15 Easy Holiday Appetizers for Minimal-Effort Entertaining

By Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine | Updated on December 14, 2023

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15 easy and delicious appetizers, perfect for holiday entertaining! Make them ahead of time and be ready for rave reviews.

The holiday season is in full swing! There are so many parties and events and people to see and celebrate with. Make things easy on yourself with these easy and delicious appetizers. They can be made ahead of time for low-stress entertaining.

Whether you need a little nibble before a meal or something more substantial, we've got you covered. There's everything from spiced nuts to crackers, dips and more. Enjoy!

Katherine's Fabulous, Ridiculously Easy Hot Onion Dip

This Ridiculously Easy Hot Onion Dip is the one you want to make when you have minimal time but you want fabulously delicious results that will bring rave reviews!

Herb marinated goat cheese in a small white dish.

Herb Marinated Goat Cheese

This easy appetizer is beautiful and outrageously delicious. Serve it with warm crusty bread and be sure to make plenty! It will get gobbled up before you can say "Herb Marinated Goat Cheese"!

Cranberry Sriracha Pepper Jelly

This Cranberry Sriracha Pepper Jelly is crazy good! We love it spooned over cream cheese or goat cheese and served with crackers but it's also great as a sandwich spread and makes a wonderful glaze for chicken, pork, salmon, etc.

Green Goddess Hummus in a small blue and white bowl

Green Goddess Hummus

A bright fresh, healthy spread that's fabulous with crackers, chips, veggies, as a sandwich spread, on pita and so much more! This Green Goddess Hummus is about to become your next obsession!

Copycat Old Edwards Inn Buttermilk Crackers

Buttery, shatteringly crisp and addictively delicious, these buttermilk crackers are great for dips and spreads and are fabulous on charcuterie boards. They're also delightful served with soups and salads.

The BEST Homemade Crostini

Crostini make a great base for so many types of appetizers. Learn how to make the BEST Homemade Crostini for a fraction of what you'd pay at the grocery store or gourmet shop!

Close up vertical picture of Winter Market Bruschetta in a white bowl

Winter Market Bruschetta

A fabulous, fresh appetizer, perfect anytime of year, but especially wonderful in the off-season, when warm, sunny skies and fresh produce seem like a distant memory.

Vertical picture of sweet and spicy almonds in a blue and white bowl

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Almonds

A delicious snack, cocktail nibble or salad topper, all in one easy recipe! But beware: these Sweet and Spicy Roasted Almonds are difficult to stop eating!

Overhead picture of a cheese board with crackers, fruit, jams, cheese and nuts on a wooden table

How to Create a Great Cheeseboard

Whether you invite friends for appetizers, want to create an easy pre-dinner nibble or decide to make a meal out of one of these fabulous arrays of deliciousness, here are some tips on how to create a great cheeseboard.

Vertical picture of seeded crackers and avocado dip

Easy Pine Nut Seeded Crackers

Looking for a delicious, healthy snack or appetizer? With 10 minutes of hands-on time, these super healthy, gluten-free Pine Nut Seeded Crackers are perfect for dips, snacking and alongside soups and salads!

A wood appetizer tray featuring Sweet and Spicy Fig Spread.

Sweet and Spicy Fig Spread

This super easy (no canning skills needed) Sweet and Spicy Fig Spread makes a delicious appetizer with crackers and cheese, but it's also a fabulous pizza base, sandwich spread, glaze for chicken, pork or beef... Another idea is to spoon it over goat cheese or cream cheese, so delicious!

Buttered Pecan Goat Cheese Log

An easy, impressive and crazy-delicious appetizer with butter-toasted pecans, fresh herbs and dried fruit, this Buttered Pecan Goat Cheese Log will wow everyone!

Parmesan Crisps with Thyme and Sea Salt - one of the most elegant (and easy!) Italian-inspired appetizers you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. A delicious little bite to go with cocktails, on salads or as a soup topping.

Parmesan Crisps with Thyme and Sea Salt

One of the most elegant (and easy!) appetizers you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. These delicious Italian-inspired crisps pair wonderfully with cocktails, and are fabulous on salads or as soup toppers.

Vertical picture of Maple Mustard Candied Bacon in a white bowl

Maple Mustard Candied Bacon

You're going to flip with the first taste of this Maple Mustard Candied Bacon! It's smoky, sweet, salty, savory, crispy and ridiculously delicious! It's fabulous as a topping on salads, soups, burgers, pizzas, etc. and makes an amazing addition to a cheeseboard!

Vertical picture of roasted red pepper cheeseball on a wooden cutting board

Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Ball

An easy, super delicious appetizer that will bring wows! This make-ahead Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Ball is party-perfect!

Thought for the day:

And there were shepherds
living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. 
 An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified. 
 But the angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid. 
I bring you good news
that will cause great joy for all the people.
 Today in the town of David,
a Savior has been born to you;
He is the Messiah, the Lord. 
Luke 2:8-11

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Noel

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4 Comments

  1. I noticed that too, but my first thought was to just substitute the goat cheese for cream cheese. Change it up and make it more your own flavor

  2. I noticed a lot of goat cheese recipes. Some of us wouldn't eat goat cheese with somebody else's mouth so it would be nice to see some of the same recipes using other cheese! Other than the cheese, these all look absolutely delish.