- December 21, 2025
- Main Dishes
25 Cozy Christmas Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining
Create a warm, inviting holiday spread with these cozy Christmas appetizers. They are perfect for easy, stress-free entertaining. These recipes range from melty, comforting bites to crowd-pleasing favorites. They are designed to keep guests happy and the host relaxed all season long.
There’s something special about holiday entertaining. It leans into warmth, comfort, and sharing food that brings people together. These cozy Christmas appetizers are ideal for creating a relaxed, inviting spread. They include melty cheeses, baked bites, and easy crowd-pleasers. These appetizers keep guests happy while you enjoy the party.
Warm & Melty Christmas Appetizers
Warm and melty Christmas appetizers are the heart of cozy holiday entertaining. These include rich, comforting bites that are meant to be shared straight from the oven. Think baked brie with jam, spinach artichoke phyllo bites, cranberry brie jalapeño poppers, and hot queso-style dips. Cheese-forward favorites stay gooey, golden, and irresistible all night long.
Cranberry Brie Jalapeno Poppers Recipe
These cranberry brie jalapeño poppers are the perfect balance of creamy, smoky, sweet, and spicy. Whipped brie and cream cheese create an ultra-smooth filling that’s stuffed into fresh jalapeños, topped with tangy cranberry sauce, wrapped in bacon, and baked or smoked until irresistibly crisp.
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Mini Smoked Cheese Balls
Learn to make this delicious mini smoky cheese ball recipe featuring a variety of festive and fun flavors for the perfect party or holiday appetizer.
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Brie Bread Bowl Recipe
This Brie Bread Bowl is the ultimate party centerpiece, featuring creamy baked brie nestled inside a crusty sourdough loaf and topped with sweet fig spread. Warm, gooey, and irresistibly delicious, it’s perfect for dipping or tearing apart with friends and family.
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Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastry Bites
Crispy, flaky, and loaded with flavor, these Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastry Bites are the perfect bite-sized appetizer. Filled with a vibrant mix of spinach, artichokes, green onion, dill, jalapeño, feta, and mozzarella, they’re a savory treat with a touch of spice that’s sure to impress any crowd.
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Smoked Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly
Fire up the grill and smoke infuse the perfect pepper jelly and cream cheese appetizer recipe to share with your friends and family.
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Grilled Cheese Sliders With Bruschetta
Grilled Cheese Sliders with Bruschetta combine the comforting goodness of melty garlic bread grilled cheese with the fresh, tangy flavors of tomato bruschetta. This delightful fusion is perfect for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or a fun twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich.
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Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry Recipe
This Cranberry Brie Flatbread combines creamy melted brie with a rich, red wine cranberry sauce for an elegant yet easy appetizer. Baked until golden and topped with candied walnuts and thyme, it’s a festive bite that pairs beautifully with sparkling or red wine.
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Fried Brie Recipe
Crispy on the outside and irresistibly gooey on the inside, these Fried Brie Bites are the ultimate crowd-pleasing appetizer. Coated in a golden breadcrumb crust, each bite delivers creamy, melty brie cheese with a satisfying crunch—perfect for dipping into your favorite sauce or enjoying as is!
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Air Fryer Cheese Curds
Learn how to make crispy and delicious fried cheese curds with this easy recipe using your at home air fryer.
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Make-Ahead Christmas Appetizers for Stress-Free Hosting
Make-ahead Christmas appetizers take the pressure off hosting. They let you prep ahead without sacrificing flavor or presentation. From assembled puff pastry bites and stuffed poppers to dips and spreads, these recipes only need a quick bake or reheat. They keep things festive, organized, and stress-free when guests arrive.
Pull Apart Sliders Recipe
This pull-apart slider recipe on King's Hawaiian rolls is truly an easy recipe that's become a family favorite. If you love take out style cheeseburger sliders made with ground beef, slices of cheese, and topped with crispy pickles, then this recipe is for you!
