10 holiday appetizers for the party table, from spicy candied bacon to boom boom shrimp

Holiday parties start at the appetizer table, and these 10 cover it. The list runs from spicy candied bacon, fried mac and cheese bites, and whipped ricotta toast to cheesy garlic pull apart bread, a make-ahead caramelized onion dip, spicy tuna rolls, bacon wrapped mini peppers, and two kinds of shrimp.

Whipped Ricotta Cheese Toast

Slices of Italian loaf brushed with oil toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, then carry a layer of whole milk ricotta whipped with lemon juice, oil, and salt, finished with a drizzle of honey, lemon zest, and fresh thyme leaves. The brightness of the lemon and the sweetness of the honey keep the ricotta from reading heavy, and the toasted bread holds it all without going soggy. The whole thing comes together in 15 minutes and makes 12 servings.

Get the recipe: Whipped Ricotta Cheese Toast

Spicy Candied Bacon

Cayenne, cinnamon, and white pepper coat each strip of bacon alongside allulose before it goes onto a wire rack and bakes until lacquered and crisp. The combination of spice from the cayenne and white pepper set against the sweet, caramelized coating is what gives these their pull on a holiday appetizer table. Prep is five minutes, the oven handles the rest in 13 to 18 minutes, and the recipe makes 12 slices.

Get the recipe: Spicy Candied Bacon

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Mozzarella strings and pulls when the loaf is torn apart, with garlic butter spooned into every cut and grated parmesan adding a salty edge. Unsalted butter, garlic, and fresh parsley go into a crosshatched storebought loaf, which bakes wrapped in foil for 15 minutes and then uncovered for 5 more. At 30 minutes total and six servings, it is exactly the kind of thing that holds a crowd over while the rest of dinner finishes.

Get the recipe: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread

10-Minute Spicy Tuna Rolls

Each roll is a cold crunch of thin-sliced cucumber around yellowfin tuna spiked with hot sauce and cayenne, with a piece of avocado tucked inside to take some of the edge off. The filling gets a pinch of salt and pepper before each roll gets pinned with toothpicks for serving. Six rolls come together in ten minutes with nothing on the stove, so they are easy to plate well before dinner starts.

Get the recipe: 10-Minute Spicy Tuna Rolls

Bacon Wrapped Mini Peppers

Bacon crisps tightly around each mini sweet pepper half while the cream cheese filling inside heats through in the oven, growing soft and melted around the cheddar mixed in with it. Mayonnaise, sour cream, and heavy cream go into a separate Everything Bagel dip that chills while the peppers bake. The bacon gets a 7-minute head start at 425°F, then the wrapped peppers bake for 18 to 25 minutes until crispy, and the recipe makes 10 pepper halves.

Get the recipe: Bacon Wrapped Mini Peppers

Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

Panko breadcrumbs brown in the fryer until the crust crackles, and the cheddar inside goes hot and molten when you break one open. The macaroni is boiled, folded into a sauce of butter, flour, whole milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, then chilled until firm enough to cut and coat. Most of the 275-minute total is hands-off time in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours; the bites fry in a few minutes per batch and the recipe serves six.

Get the recipe: Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

Spicy Egg Salad Cucumber Boats

The egg filling here gets heat from hot sauce, with fresh dill, stone-ground mustard, and Greek yogurt giving it tang and herb alongside the heat. Hollowed cucumber halves hold that filling, and paprika, cayenne, green onions, and flaky sea salt go over the top. The eggs cook in about 15 minutes and the whole recipe finishes in 25, making 2 servings.

Get the recipe: Spicy Egg Salad Cucumber Boats

Caramelized Onion Dip

Yellow onions browned slowly in butter with a pinch of sugar grow deeply sweet and golden, and those onions carry the whole dip from there. A base of sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder holds them, with fresh chives on top at the end. The dip chills for at least an hour before serving, so it can be made ahead; it serves 10, with total time running about 100 minutes.

Get the recipe: Caramelized Onion Dip

Cold Shrimp and Cucumber Appetizer

Shrimp marinate in avocado oil, lime juice, garlic, cajun seasoning, and a touch of powdered sugar, then cook in a skillet for a few minutes and cool before going onto sliced cucumber. A quick guacamole of avocado, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime sits underneath each shrimp. The recipe makes 20 bites and comes together in about 25 minutes.

Get the recipe: Cold Shrimp and Cucumber Appetizer

Boom Boom Shrimp

A light soda-water batter of flour and cornstarch fries up around large shrimp until each piece holds a crisp shell, and the boom boom sauce waiting for them carries sweet chili heat balanced by creamy peanut butter, sriracha, and lemon juice. The shrimp are seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, and coarse black pepper before they go into canola oil, so the heat builds from both the coating and the sauce. The recipe takes 35 minutes total and serves four.

Get the recipe: Boom Boom Shrimp