These Heat-and-Serve Holiday Appetizers Are So Good No One Will Know They Came Out of the Freezer
Between wrapping presents, welcoming house guests, and watching seasonal movies, there’s little time left during the holidays to make flawless appetizers from scratch. Luckily for us all, grocery stores are here to help with quick, convenient, and surprisingly delicious frozen appetizers to heat up at home, so no friend or family member will know the difference. Here are our top four places to buy ready-to-reheat holiday apps — plus specific recommendations on which goodies to grab.
trader joe’s
TJ’s rarely fails to fulfill our entertaining needs with whimsically tasty treats, and its bite-size appetizers are no exception. Our favorites are the gooey Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread With Mozzarella Cheese ($4), which you can slice into smaller pieces; the flaky, golden brown Spanakopita Filled With Spinach, Ricotta, and Feta Cheese ($4); the spicy and crispy Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas ($4); the Mini-Frank-Filled Parmesan Pastry Puffs ($4); and the tangy yet sweet Pastry Bites With Feta Cheese and Caramelized Onions ($5). Buy them all for an exciting, affordable spread that will please any palate.
Costco
If you’re throwing (or attending) a huge holiday party, you can’t go wrong with a Costco run. Embrace an around-the-world theme with Cuisine Adventures Spinach and Feta Spanakopita ($15), Sukhi’s Potato Samosas With Cilantro Chutney ($11), and TigerThai Jumbo Tempura Shrimp ($13). For cheese lovers, we recommend The Perfect Bite Co. Five-Cheese Mac and Cheese Bites ($10) and Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola Pastry Bites ($13), as well as Brazi Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites ($13), which taste like cheesy clouds.
Classic appetizers include Phillips Mini Crab Cakes ($20) and Cuisine Adventures Pigs in a Blanket ($12) and Florentine and Cheese-and-Bacon Mini Quiche ($13). Can’t decide on a single appetizer? We don’t blame you. Feed a crowd with the hearty Schwan’s Appetizer Variety Pack ($95), which has roasted chicken wings with barbecue sauce, cheddar and bacon potato skins, and mozzarella sticks.
sam’s club
Sam’s Club is another one-stop shop for hefty quantities and crowd-pleasing flavors. For easy-as-can-be app shopping, snatch up a variety of Member’s Mark items, such as Crispy Cheese and Spinach Spanakopita, Cream-Cheesy Crab Rangoons, both vegetarian and bacon-filled Mini Quiche, Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp With Pepper Jack Cheese, and Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese Bites With Bacon and Hatch Chilies — all $10 a pop.
whole foods
Want to keep your holiday indulgences on the healthier side? Run to Whole Foods (or shop the chain on Amazon) for a host of simple finger foods, such as Royal Asia Boom Boom Shrimp With Sriracha Aioli ($5), Kim & Scott’s Bavarian Soft Pretzels ($6), Feel Good Foods Gluten-Free Chicken Egg Rolls ($5), 365 Organic Mozzarella Sticks ($5), and a Whole Foods Mini Quiche Trio ($7). Add some green to the scene with Spinach and Cheese Spanakopita ($5), Buttery Artichoke, Kale, and Swiss Chard Bites ($4), and Potato and Pea Samosas ($3), or slice up a wood-fired Stracchino and Arugula Pizza ($6).
Need more holiday-party prep ideas? Follow Brit + Co on Pinterest!
(Photos via Sara Cagle/Brit + Co, Sam’s Club, and Whole Foods)
