53 New Year’s Eve Recipes For Eating & Drinking The Night Away
NYE is ALL about the apps.
This New Year’s Eve, take some stress off your plate and ditch dinner in lieu of party food like dips, appetizers, desserts, and cocktails. It'll cut down on the mess of forks and knives without sacrificing good eats, and leave you more room for what’s important—celebrating having made it through another year! We’ve included 53 of our favorite party foods for you here, including some fun spins on ones guaranteed to bring you good luck this year (12 boozy grapes at midnight, here we come 😉).
What kind of food you serve this New Year’s really depends what kind of party vibe you’re going for. Are you having more of a wine-and-cheese-style soirée? Go for our cornbread stuffed mussels, our bacon-wrapped dates, our black-eyed pea bruschetta, or our bagna cauda. They’re all just a little bit fancier than your average fare, perfect for serving to dressed up guests.
Throwing more of a relaxed get-together, everyone in comfies watching those suckers freezing their butts off at the ball drop in Times Square? Serve up classic crowd-pleasers, like nachos or a cheesy dip, but with a little good luck spin. Try our pulled pork nachos or sausage rolls (pork represents progress); our pretzel ring beer cheese dip or our pretzel bites (pretzels for prosperity); or our chili cheese dip or our cheesy mini meatball skillet dip (serve these with golden cornbread for wealth).
Looking for something in the middle? Try the high-low approach, where you utilize nicer ingredients in approachable ways. Check out our mushroom “calamari”, our baked brie wreath, our fondue bites, or our spicy ahi tuna nachos to see what we’re talking about. They're a little of of the ordinary, but not so much so as to seem like you tried too hard.
And don’t forget drinks! We included a few of our top contenders here, like our holiday punch or our Champagne margaritas, but check out even more New Year’s drink ideas here too.
Black-Eyed Pea Bruschetta
With leafy dark greens that flop around like cash, collard greens represent wealth and money, while black-eyed peas represent coins and luck. Combine both with bacon and goat cheese on this easy bruschetta to ensure a prosperous (and delicious) year ahead.
Get the Black-Eyed Pea Bruschetta recipe.
Pulled Pork Nachos
Here at Delish, we love all nachos, but this pulled pork version is one of our favorites. Loaded with cheese, pickled jalapeños, guacamole, and of course, BBQ pulled pork, they’re perfect for celebrating with friends this New Year's.
Get the Pulled Pork Nachos recipe.
Cornbread-Stuffed Mussels
These mussels will make you rethink if mushrooms are the only things that should be stuffed this holiday season. You might already be using cornbread for luck in your NYE meal, so save some crumbs to make these salty-sweet morsels that are endlessly poppable.
Get the Cornbread-Stuffed Mussels recipe.
Bagna Cauda
Italian bagna cauda is a buttery sauce made from lots of garlic and anchovies (stick with us) that somehow work together to create a dip that’s a little pungent, a little sweet, and will keep you coming back for more. Trust us, this one belongs on your NYE table.
Get the Bagna Cauda recipe.
Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip
We decided to take classic beer cheese up a notch by surrounding it in a ring of the staple pairing: pretzeled biscuits. The creamy dip and the pretzel ring bake together, making this two-in-one party party snack almost too easy to bake and share.
Get the Pretzel Ring Beer Cheese Dip recipe.
French 75
Sure, there’s the tried-and-true margarita and the timeless old-fashioned, but the French 75 has got what those two don’t: Champagne! Champagne is what makes this drink distinctively French (and totally worth the splurge), but a more affordable sparkling wine will work too.
Get the French 75 recipe.
Parmesan Bread Bites
If you're a fan of garlic knots, this recipe is basically the bite-sized app version, covered in gooey cheese, garlic butter, and fresh herbs. Though technically optional, we highly recommend drizzling these bites with hot honey for a delicious balance of savory, spicy, and a touch of sweet.
Get the Parmesan Bread Bites recipe.
Antipasto Bundles
Your favorite antipasto just got even better—it’s now wrapped in buttery puff pastry. A couple bites in, and we know you’ll be going back for another (and another!).
Get the Antipasto Bundles recipe.
Air Fryer Potstickers
We here at Delish love dumplings of all kinds, but making them completely from scratch can be a lot. If you want something that’s a little less work intensive (and you love using your air fryer), this recipe is all yours.
Get the Air Fryer Potstickers recipe.
Prosecco Grapes
Give grapes a festive upgrade with New Year's appropriate Prosecco (though any sparkling wine will work). We went for green, but any type of grape you like is great for these.
Get the Prosecco Grapes recipe.
Pub Beer Cheese
This recipe couldn't be more party-friendly. It whips up in minutes, and you only have to dirty one bowl. This is wonderful with big hard or soft pretzels (homemade, maybe?), but truly anything goes.
Get the Pub Beer Cheese recipe.
Sausage Rolls
If you like pigs in a blanket, you’ll fall hard for sausage rolls. Featuring juicy pork filling wrapped in flaky golden brown pastry, these savory snacks are sure to become your new favorite party food.
Get the Sausage Rolls recipe.
Champagne Margarita
A classic margarita gets a festive boost with the addition of your favorite bubbly. It's how you show off your fun side while also keeping it classy this NYE.
Get the Champagne Margaritas recipe.
Chili Cheese Dip
With just a little more cooking time than the average recipe out there, our version of chili cheese dip uses the added flavors of caramelized onion and jalapeño to spice up the classic creamy queso. Serve with golden cornbread for luck this NYE.
Get the Chili Cheese Dip recipe.
Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs
Bacon Wrapped Dates
If you're unfamiliar with dates, it's time to familiarize yourself! The date's sweetness is the PERFECT counterpoint to crisp, salty bacon and creamy goat cheese. We guarantee these will fly off the platter before the party's really even started.
Get the Bacon Wrapped Dates recipe.
Holiday Punch
There’s no better way to liven up a holiday party than with a big pitcher of punch, and we love this punch any day of the year (especially NYE). It derives its natural sweetness from apple cider. Add some spice from ginger beer and tartness from unsweetened cranberry juice, and you have a sophisticated, festive punch perfect for NYE.
Get the Holiday Punch recipe.
Oysters Rockefeller
Looking to impress without much effort? Oysters Rockefeller will do the trick. Topped with spinach and buttery bread crumbs, these oysters will be gone faster than you can say Rockefeller.
Get the Oysters Rockefeller recipe.
Mushroom Calamari
Umami-rich oyster mushrooms are lightly battered and fried for this squid-free take on seafood favorite calamari. You can use other mushroom varieties, but the delicate “petals” of the oyster mushrooms get extra crispy.
Get the Mushroom Calamari recipe.
Baked Brie Wreath
Honey-glazed melted brie + herby crispy pizza dough = true happiness. Your friends, family, or colleagues will be ready to dive into this edible wreath once you stroll through the door with this app… after all, you want to eat the cheese while it’s warm and gooey.
Get the Baked Brie Wreath recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
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