If you’re tired of the same old holiday snacks, add a dash of creativity to your festive celebrations with this Christmas butter board trend by chef Joshua McFadden!

Our household is well-acquainted with the charcuterie board craze (who isn’t?), but I found myself hooked on this latest trend.

While a charcuterie board typically centers around cured meats, cheese, and various accompaniments like nuts and crackers, my kids are obsessed with butter.

So this super cute Christmas butter board is my go-to this holiday season.

A Santa Claus shaped butter board made of tomatoes, butter, and cheese.

This new charcuterie board recipe introduces a sweet and whimsical twist to the scene.

Shaped like Santa Claus, and brimming with delightful flavors and textures, this holiday trend is a visually stunning centerpiece for holiday gatherings that’s too tempting to pass up!

Trust me; it’s not just another snack board. This butter board for Christmas is a festive masterpiece that combines the rich, creamy goodness of butter, especially when paired with your favorite bread.

It’s a hit with both the kids and adults, and the best part? It’s super easy to put together!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here’s why you’ll fall in love with this festive Christmas butter board recipe:

Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a laid-back family movie night or a formal holiday gathering, this festive butter board is a versatile addition that suits any setting. It’s a snack that knows no bounds.
Kid-Friendly: My little ones adore the creative shapes and vibrant colors of this butter board recipe. It’s a fantastic way to get them excited about festive eating without the usual holiday food battles.
Easy-Peasy: Amid a bustling holiday season, the simplicity of putting together this Christmas butter board is a true blessing. Minimal prep and a handful of ingredients – exactly what an exhausted mom needs!
Pairs Perfectly: This butter board trend isn’t just delicious on its own. It effortlessly pairs with a variety of snacks or accompaniments like crackers, pretzels, and most especially, fresh bread with a drizzle of honey!

Ingredients Needed for Christmas Butter Board

2/3 cup butter
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp flakes of salt
1 tbsp grated parmesan
15-20 mini mozzarella balls
7-10 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cheese snowflake, for a festive look
rosemary (optional)
8 dry black currents (or small blueberries)
1 red berry, for the nose

The ingredients for Christmas butter board.

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Step-by-step Preparation with Pictures

1. The best board for this recipe is a heart-shaped cutting board. Just turn your board upside down. Alternatively, you can use a regular wooden cutting board and cut out a heart shape out of parchment paper. Place it on your serving board and create your Santa butter board following the cut-out.

2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and mozzarella balls into halves. Arrange them at the top of the board as shown in the picture.

A brown wooden cutting board with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese balls on it.

3. Spread soft butter to form Santa’s beard and mustache.

A wooden cutting board with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls, and butter on it.

4. Sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese and sesame seeds over the butter to add texture and flavor.

5. Fill Santa’s hat with cut cherry tomato pieces.

A wooden cutting board with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and butter spread on it.

7. Place dry black currents or small blueberries as the eyes and a small red berry (or cut a small circle out of a cherry tomato) as the mouth.

8. Decorate Santa’s hat with a cheese snowflake and rosemary sprig.

A Santa Claus shaped butter board made of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls, and butter.

9. Sprinkle the tomatoes with flaky sea salt and drizzle with olive oil for that final deliciousness. You could also add some black pepper.

10. Pair with warm bread, a basket of baguette slices, pita chips, or any other of your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

Santa Claus-shaped butter board with slices of bread on the side.

Tips for Success

Ensure your Christmas butter board is a hit with these practical tips:

Festive Serving Utensils: Add a charm to your Christmas butter board with holiday-themed serving utensils like these adorable holiday spreaders or this cute Santa dish and spreader. This will enhance the overall presentation of your spread board.

Butter at Room Temperature: To make spreading easier, ensure your butter is at room temperature. It also helps in achieving a smoother texture. Soft, spreadable butter makes the assembly process smoother and guarantees that your guests won’t struggle with hard, cold butter. Learn the best ways to bring butter to room temperature.

Consider Dietary Preferences: As you craft your viral butter board, keep in mind any dietary preferences or restrictions your guests may have so everyone can partake in devouring your Christmas butter board. In our case, we prefer unsalted butter. Not a fan of butter? Use goat cheese or soft cream cheese instead and turn it into a cream cheese board. Pair cream cheese with smoked salmon in place of cherry tomatoes. Yum!

If you’re planning a holiday celebration for a large crowd, pair this perfect appetizer with other festive Christmas treats, like this snowman cheese board, and flavorful stuffed portobello mushrooms, for dessert make these whimsical melting snowman marshmallows and these elegant and festive chocolate blossom cookies.

Accompanying Spreads and Condiments

To take your Christmas butter board to the next level, consider these delightful spreads and condiments:

Diverse Selection of Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades: Explore a variety of flavors that complement the richness of your butter board. Adding a burst of tangy flavors like orange zest, fig jam or strawberry jam will add a fruity twist to your festive butter board. You can also try a maple syrup or hot honey drizzle for a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Or choose any other dip for charcuterie boards.
Savory Options: This Christmas butter board is as versatile as it gets. You can use any light-colored flavored type of butter – garlic butter, thyme butter, rosemary butter, honey butter, jalapeño butter. The possibilities are endless! These savory options provide a delightful contrast to the sweetness of the fruity spreads.
Nut Butters: Introduce a nutty twist to your spread with options like almond butter or hazelnut spread. These nut butters not only complement the buttery base but also bring a wholesome, protein-packed addition to your Christmas butter board.

