50 Festive New Year's Eve Appetizers

December 19, 2019
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Anna Theoktisto
Planning a New Year's Eve party? We've got your appetizer table covered: Whether you're looking for fun (like this Cheesy Stuffed Pizza Crust Ring or this Everything Bagel Cheese Ball), or fancy (even your pickiest guest will be impressed by our Holiday Brie en Croute), or just plain easy (Bacon Bow Tie Crackers, anyone?), your sure to find a new festive favorite among our best New Year's Eve appetizers.
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Pimento Cheese Puffs

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Sarah Epperson
Pimento Cheese Puffs Recipe

Classic French gougères with a Southern remix. These airy pimiento cheese puffs make an impressive addition to virtually any party spread. While the choux pastry dough may seem intimidating to make, trust us—success is just a matter of not walking away from the pan. As long as you can stay put and keep stirring (so that your dough doesn’t burn), you can make gougères. 

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Savory Carrot Ribbon Tart

Photo: Iain Bagwell
Savory Carrot Ribbon Tart Recipe

With its tangle of bright carrot strips and bits of spicy chorizo, this beautiful tart makes an exciting appetizer or even a light main dish. An all-butter puff pastry, such as Dufour, gives especially flavorful and flaky results, but it's delicious made with any kind of puff pastry.

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Holiday Brie en Croute

Holiday Brie en Croute Recipe
This pastry-wrapped soft cheese, topped with cranberries, apricots and almonds, is great for the holidays (especially New Year's Eve). But it's so good, you'll want to serve it year-round. Trust us, it's way easier than it looks.
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Caramelized Onion-Apple Bites

Leo Gong
Caramelized Onion-Apple Bites Recipe
These savory hors d'oeuvres can be assembled in advance—ideal for relaxed entertaining. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours. Notes: The onion-apple topping can be made up to 2 days ahead. The triangles can be prepared, covered, and chilled the morning of a party, then popped into the oven when guests arrive. They can also be frozen, wrapped well, for up to 3 months (do not defrost before baking).

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Loaded Totchos

Styling: Rishon Hanners and Audrey Davis, Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Loaded Totchos Recipe
This sensational spud riff on nachos is an hommage to party food lovers everywhere. Loaded with toppings and drizzled with a hot cheese dip, these totchos are ready to rock and roll right onto your plate. This fun appetizer will impress even the pickiest party gues.

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Cheddar Cheese Straws

Photo: Lee Harrelson
Cheddar Cheese Straws Recipe
Looking for a new and delicious appetizer for this holiday season? You have to give spicy cheddar cheese straws a try. With ingredients like fresh cheddar cheese and crushed red pepper, this recipe is bursting with delectable flavor. They’re super easy to make, and oh-so tasty.
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Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

This easy buffalo chicken dip is addictively delicious, and you’ll never bring it to a party without getting rave reviews. Our buffalo chicken dip recipe delivers bold, three-cheese flavors and a kick of spice from the hot sauce. The creamy, tangy dip is the perfect crowd-friendly comfort food to make as temperatures drop. Serve this 5-ingredient dip with crackers and celery, and keep this appetizer in your collection of easy tailgating or dinner party favorites.

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Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes with Queso

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck
Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes with Queso Recipe
This hearty appetizer is one of our easiest party finger food appetizers. Your NYE guests will be more than satisfied. Plus, it's totally low maintenance--you can keep the queso blanco warm in a fondue pot or 1-qt. slow cooker.

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Bacon-Onion Dip

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mary Beth Wetzel/Zenobia
Bacon-Onion Dip Recipe
Trust us--your holiday party spread (and your guests) will thank you for this delicious and savory Bacon-Onion Dip. The best part? The easy appetizer boasts minimal prep time and pairs perfectly with assorted fresh vegetables.
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Warm Gumbo Dip

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Warm Gumbo Dip Recipe
Just like all good Louisiana gumbos, this warm, creamy dip is thick and full of flavor. Make the dip with chopped shrimp, a variety of bell peppers, cream cheese, garlic, and Creole seasoning. It's perfect served up as a colorful holiday appetizer.

