Quick Answer: Mix four kinds: no-cook bites (caprese wreath, stuffed dates), warm bites (cranberry brie bites, meatballs), a dip and one showstopper board. Plan 4–6 pieces per guest before dinner, 12–15 if appetizers are the meal. Almost everything here can be prepped a day ahead.
If you only make four
No-cook
Caprese wreathMozzarella, tomatoes and basil in a ring. Red, white and green in 15 minutes.
Warm
Cranberry brie bitesPuff pastry, brie and cranberry sauce in a mini muffin tin. Freezes unbaked.
Dip
Cranberry salsa over cream cheeseSweet, tart and a little hot. Better made the day before.
Showstopper
Christmas tree boardCheese, meat and fruit laid out in a tree shape. The one people photograph.
Every appetizer below has a make-ahead note, so you can see at a glance what gets done this week and what waits until the doorbell rings.
How many appetizers to make
The number depends on one question: is dinner coming after?
| Your party | Pieces per guest | How many kinds | Include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appetizers, then a sit-down dinner | 4 to 6 | 3 or 4 | Light bites. Skip the sliders. |
| Open house or drop-in (2 hours) | 8 to 10 | 5 or 6 | One warm, one dip, one board |
| Appetizers are the whole party (3 hours) | 12 to 15 | 6 to 8 | Two filling ones, like sliders and meatballs |
Quick math: 12 guests at a party where appetizers are the meal × 12 pieces = about 144 pieces. Six kinds means about 24 of each. A board counts as several "pieces" per guest. For the cheese and meat on a board, use our standard of 2 oz each per guest before dinner, 3 oz as the party food (full guide), or let the Party Planner do the math for your guest count.
From 20 guests, add about 10% so the late arrivals still find food.
No-cook Christmas appetizers (1–10)
No oven needed, so these are the ones to lean on when the oven is full of ham or turkey.
1. Caprese Wreath
Arrange cherry tomatoes, small mozzarella balls and basil leaves in a ring on a round platter, with a small bowl of balsamic glaze in the middle. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Make ahead: Build it up to 4 hours ahead, cover and chill. Add the basil and glaze just before serving so the basil doesn't darken.
- Tip: A good balsamic glaze is thick enough to stay in the bowl rather than running across the platter.
2. Prosciutto-Wrapped Pears
Slice a firm Bosc pear into wedges, toss them in lemon juice, add a few arugula leaves and a small piece of blue cheese, and wrap each one in half a slice of prosciutto.
- Make ahead: Up to 4 hours, covered in the fridge. The lemon keeps the pears from browning.
3. Salami Cream Cheese Roll-Ups
Spread softened cream cheese on slices of Genoa salami, add a strip of pepperoncini or a green onion, roll them up tightly and slice in half. Stand them up on a plate with a toothpick through each.
- Make ahead: The day before. They hold their shape better after a night in the fridge.
4. Cucumber Smoked Salmon Bites
Top thick slices of English cucumber with herbed cream cheese, a curl of smoked salmon and a sprig of dill.
- Make ahead: Slice the cucumber and mix the cream cheese the day before. Assemble within 2 hours of serving, or the cucumber weeps. Pregnant guests should skip cold smoked salmon (see keeping it safe).
5. Antipasto Skewers
Thread a tortellini or mozzarella ball, a folded slice of salami, an olive, a basil leaf and a cherry tomato onto a short skewer. Drizzle with Italian dressing.
- Make ahead: The day before, covered. Full method and 10 combinations in our charcuterie skewers guide.
6. Goat Cheese Snowballs
Roll 8 oz of cold goat cheese into 1-inch balls, then roll each one in finely chopped dried cranberries, pecans and parsley. Serve each one on a pretzel stick.
- Make ahead: Up to 2 days ahead without the coating. Roll them in the coating on the day.
7. Stuffed Dates
Slit Medjool dates lengthwise, pull out the pit, and fill each with goat cheese or blue cheese and half a pecan. Drizzle with honey and a pinch of flaky salt.
- Make ahead: The day before. Add the honey just before serving.
8. Shrimp Cocktail Ring
Buy cooked, peeled shrimp. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, pat them dry and lay them in a ring around a bowl of cocktail sauce, with lemon wedges and rosemary sprigs tucked in like a wreath.
- Make ahead: Thaw and arrange in the morning. Serve over a tray of ice.
9. Marinated Olives and Feta
Warm olive oil with strips of orange zest, rosemary, a smashed garlic clove and chili flakes, then pour it over olives and cubes of feta.
