‘Tis the season for holiday parties! Whether you’re hosting or need to bring something to a friend’s gathering, I have 25+ amazing Christmas appetizer ideas that will wow everyone. From cute and festive to delicious and healthy, there’s something for everyone on this list.
25+ Best Christmas Appetizer Ideas to Wow a Crowd
1. Ornament Pesto Sundried Tomato Cheese Balls
Forget the usual cheese ball recipes. This one adds layers of delicious pesto, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes into the mix to create an adorable ornament-shaped appetizer everyone will love. Make with Mara gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make this creative dish. You’ll need a silicone muffin pan for this one.
2. Pull-Apart Christmas Tree
An easy appetizer that will be the center of attention at the party. Soft morsels of cheesy bread baked together to make a pull-apart tree. Top with a garlicky, herb butter sauce and serve with marinara sauce for an irresistible and festive appetizer. I recommend using store-bought pizza dough to save time.
3. Italian Cheese Loaf
This appetizer looks so festive and is loaded with flavor. It’s so easy to make, too. Just blend cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese with roasted peppers, salami, Italian spices, olives and green onions. Shape in a loaf pan and top with fresh herbs. I like to serve this with crackers for easy dipping.
4. Cranberry Brie Bites
Cranberry and brie are the perfect pair, and this recipe is one of the more festive Christmas appetizer ideas on this list. The red cranberries and green sprigs of thyme bring the colors of the season to the table. Plus, it’s easy to make this fancy-looking appetizer. Just top puff pastry squares with brie and a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and bake until golden. Each batch makes 24 bites.
5. Crostini Christmas Tree
Crostini are the perfect appetizer. Add some basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, and you have a festive dish everyone will devour. With this appetizer, it’s all about the presentation. Start with a layer of basil leaves, and then arrange the crostini in the shape of a Christmas tree. Add a mozzarella star at the top to complete your presentation.
Related: Top 25+ Cold Appetizers Finger Food Ideas That Are Easy to Make Ahead
6. Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
A tart and spicy dip loaded with festive colors. Start with a base of whipped cream cheese, and top with the colorful cranberry jalapeno topping, which blends lime, green onion, spices and sugar into the mix. Serve with your favorite crackers and top the dip with fresh mint.
7. Mini Beef Wellington Bites
A gourmet appetizer that will impress your guests and their taste buds. Bite-sized puff pastry are topped with slices of tender beef tenderloin, a dollop of tangy Dijon sauce and fresh herbs. You can make your puff pastry from scratch if you wish, but I recommend using store-bought dough to save time. You’ll need quite a bit of ingredients for this appetizer (along with a rolling pin and food processor), but it is so worth it.
8. Tortilla Pinwheels with Salsa
These festive pinwheels are the perfect appetizer for a Christmas party. They’re easy to make, and you don’t even have to do any cooking. Just spread the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix onto a spinach tortilla, roll up the tortilla, slice and serve. Little add-ins like green chilis, black olives, pimentos and peppers make this dish so colorful while adding tons of flavor.
To make this dish even more festive, stack the pinwheel slices in the shape of a Christmas tree and add grape tomatoes to look like ornaments.
9. Hummus Wreath Appetizer
Hummus is always a crowd-pleaser because you can serve it so many different ways. This recipe puts a festive spin on things by serving the hummus in a wreath shape, topped with freshly chopped parsley and grape tomatoes to mimic holly and berries. You can make your own hummus (it’s super easy), or use plain store-bought if you’re pressed for time.
Not sure how to make hummus? Check out this tutorial 👇
10. 7 Layer Smoked Salmon Dip
This Scandinavian-inspired layered dip will be the star of the show at the party. Layers of smoked salmon, fresh dill, radishes, onions, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, Boursin cheese and other tasty ingredients come together for a unique dip that guests will devour. Serve with rye crisps.
11. Parmesan & Paprika Cocktail Stars
I love this appetizer because it is SO easy and delicious. All you need is puff pastry, star cookie cutters, fresh Parmesan cheese and paprika. These are the perfect little appetizers to serve with cocktails, or you can pair them with marinara sauce or your favorite dip. It’s such a simple and versatile appetizer that the crowd will love.
12. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Cheesy potatoes are one of my favorite Christmas appetizer ideas. Everyone loves them, and they’re surprisingly easy to make. The creamy, cheesy sauce is super simple to make, and you only need a handful of ingredients. If you want to save some time, you can use canned sliced potatoes.
13. Mini Cheeseballs Wreath
How cute is this wreath? It’s loaded with different flavors of cheese balls, including cranberry, herbs and almonds. You can use whatever herbs or ingredients you like, but red and green ingredients will make this dish more festive.
14. Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie is a always a crowd-pleaser, and you can make it more festive by adding colorful ingredients and shaping it all into a Christmas tree.
Things like kiwi, fresh herbs, raspberries, olives and cheese add color to this board.
15. Bourbon Pecan Brie Bites
Southern cooking doesn’t get much more authentic than these pecan brie bites. And while they may not be the most festive item on the table, they only take pecans, brown sugar, brie, butter and phyllo shells to make.
16. Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pesto
If you would like a hardier item on this year’s Christmas appetizer ideas list, this is certainly the one for you. You’ll make a delish whipped goat cheese out of cream cheese, goat cheese, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.
On top of your baguette, you’ll have perfectly cooked beef tenderloins, garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, pesto and spices.
17. Snowman Veggie Board
If you have three bowls, all a tad bit smaller than the last one, you can easily recreate this snowman veggie board. You’ll start with a small bowl on top, filled with dip, a carrot for the nose and olives to create the eyes and smile.
In the middle, you’ll have three olive buttons and in the bottom bowl, which is the largest, you’ll have cauliflower.
Surrounding the board should be dippable veggies, such as carrots, celery, green beans and tomatoes.
18. Cranberry Meatballs
You’ll need a slow cooker for these meatballs, and the recipe calls for store-bought meatballs, so you’ll have very little prep to do when making this appetizer. You’ll need some cranberry sauce, Heinz chili sauce, dark brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.
19. Candy Board
A candy board is just like it sounds – a platter of tasty treats. You can add your own sweet treats to the mix, but what you’ll find in this pin are:
- Chocolate covered cookies
- Red Oreos
- Popcorn
- Gingerbread cookies
- Peppermint pretzel thins
- Rock candy
- Candy canes
- Peppermint bark
- M&Ms
- Candy corn
Feel free to add in any favorite candies that didn’t make the list.
20. Viral Butter Candle with Soft Pretzels
I’m not going to lie, this Pin had me do a double and triple take because the butter candle looks just too perfect. And with flavor-popping herbs, it really is tasty. You’ll need 16 ounces of unsalted butter for this recipe along with an edible wick and paper cup.
Aside from these ingredients, you’ll also need unsalted butter, roasted garlic, fresh thyme, red pepper flakes and your choice of soft pretzel bites.
21. Cranberry, Brie and Prosciutto Crostini
Of course, my list of Christmas appetizer ideas wouldn’t be complete without a delectable crostini that has balsamic glaze drizzled on top. You’ll need to make a sauce out of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, but the rest is simple assembly with a handful of ingredients:
- French baguette (toasted in the oven at 375F
- Olive oil
- Prosciutto
- Cranberry sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar
Related: 30+ No Bake Christmas Finger Food Ideas for Your Party This Year
22. Christmas Tree Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are always a great choice on Christmas, and when you add an adorable tree on top, it’s just perfect. You’ll make your deviled eggs like normal and then make a green yolk filling with spinach, butter and garlic, but avocado is another great choice.
Use a piping bag to make the tree and sprinkle on some edible decorations.
23. Puff Pastry Pesto Christmas Trees
Crunchy and filled with flavor, this appetizer is full of flavor, and the author gives you plenty of alternative options, such as trying kale or red pesto or even a cheesy variety. You’ll spread your pesto and cheese on a puff pastry sheet, skewer them with a toothpick and bake.
It’s a recipe that looks like it took all day but really only requires a few minutes of your time if you have pesto already.
24. Baked Brie and Bread Wreath
What a beautiful centerpiece to have in your home on Christmas, right? I almost feel bad eating this baked brie and bread wreath because it’s really picture-perfect and the bread is a tasty delight.
You will need to set aside about 3.5 hours for prep, but most of the prep is waiting on the dough and not hands-on.
Related: 22 Delicious Christmas Food Ideas for Your Party This Year
25. Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon
Beer cheese dip is perfect with soft pretzels or anything else that you would like to dip into it. And while the recipe calls for bacon cubes, you can easily omit this ingredient. You’ll only need salt, flour, one can of beer, whole milk, shredded white and yellow cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mustard, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and chives.
Serve with anything you like, from corn chips to soft pretzels (my personal fave).
26. Christmas Tree Sandwich
Tree cookie cutters are all you need for this sandwich appetizer that has cucumber and cheese placed together on a tree shape bread. Cut the bread as a base using the tree cookie cutter and add your favorite ingredients on top; cheeses, cucumbers and you can add meats as well. I love how the recipe’s author added a final star to the top.
