Cups
Festive and flavorful, these charcuterie cups are perfect for your holiday party. Bite-sized edible arrangements are filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and crackers, and finished off with adorable gingerbread men. Just like a charcuterie board, these cups have a variety of meats and cheeses with varying textures for a balanced flavor profile.
Theses are so easy to make and look so good displayed together. Plus they allow your guests to grab and go instead of hovering over a board. Guests are free to mingle and enjoy their charcuterie anywhere. We served these at our Halloween party last year and they were a big hit!
Ingredients for Christmas Charcuterie Cups
- Italian Dry Salami – a firmer texture salami that comes sliced.
- Salame di Parma – a softer more tender salami that also comes sliced.
- Brie – I used Brie Bites which are mini round brie circles. I’ve used a small brie cut into wedges in the past and that worked as well. Just make sure it’s not a super soft brie so it will hold its shape once cut.
- Smoked Gouda – cut into one inch squares. This is a medium hard cheese and the smoked note pairs nicely with the salami.
- Aged Gouda – a hard aged cheese with a strong flavor similar to parmesan. I found these already cut into Christmas Tree shapes and thought it was perfect for a charcuterie board. The brand is Old Amsterdam and I found them at Sprouts.
- Mixed Nuts – These go into the bottom of the cup to give it weight and help the cocktail picks to stay in place.
- Jordan Almonds – I found these festive Jordan Almonds at Sprouts and topped off the mixed nuts with them. I think chocolate candy or Christmas M&M’S would be a great alternative.
- Fruit – raspberries and blackberries pair nicely with the brie. Grapes would also be a great addition. I often add dried apricots because I love the color and the chewy texture. I think that would pair beautifully with dried cranberries.
- Crackers – I used tree shape crackers and well as breadsticks. The tree shaped crackers are tucked down into the cups so you can’t really see them in the photos but they are a nice surprise for guests.
- Gingerbread Men Cookies – I love the personality these add to the charcuterie cups! I think any kind of sweet treat would be a fun addition. Homemade Christmas Candy would be a beautiful addition!
- Rosemary – small springs of rosemary add a festive touch. If you add anything different as an accent, please make sure it is food safe. Baby’s Breath for example is not food safe and should not be touching food.
Supplies for Charcuterie Cups
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- Christmas Plaid Charcuterie Cups – I found these cups and I think they are so cute and festive!
- Charcuterie Cups and Cocktail Picks – this set has the plain kraft cups, bamboo skewers and cocktail picks in a bundle which is the best value!
- Bamboo Skewers
- Cocktail Picks
How to Assemble Charcuterie Cups
- Start by adding Mixed Nuts and Jordan Almonds to the cups.
- Assemble the skewers as pictured.
- To create the salami skewers, fold the salami into triangle shapes and thread onto skewers.
- The aged gouda Christmas Trees are very hard, so I pushed those on the top of the cocktail picks instead of trying to thread them all the way through.
- Arrange the skewers in the charcuterie cups as pictured, tucking in rosemary and finishing with the gingerbread men in the front of the cups.
Make-Ahead Charcuterie Cups
I’ve tested out making charcuterie cups ahead a couple of times now and it works like a charm! You can make-ahead two ways.
- Make just the skewers ahead and keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator. Then assemble right before the party.
- Completely assemble the charcuterie cups and cover each with plastic wrap. If you assemble the entire cups ahead, keep the crackers and cookies separate until ready to serve. They will get soft if refrigerated. You can also substitute green and red grapes which are sturdier than the berries. Finally, add the rosemary right before serving.
Tips for Making Charcuterie Cups
- Have a plan when shopping! It’s easy to over buy. Try printing the recipe card and using it as a shopping list.
- To simplify the cups, try using just one type of salami and two types of cheese.
- Substitute ingredients based on what you can find at your grocery store or what you have on hand.
More Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas
- Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Charcuterie Board
- New Year’s Eve Charcuterie Board
Christmas Charcuterie Cups - individually sized charcuterie in a cup! The perfect easy make-ahead appetizer for Christmas.
- 18 slices Hard Italian Salami
- 18 slices Salame di Parma
- 6 Mini Brie Bites
- 6 cubes Smoked Gouda
- 6 pieces Aged Gouda Christmas Tree Shaped
- 3 cups Mixed Nuts
- 1 cup Jordan Almonds
- 12 Blackberries
- 12 Raspberries
- 12 Crackers I used Christmas Tree shaped Lahvosh Crackers from Valley Lahvosh
- 12 Gingerbread Man Cookies I found these at Sprouts the brand is Sasha
- 12 springs Rosemary
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Start by adding 1/2 cup of Mixed Nuts to each cup. Divide Jordan almonds into each cup.
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Assemble the skewers and cocktail picks as pictured.
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To create the salami skewers, fold the salami into triangle shapes and thread onto skewers with the rounded edges facing outward.
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Arrange the skewers in the charcuterie cups as pictured, tucking in rosemary and finishing with the gingerbread men in the front of the cups.
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Samantha
Oh my, this is the cutest idea! And perfect for a germaphobe like me who doesn’t want to eat things that everyone else has already touched — ha. 🙂
Erin
What a great mix of goodies. Something for everyone at our holiday party. I loved how easy they are to throw together!
Melissa
I can’t get over how much I love these! Not only are they adorable, but also so delicious. Couldn’t love them more!