Are you hosting a holiday party or Christmas dinner and want to impress your guests? Ditch the usual charcuterie or chips and dip and serve mini Christmas appetizers instead. They’re fun, bite-sized and easy to make, which means you can offer a variety of different options. If you need some inspiration for your menu, I have 25 mini appetizers everyone will love.
25 Mini Christmas Appetizers You Have to Try This Year
1. Mini Toasts
These mini toasts top my list for a reason: they’re so easy and you can customize them a hundred different ways.
I like to use Flora Foods Toast, but you can use whatever is available in your local grocery store.
You can top your toasts (be careful because they are often delicate) with any combination of ingredients you like:
- Ricotta cheese, tomato and fresh basil.
- Avocado slices with goat cheese
- Herbed cream cheese with a cucumber slice and mint leaf
- Nutella with a banana slice and shredded coconut
Offer a mix of toppings so that your guests have multiple options to choose from.
2. Mini Puff Pastry Strips
If you’re looking for easy mini Christmas appetizers, it doesn’t get much better than this recipe.
Just slice puff pastry dough into strips and add toppings. This Pinner added sliced cherry tomatoes to some slices, black olives to others and green olives to others.
Top with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs before you pop your appetizer in the oven.
3. Tiny Baked Potatoes
Who doesn’t love baked potatoes? This miniature version can easily feed a crowd, and you only need a few ingredients: baby potatoes, bacon, sour cream and fresh chives.
Toss whole baby potatoes with oil and salt, and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon and mix the chives in with the sour cream. Cut the bacon slices into small chunks.
To stuff your potatoes, create just a small pocket in each one and add a spoonful of the sour cream mixture. Place a chunk of bacon at the center and garnish with more chives.
Now you have a fancy appetizer to share.
4. Roasted Stuffed Dates
Stuffed dates are always a hit, and they are just the right size for snacking. All you need are Medjool dates, goat cheese, walnuts, honey, cinnamon and orange juice and zest.
Cut your dates in half and remove the pit. Fill with goat cheese and place them all neatly in a casserole dish. Top with the nut, spice and citrus mix.
Bake until your cheese is melted with a slightly golden hue.
5. Whipped Feta Hot Honey Crostini
These crostini are the perfect mini appetizers. Thick slices of crusty baguette topped with whipped feta, chopped pecans, a rosemary sprig and hot honey.
To make the whipped feta, you’ll use a food processor to blend crumbled feta cheese and cream cheese together.
Related: 21 Christmas Rice Krispie Treats Kids Can Help Make
6. Salami Cups
Here’s a delicious appetizer that your guests won’t be able to get enough of. You’ll love that they’re so easy to make.
Place slices of salami into the cups of a silicone muffin pan and bake until crispy.
These will be your “cups” that you’ll fill with a mix of chopped roasted red peppers, mozzarella pearls, sliced fresh basil, diced banana peppers, olive oil and spices.
Drizzle some balsamic glaze on top and serve immediately.
7. Cheese and Tomato Tartlets
These tartlets are delicious and elegant. To make them, you’ll cut puff pastry dough into squares and place slices of cheese and a tomato slice at the center of each square. Brush on olive oil and bake until the dough is golden brown.
Top with spice and a single basil leaf on each tartlet.
8. Brie Bites
This is one of my favorite mini Christmas appetizers on this list because each bite is rich and flavorful.
It couldn’t be simpler to prepare these, either. You’ll need a muffin tin, and you’ll fill each cup with a square of puff pastry. Then add a dollop of fig jam and a slice of prosciutto on top. Bake for 15 minutes, and garnish with rosemary.
Simple, easy and tasty!
9. Basil Pesto Pastry Trees
How cute are these mini puff pastry Christmas trees? This festive appetizer features flake puff pastry, savory basil pesto and mini cheese stars. Skewers hold the shape together and make it easy for your guests to grab one and enjoy.
Use a star cookie cutter to create the tree toppers.
10. Garlic Butter Pizza Muffins
These savory muffins are divine, and your guests will love them. Think of them as mini personal pizzas that you can serve with marinara dipping sauce.
To save time, you can use premade pizza dough from the store. Cut your dough ball into mini chunks. Toss with chopped pepperoni, shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced fresh basil and pesto.
Grab a handful of the dough, form it into a ball and place it into a large muffin tin.
11. Tomato Ritz Cracker Bites
These Ritz cracker bites are simple, savory and delightful. They’ll quickly disappear from your table, so make sure you prepare some extras.
To make them, spread Ritz crackers out in a casserole dish and top each cracker with a slice of mozzarella cheese and a slice of cherry tomato. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and herbs on top.
Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
12. Cucumber Dilly Bites
These dilly bites look so fancy, and they’re packed with flavor. To assemble your bites, start by peeling and slicing English cucumbers.