A Santa Claus shaped cheese board with tomatoes, butter, and mozzarella cheese ball with pine cones and wooden butter knife on the background.

Garnishes and Edible Decorations

Make your Christmas butter board visually stunning with these captivating garnishes:

Fresh Herbs and Edible Flowers: Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, and fresh basil, and incorporate edible flowers for a decorative touch that screams holiday cheer.
Nuts, Seeds, and Dried Fruits: Add texture and flavor contrast by incorporating crunchy nuts, seeds, and chewy dried fruits like pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried apricots. These will not only add visual appeal but also provide a delightful contrast to the creamy butter spread.
Holiday-Themed Edible Decorations: Take inspiration from the season by incorporating holiday-themed delights. Consider arranging candied cranberries like ornaments on your wooden board or using rosemary sprigs as mini Christmas trees. Sprinkle fresh lemon zest to make your Christmas butter board a festive centerpiece.
Creative Shapes: Use cookie cutters to shape cheese slices into festive symbols like snowflakes or stars. The fun shapes not only add a playful element but also make your board Instagram-worthy for those social media snaps!

Storage

If you happen to have leftovers (though it’s unlikely), put your Christmas butter board in plastic wrap before storing it in the fridge. The textures may change slightly upon refrigeration. Just be sure to let it come back to room temperature before serving again.

Or if you don’t plan to serve it again, just place the remaining butter in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for later use.

One Last Thing

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the arrangement of ingredients on your board for your next gathering.

There are endless festive shapes to come up with. You could do a wreath-shaped charcuterie board instead or arrange elements in the shape of a Christmas tree. The fun part is in the creative expression!

You can also tailor your Christmas butter board to suit your family’s dietary preferences. If there are particular flavors or ingredients your loved ones adore, incorporate them into the spread.

It’s the personal touches that make your board uniquely yours.

And remember, the joy of the holiday season is best shared. So snap a picture, share it on social media, and let your friends know why they shouldn’t miss out on this delightful holiday butter board trend!

Your Turn

If you make this super cute Christmas butter board, please take a moment to let me know how you liked it by leaving a rating and a comment below on the recipe card.

Top Christmas Recipes To Try Next

A Santa Claus shaped butter board made of butter and cherry tomatoes.

Print Pin

5 from 30 votes

Christmas Butter Board

If you're tired of the same old holiday spread, add a dash of creativity to your festive celebrations with this Christmas butter board trend.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword butter board for Christmas, Christmas butter board, holiday butter board

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 464kcal

Equipment

1 heart-shaped cutting board

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp flakes of salt
1 tbsp grated parmesan
15-20 mini mozzarella balls
7-10 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cheese snowflake optional
rosemary
8 black currents dried
1 red berry

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

The best board for this recipe is a heart-shaped cutting board. Just turn your board upside down. Alternatively, you can use a regular wooden cutting board and cut out a heart shape out of parchment paper. Place it on your serving board and create your Santa butter board following the cut-out.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters and mozzarella balls into halves. Arrange them at the top of the board as shown in the picture.
7-10 cherry tomatoes, 15-20 mini mozzarella balls
Spread soft butter to form Santa's beard and mustache.
2/3 cup butter
Sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese and sesame seeds over the butter to add texture and flavor.
1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tbsp grated parmesan
Fill Santa's hat with cut cherry tomato pieces.
7-10 cherry tomatoes
Place dry black currents or small blueberries as the eyes and a small red berry (or cut a small circle out of a cherry tomato) as the mouth.
8 black currents, 1 red berry
Decorate Santa's hat with a cheese snowflake and rosemary sprig, for a festive look but optional.
1 cheese snowflake, rosemary
Sprinkle the tomatoes with flaky sea salt and drizzle with olive oil for that final deliciousness. You could also add some black pepper.
1/2 tsp flakes of salt, 1 tbsp olive oil
Pair with warm bread, a basket of baguette slices, pita chips, or any other of your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

Notes

Festive Serving Utensils: Add a charm to your Christmas butter board with holiday-themed serving utensils like these adorable holiday spreaders or this cute Santa dish and spreader. This will enhance the overall presentation of your spread board.

Butter at Room Temperature: To make spreading easier, ensure your butter is at room temperature. It also helps in achieving a smoother texture. Soft, spreadable butter makes the assembly process smoother and guarantees that your guests won’t struggle with hard, cold butter. Learn the best ways to bring butter to room temperature.

Consider Dietary Preferences: As you craft your viral butter board, keep in mind any dietary preferences or restrictions your guests may have so everyone can partake in devouring your Christmas butter board. In our case, we prefer unsalted butter. Not a fan of butter? Use goat cheese or soft cream cheese instead and turn it into a cream cheese board. Pair cream cheese with smoked salmon in place of cherry tomatoes. Yum!

Nutrition

Tamara Tsaturyan

Tamara Tsaturyan is the owner and writer of Thriving In Parenting, a website focused on providing simple tips for busy parents — easy and healthy recipes, home decor and organization ideas and all things P A R E N T I N G.