Christmas Appetizer Recipes

We've all been there. Your guests arrive but Christmas dinner is not quite ready yet. Luckily, we have a variety of healthy Christmas appetizers you can have on hand to prevent your guests from getting hangry. From baked meatballs to healthy spinach artichoke dip, these healthy Christmas appetizers are sure to be crowd-pleaser!

Staff Picks

Cured or Smoked Salmon Appetizer Platter

Rating: Unrated
2
This smoked salmon platter requires little effort but the spread makes a big impression. Served with all the fixings--capers, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber and more--a smoked salmon platter is the ultimate make-ahead appetizer. Lay out everything listed in the ingredients below or just a few of the elements along with an assortment of crackers, cocktail bread and/or sliced baguette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Devon O'Brien

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Liz Mervosh

Nutty Pimiento Cheese Balls

Rating: Unrated
1
These bite-size pimiento cheese balls from Jamie and Bobby Deen are a huge hit with kids (of all ages). They're the perfect appetizer to bring to a summer picnic. Jamie and Bobby share a passion for great home-cooked food with a Southern flair with their celebrity-chef mom, Paula Deen. These brothers are following in their mom's footsteps with their own TV shows, books and website. Our favorite part of what they're up to: healthy makeovers of some of Paula's recipes! Recipe adapted from The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books, 2011).
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Winter Charcuterie Board

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!
By Charlotte Autry

Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Easy Italian Chicken Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
2
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.
By Adam Hickman

EatingWell Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip

Rating: Unrated
3
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.
By Katie Webster

3-Ingredient Blue Cheese & Fig Bites

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Mini Brie & Apple Quiches

Rating: Unrated
2
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon-Garlic Marinated Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
3
Marinating precooked shrimp in garlic- and lemon-infused oil is a simple yet elegant appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Liz Mervosh

Inspiration and Ideas

18 Make Ahead Christmas Appetizers

18 Make Ahead Christmas Appetizers

Here are our best make-ahead Christmas appetizers to ensure your guests have something delicious to munch on before dinner.
Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball

Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball

This is not your grandma's cheese ball! Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this a healthy, crowd-pleasing appetizer.
The Best Healthy Appetizer Recipes

The Best Healthy Appetizer Recipes

21 Delicious Christmas Appetizers That Can Be Made Ahead of Time

21 Delicious Christmas Appetizers That Can Be Made Ahead of Time

23 Low-Carb Christmas Appetizers That Still Feel Festive

23 Low-Carb Christmas Appetizers That Still Feel Festive

20 Christmas Finger Foods to Keep Your Guests Happy

20 Christmas Finger Foods to Keep Your Guests Happy

Roasted Beet Crostini

Rating: Unrated
3

The entire beet plant--roots, stems and greens--can be used in this stunning appetizer. The beets are roasted then pureed with goat cheese for a creamy ruby-red spread. The greens and stems are sautéed with olive oil and garlic for the topping.

All Christmas Appetizer Recipes

Creamy Spinach Dip

Rating: Unrated
2
Try this light spinach dip made healthier with reduced-fat cream cheese, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese instead of full-fat cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. It will save you a whopping 84 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving when compared to traditional versions. Serve it with pita chips and crunchy vegetables or spread it on a sandwich.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pear & Camembert Crostini

Rating: Unrated
1
Up your appetizer game with this fruit-topped cheese crostini recipe. Warm preserves give the pears a shiny glaze and prevent them from browning.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apricot-Honey Mustard Sausage Bites

Let your slow cooker do the work of making these tasty appetizers.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tangy Cherry Barbecue Sausage

Cherry preserves, tomato paste and chipotle chile pepper combine for an unexpected sauce that provides sweet heat.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Quick Pickled Turnips

Rating: Unrated
1
Perk up your cheese plate or crudités platter with these crunchy, zesty pickled turnips or try them on a sandwich instead of cucumber pickles.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Scandinavian Pickled Herring Bites

Rating: Unrated
1
This Scandinavian-style appetizer is a good way to try pickled herring if you've never had it. The potent flavor of the herring is balanced by a dollop of sour cream and the potato slice it's served on.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mushroom Risotto

Rating: Unrated
2
Although traditional risottos use refined arborio rice and require constant stirring, you can achieve excellent results with this oven-baked version using short-grain brown rice, taking advantage of its whole-grain benefits.
By Wendy Kalen

Roasted Pears with Brie & Pistachios

Rating: Unrated
2
Roasted pears with Brie and pistachios is delicious as a first course or a side with roast pork or lamb. Leave the stems on for the prettiest presentation.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Everything Bagel Cheese Ball

