24 Low-Carb Christmas Appetizers That Still Feel Festive By Alex Loh Alex Loh Alex Loh is EatingWell's food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe's. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 10, 2024 SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: See More Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Kick off your holiday meal with these low-carb, healthy Christmas appetizers. You can munch on these bites while you cook the bigger meal or just eat these delicious appetizers for dinner—we won't blame you if you can't help yourself. Whether it's our Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta or Whipped Feta with Cranberries & Walnuts, these healthy holiday appetizers are festive and have no more than 14 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Love any of these recipes? Tap "Save" to add them to MyRecipes, your new, free recipe box for EatingWell. 01 of 24 Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta View Recipe Save Make this simple festive appetizer for your holiday guests. Toasted baguette slices with creamy, melted brie are topped with an orange-cranberry-pomegranate mixture--each bite delivers an explosion of flavor and texture! 02 of 24 Whipped Feta with Cranberries & Walnuts Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle View Recipe Save This festive whipped feta dip is the perfect appetizer for any gathering. If the feta seems too thick, add 1 teaspoon water at a time until loosened. Walnuts provide a nice crunchiness, but you could easily swap in another nut like pecans or pistachios. If you have leftover cranberry sauce, try a dollop in some yogurt or oatmeal for an easy breakfast. 03 of 24 Crispy Hot Honey–Sesame Feta Bites Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle View Recipe Save These warm feta bites are encrusted in toasty sesame seeds and drizzled with spicy-sweet honey for an easy appetizer that hits all the right notes. Make sure to pat your feta dry so the egg can adhere to it, keeping the sesame seeds in place. Feta cheese holds its shape as it cooks but it will need a delicate touch when it’s turned and transferred to the platter. 04 of 24 Cucumber Salmon Bites Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco View Recipe Save Look no further for your impromptu snack—these 3-ingredient cucumber salmon bites are a surefire hit. Beyond being an ideal choice for midday, this quick and easy recipe doubles as a satisfying appetizer. If you have a bit more time and a few extra ingredients at your disposal, try enhancing the cream cheese with chopped fresh herbs like dill or chives. 05 of 24 Smoked Tuna Spread Canapés Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Lydia Pursell View Recipe Save Try this easy canapé recipe for your next cocktail party. Made with canned tuna, cream cheese and cucumber slices on crunchy almond crackers, this is an appetizer that your guests will be reaching for first. 06 of 24 Crispy Chickpeas over Whipped Feta Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel View Recipe Save Crispy chickpeas star in this easy appetizer. The complex blend of spices brings a smoky finish to the dish, accented by fresh oregano and an extra drizzle of olive oil to carry the flavors. We love pita bread for serving, but it also pairs well with fresh vegetables—or serve it as part of a mezze platter. 07 of 24 Chicken Parmesan Dip View Recipe Save No breading and frying here! Layer on the cheese and tomatoes using leftover chicken (or turkey) in this healthy dip recipe. Pair with soft Italian bread and a salad for an easy dinner or serve it as an appetizer for your next party. 08 of 24 Baked Feta & Olive Dip Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser View Recipe Save This baked feta and olive dip hits all the marks: creamy, rich and a perfect complement to bread, crackers or crudités. The tomatoes burst as they roast and release their juices, which combine with the softened feta, cream cheese and briny mixed olives. Red pepper flakes add a little heat, but feel free to leave them out if you prefer a milder dip. 09 of 24 High-Protein Spinach Dip Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek View Recipe Save This spinach dip recipe gives the classic appetizer a high-protein twist. In addition to adding plenty of protein, using cottage cheese and feta instead of cream cheese and Cheddar cuts back on saturated fat and calories. Enjoy this easy dip as a side dish, appetizer or snack served with whole-grain bread and veggies for dipping. 10 of 24 The Best Avocado Deviled Eggs Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster View Recipe Save These avocado deviled eggs add a little zing to a classic recipe. Avocado combined with egg yolks adds extra creaminess, while lime juice adds an extra hit of acidity. Add chopped cooked bacon for a savory note. Look for pickled red onions in a jar, or make your own by soaking thinly sliced red onion in a solution of white-wine vinegar and sugar for 30 minutes. 11 of 24 Tequila Guacamole View Recipe Save Margarita lovers will go crazy for this twist on classic guacamole. Spiking your guacamole with tequila adds an extra layer of flavor and blends deliciously with the fresh lime juice and jalapeño. This guacamole is for grown-ups only, but you can omit the tequila if you're serving to kids. 12 of 24 Easy Stuffed Mushrooms View Recipe Save This healthy stuffed mushroom appetizer is a nice balance of soft mushrooms, creamy filling and crunchy topping. This combination tastes downright decadent, but these easy stuffed mushrooms are actually good for you. 13 of 24 Easy Scallion-Salmon Dip View Recipe Save Inspired by the classic combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese, this spread is perfect for slathering on a bagel or serving as a dip with bagel chips. This salmon dip recipe is a great way to use up leftovers from Miso-Maple Salmon (see Associated Recipes). 14 of 24 Baked Brie with Jam in Puff Pastry View Recipe Save This best baked Brie recipe is also the easiest. Serve this simple appetizer with apple wedges and crackers and watch it disappear in seconds! It's bound to be your new party go-to. 15 of 24 EatingWell Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip View Recipe Save Take your veggies and dip to the next level with this colorful crudité wreath. This vegetable appetizer is a stunner with white cauliflower, red tomatoes and green broccoli, green beans, snap peas, kale and Brussels sprouts. It's also a delicious way to start your celebration with veggies (which there are rarely enough of at parties and holidays). The homemade ranch dip, which uses nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, takes just a few minutes to make, or you can use a healthy store-bought dip. 16 of 24 Loaded Cauliflower Bites View Recipe Save Crispy slices of roasted cauliflower topped with cheese, sour cream and bacon make a tasty low-carb alternative to classic loaded potato skins. 17 of 24 Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball View Recipe Save Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this healthy cheese ball recipe an alluring holiday treat. Serve with an array of crudités and crisp party crackers. 18 of 24 Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs View Recipe Save Turn classic chicken parm into meatballs with this easy load-and-go appetizer recipe with a cheesy surprise inside. Making meatballs for a party? Switch your crock pot to warm for serving all party long. 19 of 24 3-Ingredient Cranberry-Brie Bites View Recipe Save Baked Brie is a perennially popular appetizer. Here, we complement the Brie with tart cranberry sauce and bake it in pretty individual tartlets using premade pie crust for an ultra-easy crowd-pleasing appetizer. 20 of 24 Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms View Recipe Save This crab-stuffed mushroom recipe is perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve and other holiday parties or any other time you need a quick and easy appetizer. The filling is light and fresh thanks to hearts of palm, a tender vegetable with a mild flavor (similar to artichokes) that doesn't mask the rich, sweet flavor of fresh crabmeat. 21 of 24 Everything Bagel Cheese Ball View Recipe Save This is not your grandma's cheese ball. It has all the flavor of an everything bagel in the nostalgic appetizer. Pair it with crackers, bagel chips and/or raw veggies. 22 of 24 3-Ingredient Blue Cheese & Fig Bites View Recipe Save Salty-tangy blue cheese pairs beautifully with sweet fig jam in these easy appetizers, which are perfect for a holiday party. The optional minced chives add a nice pop of color, but these are just as tasty without herbs. Keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip these up for impromptu holiday cocktail parties. 23 of 24 Caprese Skewers Photographer / Jen Causey, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall View Recipe Save We take all the ingredients of a classic caprese salad and layer them onto skewers for a quick appetizer. These tomato-mozzarella-basil skewers are easy to assemble and perfect for a party. 24 of 24 Cured or Smoked Salmon Appetizer Platter View Recipe Save This smoked salmon platter requires little effort, but the spread makes a big impression. Explore more: Healthy Recipes Lifestyle Diets Low-Carb Low-Carb Appetizer Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit