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 your party, because the real fireworks are going down in the kitchen this year. Speaking of—plenty of New Year's Eve dinner ideas on deck.
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
