53 Dazzling New Year’s Eve Appetizers That Are Down to Disco
If your ideal New Year’s celebration involves an opulent spread of finger food, then you’ve come to the right place. Our best New Year’s Eve appetizers range from easy-to-assemble bites (like 10-minute marinated Manchego cheese) to more substantive snacks that’ll keep stomachs full well into the midnight hours (we’re looking at you, Juicy Lucys).
These New Year’s Eve appetizer ideas are built to handle late-night cravings. Skip the laborious dinner spread in favor of crowd-friendly grazing boards, topped with all the bits and bobs that’ll pair nicely with a couple glasses of bubbly. We’re talking about snappy marinated cucumbers that are so puckery-good you’ll forget they’re just, well, cucumbers. The sweet and spicy peanuts that your great-uncle Jeff would describe as “dangerous.” And the flaky, buttery cheese twists that are ideal for double-dipping in muhammara, spinach artichoke dip, or nutty nam prik. Oh, and don’t forget the baked Brie. Here are all our best appetizers for New Year’s Eve, because the real fireworks are going down in the kitchen this year.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones1/53Jalapeño Popper Gougères
When it comes to New Year’s Eve appetizers, it doesn’t get much better than this. The jalapeño popper gets a sophisticated, soirée-ready upgrade in this cheese-stuffed, pickled-jalapeño-studded version of gougères.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart2/53Classic Pigs in a Blanket
Photo by Alex Lau3/53BA’s Best Shrimp Cocktail
If there’s ever a time to whip out your best-ever party appetizer, it’s New Year’s Eve. Our best shrimp cocktail is quick and easy to prepare, leaving you with plenty of time to make a Champagne cocktail and hang the streamers.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro4/53Old Bay Chips With Lemon Mayo
If you weren’t already convinced that Old Bay makes everything better—yes, even a humble bowl of potato chips—this recipe is all the proof you’ll need. And if you’re running out of this spicy seasoning, you can order a pound of it on Amazon.
Photograph by Guang Xu5/53Baked Brie Bites With Jezebel Sauce
Rather than top these puff pastry bites with cranberry sauce, the folks at Supperland—one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022—use a citrusy Jezebel sauce, mixed with coarse-ground mustard for tang.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Catherine Campbell Pearson6/53Fried Eggplant With Crispy Basil and Whipped Honey Feta
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens7/53Ham and Cheese Feuilleté
Made with flaky puff pastry, these ham-and-cheese bites, from Martha Stewart’s celebrated tome Entertaining, are the perfect cocktail party appetizer.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro8/53Marinated Mozzarella and Peppadew Peppers
Ditch the store-bought antipasto in favor of this mix of marinated mozzarella and piquant peppers, which you can throw together ahead of time and stash in the fridge. In fact, these zingy bites only get better with time.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca10/53Vegan Deviled “Eggs”
Boiled and hollowed-out Yukon gold potatoes masquerade as deviled eggs in this clever dairy-free appetizer that, thanks to black salt, tastes remarkably like your grandma’s favorite party appetizer.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro12/53Za’atar Fire Crackers
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski13/53Spicy Lightly Pickled Cucumbers
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Beatrice Chastka15/53Mala Fried Peanuts
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman16/53Spinach Artichoke Dip
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski18/53The Only Salsa You Need
Okay, it might not be the only salsa you need (we’re looking at you, Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa), but it is a really, really good one.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca19/53Crunchy Coconut-Sesame Shrimp With Spicy Lime Mayo
Justin J Wee21/53Chipotle Cheddar Crackers
This recipe comes from none other than the queen of entertaining: Ina Garten. Garten suggests stashing a log of these slice-and-bakes in the freezer and sliding a batch into the oven just before guests arrive.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini22/53Crispy Cheese Twists
Store-bought puff pastry + extra-sharp cheddar cheese = the easiest, flakiest, most irresistible dinner party snack of all time.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams26/53Pistachio-Sesame Cheese Ball
If you’re still haunted by that one time you tried to make a turkey-shaped cheese ball for Thanksgiving, let us redeem the concept with this playful, modernized version. No need to break out the food processor—this cheese ball is made solely with Boursin and rolled in pistachios and sesame seeds.
Photo by Heidi's Bridge28/53Slow-Roasted Onion Dip
Instead of caramelized onions, which require lots of hands-on attention, this recipe uses roasted onions, which develop a jammy texture and deep flavor on their own in the oven.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro30/53Boquerones With Green Olives and Orange
Something for that friend who has made loving tinned fish a personality. Sure, you could serve these fancy marinated anchovies crostini-style, but we prefer to keep torn bread on the side for good old-fashioned dunking.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca31/53Tangy Tomato-Chile Popcorn
Start the party with a bowl of tangy, slightly spicy, red-hued popcorn that’s ready in 15 minutes. Want to cut that time in half? Use this punchy seasoning to upgrade a bag of store-bought popcorn.
Photo by Chelsie Craig35/53Pretzel Bites
Homemade pretzel poppers make an impressive addition to any New Year’s appetizer lineup–just don’t forget the side of spicy cheese spread.
Alex Lau36/53Cacio e Pepe Chips
Shower store-bought potato chips with the flavors of Italian classic cacio e pepe: i.e., freshly grated Pecorino and a few cranks of black pepper. Throw it in the oven for a few minutes and there you have it, folks: A “homemade” appetizer that took all of five minutes to toss together.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens38/53Savory Cheese-Filled Croquembouche
Make a big impression with this twist on towering croquembouche. This savory version uses cheesy gougères and salt-and-pepper caramel to construct an elegant appetizer tower that’ll get guests talking.
Photo by Chelsie Craig39/53Curry-Cucumber Dip With Fried Shallots
If tzatziki got dressed up for a party, it’d be this yogurt-based dip, festooned with tart pomegranate arils and a crown of fried shallots.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li44/53Beet Tartare
Ensure that the appetizer table is vegetarian-friendly with this deceptive take on beef tartare, where beets deliver a meaty texture and vibrant red hue.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li45/53Radishes With Nori-Lemon Butter
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca46/53Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
Photograph by Guang Xu47/53Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Dip
Sweet potatoes bring color and blue cheese adds funky depth to this queso-inspired dip from Supperland.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman48/53Spicy Kimchi–Sweet Potato Fritters
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski50/53Pimento Cheese Crackers
Trade the bowl of cheese dip for these savory, sesame-rolled shortbread crackers, which tout all the flavor of pimento cheese with none of the mess.
Alex Lau51/53Pork Nachos With Red Cabbage and Wonton Chips
In these Thai-inspired nachos, wonton chips make a sturdy base for ground pork, glazed with chile, fish sauce, and lime. Pile them high with all the fixins your heart desires.
Photograph by Jarren Vink52/53Buffalo Wing Popcorn
Channel the flavor of chicken wings into a mess-free party snack. This cayenne-and-hot-sauce-spiked caramel corn is a little sweet and a little sassy (a.k.a. perfect for New Year’s Eve).
Photograph by Jenny Huang, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Linden Elstran53/53Bolinho de Arroz With Molho Verde