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Italian Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
This Italian inspires shaved brussel sprout salad recipe is a simple and easy make ahead dish using shredded raw brussels sprouts, crispy prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and a homemade Italian dressing.
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Pepperoncini Dip Recipe
Pepperoncini dip is a bold and flavorful appetizer, perfect for those who love a bit of spice in their lives. This creamy dip combines the zesty heat of jalapeños and the tang of pepperoncini with the sweet notes of red peppers and the savory depth of onions. It's an ideal choice for gatherings, offering a mouth-watering blend of heat, sweetness, and creaminess that's sure to be a hit.
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Smoked Saltines
Add bold flavor to your next snack board with these buttery smoked saltine crackers, seasoned to perfection and crisped low and slow on the grill. Easy to make, endlessly snackable, and perfect for parties or pairing with cheese and dips.
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Marinated Mozzarella Balls
These easy marinated mozzarella balls are bursting with flavor from olive oil, garlic, herbs, and a touch of heat. Serve them as part of a cheese board, with crusty bread, or tossed into pasta or salad for an instant flavor upgrade.
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Spanikopita Dip Recipe
This Spanakopita Dip transforms the classic Greek pastry into a creamy, cheesy dip loaded with spinach, feta, and fresh herbs. Baked until golden and bubbly, it's perfect for scooping with pita chips or crunchy veggies for a flavorful Mediterranean-inspired appetizer.
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How To Build A Caviar Board
Create your own caviar board for sharing and pairing different types of caviar and roe.
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Smoked Baba Ganoush Recipe
Try this smoked version of a traditional Lebanese baba ganoush recipe by roasting the eggplant on a pellet smoker or wood fired grill—a rich creamy and delicious way to enjoy this popular eggplant based dip.
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Baked Christmas Appetizers That Feel Extra Cozy
Baked Christmas appetizers bring that extra-cozy, just-out-of-the-oven comfort. This makes holiday gatherings feel special. From golden puff pastry bites and bubbling cheese dishes to warm crostini and oven-baked dips, these appetizers fill the house with irresistible aromas. They deliver that comforting, homemade holiday feel.
Sausage Roll Recipe
These flaky homemade sausage rolls are made with puff pastry, juicy sausage links, and a sweet maple–powdered sugar drizzle for the perfect balance of savory and sweet. Paired with a simple blueberry compote dipping sauce, they’re a standout appetizer that looks impressive but comes together with minimal effort.
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Garlic Bread Focaccia Recipe
This garlic bread focaccia combines fluffy homemade focaccia dough with roasted garlic butter, melted cheese, and crispy golden edges for the ultimate side dish. For those looking to recreate this delectable dish, this garlic bread focaccia recipe is your go-to guide.
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Steak Crostini Recipe
Take your appetizer game up a notch with these steak crostini, featuring perfectly seared steak slices atop crispy potato chips instead of bread. Each bite is a savory delight, layered with a creamy spread and garnished with fresh herbs for the ultimate party snack.
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Smoked Bacon Wrapped Dates
These smoked bacon-wrapped dates are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, creamy, and smoky. Stuffed with Aleppo-spiced goat cheese, wrapped in crispy bacon, and finished with a warm honey glaze and fresh thyme, they’re the kind of appetizer that disappears fast off the platter.
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Cranberry BBQ Sauce
This Cranberry BBQ Sauce combines the tartness of fresh cranberries with the rich sweetness of maple syrup and a warm hint of bourbon, creating a deeply flavorful glaze perfect for the holiday season. Ideal for brushing over grilled meats or serving as a festive dipping sauce, it brings a unique twist to classic barbecue flavors.
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Focaccia Bread Pizza
This Focaccia Bread Pizza is the perfect fusion of chewy, airy focaccia and classic pizza flavors. Topped with melty cheese, your favorite sauce, and endless topping options, it’s an easy homemade pizza recipe that’s great for entertaining.
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Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes
This is the perfect, healthy crab cake recipe that you can make at home in your air fryer!
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