I’ve rounded up my absolute favorite New Year’s Eve party recipes that deliver maximum flavor with minimal effort. From hot, cheesy dips that vanish in seconds to crispy wings that rival your favorite pub, these are the appetizers that will have your guests asking for the recipe before the ball drops. Let’s get this party started!

a table filled with party food and fireworks in the background celebrating NYE - 1
  • Hosting Guide: How Much Food Do You Need?
  • The “Morning After” Cleanup Guide (Read This Before You Start!)
  • More Party Collections

Hosting Guide: How Much Food Do You Need?

Before we get to the recipes, here is my golden rule for catering:

The “Rule of 6”: For a standard cocktail party, estimate 6 appetizer bites per person per hour for the first two hours.

Variety: Aim for a mix of hot, cold, heavy, and light options. And if your guest have a sweet tooth check out my Nutella day inspired recipes .

The Ultimate NYE Grazing Station (Centerpieces)

Start the party with these show-stoppers. These are your “set it and forget it” items that look impressive but take minimal effort.

THE BEST HOLIDAY CHEESE BALL! served with biscuits - 2

Antipasto Cheese Ball Christmas Tree

A Loaded Thanksgiving Cheeseboard to kick off your day/night with an easy and quick, throw together cheeseboard that requires zero skill and no prep work! - 3

Loaded Ultimate Cheeseboard

Caprese Salad Christmas Wreath is a festive and healthy appetizer for your Christmas table! - 4

Caprese Christmas Wreath

Hot & Cheesy Dips (Crowd Favorites)

My rule: You need at least one hot dip. These are the ones people hover around.

Warm Spinach Bacon Artichoke Dip is a hit around the table! Made with minimal ingredients and topped with crispy bacon, what's not to love! - 5

Skillet Spinach Bacon Artichoke Dip

Sausage Cream Cheese Dip Stuffed Mushrooms - 6

Sausage Cream Cheese Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

A piece pulled from Bloomin' Onion Garlic Bread (Pull Apart Bread) - 7

Bloomin’ Onion Garlic Bread

The Wing Bar (Crispy & Sticky)

Wings are the #1 requested party food. My oven-baked method gets them just as crispy as a fryer without the oil mess.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are exactly what they claim to be. CRISPY without deep frying, using one special ingredient you have in your kitchen pantry! - 8

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings (Baked)

Sticky Thai Chicken Wings on a platter - 9

Sticky Thai Chicken Wings

Crispy Garlic Chicken Strips with Sweet Chilli Mayo on a plate - 10

Crispy Garlic Chicken Strips

Meatballs (Toothpick Essentials)

The ultimate “dump and go” appetizer. Keep these warm in a slow cooker if you have one.

zoom in image of Teriyaki Beef Meatballs picked with toothpick - 11

Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs

Yummy Mongolian Glazed Meatballs - 12

Mongolian Glazed Meatballs

Seafood & Fancy Bites

Oven baked shrimp with a hint of lemon and garlic, topped with flavorful golden and buttery, garlic parmesan breadcrumbs. - 13

Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi

Top view of Bacon Wrapped Shrimp - 14

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Shrimp Avocado Garlic on avocado garlic bread - 15

Shrimp Avocado Garlic Bread

Chunky Shrimp Guacamole pieces in a white bowl - 16

Chunky Shrimp Guacamole

Fresh & Light (To Balance the Cheese)

You need these fresh bites to cut through the richness of the dips and wings.

Top view of Chili Lime Texas Caviar in a glass bowl - 17

Chili Lime Texas Caviar

5 pieces of Avocado Caprese Crostini on a wooden tray ready to enjoy - 18

Grilled Avocado Caprese Crostini

Mini Caprese Deep Dish Pizzas - 19

Mini Caprese Deep Dish Pizzas

Garlic Butter Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus on a pan - 20

Garlic Butter Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Avocado Hummus served in a white bowl, drizzled with olive oil and topped with 16 whole chickpeas. Whole chickpeas decorate the bottom left corner of the table with corn chips. - 21

Avocado Hummus

Cafe Delites Signature Party Drinks

Food is only half the battle. Here are the drinks that get the 5-star reviews.

Side view image of Frozen Margarita Slushy - 22

Frozen Margarita Slushy

Berry Sangria in a glass - 23

Berry Sangria

Pineapple Rum Punch in 2 glasses - 24

Pineapple Rum Punch

Refreshing Strawberry Rosé Slushies - 25

Strawberry Rosé Slushies

The “Morning After” Cleanup Guide (Read This Before You Start!)

Hosting is fun; cleaning up sticky wing sauce is not. Over the years, I’ve found a few hacks to make the “day after” painless so you can start the New Year relaxing, not scrubbing. Let’s be real—the only thing worse than a hangover is a sink full of sticky dishes!

  1. The “Soak” Rule (For Sticky Glazes) Those Honey Buffalo Wings and Spinach Dip are delicious, but they bake onto pans like cement.
  • The Hack: Before you go to bed, fill your dirty platters with hot water and a dryer sheet (yes, really!). The conditioning agents soften the baked-on sugar overnight. In the morning, the mess wipes right off.
  1. Lipstick on Champagne Flutes Dishwashers often fail at removing long-wear lipstick from delicate flutes.
  • The Hack: Don’t scrub and risk breaking them. Rub the rim gently with a little coarse salt and a damp cloth before washing. It works like an exfoliant for the glass.
  1. The Glitter/Confetti Nightmare If you popped confetti poppers, you probably have glitter in your rug.
  • The Hack: A vacuum often just blows it around. Wrap duct tape or packing tape around a paint roller (sticky side out) and roll it over your rugs or sofas. It picks up every sparkle in seconds.
  1. Get Rid of the “Party Smell” Stale beer and onion dip odors? No thanks.
  • The Simmer Pot: Instead of chemical sprays, throw a sliced lemon, a sprig of rosemary, and a vanilla bean into a pot of water. Simmer it on the stove for 30 minutes. Your house will smell like a Williams Sonoma store instantly.

More Party Collections

Planning Ahead? Don’t forget to save my Spooky Halloween Recipe Ideas for next year!

Or if a large party is not your thing, I have come up with a couples romantic date night recipe menu builder here .