25 Christmas Party Food Ideas That You’ll Want to Have Early
Updated on March 13, 2023
Christmas is one of those holidays where no one will judge you if you put on a few extra pounds, since pretty much everyone is eating Christmas party foods like there’s no tomorrow.
However, if you’re the one organizing this year’s Christmas party, then you’re probably wondering what kind of foods you can make that your guests will really like and that that’s also the reason you’re reading this article this very moment.
Fortunately enough, we’re here to help, and not with 5 or 10, but 25 different Christmas party food recipes that you can try that will make your guests forget that they promised themselves that they’ll lose weight by the end of the year.
Here’s what you’re going to see in our list today:
Christmas Party Food: Cooking or Catering?
Before we start out our list, we need to discuss whether it’s actually feasible to go ahead and try making the food yourself, or if it would be easier (and more affordable) to just hire a caterer.
First of all, we think that if you’re throwing a relatively small and casual party (say, up to around 15 guests), then it should be no problem for you to make the food yourself.
Just prepare some appetizers ahead of time, maybe do a couple of hours of cooking on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and boom; instant Christmas party foods.
However, for larger events (like company parties or large family gatherings), where there’ll probably be more than 30 people showing up to eat your food, we’d advise against trying to make everything by yourself.
So, unless you’ve got an army at your disposal to help you out in the kitchen, you simply won’t have enough time to cook everything from scratch by the time guests start arriving.
Instead, what you could try is doing most of the cooking yourself, while ordering a few dishes from a catering service to fill up the menu so you won’t have to do all the cooking yourself and can actually enjoy your own party for once.
As a general rule of thumb though, we’d say that if you’re planning on throwing a party with about 30 guests or more, then getting some help from a caterer would be in your best interest.
Christmas Party Food Ideas
When we did the research to create this list, we didn’t just look for foods that looked good or ones that were decorated in a way that made them look like obvious Christmas party foods.
Instead, we tried looking for recipes that were also affordable, easy to make, and also pretty creative, because there’s no better compliment for a cook than to have his food praised before the guests even take a bite out of it.
That being said, rest assured that all of the 25 recipes listed below will be easy to make, even if you aren’t all that skilled around the kitchen.
With this out of the way, let’s get on with our Christmas recipes!
Christmas Party Food – Party Food You’ll Want Now
Let’s see what type of party food ideas we have – things you’ll love to serve your guests, unless you eat them yourself before the party even starts.
1. Christmas in Italy – Caprese Christmas Tree
For some people, a Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made using sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, sweet basil, a bit of salt, and olive oil, so basically the last food you’d ever think of making for a Christmas party.
However, party foods are supposed to be light, since you want people to be able to walk around, mingle, or maybe even dance, and you can’t do that with a belly full of pork ribs.
Fortunately enough, the people at Sparkles to Sprinkles managed to take the all-classic Caprese salad and give it a winter holiday twist, and all they did was arrange it in such a way that they obtained a Caprese Christmas tree.
As far as the recipe goes, it’s pretty much the same as with a regular Caprese salad, as you’ll be using the exact ingredients we mentioned earlier, but the difference is that you won’t just be tossing everything in a salad bowl and mix them with a wooden spoon.
Instead, you’ll have to lay down rows of tomato slices and mozzarella slices, tuck the fresh basil leaves in between the rows, drizzle everything with the balsamic glaze or olive oil, and finally sprinkle cherry tomatoes here and there.
If you want to get extra creative, you can go ahead and buy several varieties of cherry tomatoes, like the yellow or the black ones, and use those as well so that they mimic the many different colors of Christmas tree globes.
2. Christmas Party Food Ideas Buffet – Tripple Herb Stuffing
If the food that you’re serving is more of a buffet-style, then you can go ahead and cook up some “normal” foods as well, since everyone will also be getting plates and utensils.
That being the case, if you’re looking for Christmas party food ideas for a buffet, you should try out this recipe for triple herb stuffing, since it tastes amazing, it’s very satiating, and it goes well together with several other Christmas dishes, especially if you have any kind of meat in the oven.
To make this stuffing, you’ll need a French baguette that you cut up into cubes (you can even use croutons), some olive or avocado oil, some diced onions, some chopped celery, a bit of salt, some minced garlic, eggs, stock or broth, and some melted butter.
Of course, this recipe isn’t called “triple herb” for nothing, since everything we’ve listed above will be sprinkled with an abundance of rosemary, thyme, and sage since these 3 are what will give the dish its iconic taste.
For the exact quantities of ingredients, as well as cooking steps, go ahead and check out this detailed guide that teaches you how to make the triple herb stuffing.
