This is the third recipe in my little festive series of four- or five-ingredient wonders, and honestly… I think these might be my favourite. These cute little cheeseburger Christmas pudding Bites are the definition of quick and easy holiday entertaining. They look adorable, take almost no time to throw together and and they taste absolutely amazeballs, if I do say so myself.
They have been a huge hit with my guests. I love having a few fun and easy party recipes up my sleeve during the holidays, and these festive cheeseburger bites have definitely earned a permanent spot in my Christmas entertaining arsenal.
I’ve made them with shop-bought meatballs (super convenient and perfect when you’ve got a million other things to prep) and I’ve also made them with homemade meatballs (a tiny bit more effort, but perfect if you want dainty, one-bite nibbles). Honestly, both options work beautifully. However, if you are going to make the meatballs from scratch, I highly recommend Nagi’s recipe for cocktail meatballs – it’s spot-on.
Can we take a minute to talk about the dipping sauce? It’s totally optional, but trust me, you don’t want to skip it. The sauce takes less than a minute to whip up and it’s ridiculously good. This is Joe Wicks’ burger sauce from his Bangin’ Burger Bowl, and it’s the perfect match for these festive little bites – creamy, tangy, a little sweet, and basically everything you want to dunk a mini cheeseburger ball into. If you like a bit of spice, add a squeeze of sriracha. Trust me, it’s a game-changer!
These meatballs are great for make-ahead entertaining too. You can prep the sauce up to five days in advance and cook the meatballs earlier in the day. When it’s party time, just reheat the meatballs and add the toppings. Zero stress, maximum festive cuteness!
If you want something fun, easy, and guaranteed to disappear from the plate in minutes, these Cheeseburger Christmas Pudding Bites are your new holiday go-to. Make a double batch… and thank me later!
What’s your go-to festive finger food for holiday parties? And would you make these with shop-bought meatballs or do you prefer making your own?
Makes 12 (easily doubled)
Ingredients
1 x pack of 12 meatballs
2-3 cheddar cheese slices, cut into small squares
12 burger gherkins
dill sprigs
1-2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
60g mayonnaise
20g American mustard
1 teaspoon tomato paste
generous pinch of garlic powder
generous pinch of onion powder
2 teaspons gherkin liquid
How to
- Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Soak 12 cocktail sticks in water and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Make the cheeseburger sauce. Simply put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the meatballs on the oven tray. Flatten the meatballs ever so slightly with the back of a spoon and pop a cocktail stick through each one. Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes until browned and nearly cooked through. Drain off any excess oil.
- Working quickly and carefully, pop a gherkin slice and a square of cheese on the top of each meatball and then put the meatballs back in the oven for another 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Move to a platter and garnish with dill sprigs and dots of tomato ketchup – I use the end of a chopstick to make the dots.
- Serve with burger sauce and/or mayonnaise for dipping. Enjoy!
