These Christmas appetizer recipes are perfect for serving a crowd during the holidays and are guaranteed to be a hit! Anything from this list of tasty finger foods, snacks, and dips will make a great addition to your Christmas party spread. Set them out and watch them quickly disappear!
Best Holiday Appetizers
There's nothing better than some tasty appetizers to kick off an unforgettable Christmas dinner or holiday party! An appetizer spread stages the room so people have a place to mingle and graze.
Whether you are looking for some easy starters, classic chip dips, or something new entirely, there's a wide variety of choices on this list. Take a look and see which Christmas appetizer recipes you'd like to try this year!
Jump to:
- Best Holiday Appetizers
- Christmas Party Appetizers
- 1. Ranch Cheese Ball
- 2. Sour Cream Chip Dip
- 3. Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 4. French Onion Dip
- 5. Pinwheel Sandwiches
- 6. Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
- 7. Crab Stuffed Shrimp
- 8. Air Fryer Frozen Mac & Cheese Bites
- 9. Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- 10. Air Fryer Pigs In A Blanket
- 11. Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
- 12. Deviled Ham
- 13. Rotel Dip
- 14. Cheese & Bacon Turnovers
- 15. Charcuterie Board
- 16. Bisquick Cream Cheese Balls
- 17. Deviled Eggs
- 😋 More Tasty Appetizers
- 📖 Recipe Card
- Best Christmas Appetizer Recipes: Ranch Cheese Ball (+More Tasty Snack Ideas!)
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
Christmas Party Appetizers
Sure, you can choose one of the recipes on this list. Or, you can pick a few and set up an epic Christmas appetizer spread!
Be sure to check out my complete guide to hosting the Christmas holiday, whether it's your first time hosting the family meal or your 50th!
1. Ranch Cheese Ball
This is no plane Jane cheese ball, it's loaded with crispy bacon, chives, and a ton of ranch flavor! The optional pecan crust adds a delightful crunch that will keep your guests coming back.
2. Sour Cream Chip Dip
This smooth and creamy sour cream dip only requires 5 ingredients to make! It's totally delicious with potato chips or veggie sticks.
3. Buffalo Chicken Dip
If you are a fan of hot wings then you will love this buffalo chicken dip! You can use your favorite hot pepper or buffalo sauce so it's exactly like you like it.
4. French Onion Dip
French onion dip is a classic chip dip that everyone knows and loves. You can whip it up in about 5 minutes flat so you can keep people happy while you work on more complicated recipes.
5. Pinwheel Sandwiches
These finger sandwiches are incredibly easy to make and so versatile! I've included recipes for my 4 favorite variations: Club sandwich pinwheels, Italian Pinwheels, tuna salad pinwheels, and taco pinwheels!
6. Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
Sausage cream cheese dip is savory and satisfying with just 3 ingredients! All you need is some cream cheese, pork sausage, and canned Rotel tomatoes.
7. Crab Stuffed Shrimp
Seafood lovers will enjoy these delectable crab-stuffed shrimp. The juicy shrimp are filled with an irresistible mixture of sweet crab, cream cheese, Parmesan, mayo, and Panko breadcrumbs.
8. Air Fryer Frozen Mac & Cheese Bites
Mac and cheese bites made in the air fryer are perfectly melted on the inside and crispy on the outside! No one will know they aren't homemade (just throw away the evidence).
9. Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream cheese stuffed mushrooms are delectable bite-sized appetizers that everyone will enjoy! The mushrooms are juicy and tender while the filling is creamy and cheesy. They are downright addicting!
10. Air Fryer Pigs In A Blanket
Bust out your air fryer for these addicting Little Smokies pigs in a blanket! They only take 2 ingredients and 20 minutes to make, which is great since you will likely want to make a second batch.
11. Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
To make this hands-off appetizer all you have to do is combine frozen meatballs, ketchup, grape jelly, and seasoning in your crockpot. It may sound weird, but the jelly and ketchup cook down into a sweet, sticky sauce that is finger-licking good!
12. Deviled Ham
Deviled ham is a savory cracker spread or chip dip that you can even use to make sliders or finger sandwiches! There's no cooking required just combine the ingredients and chill until you're ready to eat!
