Spinach Artichoke Christmas Tree Appetizer

Christmas is coming and you want to make a creative warm appetizer for your holiday party. But who has time for complicated recipes? This spinach artichoke Christmas tree recipe is perfect for a quick and easy, yet elegant pull apart party party snack.

We’ll walk you through the whole process, including lots of helpful tips to make sure yours comes out as a true showstopper. Get ready for compliments galore when your guests see what you made!

Why We love this puff pastry Christmas tree:

• It’s a nice warm treat that is perfect for cold winter days,
• The green spinach dip and tomato garnish look like a Christmas tree that you can eat, and
• With our prep-ahead tips, you won’t waste precious time on the day of your party.

Step-by-Step Directions:

To make things even easier for you, I’ve got a simple photo walk through here showing exactly how to make a spinach artichoke Christmas tree appetizer with puff pastry. For all measurements and a more detailed guide, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. This provides helpful feedback for me and to other readers. And if you want more fun party ideas, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Preheat your oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Drain your artichoke hearts and chop them into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or smaller.

Place artichoke hearts, spinach, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Place a puff pastry sheet on the prepared baking sheet. Gently smooth out the creases with a rolling pin.

Spread the artichoke mixture evenly over the top of the puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese mixture on top.

Roll up the puff pastry to create a log. Cut the log into 16 even pinwheels.

Arrange the pinwheel slices face up on the baking sheet to create a Christmas tree.

Add the egg to a small bowl, and lightly beat with a fork to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry Christmas tree, making sure the entire appetizer is covered.

Bake in the preheated oven for 26-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving tray and garnish with chopped tomato.

Essential Tips:

Don’t skip these tips – read them before baking to avoid any potential mistakes.

Make sure you Squeeze all the water out of your Spinach.

Frozen spinach is full of water. If you don’t drain the water out well before cooking, your pinwheels will end up soggy.

This video shows how easy it is to drain spinach without making a big mess.

Tips for Arranging the Christmas Tree Pinwheel slices

Cut all the slices before arranging the pinwheels:

Even when carefully cutting with the sharpest knife in our block, I find that the ends of my puff pastry roll tend to squish down when I cut them. And that just doesn’t make a pretty pinwheel.

To make the most of it, I put those pieces in the center of the tree, and keep the prettiest pinwheels for the tree trunk and outer edges.

By the time everything bakes up, you can’t tell that those pieces are slightly misshapen.

How to Create the Christmas Tree Shape:

I like to start with the widest part of the Christmas tree first, then work my way up to the top of the tree, and then add the trunk last.

Serving Tips:

• Use the parchment paper to transfer your Christmas Tree appetizer from the pan to your serving tray.
• Don’t have a serving tray the right size? Cut the parchment paper around the tree and place it on a holiday themed kitchen towel or napkin. It still looks gorgeous!
• Make sure to have plenty of napkins and appetizer plates on hand. Or just serve it Southern style – where the napkin is also the plate!

Substitutions and Adaptations:

• For a softer appetizer, swap out the puff pastry with a sheet of crescent roll dough.
• 8 ounces of fresh spinach can be substituted for frozen. (See FAQ below)
• I used mild shredded cheddar cheese, but you could also substitute a cheddar cheese blend. You could even use feta cheese for more of a Spanikopita flavor.
• Instead of chopped tomato, sprinkle chopped red bell pepper, or red pepper flakes.

FAQs:

Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?

Yes! I’ve successfully substituted a 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach for the frozen spinach in this recipe:

1. Chop fresh spinach into small pieces
2. Heat the chopped spinach in a pan on stovetop at medium heat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Cover with a lid & cook for 3-5 minutes until wilted. Turn off the burner.
4. Drain as much water as possible using the back of a wooden spoon to press the water out of the spinach.
5. Return pan to the warm burner and stir until remaining moisture has evaporated.

Can I Make my Spinach Artichoke Christmas Tree Appetizer ahead of time?

This is best assembled on the day of your party and eaten fresh.

That said, there are a few things you can do to make life easier for yourself on party day.

The Day Before the Party:

• Mix together the filling – you can even mix the cheese into the filling to help save a few more seconds.
• Put your puff pastry sheet into the refrigerator so it’s fully defrosted when you’re ready to start.

The Day of Your Party:

• Several hours beforehand, assemble and bake your Christmas Tree appetizer until it’s just lightly golden on the edges.
• Then reheat it in the oven at 350˚F for 10 minutes right before serving.

If you liked my spinach artichoke Christmas tree appetizer, you’re going to love my edible ornament shaped cheese ball. It’s a stunning make ahead appetizer that tastes as good as it looks.

Or you can check out my other appetizer recipes here.

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