Holiday Appetizers Under 100 Calories

Smoked Salmon and Cheese Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes

The entire recipe can be prepared ahead and then baked just before serving. These two-bite, stuffed potatoes are a great way to satisfy your craving for cheesy, high-fat potato skins without blowing your healthy eating plan.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon and Cheese Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes

Pimiento Cheese Canapés

Reducing the fat in pimiento cheese is as easy as substituting fat-free cream cheese, reduced-fat Cheddar and low-fat mayonnaise for the full-fat products. And you can kick up the flavor with Worcestershire sauce, red pepper and smoked paprika.

Recipe: Pimiento Cheese Canapés

Poached Shrimp with Bay Leaves and Lemon

Shrimp is always a popular appetizer item, and it also happens to be a great low-fat offering, particularly when it's poached. You can make this recipe a day ahead and keep chilled in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.

Recipe: Poached Shrimp with Bay Leaves and Lemon

Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade with Crostini

For 77 calories and less than 2 grams of fat, you have three of these tomato-topped little toasts. It's a great tomato appetizer for the times when fresh tomatoes are not in season because it uses for sun-dried tomatoes which you flavor with olives, dried basil, and lemon juice.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade with Crostini

Mini Smoked Salmon Pizzas

Elegant and easy, these little bite-size pizzas are made with gyoza skins, the Japanese version of wonton wrappers. The cream cheese that's spread on the baked gyoza rounds is flavored with capers, dill, onion and grated lemon rind.

Recipe: Mini Smoked Salmon Pizzas

Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

Serve these bite-size tarts as sweet treat on an appetizer buffet or as a mini-dessert offering. Sweet potato and toasted pecans make them perfect holiday fare, and using mini phyllo shells instead of regular pastry keeps the fat content low.

Recipe: Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelizing the onions by cooking them slowly brings out their naturally sweet flavor.

Watch a how-to video on Caramelizing Onions.

Recipe: Caramelized Onion Dip

Shrimp-Filled Piquillo Peppers

Try this easy make-ahead appetizer for your next gathering. The shrimp mixture and vinaigrette can each be prepared ahead and then assembled before serving. Best of all, each stuffed pepper has only 43 calories.

Recipe: Shrimp-Filled Piquillo Peppers

Creamy Artichoke Dip

Warm artichoke dip is always a party favorite but full-fat cream cheese and mayonnaise drive up the calories. This lightened version has less than 75 calories per serving and when served with crunchy veggies like bell peppers and carrots, is a guilt-free appetizer.

Recipe: Creamy Artichoke Dip

Beef Tenderloin Bruschetta

Your guests are sure to love the flavor combination of melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin with sweet and tangy mango salsa. Beef tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts of beef you can buy, and mangoes are a good source of vitamins A and C.

Recipe: Beef Tenderloin Bruschetta

Tex-Mex Pinto Bean Spread

Protein and fiber-packed pinto beans keep you feeling full longer so snack on this spread to keep from overeating at the buffet. One tablespoon of dip has only 15 calories.

Recipe: Tex-Mex Pinto Bean Spread

Cheese Fondue with Apples

Dust off the fondue set because you'll need it at your next party to serve this must-have cheese dip. Crisp Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples pair well with the dip and add healthy, high-fiber benefits.

Recipe: Cheese Fondue with Apples

Red Pepper-Cheese Dip

Roasting the bell pepper, onion, and garlic gives this simple dip a deeper, more complex flavor. Plus, the roasting can be done up to a day ahead. The plain, fat-free yogurt helps to stretch the cream cheese resulting in only 20 calories per 2 tablespoons.

Recipe: Red Pepper-Cheese Dip

More Lightened Appetizers

Don't worry about not fitting into your party dress when you use our healthy party recipes and tips.

Healthy Diet