Planning a cozy New Year’s Eve celebration at home with family? Skip the formal dinner and create a memorable evening with a curated selection of irresistible cheesy sourdough appetizers. This year, elevate your at-home celebration with these easy finger food recipes that are guaranteed to impress.

Sourdough Bread: The Star Ingredient:

For optimal flavor and texture, use homemade or high-quality sourdough bread. If you are a home baker, like me, consider a long, cold ferment to deepen the bread’s flavor. Shaping the dough into various forms, such as bâtards and boules, allows for diverse appetizer presentations.

Why Cheesy Sourdough Appetizers are Perfect for New Year’s Eve:

  • Versatility: With its distinct tang and texture, Sourdough bread provides the perfect base for various cheesy toppings and dips.
  • Comfort Food Indulgence: Warm, cheesy bites are the perfect way to celebrate the new year comfortably.
  • Effortless Elegance: These appetizers are simple to prepare, yet offer a sophisticated touch to your celebration.
  • Family-Friendly Fun: Everyone loves cheesy appetizers, making them a crowd-pleasing choice for all ages.

Cheesy Sourdough Appetizer Recipe Ideas:

Focus on creating lasting memories with your loved ones this New Year’s Eve by serving these delicious and relaxed cheesy sourdough appetizers instead of a formal dinner.

1- Sourdough Bread Bowl, Cheese, and Crab Fondue

This bubbling, cheesy, crab-packed fondue is served in a warm sourdough bowl that invites everyone to dive in. Picture laughter, the clinking of fondue forks, and the inevitable “crab slip” spectacle that turns into a hilarious free-for-all. This dish makes memories and guarantees an empty bread bowl by the end!

Ingredients:

  • For the Sourdough Bowl:
    • 1 round boule of sourdough bread (about 8-10 inches in diameter)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • For the Fondue:
    • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
    • 1 cup shredded Gruyère or other strong-flavored Swiss cheese
    • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine (OR substitute chicken broth or milk)
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 pound cooked crabmeat, drained and flaked
    • Fresh parsley for garnish.

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Sourdough Bowl:
    • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
    • Cut off the top of the sourdough loaf and set it aside.
    • Scoop out the inside of the loaf, leaving a 1-inch-thick shell. Cut the removed bread into cubes and set aside.
    • Brush the inside and outside of the bread bowl and the bread cubes with the olive oil.
    • Place the bread bowl and cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
  2. Prepare the Fondue:
    • In a medium saucepan, combine the shredded cheeses.
    • Whisk together the white wine (or substitute with milk or chicken broth) in a small bowl.
    • Add the wine mixture, cream cheese, minced garlic, Old Bay seasoning, and nutmeg to the saucepan.
    • Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth.
    • Gently fold in the cooked crabmeat.
  3. Assemble and Serve:
    • Pour the cheese and crab fondue into the toasted sourdough bowl.
    • Garnish with fresh parsley.
    • Serve immediately with the toasted sourdough cubes and other desired dippers (such as vegetables or crackers).

Tips and Variations:

  • For a richer flavor, use a combination of Gruyère and Emmental cheese.
  • You can add a splash of lemon juice to the fondue for a brighter flavor.
  • For a bit of spice, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
  • Other great dipping items include: steamed broccoli florets, carrot sticks, and bell pepper strips.

Enjoy this warm and comforting cheese and crab fondue with your loved ones!

2- Smoked Sausage and Apple Sourdough Stuffing Bites 

I love stuffing more than any other side dish, but those stove-top varieties can’t compare to our sourdough bread stuffing, which is the key to this recipe. Cross-slice and cut one whole country loaf into cubes. Place the bread on a baking sheet overnight to dry out ( or alternately pop it into your preheated (425°F) oven for 10 minutes until dry). And remember to make this cheesy with Parmesan.

AllRecipes.com promises: “You can now enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving side dish all year long with this delicious appetizer in partnership with Hillshire Farm® Brand.” 

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole, cross-sliced and cubed, sourdough bread boule (about 6 cups)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces Hillshire Farm® Rope Smoked Sausage, cut in 1/4″ cubes
  • 1 ½ cups chopped Honeycrisp apple
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1 ¼ cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2-3 cups Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Coat a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
  3. Arrange bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until toasted and dry, about 10 minutes.
    Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.
    Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
  4. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add sausage; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
  5. Add apple, onion, garlic, and sage; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apple and onion are slightly softened.
  6. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with bread.
  7. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add chicken stock, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and eggs to the bowl with the bread mixture; toss gently until moistened.
  8. Divide the mixture among muffin cups.
  9. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  10. Use a small offset spatula to remove from pans carefully; serve warm.

3- Cheesy Sourdough Pull-Apart Bread

This is another simple recipe for tonight’s festivities using a whole sourdough boule. As the cheese melts into the deep cuts, this becomes a gooey pull-apart that your family or guests will enjoy.

However, I was a bit confused by Kelly Williams’ recipe @WildfloursCottageKitchen, so I went back to her source at Taste of Home to find this video: cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/v6EkuhdG

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole, unsliced, sourdough boule (1 lb.)
  • 1lb. Monterey Jack cheese, sliced (or grated)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1-2 tsp finely minced garlic, or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, to taste
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 2/3 tsp. poppy seeds
  • A dash or 2 of coarse ground pepper

Directions:

  1.  Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust.
  2. Insert small cheese slices between cuts.
  3. Combine butter, garlic, onions, and poppy seeds; drizzle over the bread.
  4. Sprinkle the loaf lightly with pepper.
  5. Wrap the entire loaf in foil, seal it well, and place it on a baking sheet.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
  7. Unwrap and bake 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Williams says it “looks so pretty when it fans out a little! Enjoy!!”

4- Championship Killer Cheesy Sourdough Bread 

 “A Dale Earnhardt Jr. family favorite,” at bestfoods.com says, this is the quickest and most straightforward of our seven recipes and may become your family’s favorite too. “Championship Killer Bread recipe is a masterpiece that will be a family favorite on game day or any day,” they say.

Your guests will enjoy these served warm from the oven. Since they are a 7-minute broil, they can be a just-in-time appetizer for the new year.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 green onions (sliced)
  • 12 inches of sourdough bread (round or long, halved lengthwise)

Directions:

  1. Combine mayonnaise, cheese, and green onions in a medium bowl.
  2. Evenly spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bread.
  3. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and broil until lightly golden, about 2 minutes.
  4. To serve, cut into wedges.

TIP: Now, imagine these last two recipes with Abigail’s Oven Jalapeño Cheddar. Alone, this loaf is a knock-your-socks-off sourdough loaf with sharp cheddar cheese and explosive jalapeño flavor! But with these add-ins and reheating, oh my, yum!

Tips for New Year’s Eve Appetizer Success:

  • Prepare ingredients ahead of time to minimize stress.
  • Arrange appetizers attractively on platters for a festive presentation.
  • Offer a variety of textures and flavors to satisfy all palates.
  • Pair your appetizers with sparkling beverages for a celebratory touch.

Here are three more recipes you might try tonight:

5- Sourdough herb crackers and tips for the perfect cheeseboard

(To get that cheeseboard perfect, check this out: Charcuterie Board 101)

6- Easy Smoked Salmon Sourdough Bread Bites 

7- Grilled Brie Cheese with Blackberry Basil Salsa on Crusty Sourdough Bread

And if you want sourdough bread on the table tomorrow for your New Year’s Day dinner table, consider one of these recipes from our archive:

Let us know what you plan to make for this evening’s celebration in the comment section below. Also, this week on our Facebook page, we have been posting under the hashtag #NewYearsSourdoughBreads and would love to read your comments there, too.