Healthy Recipes Healthy Holiday & Occasion Recipes Healthy Christmas Holiday Recipes Christmas Appetizer Recipes 26 Christmas Appetizer Recipes So Delicious, You'll Want to Eat Them for Lunch By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Instagram Website Leah Goggins is a digital fellow for EatingWell. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, she is a devotee of old movies, farmers' markets and Ina Garten's tomato sandwich with basil mayo recipe. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 25, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Whether you're gearing up for a big, cozy holiday meal or planning to snack all day long, these quick bites will keep you coming back for more. This mix of tasty recipes runs the gamut from slow-cooked meatballs and cheesy puff pastry rolls to Instagram-worthy charcuterie, so there's something that will appeal to everyone. Recipes like our Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip and Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip are so tasty, you might just eat them for dinner, too. 01 of 26 Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs View Recipe Turn classic chicken parm into meatballs with this easy load-and-go appetizer recipe with a cheesy surprise inside. Making meatballs for a party? Switch your crock pot to warm for serving all party long. 02 of 26 Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip View Recipe This creamy, crowd-pleasing dip comes together with ease in your crock pot. Leave it in the slow cooker all party long to keep it warm for serving with perfect, melty cheese in every bite. Whole-wheat bread and raw veggie dippers allow you to dig in without the guilt. 03 of 26 EatingWell Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip View Recipe Take your veggies and dip to the next level with this colorful crudité wreath. This vegetable appetizer is a stunner with white cauliflower, red tomatoes and green broccoli, green beans, snap peas, kale and Brussels sprouts. It's also a delicious way to start your celebration with veggies (which there are rarely enough of at parties and holidays). The homemade ranch dip, which uses nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, takes just a few minutes to make, or you can use a healthy store-bought dip. 04 of 26 Fig & Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Roll View Recipe Jamie Vespa, M.S., R.D. Buttery puff pastry is a tasty shortcut ingredient that can be used in many delicious ways. Here we roll out a pastry sheet and cover it with fig jam and crumbled goat cheese, then roll it up into a log and bake it. The end result is a sweet-and-savory appetizer that looks and tastes impressive, especially considering it has just three ingredients. 05 of 26 Winter Charcuterie Board View Recipe A cheeseboard is an ideal stationary hors d'oeuvre for holiday entertaining. Select a variety of cheeses, making sure to include an aged variety, a creamy cheese, a blue cheese and perhaps a smoked cheese. Round out the platter with cold cuts, bread, an abundance of seasonal fruits, dried fruit, crudité, nuts and olives. We even included some dark chocolate to cap it off! 06 of 26 Goat Cheese Crostini with Mushrooms & Brown Butter View Recipe Serve these savory herbed crostini with a big green salad. Looking for a heartier meal? Top each toast with a poached or fried egg. 07 of 26 Apple Butter & Cheddar Puff Pastry Roll View Recipe Carolyn Hodges In this sweet and savory appetizer, apple butter and Cheddar combine to create layers of flavor nestled within buttery puff pastry. This appetizer is impressive enough for any holiday table, but is easily made with just three ingredients. 08 of 26 Blackberry & Brie Puff Pastry Roll View Recipe Carolyn Hodges No one will be able to tell that this stunning, festive appetizer is made entirely from premade ingredients, but it is! Puff pastry, blackberry jam and Brie combine to create a sweet appetizer that's perfect for a holiday or dinner party. 09 of 26 Baked Stuffed Shrimp View Recipe Stuffed shrimp make a quick and easy appetizer perfect for holiday parties. The trick to great stuffed shrimp? Make sure your shrimp are large enough to hold the filling. We recommend jumbo shrimp, which easily encase the savory filling of scallions, breadcrumbs and bacon with just a hint of spice from cayenne pepper. 10 of 26 Easy Chicken Meatballs View Recipe These meatballs are flavor-packed—thanks to a little sausage added to the ground chicken mix—and all-purpose: serve them with spaghetti for a healthy dinner, on a toothpick with dipping sauce as an easy appetizer or stir them into a soup to make it more satisfying. 11 of 26 3-Ingredient Blue Cheese & Fig Bites View Recipe Salty-tangy blue cheese pairs beautifully with sweet fig jam in these easy appetizers, which are perfect for a holiday party. The optional minced chives add a nice pop of color, but these are just as tasty without herbs. Keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip these up for impromptu holiday cocktail parties. 