Since it’s probably the busiest time of the year, I want to help you out with finding healthy Christmas appetizers. It is crazy how many Christmas appetizer recipes there are out there. But, when I looked at the ingredients, I was amazed at how much sugar and processed ingredients are in most of them!
So, for those of you who are going to parties where you know the sweets and less-healthy foods will be present, here are 9 healthy Christmas appetizers you can make and take with you. I found many more than 9 recipes, but I tried to narrow the list down to the healthiest, quickest, and most people-approved ones.
I tried to list the recipes by the time and effort it takes to make them. The first few recipes are ones you can make last minute, while the last recipe needs several hours to cool.
Happy appetizer hunting!
Healthy Christmas Appetizers
Santa Veggie Tray
This super simple and quick (depending on how quickly you can cut vegetables) dish is creative and Christmas-inspired! It may even encourage non-veggie eaters to try a bite of Santa’s beard. To the parents out there, you can also try this with your kids if they are normally resistant to eating vegetables.
Total Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes (+ however long it takes you to cut up vegetables)
Totally the Bomb’s Santa Veggie Tray
Peanut Butter Celery Reindeer Sticks
Another super simple and quick appetizer, these celery reindeer sticks will definitely bring in the Christmas spirit. This appetizer uses all fresh ingredients, except there are powdered sugar and corn syrup in the googly eyes. Here is a separate simple recipe for 3-ingredient googly eyes if you don’t want to use corn syrup.
By the way, you don’t have to use non-dairy, gluten-free, or soy-free ingredients if you don’t need to. I include allergy-free recipes just in case you need them!
Total Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes
Fork and Beans’ Peanut Butter Celery Reindeer Sticks
Cranberry and Feta Pinwheels
I don’t know a Christmas party that I have gone to over the past few years that hasn’t had pinwheels. The combination of cream cheese, cranberries, and feta cheese in these pinwheels is very tasty! Plus, it’s a simple and quick dish you can make for any party.
By the way, if you need this dish to be low sugar or sugar-free, you can use unsweetened dried cranberries instead of sweetened.
Total Prep Time: 10 minutes
The Girl Who Ate Everything’s Cranberry and Feta Pinwheels
Cranberry Salsa Flatbread
I’ve never tried cranberries and jalapenos, but this dish makes me want to be a little daring! Cranberries are in season this time of year, so you can easily find inexpensive ones for this dish. If you try this dish, you’ve got to let me know how it tastes!
Total Prep and Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Tried and Tasty’s Cranberry Salsa Flatbread
Pita Trees
Another healthy Christmas appetizer, this one will surely win over most crowds. You might even get extra points for how creative this dish is! If you need gluten-free pita bread, you can use this recipe here to make your own.
Total Prep Time: 25 minutes
Christmas Deviled Eggs
This recipe takes deviled eggs up a level by making them more Christmas-friendly. If you don’t want to use avocado, you can use green food coloring instead. (But I highly recommend using avocado.)
Total Prep and Cook Time: 27 minutes
Just a Taste’s Christmas Deviled Eggs
Christmas Pinwheels
Another pinwheel recipe, this one requires a little baking. If you haven’t had pesto with sundried tomatoes before, you are missing out! I promise this combo won’t disappoint.
By the way, if you need gluten-free crescent rolls, here is an easy recipe to make your own.
Total Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes
V Nutrition and Wellness’s Christmas Pinwheels
Appetizer Wreath
Though this one is a little more involved, an appetizer wreath is a creative way to add more vegetables to the appetizer table. You can change up what vegetables are used in the toppings, too. If you need it to be gluten-free, you can replace the crescents with gluten-free rolls or separate the toppings from the bread.
Total Prep and Cook Time: 35 minutes + time to cool
Taste of Home’s Appetizer Wreath
Snowman Cheese Ball
I absolutely love cheese balls, and this one is so cute! One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make it ahead. Plus, you can have gluten-full AND gluten-free crackers to satisfy everyone (except the dairy-free folks, sorry!).
Total Prep Time: 10 minutes + 4 hours to chill in the fridge
Betty Crocker’s Make-Ahead Snowman Cheese Ball
Those are some of the healthiest Christmas-inspired appetizers I could find on Pinterest. Is there a healthy appetizer you go to for your Christmas parties? Let me know in the comments below!