The best part about this dish is that it’s perfect for vegetarians, and even non-vegetarians will love the bounty of flavor that this stuffing has all thanks to the abundance of rosemary, thyme, and sage.
3. Toasted Ravioli Christmas Party Food
Garnish & Glazeknows that everyone loves ravioli. And everyone loves them even more when they’re crispy, breaded, and ready to dip into some warm marinara. These bites are a great way to truly get the dinner part off on the right foot.
4. Christmas Pull-Apart Bread with Marinara – Christmas Party Food Ideas Buffet
Eclectic Everydayhas thisChristmas tree pull-apart bread featured. Have a couple of these at the table and watch your festive fusion of food and style be gobbled up by your guests in no time. And don’t forget the marinara accompaniment.
5. Sage and Gouda Vegan Cheeseball – Christmas Party Food
Here’s a cheese ball with seasonal flair and extra delicious appeal. Covered in cranberries with a bit of sage and gouda at its center, check out Namely Marly for the recipe behind its creation. Don’t forget the water crackers!
6. Pomegranate Guacamole Christmas Party Food
Two Peas and Their Podtook guacamole and added a festive flair! A sprinkle of some pomegranates not only makes it look more seasonal but it tastes a bit more on holiday as well. Again, the savory and sweetness pairs so nicely.
7. Italian Potato Wedge Nachos Christmas Party Food Idea
These are really great for Christmas gatherings. In fact, you’ll have fun putting these together as a group just as much as you’ll have fun eating them! Get the recipe after the jump!
8. Boozy Cherry Log – Easy Party Food
Good Housekeepinghas a boozy cherry log that you may want to whip up for your pals as well. It’s really addictive though so make sure you have enough to go around. Both crackers and chips pair with it deliciously.
9. Spinach Dip Breadsticks – Christmas Tree Party Food
There’s something extra indulgent about this one. This time includes a favorite appetizer right inside each of the breadsticks. Spinach dip will ooze from every bite with this recipe from It’s Always Autumn.
10. Cranberry Meatballs – Christmas Party Food
Jo Cookshas another meatball recipe that we have personal experience with. And trust me, they’re delicious as well. Serve these up with a Christmas cheese ball on the side as you finish preparing the main course. This is also a great dish to bring to potlucks!
Finger Food for Christmas Party – Finger Foods for Party You’ll Love
The entries we found so far can a more formal type of party, but the next set is perfect for buffets and get-togethers that need finger food.
11. Party Food – Puff Pastries with Cheesecake and Cherries
If cookies are not so much your style, but you like the idea of bite-sized morsels that you can eat one or two of and then stop (hopefully), then you should try focusing on other types of pastry dishes, since these are the most popular.
For example, you can go ahead and try out this recipe for puff pastries with cheesecake and cherries, since they have a very fresh taste, especially is served right from the fridge, they don’t require a lot of time spent in the kitchen, and they can be made using very common ingredients.
Thus, to make a batch of these puffy goodies, you’ll need a regular pastry sheet, cream cheese, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, confectioner’s sugar, cherry pie filling (you can also use regular jam or fresh cherries if you can find any), eggs, and some sugar.
As for how you can make them, simply cut the pastry sheet into squares, mix all of the other ingredients together except for the cherries and then pour a bit onto each pastry square, and then finally put a small tablespoon of cherries over the cheesy mix.
Finally, leave them in the oven until the pastry rises just enough to surround the filling like a mini-cup, and then serve them either hot out of the oven, or leave them to chill in the fridge and serve them cold if you prefer a fresher taste.
12. Party Food Ideas – Nutty Bourbon Brownies
Christmas parties are hard to organize when you want them to turn out perfectly, and most of the time you will be facing extreme time constraints, and that’s why it’s best to have quick recipes at hand, and fewer are as easy to make than brownies.
Of course, regular brownies just don’t feel “Christmasy” enough, so we wanted to showcase a type of brownie that has a bit of extra crunch to them, namely the nutty bourbon brownies.
The core of the entire recipe is the mixed nuts that you use, and they should contain the typical ingredients, like pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts, but you’re free to use others as well, like peanuts, cashew, or pistachio.
These nutty mixtures can be bought from your local supermarkets, but if you’re interested in using a particular mixture, it’s best to buy individual bags and mix them together yourself.
The other ingredients are the typical ones you’d expect from regular brownies, like flour, cocoa, eggs, or chocolate, as well as a bit of bourbon to give them that aromatic aftertaste that will leave you wanting more.
