The Christmas buffet is a long-standing tradition in my family. The week before Christmas, we start making recipes ahead of time and choosing easy day-of recipes to whip up and share throughout the day. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a holiday meal without the fuss of a sit-down feast. Plus, it’s easy to prep these ahead of time and set out or just pop in the oven for a quick warm-up. And if you want some Christmas candy, check my amazing list of sweet delights.
But if you’re kind of bored with the same-old recipes, you might want to check out this list of fantastic dips, wraps, pinwheels, rolls, and more for the perfect combination of delightful treats to serve all day.
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Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Most of the folks who join us for our Christmas day feast are all about bacon. If your family is like mine, they’ll love this unique bacon-wrapped water chestnut recipe. It’s a unique, chewy yet crunchy recipe that’s easy to whip up and absolutely delicious.
Christmas Tree Cheeseball
Now here’s a fun cheeseball treat. It’s not a ball per se, but rather a Christmas tree cheese, uh… tree! The colorful cheeseball uses loads of cheese, pimentos, seasonings, and onions for a tasty, easy and fun treat for the buffet.
White Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip
This incredible dip is the perfect partner for doughy pretzels, breadsticks or just about anything else you can dip. The beer adds a little extra zing to the flavor and the cheese, well, it’s cheese.
Cream Cheese Shrimp Dip
Another decadent, cheesy dip is this incredible shrimp dip. It’s a gluten-free, low-carb dip, too, which makes it even more exciting for folks trying to not go too overboard this holiday season. Shrimp, cheese, low-carb… Can’t beat it!
Veggie Pinwheels
One of my favorites for the Christmas buffet has always been pinwheels. Using a little cream cheese and some tangy veggies make them the perfect little finger food for the buffet without requiring a load of work to prepare. Spreading, slicing, and dicing, pretty much, and you’re done.
Roasted Parmesan Garlic Shrimp
Every Christmas Eve, my grandmother always served roasted shrimp. I don’t have her recipe anymore, but this one looks like a fantastically delicious replacement. Parmesan cheese and garlic with shrimp? Yeah. That’ll do.
Vegan Smoked “Salmon” Rolls
If you’re looking to keep things Vegan-friendly (or at least offer some Vegan choices), this decadent, delicious sushi replacement seems like the perfect choice. You’ll create your own cashew cream cheese and wrap it up with smoky bell peppers instead of salmon. Wrap them and enjoy. Everybody will love them, including the fish lovers.
Mini Cheese Truffles
If you’re like me and love all things mini and individual serving size, these mini cheese truffles are the perfect answer to cheeseballs. They’re adorable, delicious, and the perfect choice for easy serving any time during your holiday feast.
Cranberry Brie Pastry Tarts
Cranberries and brie make for the perfect holiday blend. So, if you’re looking for a little less sweet dessert alternative to serve on that buffet, consider these gorgeous cranberry brie pastry tarts. They’re made with pre-made puff pastry and simple ingredients to get the job done quickly. These are perfect for making ahead of time and freezing before the big day.
Citrus Marinated Olives and Feta
My husband is absolutely in love with all foods Mediterranean, especially feta and olives. This is a fantastic way to serve them up for him and any of your family who love the same treats.
Shrimp Cocktail
A classic holiday buffet item that’s so easy and delicious is shrimp cocktail. I serve some every year, using my pretty glassware. Shrimp needs to chill ahead of time – lots of time – so it’s also the perfect choice for preparing a day or two ahead of time.
Jalapeno Dip
If you or yours love some zing in your holiday meals, try this fantastic jalapeno dip. It’s got the perfect balance of heat and creaminess for the best treat for folks to graze all day on the buffet.
Holiday Pomegranate Guacamole on Roasted Sweet Potato Tarts
Another popular dip is always guacamole – but with this recipe there’s a seasonal twist with the gorgeous bright red pomegranate seeds on sweet potato discs. They make for a healthy, delicious offering on your Christmas buffet.
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Love shrimp cocktail but want something a little different from the norm? Try this Mexican style shrimp cocktail with an extra zing and some Mexican flair, topped with tomato and avocado salsa.
Maple Rosemary Roasted Nuts
For a sweet and savory addition to the Christmas buffet, grab some nuts and get roasting! These maple rosemary nuts look absolutely amazing. Roast them ahead of time and put them out first thing or serve them in a beautiful candy dish later in the day.
Fried Ravioli
Fried ravioli – what an amazing thought! These are so easy and delicious. Just grab some store-bought ravioli and ready-made sauce for dipping. Easy, delicious, and perfect for that all-day buffet.
Tortilla Roll-Ups with Salsa
Here’s another pinwheel-type option. Made with spinach tortillas, cream cheese, ranch dressing, peppers, olives, hot peppers, and pimentos, these rolls up are going to be a real winner at the buffet. Top with salsa and you’ll have the perfect red and green treat for the holiday.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Grab your favorite veggies and crackers and whip up this amazing smoked salmon dip for an amazing addition to your Christmas buffet. It’s super easy to make and uses cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, smoked salmon, capers, green onions, dill, and lemon. You won’t regret adding this to the meal plan!
Sausage Rolls
Similar to sausage rolls from Australia and the UK, these fantastic mini rolls are amazingly delicious and going to be the complete hit at the buffet. You’ll use pork sausage, fresh garlic, smoky bacon, and fluffy pre-made pastry dough to whip them up in no time.
Vegan Walnut, Sage, and Cranberry Stuffed Holiday Mushrooms
Mushrooms were meant to be stuffed — and when you pop one of these tasty and easy holiday appetizers into your mouth, you’ll agree. The nutty, herbaceous, and slightly sweet filling creates a palate pleaser that will WOW your friends.
Artichoke Wonton Wrappers
For a tasty appetizer not quite like any others, check out these artichoke wonton wrappers. They’re easy, delicious, and quick to make. Just grab some wonton wrappers, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, mayo, olives, pepper, and seasonings for the perfect holiday treat.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Another decadent, sweet, rich dessert-like treat for your buffet is these amazing cranberry brie bites. They’re super easy and just use crescent rolls, cranberry sauce, brie, and pecans for an amazing, easy app for the buffet line.
French Dip Squares
Love French dip sandwiches? These little squares are the easier (and cheaper) way to serve some up without going too crazy overboard. Caramelized onions are the show stopper on the tasty treat, with amazing au jus sauce to round them out.
Walnut Brie Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms have been a staple on our family’s Christmas buffet for as long as I can remember. I’ve usually gone with simple cream cheese, green onion, and spices for ours. These walnut blue cheese stuffed mushrooms, though, are really upping the game this year! Can’t believe how amazing these look!
Red Pepper Jelly Crackers
It’s been a long time since I had red pepper jelly, but this year while I was working on a cookbook, I rediscovered this amazing ingredient. Now, my husband and I are obsessed with the delightful, tangy, amazing topping. And one of the absolute best ways to enjoy this treat is on crackers with cream cheese. Make your own red pepper jelly with this perfectly balanced recipe.
Loaded Cheeseball Bites
Cheeseballs, cheeseball bites… loaded cheeseball bites. Um, yes please! These amazing little nibbles for the buffet use a blend of cream cheese, cheddar, bacon, and spices for the perfect bite – at the end of the pretzel stick.
