Savory Christmas Veggie Pizza
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This Christmas veggie pizza is such a fun and delicious finger food appetizer for the holidays! Take a traditional creamy, savory and cold veggie pizza recipe and make it even more fun using broccoli to make the cutest Christmas tree. You’ll be the start of your holiday party with this fun and easy cold Christmas appetizer.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Christmas Veggie Pizza Appetizer
- Super Cute And Easy To Make– This recipe is so cute, and pretty easy to make. It looks so festive on any table and is packed full of fresh veggies.
- Crowd Pleaser Christmas Appetizer- This cold appetizer always disappears fast, and is a delicious savory snack to share for the holiday season.
- Travels To The Party Easily! – This appetizer is served cold which makes it really easy to travel to another location, you can just bring the whole pan with you, or slide the veggie pizza onto a large platter first. Perfect for this time of year!
Try these mini snowman cheese ball bites, the gooey warm spinach dip or these warm slow cooker bbq little smokies for more great holiday appetizer ideas.
Ingredients For Christmas Veggie Pizza
- 16 ounces crescent dough sheets – Regular crescent roll dough works also but you may need to press the seams together more. I used Pillsbury crescent roll sheets. Pizza dough also works or try my homemade pizza dough recipe but make sure to double the recipe.
- 7.5 ounces whipped chive cream cheese About a cup, regular cream cheese works fine or any savory flavored cream cheese spread. If using plain cream cheese you will need to season it. Add two teaspoons of ranch seasoning or double the seasoning in my veggie pizza pinwheels with cream cheese and add it to this recipe.
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 1/4 cups broccoli florets Chop the broccoli into small pieces no bigger than your thumb. Use fresh broccoli, not frozen.
- ½ cup small cauliflower florets– chopped small also
- 2 tablespoons grated carrot – You could also use shredded cheddar cheese for this
- 2 tablespoons red onion diced small
- 5 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 scallion – for garnish. Green onions work too, slice thinly.
Since all of these vegetables need to be chopped small, using the food processor is a great way to cut most of the vegetables and can help make this appetizer come together faster.
How To Make A Christmas Veggie Pizza Shaped Like A Tree
- Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly oil a rimmed baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- Lay the crescent dough on the pan, overlapping the sheets. Pinch and press the dough together to seal the seams to make one large sheet, folding any extra dough down around the edges.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool completely.
- Place the dough on the pan into the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let the pan and dough cool completly to the touch before adding toppings.
- In a small bowl stir together cream cheese and sour cream until combined. Spread this mixture over the crescent dough leaving a thin space for a crust along the edge.
- Using a butter knife or a chopstick, lightly trace a large tree shape in the cream cheese spread on top of cooled crust. If you make a mistake simply spread the cream cheese again and trace again until you get the shape you want.
- Place broccoli florets inside the tree shape close together to fill in the tree shape. Fill in the white space around the broccoli tree with pieces of cauliflower. Sprinkle the shredded carrots all over the broccoli.
- Slice the very top off the yellow bell pepper and the red pepper, then remove the core and seeds. Use small star cookie cutters to cut stars from both bell peppers. I made a larger star for the top of the tree. Decorate the rest of the tree with stars and the sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Sprinkle red onion and scallions over the entire pan. Slice and serve! You can also slide the cold pizza onto a large serving platter from the baking sheet before decorating if you prefer.
Can I Use Regular Plain Cream Chesse?
Yes you can totally use plain cream cheese or any savory cream cheese you like in the veggie pizza appetizer. I used the chive cream cheese as a shortcut here but any savory flavored cream cheese works, whipped or not.
How to modify for plain cream cheese
- Cut the cream cheese into cubes and let it soften on the counter for 10-15 minutes to come to room temperature.
- Mix the cream cheese and the sour cream together.
- Add seasoning to the cream cheese mixture. You can add two teaspoons of any powdered ranch seasoning or double the seasoning in my veggie pizza pinwheels with cream cheese and add it to this recipe.
