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New Year’s Eve at our place is mostly about the food. The chores are done early, the slow cookers come out, and we graze from supper until the ball drops. Then on New Year’s Day we sit down to the lucky foods, because nobody around here wants to risk a bad year.
Here are 23 New Year’s Eve food ideas for a night at home, from hot dips, meatballs and sliders to fondue and a prime rib supper, lucky foods like pork and sauerkraut, collard greens and 12 grapes at midnight, and sweet treats like Dutch oliebollen and clock cookies. Each one links to the cook who made it, with the full recipe. For the rest of the party, our New Year’s Eve party ideas cover drinks, games and decor, and our Christmas appetizer ideas have even more finger foods.
1. Hot spinach artichoke dip
SaveCredit: WonkyWonderful
Every New Year’s Eve spread needs one warm, cheesy dip, and this is the one I make first. It is loaded with so much spinach that I feel a little better about eating it with a spoon.
Nicole mixes 20 ounces of thawed and well drained frozen spinach and 6 ounces of chopped artichoke hearts with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise and an Italian cheese blend. Top it with more cheese and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until it bubbles. Serve it with crackers, bread, pita chips or carrot sticks.
2. Hot crab rangoon dip with wonton chips
SaveCredit: Once Upon a Chef
If your family orders crab rangoon every time you get takeout, this dip will disappear before the ball drops. It tastes just like the fried ones without folding a single wonton.
Whisk warm cream cheese with mayonnaise, sour cream, Sriracha, lime juice and garlic, then fold in crab meat, scallions and cheese. Bake it in a 1 quart dish until it bubbles and finish it with Thai sweet chili sauce. Jenn’s tip is to use fresh or refrigerated crab, not the shelf stable cans, and to squeeze out the extra liquid so the dip is not watery.
3. Grape jelly cocktail meatballs
SaveCredit: Salt & Lavender
These are the meatballs every church potluck in my county has served since before I was born. Three ingredients and a slow cooker is my kind of party food.
Put a 24 ounce bag of frozen meatballs in the crock pot with equal parts Heinz chili sauce and grape jelly. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6, then keep them on warm with a cup of toothpicks beside them. A pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce gives them a little kick.
4. Crockpot Swedish meatballs
SaveCredit: The Anthony Kitchen
When I want meatballs that feel a little fancier, I make Swedish meatballs from scratch. The warm allspice and nutmeg make the whole house smell like the holidays.
This recipe bakes the meatballs in the oven instead of browning them one batch at a time, so the fat stays on the sheet pan. The creamy gravy is made on the stove with no canned soup, then everything goes into the slow cooker to stay warm. Short on time? Use a 2 pound bag of frozen meatballs and cook them in the sauce on low for 4 to 5 hours.
5. Ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls
SaveCredit: Averie Cooks
Sliders are the food that keeps teenagers happy until midnight. I make two pans because the first one is always gone in minutes.
Slice a whole block of Hawaiian rolls in half, layer on deli ham and Swiss cheese, and put the tops back on. Brush them with melted butter mixed with Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, dried onion and Worcestershire sauce, then bake for about 20 minutes. It is also a good way to use up the leftover Christmas ham.
6. Brown sugar bacon wrapped smokies
SaveCredit: Together as Family
My husband calls these meat candy, and he is not wrong. They are the first thing to go on any appetizer table I have ever set.
Cut each slice of bacon into thirds, wrap a piece around each little smokie and set them seam side down on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake at 375°F for 25 to 35 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Add a little cayenne or chili powder with the sugar if your crowd likes heat.
7. Jalapeno popper wonton cups
SaveCredit: Fed by Sab
I love jalapeno poppers, but I do not love the cheese melting out all over the pan. These little cups fix that and are easier to eat while you mingle.
Press wonton wrappers into a mini muffin tin and bake them until they are just golden. Fill them with a creamy mix of cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, chopped jalapenos, green onion, garlic and crumbled bacon, then bake again until crispy. You can bake the cups ahead and fill them right before guests come.
8. Sausage cream cheese pinwheels
SaveCredit: Food Lovin Family
These remind me of the sausage rolls my grandma made, only faster. A tube of crescent dough does all the work.
