You spend hours preparing Christmas dinner. The last thing you want is your guests to get so full on appetizers that they don’t eat your main course. What can you do? Serve these light Christmas appetizers. I have 25+ recipes to choose from. There’s something for every taste on this list!
25+ Light Appetizers for Your Christmas Gathering
1. Cranberry Turkey Stuffing Balls
One of my favorite light Christmas appetizers is stuffing balls. They have everything you love about Christmas dinner: turkey, cranberry sauce and herbed stuffing.
The best part is that this recipe is easy to make once you have all of the ingredients prepared – and you likely do from making your main Christmas dinner.
Serve these with toothpicks to make it easy for your guests to snack and enjoy.
2. Easy Baked Gorgonzola Pears
Sweet, savory and delicious, these pears are light yet satisfying. You only need a few ingredients to make this recipe: pears, almonds, gorgonzola cheese, fresh thyme and honey.
I would recommend doubling or tripling the recipe if you’re hosting a bigger crowd.
If you don’t like gorgonzola, you can use blue cheese or even goat cheese if you want. I’ve also used maple syrup instead of honey, and it was delicious.
Related: 21+ Festive Christmas Party Food Ideas to WOW Your Guests
3. Fall Bruschetta
This fall bruschetta is full of warm spices and flavor. It pairs butternut squash with red apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspices, goat cheese, pecans and dried cranberries.
Top with balsamic glaze and fresh thyme leaves for an extra kick of flavor.
You can use any type of bread you want for this recipe, but I love ciabatta or French bread. Bake your slices until they’re nice and crispy.
4. Festive Holiday Antipasto Wreath
If you want a Christmas appetizer that looks fancy but takes almost zero effort, this antipasto wreath is such a winner. It’s literally just your favorite antipasto bits, so you can add to it salami, mozzarella balls, olives, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, and red peppers, and all threaded onto skewers and arranged in a wreath shape. Add a quick drizzle of olive oil, balsamic, and Italian seasoning, tuck in a few rosemary sprigs for that “holiday moment,” and you’re done. It’s colorful, fresh, and honestly one of the easiest crowd-pleasing Christmas appetizers you can throw together. Perfect for parties when you want something pretty without cooking anything.
5. Hot Pepper Jelly Cheese Bites
Not only is this a light appetizer, but it’s also one that’s quick to prepare, making it great for last-minute preparation.
You’ll need just a few things to make these bites:
- Phyllo cups
- Cream cheese
- Red pepper jelly
- Fresh thyme
All you have to do is fill the premade phyllo cups with softened cream cheese, a dollop of red pepper jelly and bake for just a few minutes. Easy!
6. Christmas Tree Deviled Eggs
Here’s a festive take on deviled eggs that everyone will love. You’ll make the yolks the same way you would with any other deviled egg recipe, just use green food coloring to get the green color. But to top things off, you’ll add a diced red bell pepper (as the ornaments) and fresh dill sprigs or parsley at the top.
Follow the recipe and make sure that you use a piping bag to fill the hollowed out eggs perfectly.
7. Sweet and Savory Bacon Crack
These bite-sized appetizers are so addictive and light enough that they won’t fill up your guests before dinner is served.
This recipe calls for puff pastry dough, but I recommend using phyllo cups instead.
You’ll fill each bite with a filling of cooked bacon, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Bake for a few minutes to crisp up the shell and you’re ready to serve.
8. Winter Harvest Endive Cup Appetizer
This is truly one of the top light Christmas appetizers on this list. You don’t even need to do any cooking to make this.
You’ll fill endive leaves with a tasty winter salad made with pears, celery, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, parsley and blue cheese.
Top with a delicious vinaigrette of olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and spices.
9. Sweet Potato Rounds with Brie, Cranberry and Pecans
Sweet potato rounds are the ultimate appetizer for Christmas. This recipe tops each slice with a slice of Brie cheese, dried cranberries and pecans.
My top tip? Be careful not to melt the Brie for too long. It can go from soft to a puddle in just a few seconds.
If you don’t like pecans, you can use walnuts or pistachios instead.
10. Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
This tasty dip is sweet and spicy. It’s light enough to make your guests happy without overstuffing them.
Plus, it takes just 10 minutes to make this dip.
Whip up the cream cheese with a handheld mixer and then fold in:
- Jalapenos
- Garlic powder
- Diced red onion
- Lime juice
- Salt and pepper
Then, top with a layer of cranberry sauce (the kind with whole berries) and sliced green onion.
Serve with crunchy crackers.
11. Baked Cranberry Brie Bites
These light and tasty bites are so easy to make. Fill squares of puff pastry with a cube of Brie cheese and cranberry sauce. Fold the corners inward and place in a mini muffin tin to bake.
Garnish with rosemary and honey or nuts.
You can even prepare these ahead of time and refrigerate them before baking. Plus, you can also use any type of cheese you want if you don’t like Brie.
12. Baked Wontons
Forget the usual appetizers. Serve these baked wontons. They’re easy, light and add a unique flavor to your gathering.
Plus, you can customize the recipe however you like.
Start with wonton wrappers. Fill them with pork and turkey, onion, water chestnuts, soy sauce, ground ginger and egg.
Want a vegetarian version? Skip the meat and use tofu instead.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce.
13. Caramelized Apples and Thyme
Your guests will love this appetizer, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make.
Start with a puff pastry base. Unroll the dough and place a round of Brie at the center. Top with a tasty mix of sauteed apples and brown sugar.
Fold the pastry over the Brie and toppings. Make sure it’s sealed tight and brush lightly with an egg wash before baking.
Related: 12 Cozy Christmas Party Ideas Adults Will Actually Love
14. Christmas Cheese Trees
These little cheese bites will steal the show. To make this recipe just cut your cheeses into wedges, dip each piece into your favorite herbs, stick a pretzel half on top, and you’ve got the easiest little appetizer ready to serve. You can also swap out the goat cheese for feta or blue cheese if you prefer.
15. Homemade Honey Butter Cheddar Biscuits
Here’s an appetizer that can even be eaten with your main Christmas dinner. Don’t let the thought of making biscuits from scratch intimidate you.
They’re easier than you think to prepare.
The dough itself is a mix of basic pantry ingredients as well as cheddar cheese and honey. You’ll need a biscuit cutter for this recipe.
16. Onion Flatbread
How tasty is this flatbread? It’s a great, light appetizer that your guests will devour.
And you can save time by using pre-made pizza dough.
Spread Dijon mustard on the dough, followed by provolone cheese, red and yellow onions, fennel and fontina cheese.
17. Garlic Pizza Wedges
Prebaked pizza crust topped with Parmesan cheese, mayo, red onion, minced garlic and oregano. Yum!
This dish cooks in just 8-10 minutes. We like to serve these with Alfredo sauce, but you can also do marinara sauce if you like.
18. Sweet Potato Rounds
Sweet potato rounds, topped with whipped ricotta and pecans are both light and tasty. You’ll need a blender for the dip, which uses ricotta, olive oil, honey, orange zest, thyme leaves, salt and pepper.
19. 2 Ingredient Bites
Two ingredients and a baking sheet are all you need for this recipe by Simply Kim. Arrange phyllo shells on the sheet, fill with spinach and artichoke dip and then bake. It’s that simple.
20. Ultra-Creamy Mini Christmas Cheese Balls Appetizer
Light Christmas appetizers, like these mini cheeseballs, are some of my favorites. Just mix the cheeses together, roll them into little balls, chill them, then coat them in pecans, cranberries, and parsley. That’s literally it, super easy, super cute, and ready to serve in under an hour.
21. Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Soak your skewers in water, add your Brussels sprouts after tossing with salt and pepper and roast. Once done, brush your topping of olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar on top.
22. Crispy Butternut Squash Bites With Hot Honey Feta Drizzle
Crispy and delish, these bites are easy to make. Start by preheating your oven to 425℉ and cutting your squash into cubes. Toss in a large mixing bowl with paprika, salt and pepper and olive oil.
Spread on a baking sheet and roast. In the meantime, make your hot honey feta drizzle with feta cheese, honey and red pepper flakes (if you want an extra kick).
23. Easy Turkey Cranberry Sliders
Small turkey sliders are great for leftovers or as appetizers on Christmas. You can also opt to skip the traditional turkey and swap these in instead. You’ll break this recipe into a few main components:
- Turkey and cheese, which includes provolone or Swiss.
- Sauces, made from cranberry sauce, mustard and mayonnaise.
- Toppings, which include garlic and onion powder, fresh parsley, poppy seeds and unsalted butter.
I almost forgot, you’ll also need mini brioche buns.
24. Smoked Gouda and Apple Crostini
Apple crostini and smoked Gouda cheese are a refreshing way to start off this year’s festivities. You’ll need one baguette, smoked Gouda, a honey crisp apple and fresh thyme leaves. You can even drizzle honey on top, which I 100% recommend.
And the recipe is as simple as assembling your pieces, placing them on a baking sheet and baking them.
25. Christmas Wreath Guacamole
Dip is always welcome on Christmas, and you can use any crackers you like. You’ll need quite a few ingredients for this dish, including avocado, cherry tomatoes, lemon, and a few others.
Place it on a big round platter in a wreath shape, garnish, and stick the crackers around it.
Related: 23+ Best Christmas Side Dishes That Will Steal the Spotlight at Dinner
26. Christmas Charcuterie
Christmas charcuterie is always a great idea, it’s light, easy to share, and perfect for snacking. You can shape it however you want (tree, wreath, candy cane… whatever feels fun) and load it up with your favorite cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts, or veggies. You can even switch things up and make a sweet version for dessert. Here are 15 Festive Charcuterie Board Ideas for a Merry Christmas.
