Christmas appetizers need to be just as dazzling as the reflection of vintage bubble lights in the tinsel on your Christmas tree! Between trimming the tree, wrapping gifts, helping Santa fill stockings and drenching your house in as many lights as your exterior outlet can handle, you’ve got to eat! And the holiday season is party season! Which means you don’t just have to feed yourself. Chances are you’ve got to put some finger food out for other people, too. But I've got you covered. My top 20 Christmas appetizer recipes are right here to make holiday entertaining easy, delicious and impressive! So whether you’re looking for easy appetizers for a Christmas party or simply the very BEST Christmas appetizer to serve to your nearest and dearest on Christmas Day, you’ll find the right party appetizer recipe here. From cheesy nibbles to dainty things you can serve on toothpicks, or heartier dips and starters, you’ll find festive recipes to love here. Whenever one of these appetizer recipes is a great make-ahead recipe, I’ve made note of that, just to make your job extra easy.
Christmas Appetizers: Finger Foods Edition
It comes around once a year, and still, like clockwork, on December 1st you find yourself asking the age-old question: What are the perfect finger foods for Christmas Day? These are my four favorite Christmas finger food recipes, and they pair perfectly with any cocktail.
- Bacon-Wrapped Scallops. Bacon-wrapped scallops are up there with shrimp cocktail as the ultimate holiday party throwback! Grandma knew a thing or two about what to serve with highballs and sugar cookies. These never go out of style.
- Deviled Eggs. It doesn’t get any more classic than serving deviled eggs at your Christmas cocktail party, especially if it’s got a bit of retro flair. Bonus? They’re vegetarian and gluten free.
- Jalapeño Poppers. There are certain foods that disappear basically immediately as soon as you put them out. These cheesy, bacon-studded jalapeño poppers fall firmly into that category.
- Stuffed Mushrooms. The perfect party bite for the holidays! Warm and cheesy, vegetarian-friendly and easy to make ahead of time, they’re the best appetizer ever.
Christmas Party Dips
What is the best food for a Christmas party? If I absolutely had to pick a category of best Christmas party foods, I’d pick dips. Indulgent, snacky, and surprisingly filling, many of these recipes are vegetarian and gluten free. You can often prepare them ahead of time, too. Even hot dips can be thought of as “make-ahead” because the work of the recipe takes place before you pop them into the oven so there’s no last minute fussing around.
- Caramelized Onion Dip. Break out the Ruffles and dig into this creamy classic. *This is a great one to make a day ahead!
- Queso Fundido. Have you ever had the pleasure of sinking a crispy tortilla chip into a melty vat of cheese dip filled with spicy chorizo? Would you like to?
- Spinach-Artichoke Dip. I make this easy dip year-round, but because it’s piping hot and cheesy, it’s an extra big hit in the winter months.
- Perfect Guacamole. You may not think of guacamole as a Christmas appetizer but everyone loves it. At Christmastime it will be an unexpected surprise and it will disappear so, so fast.
Cheesy Christmas Appetizers
Who doesn’t love cheese!? And if there’s ever a season to indulge, it’s Christmas.
- Baked Brie. I dare you to look at this picture of golden-brown crust-covered gooey melty baked brie and NOT run immediately to the store to get all the stuff to make it. You can prep it ahead of time, too!
- Cheddar & Onion Cheese Ball. Ahh yes, the classic Christmas cheese ball. It just isn’t Christmas until someone’s made a cheese ball.
- Perfect Cheese Board. This is a MUST for any Christmas Eve party, IMO. It’s just a totally indulgent cheese platter with all the trimmings. It’s fun to make, and easy, too!
- Pull-Apart Cheese Bread. This is one easy appetizer recipe! It’s not fancy, but it’s always a huge hit.
- White Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip. There’s something very après ski about this cheesy, fondue-ish dip, and it is such a cozy thing to serve around the winter holidays.
My Favorite Shrimp Appetizers, Because Christmas Is the Time to Get Fancy.
In many cultures, Christmas Eve is observed as a fasting day, and so they have a tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve. The most famous, perhaps, is the delicious Italian-American tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. So, to me, serving shrimp on Christmas Eve is a downright must.
- Shrimp Cocktail. Classic shrimp cocktail can’t be beat, and this shrimp cocktail recipe is nothing but the very best. The shrimp needs lots of time to chill so this recipe has to be made ahead.
- Cream Cheese Shrimp Dip. Is it a cheese appetizer? A shrimp appetizer? A DIP?! It's all of the above! This retro appetizer recipe is ultra easy, and incredibly good. It’s ready for its comeback!
- Baked Coconut Shrimp. Infuse your Christmas party with a little Mele Kalikimaka vibes and serve these crispy, yummy coconut shrimp.
Hearty Holiday Appetizers To Soak Up Holiday Cocktails
These hearty appetizers are perfect to serve at a Christmas cocktail party. They’re the kind of things that people can actually fill up on, even if you’re not offering a proper, sit-down meal, and they’ll help soak up all of that Christmas punch you’ve been pouring.
- Swedish Meatballs. Gently warmed with spices and covered in a deliciously creamy sauce, Swedish meatballs are always a hit. Serve on toothpicks, and keep the cocktails flowing!
- Puff Pastry Pinwheels. Cheesy puff pastry pinwheels taste like they took hours to make, but thanks to frozen puff pastry, it’s a breeze. Plus, you can prep it ahead of time!
- Beef Empanadas. These hearty hand-held pouches of goodness are inching toward “meal” territory, but they still qualify as a heavy appetizer. Particularly for a multi-hour party with no proper sit-down meal.
- Bisquick Sausage Balls. Bisquick sausage balls are my new favorite party snack! They’re incredibly easy, and everyone loves them.
