If you’re looking for an easy appetizer for the holidays, look no further than this cute and quick pita tree appetizer recipe. Stuff pita wedges with cheese, air fry until crispy, and then top with hummus, red bell pepper, and parsley for an easy festive snack.
Need a last-minute appetizer recipe for a Christmas party? Try this cute and festive recipe with crispy Christmas tree-shaped pita wedges, and melty Havarti cheese.
Top each little tree with creamy hummus, chopped red peppers to look like ornaments, and fresh parsley.
This recipe only calls for a few ingredients and when I say it’s easy, it’s so easy. You also have a few options to choose from when making these.
I stuffed each pita wedge with cheese and then brushed it with olive oil to help it get crispy and sprinkled it with za’atar seasoning for flavor.
You can leave your pita chips uncooked if you want to and just stuff them with cream cheese or hummus or leave them empty.
You can also poke a pretzel stick into the bottoms of the wedges (the folded edge) to look like a tree trunk.
After the wedges are air-fried and crispy, I spread hummus on top for the other ingredients to stick to.
I added chopped bell pepper which can mimic Christmas baubles or holly berries (and adds flavor).
I then added fresh chopped parsley to mimic the idea of holly leaves or tree branches. This gives great color and brings the whole idea to life.
For more great ideas for easy recipes for Christmas parties, try these 2 ingredient Christmas truffles, 3 ingredient Christmas bark, or this 3 ingredient Nutella puff pastry tree.
Or, add these pita trees to a Christmas charcuterie board.
You can stop at cheese stuffed air-fried pita chips for a great appetizer all year round.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- pita bread: I used mini pitas and cut them into triangles.
- cheese: cut the Havarti into triangle shapes a bit smaller than the pita triangles
- hummus: I use this to stick the red pepper and parsley
- red peppers and parsley: for decoration and flavor
- pretzel sticks: for the tree trunks
Substitutions
- cheese: use your favorite melting cheese
- hummus: use a flavored hummus or try cream cheese
- decoration: use whatever you have in the house for decorations. Chopped green, orange, or yellow bell pepper, chopped green or black olive, tzatziki and dill, broken pretzels, diced tomatoes, cilantro, pomegranate arils, or pickled vegetables like Mexican pickled onions for a vibrant pink color.
Instructions
Prep Tips
Cut the pita into triangles. You can use a knife, pizza cutter, or kitchen scissors for this. Cut each pita in half and then each half into thirds.
- You’ll get 6 triangles for each small pita bread.
- Poke a pretzel into the bottom of the pita triangle for a tree trunks. Lay them down carefully so the pretzel doesn’t fall out.
- Carefully lay a piece of cheese inside each pita wedge. Once it’s baked the melted cheese helps the pretzel stay still.
- Pour olive oil into a small bowl and use a pastry brush to lightly coat the pita wedges. Sprinkle each wedge with za’zatar seasoning.
Do this on both sides. Place the pitas on the air fryer baking sheet.
Air fry for 5 minutes, flipping halfway.
Let the wedges cool.
Next, decorate the pita chips like Christmas trees.
- Top each wedge with hummus.
- Add bell pepper and parsley. Serve.
Tips for making pita trees
What to serve with a pita tree appetizer
These Christmas pita chips would fit in well on a holiday charcuterie board with some fruits, olives, other cheese, or a cheese ball and crackers.
If you wanted to skip decorating the air fried cheesy pita wedges as trees and just serve them as an appetizer, try serving them with avocado cilantro hummus, Tzatziki, whipped ricotta dip, garlic dip, or guacamole, or loaded caramelized onion dip.
Try pairing this with a Christmas Mule.
Storage
These are best served the day you make them.
FAQs
Yes, use whatever toppings and spread you prefer. See the substitutions section of this blog post for more ideas.
Yes, to make this appetizer vegan, skip the cheese inside the pita wedges, or use a meltable vegan cheese product.
Pita Christmas Tree Appetizers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 small pita breads
- Havarti cheese 50-75 grams, approximately*
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon za'atar seasoning
- ½ cup hummus
- 1 mini red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the pitas into triangles. To do this, cut a pita in half and then cut each half into 3 triangles. This will give 6 triangles per mini pita.
- Place the cheese inside the pita.
- Poke a pretzel into middle of the folded edge of the pretzel to act as a tree trunk.
- Brush each side of the pita triangle with olive and sprinkle with za'atar seasoning.
- Air fry at 350℉ (180℃) for 5 minutes, flipping halfway. Let the pitas cool.
- Top each triangle with hummus, bell pepper, and parsley. Serve.
Video
Notes
Skip the baking and make this even easier. Instead of putting cheese inside the pita, try hummus or cream cheese.
The air-fried cheesy pita chips make a great appetizer for any time of year. Just serve them with a dip instead of decorating them like trees.
customize it: you can serve the pitas baked or unbaked and stuff them with your choice of ingredients or leave them empty. Top them with your choice of ingredients. *The amount of cheese you need will depend on the size of your pita’s and triangles. Amount given is an estimate. Recipe inspired by Betty Crocker.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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Oh my gosh, these are so cute! I love the idea of using the air fryer for an easy appetizer and who doesn’t love easy and cheesy!
I love that you bake the cheese inside the pita of these super fun and festive Christmas tree appetizers.
YUM! What a fantastic appetizer. Can’t wait to make these. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh my gosh, were these ever delicious!! We had them all devoured in no time, I’m going to have triple the recipe next time!
This was so much fun to make! Best of all, everyone got to make them exactly the way they like.