I love creating fun, savory appetizers for the holidays—most seasonal recipes focus on desserts, but I prefer a balanced spread that includes festive savory bites.
These Christmas Tree Quesadillas were inspired by a Halloween version I saw and adapted into a holiday-ready appetizer. Quesadillas are simple to assemble and require only a few ingredients, which makes them ideal for parties.
I first considered making them warm like traditional quesadillas, but since they’re meant to be handheld party pieces, I chose a cold filling so they stay tasty even if they cool down.
The filling combines cream cheese, a bit of salsa, and shredded cheddar. Spread this mixture over flour tortillas, stack them, then slice into small triangles. After cutting, you’ll decorate each triangle to resemble a little Christmas tree.
I recommend using small fajita-sized tortillas; larger ones can be floppy and harder to secure on toothpicks.
Use fresh guacamole or a store-bought container for convenience. For the tree “ornaments” I like diced red and yellow bell pepper; feel free to substitute with other colorful vegetables if you prefer.
Christmas Tree Quesadillas
30 minutes
30 minutes
These festive mini quesadillas make a playful appetizer that both kids and adults will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) block plain cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 fajita-sized flour tortillas
- toothpicks
- guacamole
- diced red and yellow bell pepper
- extra yellow pepper for the stars/tree topper
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, salsa, and shredded cheddar to a bowl and mix until smooth and combined.
- Spread a thin, even layer of the cream cheese mixture onto three or four tortillas, then top each with the remaining tortillas to form stacked sandwiches.
- Use a sharp knife to cut each stacked tortilla into about five triangular pieces. These triangles will become the individual trees.
- Spread roughly 1 tablespoon of guacamole on one side of each triangle. Cut a small star from a yellow bell pepper for the tree topper and sprinkle diced bell peppers as ornaments. Secure each tree with a toothpick if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate briefly before serving.
Notes
To avoid soggy tortillas or browned guacamole, don’t assemble these fully the night before. You can prepare the cream cheese mixture and chop the peppers ahead of time, then assemble on the day you’ll serve them.
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