19 Festive Holiday Appetizers

Made with cocktail sausages and puff pastry, these fancy pigs in a blanket are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Big, plump, perfectly-cooked shrimp with a lemony, horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce

Made with goat cheese, scallions, chopped dates, and roasted pecans, this cheese ball makes a delicious addition to any charcuterie board or appetizer spread.

A Maryland staple, these crab cakes are made from fresh lump crab meat and just enough filler to bind the crabmeat together.

These candied pecans are perfect to serve with cocktails or toss over salads, and the best part is that they take just 15 minutes to make!

Made with store-bought puff pastry, this baked brie is an easy yet impressive appetizer for a party. You’ll love my foolproof technique for wrapping the cheese.

Beef and pork meatballs in a light cream sauce are delicious on their own as an appetizer or served over noodles for dinner.

Crisp and flaky cheese straws specked with fresh herbs make a delicious and fun hors d’oeuvre.

A little sweet and a little salty, Nigella Lawson’s party popcorn is downright habit-forming.

This blend of cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic and fresh herbs makes an irresistible spread.

A classic deviled eggs recipe with a creamy, fluffy filling that you can dress up any way you like.

This elegant smoked salmon dip is delicious on crackers – or serve it on a brunch buffet with bagels.

Gougères are savory cheese puffs made from pâte à choux with a generous amount of cheese folded in. Slightly warm, with a crisp shell and a cheesy interior, they’re the perfect little bite to serve with sparkling wine or cocktails.

This candied bacon has all the makings of an irresistible snack: it’s crispy, chewy, smoky, salty, sweet, and spicy.

Think of this Asian-style hot crab dip with crispy wonton chips as a deconstructed crab rangoon.

Similar to htipiti, the salty and tangy Mediterranean mezze spread, this feta dip is fabulous with toasted pita or veggies.

Throw away that recipe that calls for frozen meatballs and grape jelly – these homemade cocktail meatballs are so much better.

Sweet, salty, and spicy, these rosemary nuts are perfect with cocktails or for snacking. Don’t say I didn’t warn you: they’re hard to stop eating!

These restaurant-style coconut shrimp are remarkably easy to make: you can do all of the prep ahead and the sauce comes straight out of a bottle.