‘Tis the season for Christmas Magic! Whether you are hosting a holiday party, cooking for family & friends or are simply in the mood to bake, appetizers are a great way to snack on foods while enjoying your company. One of the great joys of Christmas time is to get into the holiday spirit and what better then to create an festive, delicious and memorable Christmas appetizers.
What are Appetizers?
Appetizers are also known as appies or hors d’oeuvre. They are small one-to-two bite sized items that are served before dinner, usually accompanied by a cocktail. Some say hors d’oeuvre are served before dinner, whereas appetizers are served during. Either way, appetizers are an excellent way to add to any occasion.
Below are 10 delicious and easy Christmas appetizers that will add to the magic of your holiday.
What are your favourite holiday recipes to make this time of year? Let us and others know in the comment section below.
10 Delicious & Festive Christmas Appetizers
1. Pull-Apart Christmas Tree
Who doesn’t love pizza?! This festive Christmas tree provides everyone with a 2 bite ball of pizza, stuffed with mozzarella cheese & glazed with melted butter, herbs and parmesan. Serve this with your family or guests, it’s sure to be a dish to remember.
Recipe by Lauren Miyashiro at Delish.com
- 1 lb. of refrigerated pizza dough
- Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water)
- 7 mozzarella sticks
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
- Marinara, warmed (for serving)
- Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut mozzarella sticks into 1” pieces and set aside.
- On a floured surface, divide pizza dough into two pieces. Stretch and roll each piece of dough into a long rectangle, then cut dough into 2” squares (you’ll need 33 total).
- Wrap a dough square around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball. Place balls seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree (they should be touching). Brush egg wash on dough balls and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, Parmesan and herbs. Brush on baked pizza balls. Serve warm with marinara for dipping.
2. Snowman Cheese Board
To recreate this adorable holiday app, you’ll need three cheese wheels, prosciutto for the scarf, sugared cranberry buttons, raisin eyes and a chili pepper nose. So easy, and so cute!
Recipe inspired by GoodHouseKeeping.com on Pinterest
- 3 Cheese wheels
- Deli meat (Prosciutto works great for the snowman scarf)
- Sugared cranberries
- Raisins
- Chili pepper
- An assortment of your favourite crackers
- Olives
- Fruit & nuts
- Use a nice cutting board or plate to display your snowman cheese board
- Lay out the 3 cheese wheels in the shape of a snow man
- Decorate the snow man: eyes, nose, scarf and buttons
- Spread the remaining crackers, fruit, nuts, olives and other items around the snowman
3. Mini Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls
Holiday entertaining has never been easier or more delicious! So easy to make, are both sweet and savory and gorgeous too. Whether you decide to serve these for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s, Trish says they will be the star of the night!
Recipe by Trish at MomOnTimeOut.com
- 2 8 oz packages challenge cream cheese softened
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese grated (I grate the cheese on the smaller opening)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced chives
Coating
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced chives
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 30 pretzel sticks
- Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out small balls.
- Roll into a ball using your hands.
- Place chives, pecans, and cranberries into separate, shallow bowls.
- Roll the cheese balls into your desired coating and spear with a pretzel stick.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If preparing more than 4 hours in advance, do not add the pretzel sticks until ready to serve.
- Serve with assorted crackers and pretzels.
4. Stuffing Sausage Balls
Stuffing Sausage Balls are an easy appetizer with all the flavors of the holidays. Cheese, sausage, bacon, and stuffing are rolled together for one perfect bite!
Recipe by bestfriends Kat & Melinda at HomemadeInterest.com
- 1 pound of refrigerated – Roll Sausage
- 8 slices Hickory Smoked Bacon, cooked and diced
- 6 ounces Dry Stuffing Mix, prepare according to instructions
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine sausage, cooked bacon, cooked stuffing, and cheese in a large bowl. Mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Roll into balls, approximately 1 heaping tablespoon each. Make sure to pack the balls tightly so they hold together as they bake.
- Place sausage balls on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Fruit & Cheese Christmas Tree
Oh! Christmas cheese, Oh! Christmas cheese! This cheese board is super simple and festive with all the ingredients assembled to look like a Christmas tree. What is not to love?
Recipe by Yvette at MuyBuenoCookbook.com
- evergreen or cyrpress sprigs
- 1 stalk celery
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 4 ounces halloumi cheese cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 pound Dill Havarti cheese cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- seedless green, red, and black grapes
- 1 kiwi sliced
- fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and sage
- 1 star fruit slices or persimmon or cheese slices, shaped with a star cookie cutter
- fresh cranberries
- Place greenery/sprigs in the shape of a tree on a wooden tray, platter, or cutting board to resemble a Christmas tree shape.