This is not your grandma's cheese ball. It has all the flavor of an everything bagel without all the carbs and with just 3 ingredients! Want to emphasize the bagel taste? Serve it with bagel chips and some raw veggies for dipping to keep things healthy.
By Melissa Fallon

Polenta Wedges with Tomato Tapenade

Rating: Unrated
2
Crispy pieces of polenta topped with a tangy sun-dried tomato tapenade makes a pretty and tasty appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cranberry-Citrus Meatballs

Mix chopped dried cranberries together with your meatball mixture to add a hit of sweetness in every bite. These meatballs start in the skillet but finish in the slow-cooker, making them an easy make-ahead meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Rustic Mushroom Tart

Rating: Unrated
2
Don't let phyllo dough's fussy reputation put you off: our method of brushing olive oil and sprinkling breadcrumbs between the layers makes this tart actually quite simple to assemble, and helps keep it healthy. It can be served as a main course or cut into smaller pieces and enjoyed as an appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Broiled Lobster Tails

Rating: Unrated
1
This easy holiday appetizer calls for lobster tails, the meatiest part of the lobster, which you can buy fresh or frozen. We've also included three easy and delicious compound butters to choose from to pair with the lobster meat: this recipe makes classic lobster thermidor butter, with the rich mix of Parmesan cheese, herbs and brandy; see Tips (below) to swap in an earthy porcini mushroom butter or a bright fennel and lemon butter.
By Liz Mervosh

Kale Artichoke Dip

Rating: Unrated
2
A riff on traditional spinach artichoke dip, this creamy, cheesy dip recipe is made healthier by replacing some of the cream cheese with yogurt. Serve as an easy appetizer with tortilla chips and carrot sticks.
By Breana Killeen

Cheese Fondue with Fennel & Tomatoes

Rating: Unrated
2
The alpine cheeses in this healthy cheese fondue recipe by Laura Werlin are known for melting smoothly, which is key in a fondue. Adding vegetables brings texture and bonus nutrition, while complementing the buttery nuttiness of each cheese. To serve 12, plan to offer 6 cups of cut-up vegetables for dipping, such as steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets or strips of raw fennel and red bell pepper.
By Laura Werlin

Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball

Rating: Unrated
3
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Creamy Shrimp Sauce

Rating: Unrated
1
Chile and horseradish add a spicy kick to this mayo- and yogurt-based yum yum shrimp sauce. This recipe comes together in a pinch for an updated shrimp cocktail appetizer--and will be devoured just as fast at any party.
By Carolyn Casner

Roasted Vegetable Antipasto

Rating: Unrated
3
A zesty vinaigrette makes these roasted Brussels sprouts, fennel, carrots and beets pop. If you can't find small carrots, halve larger ones crosswise then quarter lengthwise. Serve this vegetable antipasto as a side dish or appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mixed Greens with Grapes & Feta

Rating: Unrated
3
Contrasting sweet grapes with savory feta cheese and crisp, colorful greens, this salad makes an elegant first course.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mushroom & Leek Galette

Rating: Unrated
1
Patsy Jamieson totes this savory tart to potlucks and holiday gatherings. It makes perfect party food because it is easy to eat while you are balancing a glass and grazing at a buffet. Serve as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main dish.
By Patsy Jamieson

French Onion Dip

Rating: Unrated
2
In our homemade version of French onion dip, we simmer chopped onions in broth and use reduced-fat sour cream and yogurt for the familiar rich and creamy flavor. All told, our version has 12 grams less fat and nearly 50 percent less sodium per serving than the original.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegetable Satay

Rating: Unrated
1
Although usually made with strips of chicken or beef, this Indonesian-style satay can be made with fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets. Hot Madras curry has a bit of a kick; use regular curry powder if you just want the flavor of curry but not the heat. To save time, look for broccoli and cauliflower already cut into florets in the produce section or at the salad bar of your supermarket.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Marinated Olives with Lemon, Thyme & Rosemary

Rating: Unrated
1
Marinating olives in aromatic herbs and a touch of lemon zest is an ideal way to enhance their flavor. Throughout the Mediterranean, bowls of them are routinely set out as appetizers or as a simple lunch with bread and perhaps some cheese or fruit. While a selection of olives of varying sizes, colors and cures is the most interesting, you can also simply use the one or two kinds most readily available.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Marinated Olives & Feta

Olives and feta marinated with rosemary, lemon and garlic are great served on crisp flatbread-style crackers or warm slices of crusty baguette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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