Preparing meals for the holidays can take time, so use these tasty dishes to satisfy you and your guests while you wait. You may make these meals as easy, tasty snacks that the whole family will love, ranging from dips to cheese balls. You may quickly create our Whipped Feta with Pomegranate, Pistachios, and Honey for a festive and tart pre-meal snack, or you can make our Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball in advance for an easy grazing dish with crackers.

Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Honey-Whipped Feta

This simple, fast appetizer is ideal for any event. Make sure the feta and cream cheese are processed together until a smooth texture is achieved and ribbons begin to form. By doing this, you’ll make sure that any feta pieces are broken down and prevent a gritty texture. A sprinkle of hot honey interacts nicely with the salty pistachios and provides a nice spiciness, but you could also use conventional honey or date syrup.

Ball of Jalapeño Cheese

Serve this seasoned cheese ball with jalapeños and tortilla chips, or spread it over your next burrito.

Feta Dip Whipped with Roasted Red Peppers

This incredibly creamy, whipped feta dip has a little honey sweetness that balances its salty flavor. Serve this nutritious dip with whole-grain crackers, vegetables, or toast.

Candied Pecans with Spices by Jonathan Perno

Chef Jonathan Perno enjoys serving spiced New Mexican nuts to visitors when they arrive at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Albuquerque or at his house. Most spiced-nut recipes do not call for blanching the nuts, but Perno does so to lessen the harsh tannins in the skin that can occasionally overpower the subtle taste of the pecans.

Pecan and Pear Cheese Balls

This recipe for healthy cheese balls is a delicious treat for the holidays, combining crunchy nuts, salty Cheddar cheese, and sweet pears. Accompany a selection of crudités and crunchy party crackers.

Vinegar with Salt and Pumpkin Seeds

Seasoning with salt and vinegar isn’t limited to chips. A crunchy and salty delicacy, these roasted pumpkin seeds are mixed with vinegar and salt. The rich vinegary flavor of the seeds is preserved after baking if they are soaked in vinegar.

Winter Cheese Board

The perfect stationery hors d’oeuvre for entertaining over the holidays is a cheeseboard. Choose a selection of cheeses, such as aged cheese, blue cheese, creamy cheese, and maybe smoked cheese. Add cold meats, bread, crudité, almonds, olives, dried fruit, and an abundance of seasonal fruits to complete the presentation. To top it off, we added some dark chocolate!

Creamy Lemon-Thyme Ricotta

This gorgeous yet simple appetizer recipe combines lemon and fresh herbs with creamy ricotta. Serve as a spaghetti sauce or spread over sandwiches, or with whole-grain crackers and chopped veggies.

Candy Cane Goat Cheese and Beets

This bright and simple snack adds vibrancy to any holiday presentation. It saves time if you can get precooked beets. A pleasing crunch is provided by the candied nuts, which also counterbalance the earthiness of the beets and the richness of the goat cheese.

Every Single Cheese Ball on a Bagel

This cheese ball isn’t your grandmother’s. With only three ingredients, it has all the flavor of an everything bagel without any of the carbohydrates! Want to bring out the flavor of the bagel? To keep things healthy, serve it with bagel chips and some fresh vegetables for dipping.

Garlic and Rosemary Pecans

These flavorful, spiced nuts are great as an appetizer in small portions or as a snack when added to a cheese board.

Bites of Cheddar-Apple Crackers

This simple dish is a great last-minute snack or appetizer because it just takes five minutes to prepare. Although you may use another kind of apple if you’d like, the sweetness of the Fuji apples contrasts nicely with the cheddar. If you’re in the mood for a more cheesy nibble, you may use only one of the three tiny apple slices per cracker that this recipe asks for.

Giardiniera with Smoked Gouda Charcuterie Sticks

Crisp pickled veggies blend very well with creamy, somewhat smoky gouda.

Seasoned Crackers

Roasting simple crackers with oregano and paprika enhances their taste. Use smoked paprika instead of ordinary paprika for a hint of smoke. Accompany with cheese, hummus, or your preferred dip.

These Energy Balls with Apple and Peanut Butter Make the Ideal Fall Snack

Apples and pumpkin pie spice, two of fall’s greatest tastes, come together in these energy balls. For a more intense apple taste, you can use apple butter in place of the applesauce. Apple chips and dried apples are not the same thing! The crisp texture of apple chips will make the energy balls too crunchy. If your apple mixture is too sticky and difficult to roll, try gently spraying cooking spray on your hands or just putting it in the fridge for fifteen minutes before rolling.

Pistachio Pizza

This fun spiced pistachio recipe gets its pizza-like flavor from nutritional yeast, which mimics the flavor of cheese.