- Spread the cream cheese spread on the veggie pizza and continue as listed to make and decorated the tree.
Do I have To Use A Whipped Cream Cheese?
Using whipped cream cheese simply means the cream cheese will be easier to spread. You can use any savory flavor of cream cheese. To spread the cream cheese you’ll need to let it come to room temperature to mix it with the sour cream to make a spread. See the tips above for modifying for a plain cream cheese block.
Are The Veggies On This Pizza Cooked?
No, the veggies on this appetizer are raw, fresh vegetables. To make sure your veggies taste their best follow these tips.
- Wash veggies and dry well– Wet veggies will make this appetizer soggy, so make sure to dry the veggies well.
- Chop veggies in bite sized pieces– Since you are having a mouthful of veggies with every bite, it’s important to chop the veggies on this pizza on the small side.
- Cut The Pizza Then Add Veggies- If you are taking this to a party it can be easier to cut the slices of the dough and cream cheese first, then add the veggies so the pizza pulls apart easier when it’s time to eat!
Doesn’t Veggie Pizza Have Cheddar Cheese?
Some versions do add cheddar cheese to veggie pizza, and you can too if you prefer. If mixing cheddar cheese into the cream cheese spread simply add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the cream cheese spread before adding it to the pizza appetizer.
Cheddar cheese can also be substituted for carrots on the pizza if you prefer.
How Do I Store Veggie Pizza?
Veggie Pizza is best stored in the refrigerator. You can store it covered straight on the pan to maintain the tree shape, or place slices in a sealed and covered airtight container.
How Long Does Veggie Pizza Last?
Veggie Pizza lasts for about 2-3 days in the fridge. It is best served fairly fresh but cold.
Can I Make This Veggie Pizza Appetizer Ahead?
Veggie pizza can be made ahead of time. It’s best to make it no more than 24 hours in advance so everything tastes fresh.
Easy Christmas Veggie Pizza
Ingredients
- 16 ounces crescent dough sheets if you can, but regular crescent dough works also
- 7.5 ounces whipped chive cream cheese About a cup, regular cream cheese works fine also.
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 1/4 cups broccoli florets chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup small cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons grated carrot
- 2 tablespoons red onion diced small
- 5 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 scallion or green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly oil a rimmed baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- Lay the crescent dough on the pan, overlapping the sheets. Pinch and press the dough together to seal the seams to make one large sheet, folding any extra dough down around the edges. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely.
- Place the dough on the pan into the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let the pan and dough cool completly to the touch before adding toppings.
- In a small bowl stir together cream cheese and sour cream until combined. Spread this mixture over the crescent dough leaving a thin space for a crust along the edge. See notes for a tip about cutting this appetizer.
- Using a butter knife or a chopstick, lightly trace a large tree shape in the cream cheese spread on top of the dough. If you make a mistake simply spread the cream cheese again and trace again until you get the shape you want.
- Place broccoli florets inside the tree shape close together to fill in the tree shape. Fill in the white space around the broccoli tree with pieces of cauliflower. Sprinkle the shredded carrots all over the broccoli.
- Slice the very top off the yellow bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Use small star cookie cutters to cut stars from both bell peppers. I made a larger star for the top of the tree. Decorate the rest of the tree with stars and the sliced cherry tomatoes.
- Sprinkle red onion and scallions over the entire pan. Slice and serve!
Notes
- It can be helpful to cut the veggie pizza after adding the cream cheese but before making and decorating the tree. This allows the pizza to be pulled apart more easily when it is time to eat. While I think it looks a little prettier if you don’t cut ahead, this can be handy if you are taking this appetizer with you somewhere that you don’t have access to a big cutting board.
- Regular plain block cream cheese can be used in place of flavored whipped cream cheese used in this recipe. See the article for more details about how to make the swap.
- You can also use pizza dough in this recipe or my homemade pizza dough recipe but make sure to double the recipe.
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!