21+ Best Christmas Appetizer Recipes

 

These quick Christmas appetizer recipes will set the tone and kick off an epic holiday dinner!

Nothing beats these easy-to-serve finger snacks  — some indulgent, some healthy — to keep the entire family happy while they wait for the holiday ham to cook.

After all, Christmas is about spending time with family and enjoying wonderful food (at least for me).

Thus, a few festive finger foods to start the gathering are a must for every Christmas meal.

 

Christmas Appetizer Ideas For Your Holiday Party

So if you’re looking for the best Christmas appetizers, check out our top 21+ favorites, including anything from classic holiday appetizer recipes to a few great alternatives that you might make year after year.

Let’s get started!

 

Best Christmas Appetizers (+ Recipe Ideas)

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1. Dried Apricot Blue Cheese Canapes with Walnuts

Get The Full Recipe On Tidy Mom

Making a tasty appetizer for a party, on the other hand, does not have to be difficult! These Dried Apricot and Blue Cheese Canapes with Walnuts are quick and easy to make.

They’re basic but classy enough for any occasion. Don’t be fooled by their small size; the little bits are jam-packed with flavor, sweet, tangy, and salty all in one.

They look lovely on a plate or platter….for a simple presentation, top with a sprig of rosemary on the serving dish.

These small bites are ideal for a quick starter.

 

2. Cranberry Brie Bites (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On My Baking Addiction

These Cranberry Brie Bites are perfect for a holiday celebration or a cozy dating night at home.

The best thing, though? Making them is easy!

You just need a few ingredients to make these delectable tiny bites: a tube of crescent roll dough, cubes of brie cheese, and cranberry sauce.

 

3. Honey, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Crostini 

Get The Full Recipe On The Wander Lust Kitchen

This easy crostini recipe for honey, walnuts, and goat cheese makes a wonderful appetizer by balancing the creamy tang of fresh goat cheese with earthy walnuts and sweet honey.

The flavors of goat cheese and honey combine so well on these crostinis that my mouth waters just thinking about them.

Adding the walnut flavor and crostini crunch makes these insanely delicious!

 

4. Sausage Balls Recipe (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On The Kitchen

This biscuit mix cheesy sausage balls are popular holiday appetizers and are also served at many holiday breakfast tables.

You only need three items to make a wonderful side dish or snack.

These sausage balls are the type of food that should be baked in the winter: rich, decadent, comforting carb-laden goodness.

The recipe yields 24 golf ball-sized sausage balls, which will fit perfectly on a large baking sheet.

 

5. Christmas deviled eggs

Get The Full Recipe On She Keep’s A Lovely Home

These delightful little Christmas deviled eggs are so adorable, festive, and delicious!

To prepare these cheery snacks, you only need some parsley leaves and a few pink peppercorns.

Pink peppercorns resemble tiny holly berries, making them an ideal garnish for any holiday appetizer.

And, unlike black peppercorns, they’re quite tasty whole, so your guests won’t have to pluck them off.

Pink peppercorns can be difficult to find in regular grocery stores, so I ordered mine from Amazon.

They are also available in specialty spice stores.

 

6. Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On The Endless Meal

These cucumbers and smoked salmon appetizer bites are as tasty as they are beautiful.

They are ideal for a light holiday meal or as an appetizer at any party.

Is there anything better than smoked salmon, crunchy cucumbers, and lemony cream cheese? It’s classic. All I’ve done here is dress them up a little so they’re party-ready.

And don’t worry, they’re much easier to put together than they appear. Just roll up tiny slivers of lox-style smoked salmon and use mini cucumbers to make them truly bite-sized.

The lemony dill cream cheese is piped on, which is MUCH easier than spooning it on. And prettier too!

 

7. Mini Cheese Ball Bites

Get The Full Recipe On The Cookie Rookie

The ideal simple appetizer to serve at holiday parties is Mini Cheese Ball Bites.

These delectable tiny cheese balls are created with cream cheese and dried fruit, then covered in bacon or nuts and topped with pretzel sticks.

For a quick get-together or as an appetizer on New Year’s Eve, prepare these Mini Cheese Ball Bites!

 

8. Mini Caprese Salad Bites (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Jo Cooks

There is no easier way to make these mini Caprese salad bites!

This mouthwatering and fragrant appetizer can be made in a matter of minutes with just a little minor assembly. Impressive, tiny, and elegant.

All you need for this recipe are fresh tomatoes, basil, bocconcini cheese, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

They’re also the cutest little things you’ve ever seen, don’t you think?

 

9. Toasted Ravioli

Get The Full Recipe On Tastes Better From Scratch

These toasted ravioli, also known as “fried ravioli,” make a delicious appetizer for any event and are incredibly easy and fun to make.

Simply dip frozen ravioli in egg and breadcrumbs, deep fry, and serve with a marinara sauce for dipping.

In less than 30 minutes you’ll have a warm and crispy toasted ravioli ready for nibbling!

This recipe is going to be your new favorite appetizer for Christmas!