Brown a roll of breakfast sausage and stir it into softened cream cheese with green onions and garlic powder. Spread it over crescent dough, roll it up into a log, wrap it and freeze it for an hour so it slices clean. Cut it into rounds and bake until golden. You can freeze the log days ahead and bake it on the night of the party.
9. Antipasto tortellini skewers
SaveCredit: Baked Bree
I like to have one fresh, cold thing on the table between all the warm dips, and these skewers are it. They are colorful and look like you worked much harder than you did.
Thread cheese tortellini, salami, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives and fresh basil onto small skewers. Cook the tortellini just until tender so it does not tear on the stick. Build them in the afternoon and keep them in the fridge until the party starts.
10. Three cheese fondue
SaveCredit: Oh Sweet Basil
Fondue is the most fun way I know to stretch dinner out over a long evening. Everyone sits around the pot, and nobody is in a hurry.
This one blends fontina, Gruyere and smoked Gouda. Shred the cheese yourself and toss it with cornstarch, rub the pot with a cut garlic clove, then simmer broth and cider vinegar and stir in the cheese a handful at a time with a little Dijon and nutmeg. Set out bread cubes, apples, broccoli, ham and roasted potatoes for dipping.
11. Prime rib roast
SaveCredit: The Woks of Life
If you want one big special dinner on the last night of the year, a standing rib roast is it. It looks like a feast, and the oven does most of the work.
This family recipe comes from their dad, a roast cook at a big Catskills resort hotel who cooked prime rib for crowds of guests. Their first piece of advice is to talk to your butcher and buy a good standing rib roast for your budget, then follow their step by step method. If beef is your plan, our beef tenderloin recipe is another good choice for a smaller crowd.
12. DIY pizza bar
SaveCredit: My Baking Addiction
When the kids are home and the grandkids are coming, a pizza bar is my favorite New Year’s Eve supper. Everyone builds their own, so there is no fussing about toppings.
Make a quick 30 minute pizza crust, divide it into small personal portions and set out sauces, cheeses and toppings in bowls. Each person makes their own pizza on a small sheet pan, and the hostess gets to sit down too.
13. Toshikoshi soba
SaveCredit: Just One Cookbook
In Japan many families eat a bowl of soba noodle soup before midnight on New Year’s Eve. I love a light, warm supper after a day of snacking.
The long buckwheat noodles stand for strength and a long life, and the custom goes back to the 1700s. Namiko serves them in a simple dashi broth topped with slices of kamaboko fish cake and green onions, and it comes together quickly.
14. Pork and sauerkraut
SaveCredit: Intentional Hospitality
Pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day is a tradition in a lot of German and Pennsylvania Dutch homes, and plenty of us in the Midwest grew up with it too. The saying goes that a pig roots forward, so you move ahead into the new year.
This version bakes a boneless pork loin rubbed with smoked paprika in a Dutch oven with sauerkraut, onion, apple, brown sugar and caraway seeds. Do not rinse the kraut. It serves 6 and goes perfectly with mashed potatoes. Our Dutch oven recipes have more one pot ideas for the cold days after.
15. Southern collard greens
SaveCredit: Space Coast Living
Greens on New Year’s Day are supposed to bring money in the coming year, because they look like folded bills. I will take all the help I can get.
Cook chopped hickory smoked bacon in a big pot, then add sweet onions, smoked ham and garlic. Stir in chicken broth, 3 pounds of trimmed collard greens, cider vinegar and a little sugar, salt and pepper, and let it simmer for about 2 hours until tender.
16. Buttermilk skillet cornbread
SaveCredit: Bless This Mess
You cannot have greens without cornbread to soak up the pot liquor. This one is made in a cast iron skillet like my grandma’s.
Melt butter in the skillet in the hot oven before the batter goes in. That is what gives it the crispy crust on the bottom while the middle stays tender. It takes about 5 minutes of hands on time and 20 to 25 minutes in the oven.
17. Cotechino with lentils
SaveCredit: Christina’s Cucina
In Italy the big New Year’s Eve dish is a rich pork sausage called cotechino served over lentils. The little round lentils look like coins, so they are said to bring wealth, and the sausage brings health.
