10 Last-Minute Appetizers for Christmas Eve

By Lisa Cericola

Put your Christmas crowd in a festive mood before they sit down to dinner or open a single present. All it takes is one of these delicious holiday appetizers. And you don’t have to spend hours making any of them. We gathered our favorite easy Christmas appetizers that don’t require many ingredients or time in the kitchen. Many of these recipes are designed to be prepped a day or two advance so you can assemble them quickly, right before guests arrive. Choose from spiced nuts, cheese balls, easy dips and spreads, chicken liver mousse, shrimp cocktail, palmiers, and more. If you’re hosting a large crowd, most of these recipes can easily be doubled or even tripled. No matter what appetizer recipe you choose, all of these Christmas Eve appetizers look impressive but can be whipped up at the last minute with little to no effort at all. Consider this our Christmas gift to you!

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Chicken Liver Mousse Crostini with Pepper Jelly

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Chicken Liver Mousse Crostini with Pepper Jelly

Your holiday guests won’t be able to stop eating this smooth, velvety mousse topped with spicy-sweet pepper jelly. And you’ll love it too because it’s so easy to make in advance.

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Sparkling Cranberries

Photo: Melina Hammer; Styling: Buffy Hargett 

Recipe: Sparkling Cranberries

These pretty sugared berries make a nice addition to a cheese plate.

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Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball

Everyone loves a cheese ball, and this one, covered in bright green parsley and scallions, looks especially festive for the holidays.

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Spicy-Sweet Pecans

Helen Norman

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Pecans

Spiced pecans are a Southern party staple for a reason: they are easy to make, you can make them in advance, and they are impossible to stop eating. We love this version with rosemary, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground red pepper.

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Cherry-Pecan Brie

Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Recipe: Cherry-Pecan Brie

Serve this pretty cherry-topped warm Brie with plenty of baguette slices and crackers. You won’t find a holiday appetizer more impressive that only requires five ingredients.

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Pimiento Cheese Gougères

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Pimiento Cheese Gougères

A basket of warm cheese puffs is an excellent way to start any holiday gathering and these can be made ahead and frozen for a last-minute appetizer that’s still freshly baked.

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Cranberry-Goat Cheese Canapés

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Cranberry-Goat Cheese Canapés

These colorful little toasts take minutes to assemble if you make the cranberry compote ahead of time.

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Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Recipe: Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa

Cranberries aren’t just for relish. Try them in this festive and fiery salsa with jalapenos and fresh ginger.

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Pepper Jelly Palmiers

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Pepper Jelly Palmiers

If you’ve got a box of puff pastry in the freezer and a jar of pepper jelly in the pantry, you can whip up this tasty appetizer.

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Contemporary Shrimp Cocktail

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Contemporary Shrimp Cocktail

Upgrade your usual shrimp cocktail with three fun dipping sauces: Avocado Cream, Tequila-Lime Cocktail Sauce, or Ginger Rémoulade.

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