13. Rotel Dip
Rotel dip is basically an easy-to-make queso con carne made with ground beef, Velveeta cheese, and canned Rotel tomatoes with chilis. Serve it with some tortilla chips and watch it disappear!
14. Cheese & Bacon Turnovers
Cheese & bacon turnovers are made by filling buttery puff pastry with, you guessed it, cheese and bacon! It's an irresistible flavor combination that no one can deny!
15. Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards are the ultimate finger food! You can customize it with your favorite meats, cheeses, and crackers or with some options that suit the holiday.
Cranberry cheddar or cranberry mustard are always great additions around Christmastime!
16. Bisquick Cream Cheese Balls
These snack-sized sausage and cream cheese balls are hard to resist! They are made with cheddar cheese, sausage, cream cheese, and fluffy Bisquick that is baked until golden-brown and delicious.
17. Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are the appetizer that some people treat as a main course. I mean I know I could eat a handful of these guys, and that's being lenient.
This classic deviled egg recipe tastes just like you remember! You'll want to keep making them year after year.
😋 More Tasty Appetizers
- Crab Cakes - These delectable crab patties are easy to eat and hard to resist!
- Roasted Boan Marrow - Treat yourself by starting your next meal with some rich and buttery roasted bone marrow.
- Totchos - Loaded nachos but instead of chips you use tater tots!
- Calamari - Tender squid rings and tentacles battered and fried until crispy and delicious!
- Air Fryer Potato Chips - Homemade potato chips cooked until perfectly crispy in your air fryer.
- Venison Meatballs - If you're a fan of venison, you'll love these juicy homemade meatballs!
Are you going to try any of these Christmas appetizer recipes this year? Come back and let me know how they turned out by commenting below!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Best Christmas Appetizer Recipes: Ranch Cheese Ball (+More Tasty Snack Ideas!)
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese (at room temperature, 2 8-ounce bricks)
- 3 tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 1 oz Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix packet (*see note)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 cup mozzarella (shredded)
- 2 tablespoon freeze dried chives (plus 1 teaspoon more for pecan coating, if desired)
- 6 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled, reserve some for the optional pecan coating if desired)
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional, finely crushed)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except the optional pecans, reserved bacon crumbles, and extra chives for the coating) in a large mixing bowl. Use a silicone spatula to mix until thoroughly combined, then pop it in the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes before shaping.
- Remove the cheese mixture from the mixing bowl and place it in a mound on top of a sheet of plastic wrap. Pull up two opposing sides of the plastic wrap and place them over the cheese mixture. Place your cupped hands over the plastic wrap and use them to form a round shape.
- (optional) Place pecans, reserved bacon bits, and additional freeze-dried chives (I used 1 teaspoon) into a Ziploc storage bag (a heavy-duty freezer bags work best). Cover it with a kitchen towel and crush with a meat tenderizer mallet.
- (optional) Pour the contents of the bag into a shallow rimmed dish and roll your ranch cheese ball in it to coat the outside with the crushed pecan mixture.
- Transfer your cheese ball to a serving tray or platter with pita chips, crackers, vegetables, or bread.
Notes
- 16 ounces of cream cheese is the equivalent of 2 8-ounce blocks and a 1-ounce package of ranch seasoning (any brand) is about 3 tablespoons. 1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella) is about 4 ounces.
- Shredding your own cheese will yield the best flavor and is preferable to bagged shredded cheese.
- I had no problem forming and serving my cheese ball right away. If you'd like to, you may chill it and let the flavors meld for 20-30 minutes before serving. Just lift the sides of the saran wrap up and over the cheese mixture so that they all meet in the middle above the mound, then twist them together so that the cheese is tightly bundled like a sack or pouch and place it in the fridge.
- To make this cheese ball into finger-food, roll it into bite-sized balls and stick a toothpick or pretzel rod in them!
- I used buttermilk flavored Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix, though any of the different flavors or varieties of dry ranch seasoning would be delicious.
- You may make your cheese ball up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you need it.
- To store: To keep your cheese ball fresh, always wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container before refrigerating it. It is best when enjoyed within a week.
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