Then, use a piping bag to top each slice with a tasty herb cream cheese mix. Add a cherry tomato wedge and a fresh dill sprig.
13. Loaded Mini Potato Bites
Slices of crispy baby potatoes topped with gooey cheddar cheese, bacon, a drop of sour cream and green onions. I recommend using an air fryer to cook your potato slices so that they’re nice and crispy before you even add your toppings.
Your guests won’t be able to get enough of this appetizer.
Serve these with some sour cream on the side for dipping.
14. Mini Avocado Toasts
Mini Christmas appetizers don’t get much easier than this. To make these, just top slices of crispy baguette with creamy mashed avocado and lime. Garnish with feta crumbles, chopped walnuts and everything bagel seasoning.
15. Mini Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites
I make these pretzel bites every year, and they’re always one of the first appetizers to disappear from the table.
You’ll need a container of pretzel bites. Halve the bites and build your sandwiches. Start with a slice of Swiss cheese and then add some ham (both cut into the size of the pretzel bites).
In a separate bowl, mix together melted butter, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, onion powder. Worcestershire sauce and pretzel salt.
Once you’ve finished building your sandwich bites, you can brush on the butter mix and bake for a few minutes before serving.
Related: 21 Savory Pie Recipes to Make This Season That Beat Pumpkin
16. Mini Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas may not be the most festive of foods, but I can promise you that everyone will love them. These mini versions are loaded with shredded chicken, refried beans, salsa, cheese and fresh cilantro.
You can use either flour or corn tortillas.
Serve with whatever toppings you want, or just as they are.
17. Shrimp Tostadas
These delicious tostadas feature spicy chili shrimp, tasty chipotle cream and homemade guacamole.
To make them bite-sized, you’ll need a 2” round cutter. The rest is as easy as cooking the shrimp in a hot skillet, assembling your tostadas and baking them.
18. Bruschetta Bites
Serve your guests a mouthful of Mediterranean flavor with these bruschetta bites. Each slice of crusty bread is topped with a mix of chopped tomato, fresh red onion, olive oil and basil.
You can add a drizzle of balsamic glaze if you want, but this is totally optional.
I recommend slicing a fresh baguette, brushing each slice with olive oil and baking them until they’re nice and crispy. But if you don’t have time for that, you can find crostini or toasted bruschette bites at the store.
19. Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip Wonton Cups
Instead of serving the usual spinach and artichoke dip with chips, try this recipe, which fills wonton cups with this delicious dip.
Grab a muffin tin and fill each cup with a wonton wrapper. Then, fill each cup with the dip, which blends artichoke, frozen spinach, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise.
Bake until golden brown and serve.
20. Pizza Bites
These pizza bites are the perfect appetizer, especially if you have kids attending your party or dinner.
To make these, you’ll roll out pizza dough into a rectangular shape. Slice into squares, and add a spoonful of pizza sauce to each square. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped pepperoni.
Form each square into a ball and place onto a sheet pan. I like to arrange them to look like a Christmas tree.
Bake until golden brown and serve with extra marinara sauce.
21. Pimiento Cheese Bites
These cheesy mini Christmas appetizers will be the perfect addition to your party or dinner. There are a few ways to make this recipe. You can follow it to the letter and prepare your own pimiento cheese, or you can use pre-made cheese.
No matter which one you choose, you’ll fill phyllo cups with the pimiento cheese and bake until golden brown.
22. Mini Quiches
These mini quiches are so delicious and you can adjust the recipe however you want. This recipe fills each quiche with shredded cheddar cheese, sausage, sauteed vegetables and, of course, eggs.
You’ll assemble each quiche in a muffin tin to make them the perfect appetizer size.
23. Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
These savory bite-sized appetizers won’t last long at your party, and they’re ridiculously easy to make.
Roll out some crescent dough and top with slices of ham and Swiss cheese. Roll the dough up from the long side and slice into bite-size pieces. Brush with a melted butter sauce, and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the dough is golden brown.
Related: 17 Christmas Charcuterie Cups for Grab‑and‑go Snacking
24. Hot Pepper Jelly Cheese Bites
Want to serve something unique? Try these hot pepper jelly cheese bites. They feature crispy phyllo cups filled with cream cheese, pepper jelly and chopped fresh parsley.
The pepper jelly adds so much flavor and puts a new twist on the classic cream cheese bites.
25. Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups
Add something spicy to your holiday spread with these jalapeno wonton cups. The filling is a mix of cream cheese, milk, bacon, cheddar and freshly diced jalapeño.
Grab some sheets of wonton wrappers and place them in a muffin tin. Bake them until they’re golden brown, and then add the jalapeño mix. Top with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Bake again until the cheese is melted.