- Make ahead: Up to 3 days in the fridge. Homemade garlic-in-oil must stay refrigerated and be used within 4 days. Bring it to room temperature 30 minutes before serving so the oil turns liquid again. Which olives to buy: best olives for charcuterie.
10. Santa Hat Fruit Skewers
On a toothpick, stack a green grape, a slice of banana, a strawberry (pointed end up) and a mini marshmallow on top. The kids' table favorite.
- Make ahead: Wash the fruit the day before. Assemble within an hour of serving, because banana browns.
Warm Christmas appetizers (11–20)
The ones people go back for. Most can be frozen unbaked and baked straight from the freezer on the day.
11. Cranberry Brie Bites
Cut a sheet of thawed puff pastry into 24 squares and press them into a mini muffin tin. Add a cube of brie and a teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each. Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Top with a pecan and a rosemary needle.
- Make ahead: Assemble, freeze in the tin, then bag them. Bake from frozen, adding about 5 minutes.
- Which brie? A mild, everyday brie melts best here. Save the good one for the board. See best brie brands and best cranberry sauce.
12. Baked Brie
A whole wheel of brie, topped with jam or cranberries and nuts, baked until molten. Serve it with crackers and apple slices.
- Make ahead: Top it and wrap it the day before, then bake it as guests arrive. Times, toppings and the puff-pastry version: baked brie recipe.
13. Pigs-in-a-Blanket Wreath
Wrap cocktail sausages in strips of crescent dough and arrange them in a ring on a parchment-lined sheet pan, touching each other. Brush with egg and sprinkle with everything seasoning. Bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Put a bowl of mustard in the middle and add rosemary "holly".
- Make ahead: Freeze the wrapped, unbaked sausages, then bake from frozen, adding a few minutes. Our pick of mustards for dipping.
14. Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Stuff pitted dates with a sliver of Parmesan or an almond, wrap each one in a third of a slice of bacon, and secure it with a toothpick. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the bacon is crisp.
- Make ahead: Wrap them the day before and chill them on the sheet pan. Bake just before serving.
15. Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
Mix browned Italian sausage with cream cheese and Parmesan, pile it into cremini mushroom caps and bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes.
- Make ahead: Stuff them the day before and bake from the fridge, adding 5 minutes.
16. Slow-Cooker Cocktail Meatballs
Frozen cooked meatballs in a sauce of grape jelly and chili sauce (or cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce for a Christmas twist). Cook on low for about 4 hours, until they reach 165°F, then switch the cooker to "warm".
- Make ahead: No prep needed. Start them 4 hours before guests arrive. Put a cup of toothpicks beside them.
17. Ham and Swiss Sliders
Split a pack of sweet dinner rolls in one sheet, fill it with ham and Swiss, and brush the tops with melted butter mixed with Dijon and poppy seeds. Bake covered at 350°F for 15 minutes, then uncovered for 5 more.
- Make ahead: Assemble the night before, cover and chill. Brush with the butter just before baking. This is the filling one that turns appetizers into dinner. A great use for leftover Christmas ham.
18. Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
Spread pesto on one sheet of puff pastry and cover it with a second sheet. Cut it into a tree shape, slice branches into each side and twist each one. Brush with egg, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake at 400°F for about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Make ahead: Shape it, cover it and chill it the morning of the party. Bake it right before guests arrive. Use the scraps as a star on top.
19. Sausage Balls
A Southern Christmas classic: 1 lb of breakfast sausage, 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar and about 1½ to 2 cups of baking mix, rolled into 1-inch balls. Bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're browned and the sausage is cooked through (160°F).
- Make ahead: Freeze them raw on a tray, then bag them. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes.
20. Whipped Ricotta Crostini with Hot Honey
Toast thin slices of baguette at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Top them with ricotta whipped with lemon zest and salt, then drizzle with hot honey and add a few pomegranate seeds.
- Make ahead: Toast the crostini up to 3 days ahead and store them airtight. Whip the ricotta the day before. Top them just before serving.
Christmas dips and spreads (21–30)
A dip is the cheapest way to feed a lot of people, and it holds the table together. Put out one cold and one warm.
21. Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese
In a food processor, pulse 12 oz of fresh cranberries with about ⅓ cup of sugar, a seeded jalapeño, a handful of cilantro, 2 green onions and the juice of a lime. Chill it, then spoon it over a block of cream cheese. Serve with crackers.
- Make ahead: Make the salsa a day ahead (it needs at least 4 hours for the sugar to tame the cranberries). Spoon it on just before serving.
22. Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese
The 2-minute appetizer: a jar of red or green pepper jelly poured over a block of cream cheese. Serve with butter crackers.
- Make ahead: No prep needed. Our picks: best pepper jelly.
23. Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
Cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan, mozzarella, thawed chopped spinach and chopped artichoke hearts, baked at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling.
- Make ahead: Mix it 2 days ahead and bake on the day. Short on time? Here are the best store-bought spinach dips.
24. Hot Crab Dip
Cream cheese, mayonnaise, lump crab, Old Bay-style seasoning, lemon and cheddar, baked at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Make ahead: Mix it the day before, then bake it as guests arrive.
25. Whipped Feta with Pomegranate
Blend 8 oz of feta with 4 oz of cream cheese and a splash of olive oil until smooth. Spread it in a shallow bowl and top with pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios and a drizzle of honey. Red and green on white.
- Make ahead: Whip it 2 days ahead. Add the toppings on the day.
26. French Onion Dip
Slowly caramelized onions stirred into sour cream with a little garlic and Worcestershire. Serve with kettle chips.
- Make ahead: It's better after a day in the fridge. Store-bought picks: best French onion dip.
27. Beer Cheese
Melt sharp cheddar, cream cheese and a splash of lager with Dijon and garlic powder. Serve it warm with soft pretzel bites.
- Make ahead: Make it 2 days ahead and rewarm it gently. Keep it warm in a small slow cooker.
28. Pimento Cheese
Sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, diced pimentos and a pinch of cayenne. Serve it with celery, crackers or on the board.
- Make ahead: Up to 3 days. Or buy one of our favorite pimento cheeses.
29. Pinecone Cheese Ball
Shape your cheese ball mixture into an oval, then press whole almonds into it in overlapping rows so it looks like a pinecone. Add a rosemary sprig at the top.
- Make ahead: Make the cheese ball up to 3 days ahead, and add the almonds on the day. Our cheese ball recipe has the base mixture. No time? See the best store-bought cheese balls.
30. Christmas Butter Board
Softened butter swirled across a board and topped with honey, cranberries, rosemary, orange zest and flaky salt. Serve it with warm bread.
- Make ahead: Bring the butter to room temperature 1 hour ahead and build the board just before serving. The full method: butter board.
Christmas boards and showstoppers (31–40)
A board does the work of five appetizers: guests graze, it looks like a lot, and most of it is bought rather than cooked.
31. Classic Christmas Charcuterie Board
Four cheeses, three meats, and red (prosciutto, pomegranate), green (olives, rosemary) and white (brie). The full plan with amounts: Christmas charcuterie board.
32. Christmas Tree Board
The same ingredients laid out in a tree shape, with rosemary "branches" and a cheese star on top. Step-by-step layout: Christmas tree charcuterie board.
33. Christmas Wreath Board
Everything arranged in a ring on a round board, with rosemary around the edge. It's the easiest shape to fill. See the wreath board.
34. Santa's Sleigh Board
A showpiece for the kids' table, with cheese, crackers and fruit piled into a sleigh shape. The full plan: Santa's sleigh board.
35. Christmas Tree Veggie Tray
Broccoli florets laid out in a tree shape, with cherry tomatoes and pepper pieces as ornaments, a yellow pepper star on top and ranch dip on the side. More shapes: veggie tray ideas and the best ranch dips.
36. Charcuterie Cups
One serving per cup, so there's no crowding around a board and no double dipping. Perfect for office parties. How to build them: charcuterie cups.
37. Charcuterie Skewer Tree
Stand antipasto skewers upright in a foam cone wrapped in rosemary, or stack them in a tree shape on a platter. Combinations to try: charcuterie skewers.
38. A Holiday Cheese Course
Three or four great cheeses served after dinner instead of before, the way it's done in France and Britain. Pick from our cheese course guide.
39. Christmas Cookie Board
The sweet finale: cookies, fudge, chocolate-dipped pretzels and peppermint bark on one board. Layout and amounts: Christmas cookie board.
40. Hot Cocoa Board
Mugs, cocoa and a topping bar of marshmallows, crushed candy canes and whipped cream. Kids build their own. See the hot cocoa board.
Three ready-made Christmas appetizer menus
Pick the one closest to your party and you're done planning.
Christmas Eve for 8, before dinner (about 5 pieces each)
- Caprese wreath (#1)
- Cranberry brie bites (#11), one tin of 24
- Stuffed dates (#7), about 12
- Cranberry salsa over cream cheese (#21)
Cocktail party for 20, no dinner (about 12 to 15 pieces each)
- Christmas tree board (#32) for the centerpiece, at 3 oz each of cheese and meat per guest
- Ham and Swiss sliders (#17), 2 pans
- Slow-cooker meatballs (#16), about 5 lb
- Shrimp cocktail ring (#8)
- Puff pastry Christmas tree (#18)
- Hot spinach artichoke dip (#23)
- Christmas cookie board (#39)
Office party or potluck (travels well, no oven at the other end)
- Charcuterie cups (#36), 1 per person plus a few spare
- Sausage balls (#19), baked at home and served at room temperature
- Pimento cheese (#28) with crackers
- Antipasto skewers (#5)
Taking food somewhere? Read how to transport a charcuterie board first.
