Hot dishes and desserts are clear – many have long-loved favorites proven over the years. But what about festive appetizers? This is where you can really let loose and experiment! We've gathered 20 very delicious and easy New Year's appetizer recipes for you!
1. Meatballs with Cheese
This aromatic hot appetizer will be a delightful start to your New Year's feast.
You will need: 150 g minced meat, 100 g cheese, 1 onion, 3 eggs, 4 potatoes, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp sour cream, 2 tbsp flour, salt, pepper.
Preparation: Grate the boiled potatoes on a coarse grater, add garlic, spices, and 1 egg, then place the mixture into silicone molds. Mix the minced meat with onion, form into balls, and place them into the potato cups. Whisk the remaining eggs with sour cream and spices, pour over the cups, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
2. "New Year's Houses" Appetizer
For the filling, use pâté, processed cheese spread, or anything else with a similar consistency.
You will need: 1 cup flour, 50 g butter, 150 g flour (this seems like a typo, assuming 150g of water or another ingredient for choux pastry), 2 eggs, salt, filling.
Preparation: Boil a cup of water with butter and salt, add flour and cook the dough, stirring constantly. Add the eggs, mix until smooth, and pipe the dough onto parchment paper in pyramid shapes. Bake until golden brown at 180 degrees Celsius, then cut them open and insert a ball of filling. Shape the filling into a cube, create windows from carrots, and "fir trees" around them from pickled cucumber.
3. Simple Fish Appetizer
An excellent recipe for preparing mackerel or pink salmon for New Year's!
You will need: 150 g lightly salted fish, 200 g cream cheese, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp gelatin, half a cucumber, a quarter sweet pepper, dill, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice.
Preparation: Blend the fish with cream cheese until smooth. Add chopped dill and gelatin dissolved according to package instructions.
Mix well, pour into silicone molds, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Sauté finely diced vegetables in olive oil and lemon juice, and use them to garnish the appetizer when serving.
4. "New Year's Balls" Appetizer
These filled balls resemble Japanese onigiri and look very impressive on the New Year's table.
You will need: 350 g rice, 200 g minced meat, 2 carrots, 30 g onion, 1 egg, 0.5 tsp turmeric, 1.5 tsp paprika, herbs and spices.
Preparation: Mix the minced meat with onion, garlic, beaten egg, and spices, then form into round patties. Fry them in a pan or bake in the oven with grated carrots.
Boil the rice, divide it into several portions, and add turmeric to one, paprika to another, and herbs to the third. Spread the rice on cling film, then place carrots and a meat patty on top. Form a tight ball.
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5. Eggs Stuffed with Mushrooms
A combination that has long become a classic and will surely please guests at the New Year's table!
You will need: 6 eggs, 150 g mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 pickled cucumber, 3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp mustard and garlic powder, spices and herbs.
Preparation: Grease a muffin tin with vegetable oil and place a yolk and a white separately into each cup. Cover with foil, place on a baking sheet, pour water into the sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius.
Sauté the onion with mushrooms and spices, then mash the cooked yolks with a fork and mix with diced cucumber. Combine the filling ingredients, add mayonnaise with mustard and spices, and spoon everything onto the egg whites.
6. Puff Pastry Christmas Trees with Cottage Cheese
Use ready-made unleavened puff pastry – and preparing this New Year's appetizer will take you a maximum of half an hour!
You will need: 250 g pastry, 1 egg, 2 tbsp cottage cheese, 6 olives, 1 tsp soy sauce, sesame seeds.
Preparation: Roll out the puff pastry, cut out Christmas tree shapes, brush with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake until golden brown at 200 degrees Celsius. Mix cottage cheese, soy sauce, and finely chopped olives. Cut the Christmas trees in half and spread the filling between the halves.
7. New Year's Appetizer in Crackers
Thanks to crackers, these "sandwiches" are very convenient to eat by hand.
You will need: 10 crackers, 4 tbsp shredded chicken breast (boiled or smoked), 1 tsp green onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp hard cheese, 1 egg, 3 tbsp walnuts, 2 tsp mayonnaise.
Preparation: Mix shredded chicken breast with crushed garlic and grated cheese. Add soy sauce, green onion, and spices, then mix everything with mayonnaise. Place a slice of boiled egg on a cracker, then the filling, and top with another cracker. Roll the sides of the appetizer in crushed walnuts.
8. Cheese Snowmen
Another classic appetizer with an unusual presentation that children will adore.
You will need: 100 g cheese, 1 egg, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 9 olives, 2 cloves garlic, a piece of carrot.
Preparation: Mix grated cheese with grated egg, mayonnaise, and crushed garlic. Take a small amount of the mixture, place a pitted olive inside, and roll into a ball. Assemble a snowman from 2-3 balls, cut out eyes from an olive, and a nose from a carrot.
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9. Santa's Sacks
Pancakes are least associated with New Year's, and completely wrongly so!
You will need: 400 ml milk, 2 eggs, a pinch of sugar and salt, 170 g flour, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, 300 g chicken, 70 g rice, 1 carrot, 1 onion, herbs, spices, 2 tbsp mayonnaise.
Preparation: Mix the batter from milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and flour with salt and sugar, and fry thin, small pancakes. Cut the chicken into small pieces or mince it and sauté with chopped onion and carrot. Mix the filling, add spices, herbs, and mayonnaise, place on a pancake, form a sack, and tie it with green onion or string cheese.
