featured 762

Christmas Party Appetizer Ideas to Impress Your Guests

These festive Christmas party appetizers are a fun twist on the classic caprese. Easy to assemble and perfect for feeding a crowd, they’re little baguette bites topped with cream cheese and playful mozzarella-and-tomato snowmen.

Six slices of bread topped with cream cheese and mozzarella balls shaped like snowmen using cherry tomatoes for hats and veggies for details are beautifully arranged on a wooden board.

To make them, spread cream cheese on baguette slices and top each with a small skewer of bocconcini and cherry tomato to form a snowman. They’re crowd-pleasers and simple to prepare — great for a holiday party or as part of a seasonal snack board.

Five slices of bread arranged on a marble plate, topped with cream cheese and mozzarella ball snowmen with cherry tomato hats, carrot noses, and chia seeds eyes, buttons, and mouth.

Serve these with other holiday bites such as pigs in a blanket, cheeses, olives, and crackers for an appealing festive spread.

Recipe Tip

Arrange the appetizers on a large platter for a striking presentation. You can also skip the bread and serve the snowmen skewers alone on a salad or platter for a lighter option.

Ingredients

  • Baguette: Choose a ciabatta, baguette, or other bread that slices easily.
  • Cream cheese: Plain cream cheese works best for a creamy base.
  • Mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini): Ideal size for the snowmen bodies and hat detail.
  • Cherry tomatoes: Firm, unblemished tomatoes make the snowman hats.
  • Canapé sticks or toothpicks: Look for sticks with a decorative top if you like, or use plain toothpicks.
  • Fresh basil: Small leaves add color and can act as a scarf.
  • Chia seeds: Small seeds for eyes, mouth, and buttons (sesame or nigella seeds work too).
  • Carrot: Trim a small triangular piece to use as a nose (or substitute with orange pepper).
  • Flaky sea salt: To finish.

How to make

  1. Slice the bread: Cut the baguette into even slices and spread each with cream cheese.
  2. Prepare tomatoes and cheese: Trim the bottom off cherry tomatoes so they sit flat. Cut larger bocconcini into slices for the hat base if needed.
  3. Assemble each snowman: Thread a canapé stick (or toothpick) starting with a decorative top, then a cherry tomato, a bocconcini slice (for the hat brim), and two mini mozzarella balls for the body.
  4. Add a scarf: Insert two small basil leaves between the mozzarella balls to resemble a scarf.
  5. Detail the face and buttons: Use chia seeds for the eyes, mouth, and buttons. A toothpick helps press them into place.
  6. Add the nose: Trim a tiny carrot triangle and place it on the snowman’s face.
  7. Finish and serve: Place each snowman skewer across a cream-cheese–topped baguette slice. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and arrange on a platter.
A hand spreads cream cheese on a slice of bread using a butter knife.
Hands assembling a skewer with a cherry tomato, mozzarella balls, a basil leaf, and a slice of mozzarella cheese on a wooden cutting board.
Two hands assemble a snowman-shaped snack on a wooden board using a skewer with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
A hand holds a skewer with a snowman made of mozzarella, tomato, and basil on cream cheese–spread bread.

Possible variations

  • Crispier base: Pan-fry baguette slices in butter with a smashed garlic clove until golden, drain and cool before topping.
  • No bread: Serve the snowmen skewers on their own as bite-sized appetizers.
  • Tomato swap: Use halved grape tomatoes if cherries are unavailable.
  • Cheese: Flavored cream cheese or a thin smear of pesto adds a different flavor profile.
  • Seeds: Substitute chia with sesame or nigella seeds for the eyes and buttons.
  • Herb alternatives: Swap basil for dill or parsley for a different look and flavor.

FAQs

I don’t have canapé sticks. What can I use?

You can use regular toothpicks or skip the skewers entirely by placing the assembled snowmen directly on the cream-cheese–topped bread. The creamy spread helps them stay in place.

Can these be prepared ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble the snowmen and store them covered in the refrigerator. Slice the baguette and spread cream cheese shortly before serving, then top with the snowmen to keep the bread fresh.

More Christmas party food

A Sausage Roll Wreath decorated with basil leaves and a red pepper bow, arranged on a wooden board with festive decor in the background.

Christmas

Sausage Roll Wreath

Six cute Christmas Sausage Rolls decorated as snowmen with candy eyes, orange candy noses, and chocolate buttons, arranged on a round white plate with greenery and a lit white house decoration nearby.

Christmas

Christmas Sausage Rolls

Mini sausages wrapped in crispy bacon are arranged on a wooden board, garnished with chopped herbs, next to a dipping sauce.

Appetizers

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

Five slices of Christmas Bruschetta with cream cheese are topped with red bell pepper pieces spelling “HO HO” and garnished with basil leaves, arranged on a round plate surrounded by festive paper snowflakes.

Christmas

Holiday Appetizer

Six slices of bread topped with cream cheese, shaped like snowmen using cherry tomatoes for hats and veggies for details—these festive bites make delightful Christmas Party Appetizers, beautifully arranged on a wooden board.

Christmas Party Appetizers

Baguette slices with cream cheese topped by cheerful mozzarella-and-tomato snowmen skewers.
Servings: 10 bites
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 25 mins

Equipment

  • Canapé sticks or star-topped sticks (optional)
  • Toothpicks

Ingredients

  • 25 bocconcini (mozzarella balls)
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • 20 small basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • 1 small carrot
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 10 slices baguette
  • Flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Slice the baguette and spread each slice with cream cheese.
  • Trim the bottom off the cherry tomatoes so they sit flat.
  • Cut 5 bocconcini across the widest part into 10 thin slices to use under the hat if desired.
  • Assemble each snowman on a stick: decorative top (optional), cherry tomato, bocconcini slice for the hat brim, then two bocconcini balls for the body.
  • Insert two small basil leaves between the mozzarella balls to form a scarf.
  • Use chia seeds for the eyes, mouth, and buttons—press them into place with a toothpick.
  • Trim a tiny triangle from the carrot to serve as a nose and place it on the face.
  • Lay each snowman skewer on a cream-cheese–topped baguette slice and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 112 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 3 g. Nutrition is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.