A Festive Centerpiece Appetizer: The Ultimate Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread
There’s nothing quite like a show-stopping appetizer to get a holiday party started. You want something that’s not just delicious, but also fun, festive, and a true centerpiece for your spread. This Christmas Tree Appetizer is, without a doubt, that perfect dish. It is a work of pure, edible holiday art that is secretly so…
There’s nothing quite like a show-stopping appetizer to get a holiday party started. You want something that’s not just delicious, but also fun, festive, and a true centerpiece for your spread. This Christmas Tree Appetizer is, without a doubt, that perfect dish. It is a work of pure, edible holiday art that is secretly so easy to make. We’re taking the ultimate shortcut—refrigerated pizza dough—and transforming it into a beautiful Christmas tree, complete with twisty, pull-apart branches. But the magic doesn’t stop there. Tucked inside is a warm, gooey, and incredibly savory filling of creamy spinach dip, loaded with three kinds of cheese and a perfect blend of seasonings. After a quick bake, the entire tree is brushed with a glorious garlic-herb butter. When you bring this to the table, guests can simply grab a golden-brown branch, twist it off, and get a perfect bite of cheesy, savory goodness. It’s an interactive, fun, and completely irresistible appetizer that’s destined to be the star of your holiday gathering.
Why This is The Perfect Christmas Party Appetizer!
- A Stunning Holiday Centerpiece: The beautiful, three-dimensional Christmas tree shape makes this an incredibly festive and impressive appetizer that will wow your guests.
- Irresistible Cheesy Spinach Dip Filling: It’s a classic for a reason! The warm, gooey, and savory spinach and three-cheese filling is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
- The Ultimate Pull-Apart Fun: The twisted branches are fun and easy for guests to tear off, making it a perfect, interactive appetizer for a casual party setting.
- Incredibly Easy with a Shortcut: Using store-bought refrigerated pizza dough is a brilliant time-saver that makes this showstopper completely stress-free and easy to assemble.
- Finished with Garlic Herb Butter: The final brush of garlic-herb butter over the hot, baked bread takes the flavor over the top and makes your house smell absolutely incredible.
Recipe Snapshot
| Prep Time | 18 minutes |
| Cook Time | 22 minutes |
| Total Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings | 20 pieces |
| Calories | 114 kcal per serving |
| Course | Appetizer |
| Cuisine | American, Christmas |
| Method | Baking |
Your Festive Shopping List
This show-stopping appetizer comes together with a handful of simple, savory ingredients and a fantastic shortcut dough.
→ For the Creamy Spinach Filling
- Frozen Chopped Spinach: One 10-ounce package. Make sure it’s thawed and squeezed completely dry!
- Cream Cheese: 6 ounces, softened to room temperature for a smooth, creamy base.
- Garlic: 2 cloves, minced.
- Seasonings: A flavorful blend of Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- The Cheese Trio: A delicious mix of shredded cheddar or mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.
→ For the Tree & Topping
- Refrigerated Pizza Crust: One tube. This is our amazing, time-saving shortcut!
- Butter, Italian Seasoning & Garlic Powder: For the irresistible garlic-herb butter topping.
Let’s Build a Tree! Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Festive Appetizer
This is a fun and creative process of shaping, filling, and twisting. Don’t worry about perfection; every tree will be unique and delicious!
Phase 1: Make the Cheesy Spinach Filling (Time: ~5 minutes)
First, we’ll whip up the delicious, creamy filling that will be the heart of our tree.
- Preheat and Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare two large pieces of parchment paper.
- Squeeze the Spinach! This is the most important step for a non-soggy result. Place your thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much water as you possibly can.
- Mix the Filling. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and the super-dry spinach together. Add the minced garlic, salt, onion powder, cayenne, pepper, and Italian seasoning and beat again. Finally, add the Parmesan and half of the shredded cheddar/mozzarella and mix until just combined.
Phase 2: Shape and Fill the Tree (Time: ~10 minutes)
Now for the fun part: turning a simple tube of dough into a festive masterpiece!
- Cut the Dough. Unroll the pizza dough onto one of your pieces of parchment paper. Using a pizza cutter, cut a large triangle out of the dough, with the base of the triangle along one of the short sides of the rectangle.
- Form the Base. Transfer the two small, leftover triangle pieces to your second piece of parchment on a baking sheet. Press their long sides together to form a larger triangle shape. This will be the base of your tree. You can use a small scrap of dough to form a little tree trunk at the bottom.
- Fill the Base. Spread your spinach dip mixture evenly over the base, leaving a small border. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
- Top the Tree. Carefully flip the large triangle of dough on the other piece of parchment over, placing it directly on top of the filled base. Gently tug and stretch the dough as needed to make sure it covers the base completely.
Phase 3: The Final Twist and Bake! (Time: ~25 minutes)
The final twists are what give this appetizer its fun, pull-apart magic.