10. Italian Appetizer
Minimum ingredients, but maximum lightness and freshness for the New Year's table!
You will need: 3 tomatoes, 250 g mozzarella, 16 basil leaves, 3 tbsp olive oil.
Preparation: Slice tomatoes into rounds about 1 cm thick, and slice the cheese into similar rounds. Arrange on a plate: tomato, cheese, a basil leaf, and another tomato, then drizzle with olive oil. You can sprinkle with salt, chopped herbs, or spices on top.
11. Ajapsandali
This Georgian cold appetizer will delight eggplant lovers.
You will need: 250 g tomatoes, 1 onion, 250 g eggplants, spices.
Preparation: Peel the eggplants, slice them into rounds, salt them, squeeze out excess liquid, and place under a press for a couple of hours. Fry the eggplants until soft and set aside. Sauté the chopped onion, then add pureed or crushed tomatoes. Layer the tomato filling between the eggplant rounds.
12. Zucchini with Cream Cheese
Another light appetizer option for New Year's for those watching their calories.
You will need: 1 zucchini, 1 cucumber, 150 g cream cheese, 1 clove garlic, spices, mint leaves.
Preparation: Slice the zucchini into rounds and grill them on a non-stick or grill pan. Dice the cucumber finely, add crushed garlic and spices, and mix everything with the cheese. Spoon the cheese filling onto the zucchini rounds and garnish with herbs, mint, or nuts.
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13. New Year's Crab Stick Balls
Thanks to crab sticks, these cheese balls acquire not only flavor but also a pleasant hue.
You will need: 200 g crab sticks, 100 g cheese, 2 eggs, 5 tbsp mayonnaise, 2 cloves garlic, 6 olives, 2 green onion stalks, salt.
Preparation: Grate the crab sticks, cheese, and boiled eggs, mix everything with mayonnaise, and season with salt. Form balls with wet hands, decorate them with olives, and make loops from green onion.
14. New Year's Appetizer with Salmon and Ham
A simple lavash roll with an unusual combination of ingredients for the New Year's table.
You will need: 2 thin lavash breads, 300 g salmon, 300 g ham, 300 g processed cheese, herbs.
Preparation: Spread a thin layer of cheese on the lavash, place a slice of salmon, sprinkle with herbs, and add ham. Roll up the lavash, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, and carefully slice the appetizer into thin rounds.
15. Pineapples with Curry
A beautiful and festive appetizer with boiled eggs.
You will need: 4 eggs, half a pineapple, 1 red onion, 6 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp curry, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp nuts, salt.
Preparation: Sauté finely chopped onion with pineapple in olive oil, and salt the yogurt and mix with curry. Boil the eggs, chop them finely, and add to the pineapples, then dress the salad with the sauce. Serve on lettuce leaves or in tartlets.
16. Stuffed Tomatoes
Another delightful and healthy vegetable appetizer for the New Year's table.
You will need: 600 g large cherry tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 1 bunch cilantro, 200 g Adyghe cheese, olive oil, spices.
Preparation: Mince the garlic in a blender with cilantro and spices, then mix with grated cheese and olive oil. Remove the tops from the tomatoes, scoop out the pulp with a spoon, finely chop it, and add to the cheese mixture. Fill each tomato with the stuffing and cover with its top.
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17. Pumpkin with Mushrooms
This appetizer recipe will make your New Year's table even brighter and more festive.
You will need: 500 g pumpkin, 700 g mushrooms, 120 g bacon, 50 g butter, 50 ml cream, 1 shallot, spices, nuts, cheese.
Preparation: Dice the pumpkin into small cubes, sauté with spices and butter, pour in cream, and simmer until soft. Separately sauté mushrooms with bacon and onion, and finely chop and mix nuts with cheese. Layer the appetizer in a glass or dessert bowl – pumpkin, mushrooms, cheese with nuts.
18. Caesar on Skewers
A snack variation of everyone's favorite salad will pleasantly surprise your guests!
You will need: 100 g white bread, 1 clove garlic, olive oil, a sprig of dill, 200 g boiled chicken fillet, 30 g cheese, 150 g lettuce, 100 g cherry tomatoes, spices, Caesar dressing or light mayonnaise.
Preparation: Cut the bread into cubes, rub with garlic, and fry in olive oil. Cut the chicken into similar cubes, assemble all ingredients on skewers, place on the remaining lettuce leaves, and drizzle with dressing.
19. Honey Sausages with Prunes
This hearty and aromatic appetizer is suitable for beer or strong alcoholic beverages.
You will need: 12 mini sausages, 12 prunes, 12 slices of bacon, 1.5 tbsp honey.
Preparation: Roll the sausages in honey, place a prune on each, and wrap in a slice of bacon. Send the appetizer to the oven on a baking sheet for 25 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
20. Fish Appetizer with Olives
It's best to use two different types of fish – red and white.
You will need: 300 g red and 300 g white smoked fish, 1 can each of pitted green olives and black olives, 100 g herbs, 20 g mint, juice and zest of 1 lemon, pepper.
Preparation: Finely chop the green olives, black olives, and herbs, mix everything with lemon zest, and season with pepper. Slice the fish into thin pieces, drizzle with lemon juice, and evenly spread the filling on each piece. Stack two pieces, roll into a small roulade, and secure with a skewer.