Christina makes her Nonna Chiarina’s cotechino and serves it on brown lentils cooked with onion, celery and olive oil. If you cannot find cotechino, a good mild Italian sausage over lentils is a cozy stand in.
18. 12 grapes at midnight
SaveCredit: Red Ted Art
This is the easiest tradition on the list and the kids think it is hilarious. In Spain everyone gets 12 grapes right before midnight.
Eat one grape on each stroke of the clock, and if you finish all 12 you get a lucky year. Set out little bowls or skewers of grapes before the countdown. Cut grapes in half lengthwise for young children, since whole grapes can be a choking hazard.
19. Vasilopita New Year’s cake
SaveCredit: Honest Mum
Greek families bake this orange scented cake for New Year’s Day with a coin hidden inside. Whoever finds the coin in their slice has good luck all year.
Vicki’s family recipe uses yogurt, orange juice and orange and lemon zest. Wrap a coin in foil, drop it into the batter in a large bundt pan and bake for about 45 minutes. Dust it with powdered sugar and decorate with orange slices and pomegranate seeds.
20. Dutch oliebollen
SaveCredit: Cakies
Oliebollen are the Dutch New Year’s Eve treat, little fried dough balls that most Dutch homes have on the table every year. Think of them as a donut hole’s fluffier cousin.
They have been a New Year’s Eve tradition since the 1800s. This recipe is a yeast dough with flour, milk and eggs, studded with raisins, currants and chopped apple. Drop spoonfuls into hot oil, fry until golden and pile them high under a snowfall of powdered sugar.
21. Gold chocolate covered strawberries
SaveCredit: Amanda’s Cookin’
A plate of gold strawberries looks so fancy for the midnight toast, and they are one of the easiest desserts you can make.
Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate and 12 ounces of gold candy melts in a double boiler. Dip about 2 pounds of strawberries on skewers, set them on a chilled lined sheet pan and add coarse sugar, sprinkles or drizzles before the coating sets.
22. Almost midnight clock cookies
SaveCredit: The Decorated Cookie
These little clock cookies make my heart happy. They are the perfect size for kids who have already had plenty of sugar.
Cut mini circles of sugar cookie dough with a 1 1/4 inch cutter, bake and cool. Flood them with bright royal icing, let it set, then draw the clock hands and numbers with a black edible marker so they point just before twelve.
23. Resolution cookies
SaveCredit: CakeWhiz
This is a no bake project the kids can do while you finish the appetizers. Everyone writes a resolution on a cookie and then eats it.
Cut circles of colored fondant and stick them onto golden Oreos with a dab of corn syrup. Let them dry for 10 to 15 minutes, then write resolutions like take a trip or save money with edible markers.
How to plan New Year’s Eve food
Pick two or three foods that stay warm on their own. A slow cooker of meatballs, a hot dip and a pot of fondue can each sit for hours, so you are not cooking at eleven at night. Add one cold platter like antipasto skewers and one dessert you can make the day before.
Bake ahead wherever you can. Sausage pinwheels can be frozen, wonton cups can be baked early, and the vasilopita and cookies keep well overnight. Leave the sliders and smokies for the last hour so they come out of the oven hot.
If you want the lucky foods on New Year’s Day, set the pork and sauerkraut and the collard greens to cook while you sleep in, then bake the cornbread right before you eat.
New Year’s Eve food FAQ
What food is good for a New Year’s Eve party? Finger foods that hold well are best. Grape jelly meatballs, hot spinach artichoke dip, crab rangoon dip, bacon wrapped smokies, ham and cheese sliders and antipasto skewers all feed a crowd and last the whole night.
What is a traditional New Year’s Eve dinner? It depends on where your family comes from. Prime rib and fondue are classic American celebrations, Italians eat cotechino with lentils, and many Japanese families eat toshikoshi soba before midnight.
What foods bring good luck for the new year? Pork and sauerkraut, collard greens, cornbread, lentils, 12 grapes at midnight and a vasilopita cake with a hidden coin are all eaten for luck, money or a long life in the coming year.
What can I make ahead for New Year’s Eve? Sausage pinwheels, Swedish meatballs, collard greens, clock cookies and chocolate covered strawberries can all be made a day ahead, so you get to enjoy the party too.
