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When I’m hosting, easy party appetizers are always my secret weapon. They’re simple to prep ahead, look beautiful, and keep guests happy while you pour the drinks! I’ve rounded up over 50 of my favorite party appetizers, almost all from my own kitchen, to make sure your next gathering is effortless and delicious.
Here’s What You Need to Know
Almost every appetizer here can be made ahead or assembled in minutes, because I’m firmly in my easy entertaining era. My formula for any party: two dips, a few finger foods, one cheesy something, and a pretty board as the centerpiece. Plan on six to eight bites per person for a cocktail party, and you’re set. For more hosting ideas like this, my book Entertaining with Charm is full of them, and my aperitivo party shows exactly how I pull an appetizer-only evening together.
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“So many amazing appetizers! The mini poke bowls were super easy and a huge hit with the crowd! The perfect individual size and so delicious!” – Taylor
Dips and Spreads
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Pin ItFruit Dip
This is truly the best yogurt fruit dip for dipping your favorite fruit in. It’s perfect for a fruit platter too.
Easy Queso Blanco Dip
The most flavorful, easy queso blanco dip ever! It’s perfect for dipping tortilla chips in. This is made with American white cheese, whole milk, diced chilies, and green onion.
Goat Cheese Dip
If you love the rich flavor of goat cheese, then this is your dip! Whipped goat cheese served with fresh, crisp veggies and crackers is the ultimate party appetizer.
Green Goddess Dip
Creamy, herby, and the prettiest shade of green. Serve it with crudité and watch it disappear. It’s one of my newest favorites for a party spread.
Creamy Yogurt Dip
A creamy dip made with tahini! We made this dip for a party and it was a huge hit! It goes perfectly with soft pita bread or pita chips.
Blue Cheese Dip
If you’re looking for a delicious blue cheese dip to go with chicken wings, this is the best! It’s made with just 3 ingredients. It doesn’t get easier than that!
Hummus Appetizer
You can make your own homemade hummus, which tastes nothing like store-bought! Creamy, delicious hummus is a perfect appetizer.
Best Beet Dip
Not only does this dip have gorgeous color, but it’s also incredibly flavorful! Made with Greek yogurt, beets, and garlic. It’s a great dip for crackers and pita!
The Best Whipped Ricotta Dip
A fluffy, creamy dip that only uses 3 ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make!
Garlic Dipping Sauce
This super easy garlic dip works with everything from fries to fresh bread. Make it once and it’ll earn a permanent spot in your party rotation.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
A creamy, cheesy dip made with spinach, artichokes, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. It’s often served with chips, crackers, or bread for dipping.
French Onion Dip
There is nothing more flavorful than French onion dip. We love it served with potato chips!
Seven Layer Dip
A popular dip made with 7 layers such as black beans, guacamole, sour cream, and more. This dip is a game day classic.
Homemade Caramel Dip
This dip is sweeter, but it still makes a great appetizer when paired with fresh apples and other fruit.
Easy Finger Foods
Finger foods are another great option for easy party appetizers because they’re easy to eat and don’t require any utensils.
Mini Meatballs
Don’t underestimate a mini meatball appetizer! They’re incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and they’ll actually fill your guests up.
Truffle Potato Chips and Prosciutto
This is a unique party appetizer that will wow your guests! It’s super simple to make using potato chips, truffle oil, and prosciutto!
Ham and Cheese Sliders
One of our most popular party appetizers is our ham and cheese sliders. These will go very fast at your party, so make a few batches! They’re savory with ham and cheese and baked on a Hawaiian roll.
Mini Lobster Rolls
These mini lobster rolls are a delightful play on the New England classic! It’s an easy lobster recipe that’s the perfect party food. Quick to whip up, and they look as good as they taste.
Deviled Strawberries
Fresh strawberries filled with whipped cheesecake filling. They’re gorgeous on a platter and the sweet bite everyone talks about after.
Salmon Skewers
Our salmon skewers are a healthy appetizer that’s so easy to make! They only take about 6 minutes in the oven and are delicious with our cilantro sauce.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Baby bella mushrooms are perfect for stuffing with breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs! They’re flavorful and easy to make.
Antipasto Skewers
Truly an easy appetizer made by adding fresh mozzarella balls, olives, cherry tomatoes, salami, and fresh herbs onto a skewer. We make them as one of our Christmas appetizers each year. Also check out our holiday appetizer platter for kids!
Jalapeño Poppers
If you haven’t had a jalapeño popper, you’re missing out! It’s a jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and baked until golden. Great for game day parties!
Marinated Olives
The best marinated olives! They’re warmed in a skillet with olive oil, lemon zest, and chili pepper. They’re perfect to serve with a cheese board.