 

10. Cocktail Meatballs (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Cafe Delites

These cocktail meatballs with a really simple sweet and sour sauce are the ideal Christmas appetizers!

A hit right away at your table. Your visitors won’t be able to eat just one of the succulent, tender cocktail meatballs that are cooked in an addictively sticky, sweet-and-sour sauce.

This meatball recipe is simple to prepare and requires few ingredients. You’ll combine lean ground beef (mince), onion, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and breadcrumbs, just like most meatball recipes.

The sauce itself is incredibly simple to make, using ingredients I’m sure you already have or can easily obtain: cranberry jelly, chili sauce, brown sugar, and white vinegar.

 

11. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Get The Full Recipe On Dinner at the Zoo

These bacon-wrapped shrimp are large prawns that have been grilled to perfection after being glazed with a sweet and savory sauce.

An exquisite yet simple alternative for an appetizer or main course that will be adored by family and friends!

If you want to impress your guests, then make this bacon-wrapped shrimp!

The smoky bacon complements the tender shrimp and sweet and savory glaze perfectly.

These shrimp can be served as a party snack or as an entree with starch and a vegetable.

 

12. Crostini Appetizer with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Creative Culinary

Crostini are ideal for holiday gatherings. Simply take a loaf of your favorite artisan bread and top it with a variety of delicious spreads and cheeses.

Baguettes are ideal for this because they have a sturdy crust all the way around and make the perfect little bites.

These bites are elegant, delicious, and sure to please.

 

13. Sweet Potato Bites with Avocado and Bacon

Get The Full Recipe On Well Plated

Avocado, bacon, and cilantro are added to baked sweet potato bites.

This quick, popular appetizer is a hit at parties every time! both Paleo and gluten-free.

 

14. Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On The Cookie Rookie

The ideal party appetizer for any holiday get-together is a ham and cheese roll-up.

Ham, cheese, ranch, cream cheese, and green onions are all generously included in these tortilla roll-ups.

For Christmas appetizers or game day snacks, Ham Roll Ups are a need.

Make two batches of these pinwheels immediately!

 

15. Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese

Get The Full Recipe On Pinch of Yum

If you’re not familiar with dates, now is the time to learn!

Crisp, salty bacon, and creamy goat cheese are the ideal complements to the date’s sweetness.

Before the party has even begun, we promise that these will disappear off the platter.

A delicious appetizer that only requires three ingredients is bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese.

Have fun with lots of buddies!

 

16. Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Half Baked Harvest

The ideal appetizer for both Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, it is excellent in every manner.

Bread is cut into a crosshatch pattern and then stuffed with butter, brie, pecans, and cranberries.

It is then baked, pulled apart, and eaten.

The best things are usually the most basic, and this bread is by far the best.

 

17. Spinach Puffs

Get The Full Recipe On Well Plated

An effortless, DELICIOUS appetizer is spinach puffs!

The addition of feta, bacon, and garlic to the filling makes the Spinach Puffs irresistible.

They are buttery and flaky on the outside and creamy on the inside.

This is the ideal appetizer for a party planner!

 

18. Candied Pecans (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Once Upon A Chef

The nicest part about these candied pecans is that they just take 15 minutes to make and are ideal for adding to salads or serving with drinks.

 

19. Pigs in a Blanket

Get The Full Recipe On The Pioneer Woman

Pigs in a blanket are often the first thing to run out at a party, even though fancy appetizers are fantastic.

These small sausages wrapped in warm, buttery bread dough are insanely simple to make with only two ingredients.

 

20. How to Make Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On / Share On Youtube

Onion, garlic, and cheese stuffed mushrooms recipe.

These cheesy, garlicky vegetarian stuffed mushroom caps are so delicious that it’s difficult to stop at one!

You may easily substitute your favorite cheeses for the cheeses used in these cheese and garlic-stuffed mushrooms.

Even creamier cheeses like feta, goat, and brie will work; we prefer using a sharp cheddar, but mozzarella, Swiss, Gruyere, and even more mild cheeses like Swiss will also work.

 

21. How to Make Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Get The Full Recipe On / Share On Youtube

Elevate ham and cheese roll-ups to a new level with these puff pastry pinwheels

When puff pastry gets flaky and golden, the ham gets salty and crispy, and the cheese gets bubbling.

Puff pastry is a wonderful dough that you can buy as sheets in the freezer area of almost any grocery store if you’ve never tried it or cooked with it.

These ham and cheese puff pastry appetizers would be equally comfortable at a game day gathering as they would at a holiday brunch or dinner.

 

22. How to Make Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath (Christmas appetizer recipes)

Get The Full Recipe On Delish/ Share On Youtube

Looking for a quick appetizer that can serve as the table’s focal point?

This salty, cheese-filled crescent ring is ideal for any Christmas party.

If a vegetarian appetizer is what you’re looking for, try substituting sautéed mushrooms.

Which of these Christmas appetizers recipes are you going to try first? Write down your comments below!

 

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