Easy Christmas Appetizer Wreath with Smoked Salmon

An easy Christmas appetizer wreath with smoked salmon that’s perfect for holiday parties! A simple yet elegant Christmas appetizer to make at home.

Published: November 8, 2026 by Pamela
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If you’re looking for an easy Christmas appetizer that looks fancy without being complicated or expensive, I think you’ll love this one! I wanted to make something that would look nice on a Christmas table but wouldn’t require too much work, and this appetizer wreath turned out exactly how I wanted!

The main ingredient I wanted to use was smoked salmon, I paired it with some arugula, cherry tomatoes, olives, cream cheese, lemon slices, and beetroot cut into circles, but you can really use whatever ingredients you like. That’s what I love about this recipe! You can easily change it depending on what you have at home or what your guests prefer. You can even make this in a sweet version!

And if you’re looking for more ideas for your Christmas party, here are a few other appetizers you can try!

• Puff Pastry Pizza Magic Wands
• Cheesy Phyllo Hot Dog Crackers
• Christmas Appetizer Burrata Crostini Wreath
• Puff Pastry Christmas Tree – Pesto Edition (Because I am working on a Nutella edition as well, I know it’s a popular combination!)

Ingredients for an Easy Christmas Appetizer Wreath

You can use pretty much any toppings you like for this Christmas appetizer wreath! I went with smoked salmon, vegetables, and a few simple decorations to give it that Christmas wreath look.

• Store-bought pastry dough: I used a ready-made dough that bakes into a thin, crispy, cracker-like base. It’s a great option if you don’t want to make the dough from scratch.
• Smoked salmon: I recommend using thinly sliced smoked salmon so you can easily fold or roll it into little pieces.
• Arugula: I used fresh arugula to give the wreath its green base. You can also use other leafy greens.
• Cherry tomatoes: Cut them in slices to add some color.
• Black olives: I used sliced black olives, but you can also use green olives.
• Beets: Cooked beetroot cut into small circles.
• Lemon: Cut into small wedges to decorate the wreath and serve with the salmon.
• Rosemary: A few fresh sprigs to make the wreath look more Christmassy.
• Cream cheese: I used cream cheese to pipe around the wreath.
• Cheese & carrots: Thin slices of cheese to create the bow in the center and a piece of carrot also cut into a thin slice to decorate the bow.

This appetizer requires very few ingredients, you’ll notice that it’s around 5 to 6 cherry tomatoes, half a lemon, a few black olives, a small beetroot, and so on… So it’s technically a Christmas appetizer that is budget-friendly, but also looks fancy! (Well it depends on the price of smoked salmon where you are but even that I only used 100g).

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Smoked Salmon Appetizer Wreath Topping Ideas

The great thing about this Christmas appetizer wreath is that you can easily change the toppings depending on what you like or what you have at home!

• Cheese: You can use mozzarella, feta, or even goat cheese (not for me!). Just make sure to choose something that goes well with the other toppings.
• Meat: If you’re not a fan of smoked salmon, you can use prosciutto or thinly sliced ham instead.
• Vegetables: Cucumbers, bell peppers, and radishes are all great options for adding color and texture.
• Fresh herbs: Rosemary, dill, or parsley can help give your wreath a little more color.
• Spreads: You can use cream cheese, hummus to make a Mediterranean version, or another spread that pipes well. If you’re not comfortable piping, you can spread the spread on the dough before adding the toppings too!

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How to Make a Christmas Appetizer Wreath

Step 1: Cut & Bake the Wreath

Preheat your oven according to the instructions on your store-bought pastry package.

Unroll the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place a bowl in the center of the dough and use a knife to cut around it. This makes cutting a perfect circle much easier! Remove the center, then prick the remaining dough with a fork to prevent it from puffing up too much while baking. For a beautiful golden color, you can also brush the pastry with a little egg wash before baking. This step is optional!

Bake the pastry according to the package instructions until golden and crispy. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before adding the toppings. While the pastry is cooling, you can start preparing your ingredients.

Important: I highly recommend assembling this Christmas appetizer wreath as close to serving time as possible. The moisture from the vegetables, cream cheese, and smoked salmon can soften the pastry and make it lose its crispiness if it sits for too long.

Step 2: Prepare the Smoked Salmon and Vegetables

Start by washing all the vegetables and herbs that need to be washed, then dry them well. Here’s how I prepared my toppings:

• Arugula: I bought prewashed arugula, so it was ready to use.
• Smoked salmon: Cut the salmon into strips and roll or fold them however you like. They don’t need to look perfect!
• Lemon: Cut into thin slices, then into smaller wedges.
• Beetroot: I used precooked beetroot, sliced it, and cut out small circles using a round cutter.
• Cherry tomatoes: Cut each tomato into 3 or 4 slices.
• Black olives: I bought presliced olives, so there was nothing to prepare!
• Cream cheese: added a small star tip to a piping bag and put the cream cheese in it. Use spreadable cream cheese instead of the block.

Step 3: Assemble

Once the pastry has cooled completely, start by arranging the arugula all around the wreath.

Next, add the smoked salmon, spreading the rolled pieces evenly around the pastry. Fill the remaining spaces with the cherry tomatoes, beetroot circles, black olives, and lemon wedges. You can arrange everything however you like, but I recommend distributing the colors around the wreath rather than grouping similar ingredients together.

Transfer the cream cheese to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip and pipe little flowers between the toppings.

Step 4: The Final Touches

For the bow, I used regular cheese slices and a heart-shaped cutter. Cut out two hearts from the cheese slices and arrange them with their pointed ends facing each other to create the loops of the bow.

Next, cut two longer strips of cheese and place them underneath to create the hanging ribbons. I also cut a thin strip of carrot and used a smaller heart-shaped cutter to create two little carrot hearts. I placed them inside the cheese hearts to add more color. Add a small cherry tomato in the center to bring the bow together.

Finally, add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary around the wreath for an even more elegant look! Fresh dill would also be a great option, but I couldn’t find any where I live.

I recommend serving it right away while the pastry is still crispy. If you’re preparing it for a Christmas party, you can have all your toppings washed, sliced, and ready in advance, then assemble everything shortly before your guests arrive.

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🎥 Here’s a quick video showing how I assembled and decorated my Christmas appetizer wreath!

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How to Store Your Smoked Salmon Appetizer Wreath

I recommend serving this Christmas appetizer wreath fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and try to eat them by the next day.

Keep in mind that the pastry will likely lose some of its crispiness as it absorbs moisture from the toppings. You might also notice that the beetroot starts to stain the cream cheese pink or purple, so your wreath won’t look quite as pretty the next day!

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Easy Christmas appetizers you might want to try! 🎄

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