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Baked Brie with Pecans

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
Baked Brie with Pecans Recipe
Just like all good Louisiana gumbos, this warm, creamy dip is thick and full of flavor. Make the dip with chopped shrimp, a variety of bell peppers, cream cheese, garlic, and Creole seasoning. It's perfect for tailgating on game day, or serve it up as a colorful holiday appetizer. Provide lots of French bread slices for dipping, and garnish with some flat-leaf parsley.

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Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Dates with Brie

Antonis Achilleos, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Missie Crawford
Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Dates with Brie Recipe

These yummy little bites are not your normal appetizer. Make sure to use large dates, which are much easier to handle and fill than small ones, and center cut bacon—thick cut bacon will take too long to cook. If a date splits while you’re filling it, just press it back together. These are best warm, right off the grill, but are still good at room temperature. 

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Brie-and-Fig Puffed Pastry Bites

TIFS
Brie-and-Fig Puffed Pastry Bites Recipe

You don’t need a culinary degree and ample free time to create impressive appetizers for your next party. In fact, all you need is three simple ingredients and about ten minutes of hands-on work to whip up these easy and delectably cheesy bites. They’re yet another reason that puff pastry is the true MVP when it comes to entertaining. 

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Crab Rangoon Cheese Ball

Photography: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey
Crab Rangoon Cheese Ball Recipe
This tasty and unexpected recipe will lend a coastal flair to your New Year's Eve party, whether you're seaside or not. It looks more impressive than it is--the whole thing comes together in under an hour. You're going to want to save this one.

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French Onion Cheese Ball

Photo: Hannah Burkhalter
French Onion Cheese Ball Recipe

Rather than serving French Onion soup topped with bread to a crowd, serve a more easily-shared, portable version with all of the same flavor. A  French Onion Cheese Ball with toasted baguette slices makes the perfect game-watching appetizer and it much less likely to spill during the celebration of a big play. 

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Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball

Photo: Hannah Burkhalter
Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe

The buffalo flavor that we all know and love is typically made by combining vinegar, butter, and a cayenne pepper-based hot sauce. Skip the intense prep that buffalo wings require-- get all of the flavor you crave with a buffalo cheese ball. Prepared Buffalo wing sauce makes it easy to make and the blue cheese gives each bite an addictive richness. Serve while watching the next big game with your friends. 

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Everything Bagel Cheese Ball

Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Recipe

The mega-flavor of an everything bagel can be rolled into a savory, satisfying cheese ball that your guests are sure to love. Prep the cheese ball in advance and roll it in everything spice blend just before your friends arrive for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. 

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Cheddar Cheese Shortbread Crackers

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Cheddar Cheese Shortbread Crackers Recipe

These crisp, buttery crackers make an impressive hostess gift alongside a bottle of wine. We’ve included a classic Cheddar option, as well as three creative flavor variations if you want to mix things up: Pimiento Cheese,; Pecan-and-Thyme; and Bacon, Borubon, and Benne Seed.

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Pimiento Cheese Crackers

Stacey Ballis
Pimiento Cheese Crackers Recipe
With this delicious recipe, the cheese and crackers are one in the same. Genius, right? Why haven't we thought of this sooner? When our expert thought of the idea she said it was like a lightbulb--she calls the discovery "pure magic."

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Bacon Bow Tie Crackers

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman
Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Recipe
This bite-size appetizer comes together with just two ingredients: bacon and crackers. Chances are you have these at home already. This recipe is so easy to make, you can get the kids to help. A tip from the test kitchen: A gentle stretch of the cut bacon pieces makes for an easier wrap around the cracker.

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Harissa-Spiked Hummus

Greg DuPree
Harissa-Spiked Hummus Recipe

Round out your holiday hors d'oeuvre plate with a variety of veggies and a couple dips—including this delicious smoky dip, and some tangy romesco. The harissa can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance, and will elevate any store-bought hummus. 