The make-ahead countdown
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 month before | Freeze sausage balls (#19), pigs in a blanket (#13) and cranberry brie bites (#11), all unbaked. |
| 3 days before | Make the cheese ball (#29), pimento cheese (#28), marinated olives (#9), beer cheese (#27) and whipped feta (#25). Toast the crostini (#20). |
| 2 days before | Mix the spinach artichoke dip (#23). Shop for the board. Buy the shrimp. |
| The day before | Cranberry salsa (#21), salami roll-ups (#3), skewers (#5), stuffed dates (#7), sliders assembled (#17), stuffed mushrooms (#15). Wash all the fruit and herbs. Move the shrimp to the fridge to thaw. Our guide to prepping a board the night before covers the board itself. |
| 4 hours before | Start the meatballs (#16). Build the caprese wreath (#1) without the basil. |
| 1 hour before | Take the hard cheeses out of the fridge. Build the board, leaving off the crackers. |
| 30 minutes before | Take the soft cheeses out. Bake the warm bites. Add the crackers, basil and drizzles. |
Keeping Christmas appetizers safe
- 2 hours, then refill. Perishable food shouldn't sit out more than 2 hours (USDA). Put out half and refill from the fridge.
- Hot stays hot. Keep warm dips and meatballs at 140°F or warmer in a slow cooker on "warm" or a 200°F oven. Reheated food should reach 165°F (USDA).
- Cold stays cold. Set the shrimp and creamy dips over a tray of ice.
- Pregnant guests. The CDC advises against cold deli meat and refrigerated smoked salmon unless they're heated until steaming, and recommends pasteurized cheeses (CDC). The warm bites (#11–19) are good options. More: pregnancy-safe charcuterie board.
- Label the nuts. The goat cheese snowballs, stuffed dates, pinecone cheese ball and brie bites all contain nuts. A small card helps guests with allergies.
On a budget?
The cheapest crowd-pleasers on this list cost a few dollars a batch: pepper jelly over cream cheese (#22), sausage balls (#19), pigs in a blanket (#13), cranberry salsa (#21) and the veggie tree (#35). Shop the holiday aisles for the rest: our Aldi, Trader Joe's and Costco holiday guides list the best seasonal finds.
What to drink with them
- Sparkling wine goes with almost everything salty and fried on this list. Good bottles: best Champagne under $30 and best prosecco.
- Non-alcoholic: sparkling cider, or a hot cocoa board for the kids.
- Red wine for the board: see wine for a charcuterie board.
Sources
- USDA FSIS: What is the 2-hour rule for leaving food out?
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety
- CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
FAQ
What are the best Christmas appetizers to make ahead?
Cheese balls, cranberry salsa, pimento cheese, marinated olives and most dips can be made 2 to 3 days ahead. Sausage balls, pigs in a blanket and meatballs freeze for up to a month. Skewers, roll-ups and stuffed dates can be assembled the day before and kept covered in the fridge.
How many appetizers do I need per person?
Before a sit-down dinner, plan 4 to 6 pieces per guest from 3 or 4 different appetizers. When appetizers are the whole party, plan 12 to 15 pieces per guest over about 3 hours, from 6 to 8 different appetizers, including at least two that are filling, like sliders or meatballs.
Which Christmas appetizers can you freeze?
Unbaked sausage balls, unbaked pigs in a blanket, cooked meatballs, unbaked cranberry brie bites and cheese balls without the nut coating all freeze well for up to a month. Bake sausage balls and pigs in a blanket straight from frozen, adding a few minutes. Dips with sour cream or mayonnaise, cucumber and fresh fruit don't freeze well.
What are some easy last-minute Christmas appetizers?
Pepper jelly or cranberry sauce poured over a block of cream cheese with crackers takes 2 minutes. Stuffed dates, salami roll-ups, a caprese wreath and a store-bought shrimp ring all take under 20 minutes with no cooking.
How long can Christmas appetizers sit out?
No more than 2 hours at room temperature, according to the USDA. Keep hot appetizers at 140°F or warmer in a slow cooker or warm oven, set cold dips and shrimp over ice, and put out smaller amounts that you refill rather than everything at once.