The only drawback with this recipe is that guests with allergies to nuts will have to avoid them, and since you added a bit of bourbon to the batter, it’s best that you keep them away from kids, especially the small ones since they can get tipsy by mistake.
13. Party Finger Food Ideas – Lemon and Blueberry Cardamom Scones
When Christmas comes around, everyone goes crazy about making things like gingerbread, or pastries that have large amounts of cinnamon, and while those are indeed Christmas classics that will probably never die out, there are those that would like to try something different.
Well, if “different” is what you’re looking for, then you should try these lemon and blueberry cardamom scones since they’re both delicious, and there’s a very high chance that your guests have never tasted anything similar, especially not during Christmas.
To make the scones, you’ll need some all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground cardamom, granulated sugar, butter, heavy cream, two beaten eggs, some vanilla extract, and, of course, some lemon zest and some blueberries.
There’s no need to go into further details as to how to make these scones since we’ve written a detailed article containing the exact ingredient amounts, as well as the steps required to bake them, but suffice it to say that you’ll be very happy with the result.
A great way to serve these scones, like alls cones in general, is together with a hot cup of tea, and we recommend you try using fruit tea that has either lemon or blueberries so that they go together well with the scones.
14. Easy Party Food – Coconut and Berry Fruit Tarts
If you like fruity recipes like the previous one but would like to try something that has even more fruits and colors, then you’ll positively fall in love with these coconut and berry fruit tarts which look delicious enough just from the pictures.
The secret to why this would be an ideal party food is because people aren’t used to eating berries this time of year, and if they are, it’s usually from jams or jelly, but almost never in a fresh state.
To make the coconut pastry, you’ll need some all-purpose flour, some unsweetened desiccated coconut, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, a stick of cold butter, one egg yolk, and some cold water.
Of course, you could always buy the cups from the supermarket, but you’ll be missing out on that coconut flavor.
As for the tart filling and the fruity decor, we used full fat coconut milk, eggs, several large egg yolks, cornstarch, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and, probably the most important ingredient of them all, fresh fruit.
Sure enough, you don’t have to use berries if you or your guests are not particularly crazy about them, so you can go ahead and try out your own combinations.
For example, if you love exotic fruits, you can try using pineapple, mango and papaya cut into small cubes instead of the berry mix.
15. Finger Food for Christmas Party – Keto Peanut Butter Cups
We’re all guilty of putting on a few extra pounds during Christmas, and it seems like something that’s unavoidable no matter how much we try to control ourselves, but if you want a bit of help in the right direction, you could try a few Keto recipes.
For example, a great finder food for your Christmas party is the peanut butter cup, but we all know how those are packed with calories, and that’s why we’re here to talk to you about the keto peanut butter cup.
That’s right, this former caloric bomb is now available in a keto version, and it’s just as delicious with only a fraction of the following guilt after eating them.
To make these delicious cups, you’ll need some sugar-free chocolate, some coconut oil, some sugar-free peanut butter, and a bit of confectioner’s erythritol sweetener.
As you can see, we replaced all of the regular peanut butter cup ingredients with keto versions, resulting in a dessert that practically has zero added sugar to it, the only source of sweetness being the erythritol sweetener.
Before serving these peanut butter cups, we recommend that you leave them to chill for a bit in the fridge because you don’t want them to melt in your guests’ hands (maybe just in their mouths).
16. Christmas Party Food Ideas Finger Foods – Keto No-Back Cookies
We talked in our first entry about how cookies are the perfect party food from all points of view, but we all have to admit that one-too-many cookies will really make those pants seem a bit tighter.
That is why this next entry is a type of keto cookie: the keto no-bake cookies with chocolate, almonds, and coconut, a delicious snack/dessert that sound like something you’d run away from if you were on a diet.
To make this recipe, you’ll need some butter or almond butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt to give them some flavor, and finally some sliced or blanched almonds, and/or coconut chips to give your cookies that classic crunchy texture we’re all crazy about.
At room temperature, these no-bake cookies have a soft fudgy texture and don’t harden like regular baked cookies, and if your kitchen is relatively cool, you can store them in a sealed container on the counter.
On the other hand, they may become somewhat melted if your kitchen is on the warmer side, so it’s best to keep them in a sealed plastic container in the fridge just to be safe.
The best part about this recipe is that these cookies don’t require any baking, so you’ll be able to have more room inside the oven for your other dishes, such as the Christmas roast, or the goose.
Check out this guide to see exactly how you can create these fantastic and healthy cookies!
17. Christmas Party Food Ideas – Iced Gingerbread Cookies
When it comes to preparing party foods, it’s always a good idea to focus on foods that ate easy to eat, easy to portion and, if possible, easy to eat with your hand, and that’s why most of the times when you attend a Christmas party or gathering, you’ll find cookies.
Well, since cookies are the favorite party food, we decide to start off our list with a recipe for iced gingerbread cookies that not only look amazing but also taste like something straight out of a professional bakery.
Of course, presentation is the key, so before you even get the chance to taste these cookies, you can’t help but admit that they look fantastic, and that’s why you’ll need a very good cookie cutter and some artistic flair, and enough dexterity to make the intricate icing patterns.
To make these cookies, you’ll need butter, light brown soft sugar, golden syrup, treacle, water, orange zest, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves, baking soda, and flour, but if you want more information, check out this article on how to bake these iced gingerbread cookies.
They look amazing, they taste amazing, and your guests won’t be able to get enough of them, so our advice is that you cook up several backup batches just in case.
18. Finger Foods for Party – Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Cookies have always been a fan-favorite because there are just so many recipes and variations to try that you’d have to spend half your life in the kitchen just to try them all out, and many have their pluses and minuses.
For example, if you love your recipe to be simple, require no baking, but still want to feel an abundance of flavor and that amazing crunchy texture between your teeth, you should definitely try out this recipe for peanut butter no-back cookies.
You’ll need granulated sugar, butter, whole milk, one teaspoon of vanilla, creamy peanut butter (the crunchy one is also good), quick-cooking oats, some Rice Krispies, and a dash of salt to give it a more refined taste.
Without going into details as to how exactly all the ingredients go together, you can tell from the list of ingredients alone that these cookies will definitely end up being very crunchy.
Anyway, what makes these cookies particularly easy to make is that you don’t have to worry about using the oven to make, and since the recipe has absolutely no flour (and if you use gluten-free oats), they’re also a healthy option for guests that have a gluten intolerance.
19. Pomegranate Pistachio Crostini – Finger Food for Christmas Party
There aren’t many green and red foods that go well together, but pistachio and cranberries are a pair that blend nicely. The savory sweetness is sure to be a hit. Grab the details behind Taste of Home.
20. Christmas Caprese Wreath – Finger Foods for Party
Over at Cafe Delites, you’ll find this easy appetizer. It will be a hit among your guests and the ingredients are minimal. It’s also beautifully festive once plated. You can even drizzle a bit of balsamic on top to finish it off.
21. Christmas Tree Cheeseball – Party Food Idea
Check out Inspired by Charmto peek into the makings of this cheesy deliciousness. Who knew you could make cheese into a tree? And the flavors are so yummy!
22. Greek-Style Meatball Bites – Finger Food for the Christmas Party
Christmastime calls for heartier, more indulgent bites and meatballs certainly fit the bill. Hop on over to Pillsburyand check out all of the details behind these little dishes. It’s also a more unique flavor profile for the season as well!
23. Antipasto Skewers – Finger Foods for Party
Not only will these be a hit of the dinner, but they’re so easy to put together. Even if you aren’t great in the kitchen, you can whip these up in no time and without any issues. Visit Baker by Natureto grab the list of ingredients.
24. Loaded Hummus Finger Food for the Christmas Party
Who loves hummus? What’s Gabby Cooking?is serving up hummus but with a large elevation. All of those toppings will be fun to pick out and scrumptious to gobble up.
25. Bacon & Cheese Potato Croquettes Easy Party Food
Simply Delicious finishes us out with these tantalizing bacon and cheese croquettes. Test your skills in the kitchen and then watch as your family and friends gobble these up on sight. You’ll want to serve them with classic ranch dip or a sour cream-based chive creation.
Best Christmas Party Food Recipes: Closing Thoughts
We’ve reached the end of our article, and we hope that this Christmas-themed food menu was enough to give you a few ideas on what to cook for the next Christmas party that you’re going to throw.
Keep in mind that food tastes better when it’s fresh, especially if you’re going for oven-baked goodies, so it’s best that you have all of your grocery shopping done right before the party so that all the goodies will be served all hot and fresh.
Also, before deciding what you’re going to cook, look over your guest list and do some research to find out whether they have any food intolerances or allergies because it would be a shame to make delicious foods and have 1 or 2 guests feel left out just because they can’t try them.
If you want more help with this year’s Christmas, check out our other articles, since we’ve written plenty of helpful guides, like step-by-step Christmas recipes, and even lists featuring gift ideas.
All in all, we hope that this year’s Christmas party will be a blast and that everyone will enjoy the Christmas party food that you worked so hard to make.
Mery Christmas and bon appétit!