- Place celery at the bottom for the tree trunk.
- Arrange cheese cubes, grapes, and kiwi in rows on greenery.
- Add fresh herbs between.
- Tuck additional Evergreen sprigs under the ingredients in the shape of a tree, if needed.
- Add star shapes on top of ingredients and top off the tree.
- Sprinkle with fresh cranberries, if using.
6. Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites
When Santa makes his list and checks it twice this year, we plan to be right at the top: These mini Santa cheesecake bites are the easiest way to show just how nice you are.
We’re obsessed with this dessert for two reasons: 1) They’re ridiculously cute and 2) they’re ridiculously simple.
Recipe by Lindsay Funston at Delish.com
- 1 plain cheesecake (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 1/2 cup whipped cream or Cool Whip
- 12 strawberries, tops sliced off
- Using a round biscuit cutter, punch holes out of cheesecake. (Depending on size of cheesecake you should be able to get 8 to 12 cheesecake bites.)
- Transfer whipped cream or Cool Whip to a piping bag and pipe a layer on top of cheesecake.
- Top with strawberry, sliced side down.
- Pipe a dot on top of strawberry and serve.
7. Christmas Deviled Eggs
This easy holiday appetizer is inexpensive to make and so very festive. The recipe is even more appealing since the deviled eggs are keto friendly appetizers. It seems everyone is on the keto diet these days, so having a few compliant dishes is a great idea when entertaining. They are also good for those following a gluten free diet.
Recipe by Robin at MomFoodie.com
- 6 hard-boiled eggs peeled
- 1 large avocado
- 3 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: cayenne pepper to taste
- For Garnish:
- 1 small tomato diced small
- Extra cilantro leaves
- Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and place on a platter. Remove the yolks and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add avocado, lime, cilantro, egg yolks from 3 whole yolks (discard the remaining yolks), salt and pepper to taste and optional cayenne pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth. Optional: If using a piping bag and tip to fill the eggs, place the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until smooth. This gives a smoother consistency and breaks down the cilantro better, which will avoid clogging the piping tip when adding the filling. Skip this step if you are simply spooning in the filling.
- If piping the filling into the eggs, spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Fill each egg with avocado filling.
- Garnish with 2 cilantro leaves and 2-3 diced tomato pieces to resemble Christmas Holly.
- Refrigerate eggs until ready to serve.
8. Cheddar Holly Crackers
Sharp cheddar and fresh black pepper makes these homemade crackers extra flavorful. They’re just the thing to serve at your annual Christmas party.
Recipe by Taylor Murray at CountryLiving.com
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh black pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for working
- Beat butter and Cheddar with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add rosemary, salt, and pepper, and beat to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour, then 1 tablespoon cold water, mixing just until incorporated, 30 seconds (add an additional tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed).
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut out cookies with various-sized small holly leaf cookie cutters; transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
- Bake until firm and lightly golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
9. Cranberry Brie Bites
Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff?! Each Thanksgiving, these little guys are a fan favorite. They are the perfect appetizer to make during the holidays and they always disappear in a matter of minutes. Maybe it is because they are so cute, but more likely it’s because of the brie.
Pro Tip! Canned cranberries work great, but if you have got leftover homemade cranberry sauce leftover, use it!
Recipe by Lauren Miyashiro at Delish.com
- 1 (8-oz.) tube crescent dough
- Cooking spray, for pan
- Flour, for surface
- 1 (8-oz.) wheel of brie
- 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 6 sprigs of rosemary, cut into 1″ pieces.
- Preheat oven to 375° and grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out crescent dough, and pinch together seams. Cut into 24 squares. Place squares into muffin tin slots.
- Cut brie into small pieces and place inside the crescent dough. Top with a spoonful of cranberry sauce, some chopped pecans, and one little sprig of rosemary.
- Bake until the crescent pastry is golden, about 15 minutes.
10. Pigs In A Blanket Wreath
This adorable holiday app will become legend to all of your family and friends.
Recipe by Lauren Miyashiro at Delish.com
- 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
- 24 mini hot dogs
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- Egg wash
- 2 tsp. poppy seeds
- rosemary sprigs (for decoration)
- Ketchup, for serving
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
- Slice crescent rolls lengthwise into thirds. Brush all over with dijon mustard. Place a mini hot dog on the thick end of each triangle and roll up.
- Arrange the pigs in a blanket, sided by side, in a circle on the baking sheet. They should be touching! Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crescents are golden. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Lay rosemary sprigs around the inside of the wreath and place a small bowl filled with ketchup in the center
Have you tried any of these holiday recipes? What do you plan to make this year?
Let us know in the comment section below!
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Great recipes thanks