Christmas Tree Fruit & Cheese Platter

This Christmas Tree Fruit & Cheese Platter is an adorable way to spruce up your holiday table. It’s a basic cheese board with fruit that’s totally customizable and great for holiday parties or just something fun for the kids on Christmas.

Christmas Fruit and Cheese Platter

Cheese Boards are all the rage right now. I mean, there are even books on how to make a cheese board. (affiliate link). I love a good cheese and when paired with the right things, a good cheese platter can be the absolute hit of your party.

My daughter and I set out one weekend to create a fun and festive fruit and cheese platter for the holidays and this Christmas Tree Fruit & Cheese Platter was born. Now I do not take credit for the idea, because I have seen several similar fruit platters floating around. However we picked the fruits and cheeses that we like and felt that rosemary gave the look and feel of a real Christmas tree. Pretty, right?

How to make a Christmas Tree Fruit & Cheese Platter

1. Choose your fruits and cheeses. Keep in mind that not all fruits pair well with cheese. For example, bananas and oranges do not; grapes and berries, do. Depending on what fruits are in season where you live, you have a variety of options. I like to include a variety of cheeses. Mix some sharper, firmer cheeses like sharp cheddar, Parmesan and blue cheese with some milder, softer cheeses like jack, Colby and mozzarella. Texture is as important as taste. Here is a great article on what NOT to pair with cheese.
2. Plan the layers. Start with the cheese that you feel will be most popular, like cheddar, and layer that on the bottom. I actually drew this out on a piece of paper first so I would know how much of each cheese to cut. I figured Parmesan is one kind of cheese that most people wouldn’t eat a ton of so I placed it at the top. The middle cheese layers are colby-jack and Gouda.
3. Shape the tree with a flat layer first. Starting with the bottom layer, in this case the cheddar cheese, make a single layer of cheese in the shape of the bottom of the tree. Then add a single layer of fruit, then the next cheese, and so on up the tree shape until you get to the point at the top. Once you have the basic shape, start filling it in with more cheese and fruit to make your tree shape fuller.
4. Garnish. I used some fancy parsley for the top of the tree, but you could use star shaped crackers or even cut a star shape out of one of the cheeses. The “needles” of the tree are just bits of rosemary that I tucked into any empty spaces (it works great as filler for your fruit and cheese platter Christmas tree!).

That’s it! Easy peasy, and you have a beautiful fruit and cheese platter for Christmas that is sure to impress your guests. Make sure to include toothpicks so your guests can easily grab their favorites.

For more Christmas appetizers be sure to check out:

• Festive Christmas Appetizers and Sides
• Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce
• Cranberry Fluff Salad

And for more holiday tips and tricks:

• How to Host the Holidays Like a Pro
• Christmas Planner (Free Printable Planner)