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Everything Bagel Hummus

Photos by Kirsten Nunez
Everything Bagel Hummus Recipe
Why should bagels have all the fun, anyway? Chips, crackers, and vegetable sticks can all get in on the party. This hummus recipe can also be spread on toast or pita bread. Extra points for eating it on sweet potato toast. Basically, you can turn everything into an everything bagel. It doesn’t get any more meta than that.

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Creamy Tahini Hummus

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Food Styling: Paige Grandjean; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson
Creamy Tahini Hummus Recipe
The key to achieving this rich hummus’s creamy texture is an unexpected pantry staple: baking soda. Simmering dried chickpeas in a baking soda solution helps the legumes break down faster and more efficiently, resulting in an impossibly smooth spread.

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Lobster Roll Bruschetta

Lobster Roll Bruschetta Recipe
How smart is this unexpected holiday party appetizer: Here's a tip from our test kitchen: Though we love the sweet flavor of lobster in this appetizer, you can easily substitute 1/2 pound of shrimp with delicious results.
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Crispy Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Crispy Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon Recipe
This holiday appetizer is just as easy as it is impressive. Here's a helpful shortcut: Frozen shredded potatoes are a fast cook's friend because they need no draining or thawing. You don't have to make them from scratch--we won't tell.

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Goat Cheese and Gouda Pimiento Cheese

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Goat Cheese and Gouda Pimiento Cheese Recipe
We’ve turned a classic on its head. If you want to turn your Basic Pimiento Cheese up a notch, try switching up the cheese you use. We’ve combined sharp white Cheddar, Gouda, and goat cheeses to make an extra creamy and rich pimiento cheese that is sure to impress your guests at the next holiday party.

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Cranberry-Goat Cheese Pinwheels

TIFS
Cranberry-Goat Cheese Pinwheels Recipe

Entertaining is stressful enough (especially during the holidays)—keep the party starters simple. Tangy goat cheese dresses up canned crescent dough and canned cranberry sauce like you wouldn’t believe in these easy, 3-ingredient appetizers. 

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Herbed Goat Cheese and Ricotta Mini Pies

Time Inc. Video Studio
Herbed Goat Cheese and Ricotta Mini Pies Recipe

Why settle for a piece when you can have the whole pie? Filled with fresh herbs and cheesy goodness, these savory mini pies are the perfect dish for any brunch gathering. Using store-bought pie dough keeps this recipe super simple to make, but feel free to use your favorite homemade pie dough if you prefer. 

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Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Celery

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin  
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Celery Recipe
We can’t decide what we love more about these Buffalo celery bites—the fact that they require zero cooking, come together in about 15 minutes, and are roughly the easiest appetizer ever OR the sheer magnitude of how delicious they are.

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Cheesy Stuffed Pizza Crust Ring

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Robin Bashinsky
Cheesy Stuffed Pizza Crust Ring Recipe
You know how as soon as you grow into a fully formed adult human, you realize that the best part of a delivery pizza is the part you’ve been foolishly tossing aside (for your parents to eventually graze on)? Well we decided to make up for lost years by making this cheesy stuffed crust ring, no pizza necessary.
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Greek Stuffed Peppers

Time Inc. Video Studio
Greek Stuffed Peppers Recipe
You know how as soon as you grow into a fully formed adult human, you realize that the best part of a delivery pizza is the part you’ve been foolishly tossing aside (for your parents to eventually graze on)? Well we decided to make up for lost years by making this cheesy stuffed crust ring, no pizza necessary.

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French Onion Stuffed Peppers

Time Inc. Video Studio
French Onion Stuffed Peppers Recipe

This decadent twist on the classic stuffed bell pepper is sure to be fast favorite. Inspired by a bowl of intensely savory and satisfying French onion soup, these stuffed peppers feature a rich gravy that coats the beef and rice filling, as well as gooey gruyere cheese, and toasty sourdough bread.

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  Fontina-And-Kale Mini Meatballs