12 of 26 Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball View Recipe Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this healthy cheese ball recipe an alluring holiday treat. Serve with an array of crudités and crisp party crackers. 13 of 26 Mini Brie & Apple Quiches View Recipe We love the way Brie and apples taste together in these mini quiches. Mini phyllo cups make it swift and simple to create an elegant appetizer. 14 of 26 3-Ingredient Cranberry-Brie Bites View Recipe Baked Brie is a perennially popular appetizer. Here, we complement the Brie with tart cranberry sauce and bake it in pretty individual tartlets using premade pie crust for an ultra-easy crowd-pleasing appetizer. 15 of 26 Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms View Recipe This crab-stuffed mushroom recipe is perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve and other holiday parties or any other time you need a quick and easy appetizer. The filling is light and fresh thanks to hearts of palm, a tender vegetable with a mild flavor (similar to artichokes) that doesn't mask the rich, sweet flavor of fresh crabmeat. 16 of 26 Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta View Recipe Make this simple festive appetizer for your holiday guests. Toasted baguette slices with creamy, melted brie are topped with an orange-cranberry-pomegranate mixture--each bite delivers an explosion of flavor and texture! 17 of 26 Blackberry & Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Roll View Recipe Carolyn Hodges Make this three-ingredient recipe when you want an easy, yet stunning, appetizer. Blackberry jam provides sweetness while goat cheese adds a slight tang to create a sweet-and-savory appetizer. Be sure the goat cheese is cold before you use it, so it's easier to crumble. 18 of 26 Baked Brie with Jam in Puff Pastry View Recipe Serve this decadent yet easy appetizer with apple wedges and crackers and watch it disappear in seconds! It's bound to be your new party go-to. 19 of 26 Easy Stuffed Mushrooms View Recipe This healthy stuffed mushroom appetizer is a nice balance of soft mushrooms, creamy filling and crunchy topping. This combination tastes downright decadent, but it's actually good for you. Be sure to get all of the moisture out of the chopped mushrooms before moving on to the next step; if not, the filling will be soggy and make the mushroom caps watery. 20 of 26 3-Ingredient Cheddar & Apple Bites View Recipe Creamy apple butter and sharp Cheddar cheese are a perfect match in these easy party hors d'oeuvres. This recipe calls for prepared pie crust, which is pressed into mini muffin tins to make little tart shells, so it's super easy to make as well. Add slices of apple for extra crunch, if you'd like, or keep these bites simple. Either way, consider making a double batch--they'll go quickly. 21 of 26 Crispy Smashed Beets with Goat Cheese View Recipe Cooked beets are lightly pressed and pan-fried for a charred, crispy outer crust--similar to that of smashed potatoes. The herbed goat cheese dip makes this healthy appetizer or easy side dish even more delicious. 22 of 26 Fig & Brie Puff Pastry Roll View Recipe Carolyn Hodges You need just three ingredients to make this easy, yet impressive, appetizer. Using store-bought puff pastry results in a flaky, buttery crust but without the hassle of making it yourself. Fig jam and Brie cheese top the pastry to create a stunning recipe. 23 of 26 Chile-Spiced Delicata Squash Crostini View Recipe Leigh Beisch Vinegar and crispy bits of pancetta brighten up the caramelized squash topping on this healthy appetizer. It also has a generous sprinkle of dried chiles. Two to seek out include Urfa, a smoky, mildly hot Turkish chile pepper, and Aleppo, which has moderate heat and a fruity tang. Find them in specialty markets and from online spice purveyors. 24 of 26 Oysters au Gratin with Spinach & Breadcrumbs View Recipe These succulent baked oysters thrill with spicy spinach and a crispy cheese topping. 25 of 26 Herb & Cheddar Gougères View Recipe Don't let the fancy French name for these cheese puffs mislead you--this is an easy appetizer recipe. They're traditionally made with Gruyère or Comté; we couldn't resist turning to our Vermont roots and using good old Cheddar instead. 26 of 26 Classic Southern Appetizer Board View Recipe Treat your party guests to a classic Southern spread with deviled eggs, spiced pecans, ham, cheese and fresh fruit with this festive party board. We've included a combination of homemade and store-bought ingredients for an abundant board that doesn't take too long to assemble. A note on nutrition: This board is hearty enough to stand in for dinner or lunch, but if you're planning on serving it as an appetizer before the main meal, go light on things like nuts, crackers and cheese dip to keep sodium and calories in check. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit