21 Easy Appetizers Made for the Holidays
Cyd Converse
One of our favorite ways to entertain over the holiday season is by simply serving up a spread of easy appetizers. It's always a hit with family and friends!
Everyone loves to graze and nibble anyway so by declaring a menu of all snacks you're sure to score some serious points with your guests.
These easy appetizers are practically made for the holidays. They're festive, delicious, easy to make and most can be prepped in advance when entertaining.
1. Marinated Olives Recipe
If yours is a crowd of olive lovers, knock their socks off with these citrus and chili marinated olives. They make an incredible addition to your spread of fancy appetizers, or the perfect accompaniment to a cheese board of your favorite charcuterie and cheeses. Toss everything together and these life-changing olives are ready to wow your friends in just about 30 minutes.
2. Cherry Goat Cheese Crostini with Thyme and Almonds
This recipe for cherry goat cheese crostini with thyme and almonds is a simple yet elegant Christmas appetizer perfect for all of your holiday celebrations. The combination of cherries and goat cheese is a touch unexpected, but the flavor it punches is truly out of this world. Your friends will love this one!
3. Smoked Salmon Avocado Cream Cheese Pastries Recipe
Homemade avocado cream cheese combined with smoked salmon, fresh herbs, and capers makes for the ideal appetizer - this one is perfect for brunch, too!
4. Easy Cranberry Jalapeño Dip Recipe
This cranberry jalapeño dip recipe is shockingly simple to make, but does require a bit of time in the refigerator so prepping it in advance is a great idea. Otherwise it comes together super easily with just a handful of readily available ingredients so it's a great option when you need a festive dip recipe.
5. Goat Cheese Asparagus Tart Recipe
There's something about asparagus that seems to class up just about any dish and this easy appetizer is no exception. I love everything about this asparagus and goat cheese tart, from the texture to the taste. Filling without being overwhelming, it makes the perfect appetizer. Savory, tart, buttery, easy to make and one of our very favorite appetizer recipes of all time.
6. Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
When it comes to easy appetizers perfect for the holiday season, this smoked salmon dip spread over bagel chips or toasted bread will rock your world. I love the fancy yet not out of reach ingredients in this recipe, including the unexpected addition of both dill and horseradish. Simple ingredients with a few little twists feels elevated and festive while still being so easy to make.
7. Sandwich de Mezcla Recipe
Sandwich de Mezcla is the perfect party food! Filled with a tangy spread made with ham, cheese and pimiento, these Puerto Rican sandwiches are super tasty.
8. Guacamole Wontons Recipe
Crispy wonton wrappers encase pillows of warm guacamole in this unexpectedly delicious appetizer your crew will love. This is, hands down, one of my favorite easy appetizers to serve year round. It's as perfect on game day as it is at holiday parties and our friends are always asking me to make it again and again.
9. Chicken Meatball Sliders Recipe
I’m a huge fan of sliders, not only because they are satisfying and delicious, but also because they’re so cute. Yeah, I said cute! Something about miniature food is just appealing because teeny sandwiches are, frankly, adorable. These tiny sliders are made with chicken meatballs and they're so easy to make your own. One of these chicken sliders paired with sides makes a mini meal all its own.
10. Garlic Herb Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
Mushrooms stuffed with creamy goat cheese and sprinkled with herbs are a super simple yet sophisticated appetizer that mushroom lovers will go wild over. There's basically no easier appetizer you could make - these take just a few ingredients and come together in minutes so you're free to host and mingle.
11. Pear Thyme Feta Tarts Recipe
This pear thyme feta tart recipe is one of our favorites for the holiday season! Think buttery puff pastry studded with feta and thyme. The result is festive, savory and slightly sweet - a winning combination! Use store bough puff pastry, of course, to keep things as easy as possible. You'll love this one!
12. Harissa Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs Recipe
If you love deviled eggs, these harissa goat cheese deviled eggs are made with goat cheese for creaminess and harissa for a little kick. These elevated deviled eggs pack a total flavor explosion and they are perfect for the holidays. They even look super festive!
13. Baked Goat Cheese with Harissa Recipe
Spicy, cream and savory, this baked goat cheese appetizer is one you'll make again and again. I love any recipe involving baked goat cheese, but this combination pairing the spicy harissa with the tart goat cheese is a total game changer. Serve it with crusty bread for a crowd pleaser everyone will be loving.
14. Lentil Hummus Recipe
Great on crackers, chips, fresh veggies, you name it - this lentil hummus is hearty, savory and satisfying. The fresh, lively flavors of tahini paste, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice make this hummus anything but bland, which is why it ranks as one of our go-to easy appetizers for the holiday season and beyond. Nothing beats a good hummus recipe and this one included.
15. Hanky Panky Recipe
This hanky panky recipe combines sausage and cheese on top of pumpernickel bread to make a classic appetizer recipe that's sure to be a hit. Wildly simple to make, this classic recipe for hanky panky will be the first appetizer to get wiped out. Nobody can resist this stuff!
16. Garlic Butter Baked Mushrooms Recipe
I love mushrooms! They just taste so good with anything. Sautéed with other veggies or any meat, stuffed and baked, or standing alone with other awesome flavors such as with our beloved garlic butter baked mushrooms recipe. These garlic butter mushrooms fit the bill for a perfect appetizer, since they can be eaten alone, on top of, or alongside anything.
17. Garlic Herb Baked Pretzels Recipe
Freshly baked bread is always going to please friends and family members of all ages guaranteeing that these delicious garlic herb pretzels will be a huge hit on any occasion with just about everyone. When you pair our garlic herb baked pretzels with our cider cheese dip, you’ll get compliments all day long! We love making these pretzels for game day, but they're amazing for the holidays.
18. Whipped Goat Cheese Recipe
Perfect as a topping for lightly toasted baguette or a dip for crackers of any kind, our whipped goat cheese recipe is so simple to make that it’s almost criminal. I love how customizable it is making it so simple to add your favorite herbs or combinations to create new flavors. When we talk about easy appetizers, it literally does not get any easier than this whipped goat cheese.
19. Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix Recipe
Elevate the classic cereal snack mix with this sweet and spicy version sure to be a crowd favorite. If you love a good homemade Chex mix recipe, give this variation a try! Fans of the original will love the flavor twist, but I also love that you can easily prep this one in advance to serve the next day.
20. Meyer Lemon Baked Ricotta Recipe
Our Meyer lemon baked ricotta recipe is an easy, delicious appetizer made with ricotta cheese and Meyer lemon. You won't be able to resist! Ricotta cheese is such a perfect starting point for a dip because it has a luscious creamy flavor on its own, but is also endlessly adaptable to whatever flavors you add. It's irresistible!
21. Olive Garden Lasagna Dip Recipe
Homemade lasagna dip is an easy, delicious appetizer with layers of marinara sauce, sausage, beef and cheeses. This easy appetizer is our copycat Olive Garden lasagna dip recipe and it's a fan favorite. In fact, it's one of our most popular appetizer recipes of all time - and for good reason! Give it a try and thank me later.
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