- Cut the Branches. Using your pizza cutter, cut “branches” into the sides of the tree, about 1-inch thick. Cut from the outside edge towards the center, but leave about a 1-inch “trunk” down the middle uncut.
- Twist! Gently take each “branch” and twist it 2-3 times. For the very short branches at the top, a simple half-twist is perfect.
- Bake to Golden Perfection. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, until the bottom is cooked through and the entire tree is a beautiful golden brown.
- The Final Flourish. While the tree bakes, melt the butter and mix it with the garlic powder and Italian seasoning for the topping. As soon as the tree comes out of the oven, brush this fragrant garlic-herb butter all over the top. Serve immediately and let your guests pull it apart!
WiseRecipes’ Top Tips for the Perfect Christmas Tree!
- Squeeze That Spinach Bone-Dry: I cannot say it enough! This is the number one secret to preventing a soggy appetizer. Use a clean kitchen towel and wring it out with all your might.
- Don’t Cut All the Way Through: When you’re cutting the branches, be sure to leave that 1-inch strip down the middle intact. This “trunk” is what holds the whole beautiful appetizer together.
- The Parchment Paper Flip is Key: Assembling the tree on two separate pieces of parchment paper makes the final step of flipping the top layer on so much easier and cleaner.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Stretch the Dough: Refrigerated pizza dough is very forgiving. If your top and bottom layers don’t line up perfectly at first, just gently tug and stretch the dough into place.
- Brush with Butter While Hot: Brushing the garlic-herb butter on the tree as soon as it comes out of the oven allows the flavor to melt right into the hot, crispy crust.
Creative Twists: Delicious Ways to Decorate Your Tree!
- Add a “Garland”: Drape a string of pesto over the finished tree before serving.
- Make “Ornaments”: As the recipe suggests, you can place a few halved cherry tomatoes on the branches before baking to look like festive ornaments.
- Star on Top: Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut a star from a leftover scrap of dough. Bake it alongside the tree and place it on top with a little extra filling as “glue.”
- Add Some Bacon: Mix some crispy, crumbled bacon into the spinach dip filling for a smoky, savory kick.
- Serve with a Dip: While delicious on its own, this is fantastic served with a side of warm marinara sauce for dipping.
An Easy Christmas Tree Appetizer Recipe for a Holiday Party
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, beat the squeezed spinach and softened cream cheese. Add the garlic, salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper, pepper, and Italian seasoning and beat until combined.
- Add the parmesan cheese and half of the shredded cheddar/mozzarella and beat until combined.
- Unroll the pizza dough. Cut a large triangle out of the dough. Take the two smaller remaining triangle pieces and press their long sides together on a parchment-lined baking sheet to form the tree base.
- Cover the tree’s base with the spinach dip mixture and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Place the large triangle piece of dough on top of the base, gently stretching it to cover completely.
- Cut branches into the tree about 1-inch thick, leaving a 1-inch ‘trunk’ down the middle. Take each branch and twist it 2-3 times.
- Place in the oven on a lower rack and bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, combine the melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Brush the baked appetizer with the butter mixture as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve immediately.
Notes
Keep it Festive! Storing & Reheating Your Appetizer
This appetizer is at its absolute best when served hot and fresh from the oven, but leftovers are still a cheesy treat!
Make-Ahead Prep
You can make the spinach dip filling a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will make your party-day assembly even faster!
Storing Leftovers
Wrap any leftover pieces in plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container. They will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. The bread will soften upon storing.
Reheating
The best way to bring back that crispy texture is to reheat leftovers in an oven or air fryer at 350°F for 5-8 minutes, until warmed through and re-crisped.
FAQs: Your Christmas Tree Appetizer Questions, Answered!
Can I use a different kind of dough?
Yes, this would also work well with sheets of refrigerated crescent roll dough. You would just need to press the seams together to form the large rectangles before cutting.
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
You can, but you’ll need to cook it down first. Sauté a large bag (about 1 lb) of fresh spinach until it has completely wilted, then let it cool and squeeze it very, very dry before adding it to the cream cheese.
Why do you bake it on the bottom rack of the oven?
Placing the oven rack towards the bottom of the oven helps ensure that the bottom layer of dough gets fully cooked through and golden brown before the top gets too dark.
My dough is too sticky to work with. What should I do?
If your dough is very sticky, you can work on a lightly floured surface. A little bit of flour on your hands and your rolling pin can also help. Just be sure to brush off any excess before baking.
This Christmas Tree Appetizer is the definition of festive fun. It’s a delicious, interactive, and completely beautiful centerpiece that will bring so much joy to your holiday table. It’s a recipe that’s as fun to make as it is to eat, and it’s guaranteed to be a hit with both kids and adults. I hope it becomes a new and beloved tradition at your holiday gatherings. Merry Christmas!
