Food Holidays & Occasions Christmas 25 Christmas Appetizers to Wow a Crowd Our collection of Christmas appetizers includes our best recipes for festive handheld bites, from dips and spreads to skewers and pastries. By Kim Wehby Kim Wehby Kim Wehby is a copy editor with over a decade of experience in the food and beverage space, including a senior editorial role at Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She's edited and developed content for Food & Wine, Southern Living, and Eating Well. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 4, 2024 When holiday hosting rolls around, you can create a festive gathering either casual or classic, or maybe a combination of both. Crowd-pleasers like bacon-wrapped dates and spinach dip can be served alongside surf-and-turf calamari toasts and steak bites. Read on for Food & Wine's finest Christmas appetizers for your holiday gatherings. 01 of 25 Grape, Walnut, and Labneh Crostini with Spicy Honey Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Cookbook author Adeena Sussman's festive recipe is full of contrasting textures. Creamy labneh, roasted grapes, and crunchy nuts layer atop sourdough toasts. Get the Recipe 02 of 25 Bacon-Wrapped Dates Photographer: Kelsey Hansen, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali These are the perfect sweet-and-savory, juicy-and-crispy bites for your holiday appetizer table. Dates and bacon are dressed up with wintry walnuts and herbs and savory cream cheese and blue cheese. Get the Recipe 03 of 25 Salmon Crudo Hugh Davison Raw salmon and pink grapefruit make a lovely pairing in this elegant crudo from Kat Turner. Get the Recipe 04 of 25 Green Peppercorn-Marinated Feta Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Cubed feta takes on marinades and seasoning beautifully. Put this elegant app together in five minutes, then enjoy its full-bodied flavor on your cheese platter eight hours later. Get the Recipe 05 of 25 Gougères with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Prosciutto Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman You may know these bite-sized cheesy puffs from The Great British Bake Off. They look elegant and are perfectly pretty for your appetizer platters. Get the Recipe 06 of 25 Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Dip Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Food & Wine culinary director-at-large Justin Chapple brings us these party-ready meatballs inspired by merguez, a North African lamb sausage. Each bite is full of spice and heat with a mixture of harissa, cilantro, coriander, and cumin. A vibrant dip of parsley, basil, and scallions brightens the savory flavors. Get the Recipe 07 of 25 Mushroom Toasts with Délice de Bourgogne Eva Kolenko Délice de Bourgogne, a triple-crème cheese that's even more luscious than brie, is topped with pan-roasted mushrooms and herbs in this elegant appetizer from Top Chef winner Kristen Kish. Get the Recipe 08 of 25 Four-Layer Caviar Dip Justin Walker Crisp, neutral water crackers are the perfect vessels for this salty, briny caviar dip. Get the Recipe 09 of 25 Carrots en Croûte Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen In this hearty plant-forward appetizer from F&W's Justin Chapple, roasted carrots are wrapped with flaky puff pastry for an elegant, curry-spiced version of pigs in a blanket. Get the Recipe 10 of 25 Calamari Toast with Hawthorn Sweet and Sour Sauce Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell 2021 F&W Best New Chef Lucas Sin brings us this calamari toast inspired by classic Chinese shrimp toast. A from-scratch sweet-and-sour dipping sauce with hibiscus and haw flakes makes for a wonderfully fruity finish. Get the Recipe 11 of 25 Cheesy Sausage Cocktail Toasts Jennifer Causey The sausage filling with mascarpone and Taleggio can be made days in advance. On the day of, bake the toasts topped with the filling plus shredded fontina cheese. Get the Recipe 12 of 25 Classic Cheese Ball with Spiced Pecans Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kay Clarke Recipe developer and tester Liz Mervosh brings us this appetizer that's as classic for the holidays as it is year-round in the South. Flavors of maple syrup, smoked paprika, and pecans shine through in this cheesy holiday treat. Get the Recipe 13 of 25 Smoked Sausage Wreath Abby Hocking This elegant wreath appetizer will be prettier than any other smoked sausage dish on the holiday table. Lingonberry jam and rosemary and thyme sprigs add a delicate, floral touch to lighten the otherwise-hefty sausage. Get the Recipe 14 of 25 Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip Justin Walker This recipe comes to us from award-winning journalist Betsy Andrews. Four types of cheese bring savory creaminess and meltiness to slightly bitter spinach and tender artichoke hearts. Get the Recipe 15 of 25 Garlic-Butter Steak Bites Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford Recipe developer and tester Marianne Williams' recipe for juicy steak bites features a velvety pan sauce full of umami-rich flavors. Get the Recipe 16 of 25 Sausage-Stuffed Fried Olives Victor Protasio Serve a crisp white wine with these salty, tangy fried sausage-and-olive bites. Get the Recipe 17 of 25 Brussels Sprouts Baba Ghanoush Greg DuPree Brussels sprouts stand in for roasted eggplant in chef Michael Solomonov's version of baba ghanoush. A colorful topping of hazelnuts, parsley, and more roasted brussels sprouts completes the festive dip. Get the Recipe 18 of 25 Stilton-Stuffed Pickled Peppers Greg DuPree F&W's Justin Chapple brings us this brilliant appetizer with three ingredients and tons of bold flavor. Get the Recipe 19 of 25 Duck Liver Pâté with Blackberry Conserva William Hereford Fruit-forward, tart blackberries shine against a rich duck pâté. Enjoy with grilled bread slices and whole-grain mustard. Get the Recipe 20 of 25 Pimiento Cheese with Salt-and-Pepper Butter Crackers © CON POULOS To make party prep easier, you can make this pimiento cheese up to one week in advance and bake the crackers one day in advance. Get the Recipe 21 of 25 Sweet Potato and Feta Bourekas Greg DuPree Prepared puff pastry removes some of the leg work in assembling these festive sweet potato- and feta-filled treats. Get the Recipe 22 of 25 Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip Greg DuPree Replace the limp celery and broccoli vegetable tray with this colorful platter from chef Katianna Hong, where a rich, tangy soy dip complements the crispness and bitterness of fresh seasonal vegetables. Get the Recipe 23 of 25 Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini © Fredrika Stjärne Bold colors and flavors abound in this wintry appetizer from culinary and visual storyteller Athena Calderone. Serve with a crisp, fruit-forward Champagne. Get the Recipe 24 of 25 Herbed Salmon Tartare with Chips Ditte Isager Impress your Christmas dinner guests with this easy-to-make herbed salmon tartare. The combination of fresh and hot-smoked salmon, cucumber, cornichons, and crème fraîche makes for an appetizer with an appealing range of textures and flavors. Get the Recipe 25 of 25 Pigs in a Blanket with Black Pepper Pastry © Abby Hocking In this playful appetizer from chef Jen Pelka, classic pigs in a blanket are brushed with a glaze of honey, mustard, and black pepper. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit