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Whether you’re going to a cocktail party with friends, a potluck with co-workers, or hosting your very own Christmas Open House, discover 90+ easy, delicious holiday appetizers that everyone will love! Plus, all my best dipping sauces to round out your spread.
Sometimes a great party doesn’t need more than a spread of hearty appetizers to make a meal. Whether you’re bringing a dish to pass or hosting the whole shebang, you’ll find plenty of recipes to delight your friends and family.
Serve chilled appetizers judiciously so they stay fresh, while hot appetizers can go into slow cookers for warming. Round out your menu with a room-temperature grazing board: they are easy to assemble, pretty to look at, and a snap to replenish.
Table of Contents
Hot and Hearty Appetizers
With appetizers like these, who needs a main entree? If you truly intend to supplant the main dish (and you should!), offer a couple of different warm choices such as beef, chicken, and vegetarian. Meatballs, cocktail wieners, and ham and cheese sliders are all delicious choices.
Appetizer Recipes
2-Ingredient Barbecue Little Smokies
Appetizer Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Turkey Meatballs
Appetizer Recipes
Baked Buffalo Wings
Appetizer Recipes
Fried Cheese Curds
Appetizer Recipes
Pigs in a Blanket
Appetizer Recipes
Cream Cheese Wontons
Italian Recipes
Pesto Cheese Bread
Appetizer Recipes
The Best Jalapeño Poppers
Appetizer Recipes
Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
Mardi Gras Recipes
Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade
Side Dish Recipes
Hush Puppies
Appetizer Recipes
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Appetizer Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Appetizer Recipes
Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
Appetizer Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Appetizer Recipes
Mushroom and Leek Tart
Appetizer Recipes
2-Ingredient Italian Sausage Rolls
Appetizer Recipes
Pepperoni Pizza Bites
Appetizer Recipes
3-Ingredient Pizza Sticks
Appetizer Recipes
Crab Rangoon
Appetizer Recipes
Taco Pizza
Appetizer Recipes
Chinese Chicken Wings
Appetizer Recipes
Pot Stickers
Appetizer Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Oysters Rockefeller
Side Dish Recipes
Fried Okra
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Crab Cakes with Remoulade
Classic Chilled Appetizers
These appetizers are easily made in advance, quick to disappear, and might take you right back to your childhood.
Appetizer Recipes
Mini Cheese Balls
Appetizer Recipes
Cucumber Sandwiches
Appetizer Recipes
Bruschetta
Appetizer Recipes
Ham Roll Ups
Appetizer Recipes
Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Nuoc Cham
Appetizer Recipes
Vegetable Tortilla Roll Ups
Appetizer Recipes
Mexican Tortilla Roll Ups
Appetizer Recipes
Taco Tortilla Roll Ups
Appetizer Recipes
Shrimp Ceviche
Appetizer Recipes
Tilapia Ceviche
Appetizer Recipes
Salmon Ceviche
Grilling and Smoker Recipes
Smoked Salmon
Dips and Spreads
Whether you use them as an easy “filler” on the table or another main event, dips and spreads are an easy way to extend a menu or continue a theme. Many can be (and should be) stirred up in advance, too. All that’s left is to choose your favorite dippers like fresh or blanched vegetables, toasted bread, or tortilla chips.
Appetizer Recipes
Beer Cheese Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Easy Taco Dip
Appetizer Recipes
French Onion Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Veggie Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Easy Dill Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Cheesy Bacon Dip
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Guacamole (Copycat)
Appetizer Recipes
Black Bean Salsa
St. Patrick’s Day
Hot Reuben Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Hot Corn Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Cauliflower Buffalo Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Tomato Salsa (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Hot Salsa (Copycat)
Appetizer Recipes
Olive Tapenade
Appetizer Recipes
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Tzatziki Sauce
Appetizer Recipes
Hummus with Za’atar Butter
Boards and Platters
Pile up all your favorite meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, dips, nuts, and snacks! Pick a theme and a board (Italian antipasto, Midwest charcuterie) or stuff tiny jars for Jarcuterie, the ultimate single-serving appetizer.
Snacky Snacks
Sweet or savory, set out bowls of crunchy, crave-worthy snack mixes for guests to graze between the buffet. Or, for your most intimate gatherings, make a batch of homemade soft pretzels with cheese sauce warming in a crockpot nearby.
Appetizer Recipes
Caramel Corn
Candy Recipes
Candied Pecans
Appetizer Recipes
Ranch Oyster Crackers
Appetizer Recipes
Homemade Potato Chips
Appetizer Recipes
Homemade Pita Chips
Appetizer Recipes
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Appetizer Recipes
Toasted Baguette
Appetizer Recipes
Curly Fries
Dipping Sauces
Not to be confused with dips and spreads (main attractions in their own right), dipping sauces play a supporting roll with many hot and cold appetizers. You can usually buy them at the store, but homemade always tastes better!
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Homemade Cheese Sauce
Salad Dressing Recipes
Blue Cheese Dressing
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Nuoc Cham
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
How to Make Mustard
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Avocado Sauce
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Yogurt Sauce
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Bread Dipping Oil
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Tartar Sauce
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Cilantro Mint Sauce
Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes
Orange Marmalade
Mexican Recipes
Salsa de Birria
Meggan Hill is the Executive Chef and CEO of Culinary Hill, a popular digital publication in the food space. She loves to combine her Midwestern food memories with her culinary school education to create her own delicious take on modern family fare. Millions of readers visit Culinary Hill each month for meticulously-tested recipes as well as skills and tricks for ingredient prep, cooking ahead, menu planning, and entertaining. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the iCUE Culinary Arts program at College of the Canyons.
Thank you for all the great recipes. I will bev trying many of these. I will leave a comment.
Thank you Linda, I hope you enjoy! – Meggan
What a super collection! Thanks. ♥️