7 Holiday Food Boards That Are Edible Works of Art

7 Holiday Food Boards That Are Edible Works of Art

These boards are so perfectly styled, they're almost too pretty to eat.

We will enthusiastically devour an entire cheese plate any time of year, but they can be extra delicious around the holidays. The humble cheese plate has been elevated in recent years to decadent charcuterie boards filled with cold meats, nuts, and fruit in a beautiful display. And it turns out, we're not the only ones who love a good holiday board—searches for "cheese boards" and "charcuterie" spike at the end of December every year.

This year, we're seeing holiday spirit (and impressive food-styling skills) in food boards that go above and beyond our expectations. Christmas charcutewreath boards (meat and cheese boards styled to look like a holiday wreath) and hot cocoa boards are just a couple of creative spreads we've spotted in the holiday season.

We've been drooling over dessert charcuterie spreads in addition to the more traditional meat and cheese boards for some time now, but those pretty wood, chalkboard, and marble surfaces are begging for even more creative food designs. For inspiration on different types of food boards for the holidays, we knew Instagram was the place to go. We were pleasantly delighted when we came upon #boardsthatsleigh that includes more than 2,300 festive boards to celebrate the season. So if you love to look at food photos as much as we do, here are some holiday food boards we've found that definitely sleigh.

Hanging the "Charcuter-Wreath"

Talk about holly and jolly. This wreath-inspired board by Marissa Mullen from That Cheese Plate used fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage adorned with pomegranate seeds and cranberries to serve a cheese and charcuterie board fit for any holiday party. A wood pizza peel ($49, Pottery Barn) would be a great surface for this display as well if you don't have a round cutting board.

Cheerful Caprese

If you haven't seen the spreads by Maegan Brown from The Baker Mama, you're missing out. All the photos by Brown—who's also the author of Beautiful Boards ($19, Barnes & Noble)—make us want to turn everything we eat into a styled food board. For this simple display, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes are arranged into a cute candy cane shape. Served with basil and balsamic reduction, Caprese is the salad we want on our holiday tables.

Sweet and Savory

Cheese can be paired with sweets, too. We love the idea of cutting out the brie and using the hole to fill with some cranberry compote or fruit preserves like Annette at MINDBODY & Rosé did here. To get the shape, you could press a cookie cutter into the cheese to begin the outline you want, then use a sharp paring knife ($39, Williams Sonoma) to carefully cut out the design.

Oh, Christmas Cheese

Healthy treats never looked so fun. This vegetable-filled food board made by Yovita at PlatterMeUp Colorado made a show-stopping centerpiece to their board by creating a spiraling up some zoodles and shaping them into a Christmas tree. The color-coordinated cheese and veggies is especially festive.

Holiday Cheers

There's nothing quite like a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up from the cold winter. Take inspiration from Everyday Tables to set up an unforgettable hot cocoa bar for your family this season. It's a cozy companion to your holiday movie night. Sipping chocolate can also pair well with cheese, so you can even have one of these out next to your cheese plate.

Cookie Party Time

Ashley from ashleymerry found the perfect solution to making sure all of her delicious cookies didn't go to waste. Take out your favorite charcuterie board and load it with those decorated sugar cookies and gingerbread people and you'll have the perfect holiday dessert tray.

Simple Holiday Elegance

If the classic cheese board is more your style, there are many ways to spruce up your display to up the holiday wow factor. This round board by Dayton Charcuterie Gal included snowflake-shaped brie and homemade sugared cranberries. We're thinking some peppered almonds might go well on a board like this, too.

If you're building your own food board this season, we hope you're inspired to get creative with your displays for the holidays. Style food boards with whatever your stomach desires and don't forget to take a photo before everyone digs in.