Seasoned Popcorn
Popcorn will always be the easiest appetizer ever! Everyone loves snacking on popcorn, and it’s great for movie nights, Oscar parties, and more. Toss it with my homemade flavored salts for the prettiest party snack.
Pigs in a Blanket
A classic mini hot dog appetizer made with small hot dogs and crescent rolls. They are often served with dijon mustard and are the perfect finger food!
Crockpot Honey Garlic Little Smokies
Super flavorful mini hot sausages that are cooked with honey and garlic in a slow cooker! The slow cooker keeps these warm and you can serve them right before guests arrive.
Oysters on the Half Shell
Serve oysters as an elegant party appetizer with a mignonette or cocktail sauce and plenty of lemon. We love pairing oysters and other seafood appetizers with Champagne.
Potato Skins
These are the best when they’re topped with cheese, sour cream, and bacon! We especially love them served with ranch.
Grilled Butter Oysters
If you want to add more flavor and take oysters up a notch, then these grilled oysters are for you! They are grilled with a garlic butter sauce and are so flavorful!!
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
Sweet dates, creamy goat cheese, and crispy bacon. Three ingredients, zero leftovers. These are always the first appetizer to go at my parties.
Mozzarella Sticks
Thee take a little more time, but they’re still pretty easy to make. They are also super flavorful and creamy with a crunch texture. Serve them with marinara.
Potato Skins
These are the best when they’re topped with cheese, sour cream, and bacon! We especially love them served with ranch.
Fish N Chips Bites
This is a fun take on real fish n chips! We made these for our Oscar party and it was such a hit. Dip fresh cod pieces in a quick batter of flour, sparkling water, and a pinch of salt, pan-fry until golden, then set each piece on a thick-cut potato chip with a dollop of tartar sauce.
Shrimp Cocktail
Boiled or steamed shrimp served with a zippy cocktail sauce of horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup!
Mini Ahi Poke Bowls
We are huge fans of poke! Fresh ahi marinated in delicious soy sauce and oils. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make and serve! Find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Cheesy Goodness
Everyone loves a cheesy appetizer! These recipes could not be easier. They are savory and super flavorful.
Cheese Boards
Make a wonderful cheese board for your party. It’s an easy appetizer, and you can customize it to a theme or season. You’ll love our perfect Halloween cheese board and our easy Thanksgiving cheese board!
Creamy Baked Brie with Marinated Olives
This is one of our favorite appetizers! It’s rich, creamy, and beyond easy to make. You can also wrap it in puff pastry for extra goodness. This recipe is always a hit at a party.
Chili Crunch Baked Feta
An irresistible cheese dish that is all tossed into one dish and baked. The chili crunch goes perfectly with the creamy, melted feta!
Cheese Balls
A classic cheese ball is one of our favorite party appetizers! It’s nostalgic but also very delicious. Serve it with some crispy garlic bread or crackers for a fun party app.
Pear and Apple Chips
An easy fall party appetizer is pear and apple chips. These are thinly sliced and baked until crispy. They’re a great pairing with dips.
Canapés
Canapés are small, bite-sized pieces of bread or crackers topped with savory or sweet toppings. They make for an elegant and sophisticated appetizer option.
Easy Chip and Smoked Salmon Canapé
This is a fun appetizer idea! Using good quality chips, packaged smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, radish, a little onion, and capers, just stack the ingredients onto a chip and voilà!
Hard Boiled Egg Crostini
An easy-to-make crostini recipe with hard-boiled eggs, radish, and arugula! It’s the perfect brunch appetizer and festive for Easter or spring.
Pear, Walnut, and Ricotta Crostini
Juicy pears add so much flavor to his crostini. Drizzle with a little honey for some added sweetness.
Cranberry Brie Bites
These fluffy pastries are easy to make with crescent roll dough, brie, and cranberry sauce. You can use any jam when making this appetizer.
Boards and Platters
Making easy appetizer boards is a great way to feed a crowd. Most of the ingredients are ready-made, so it’s all about the assembly. Here are our favorite boards:
Greek Mezze Platter
Our Easy Greek Mezze Platter is perfect for a simple evening with friends! You don’t have to cook any of this. It’s all about artfully preparing a gorgeous platter with easy ingredients!
Southern Charcuterie Board
One of our favorite versions of a cheese and charcuterie board! It’s southern-inspired and filled with three types of sausage, pickled vegetables, BBQ sauce, pimento cheese, and more!
Fruit and Cheese Platter
A fruit and cheese platter is a great way to wow your guests while feeding them something everyone loves. It’s easy to assemble and looks beautiful!
Burrata Platter
Creamy burrata surrounded by tomatoes, fruit, and good bread. It’s the easiest board on this list and one of the prettiest.
Caviar Appetizer Platter
For a special celebration, nothing beats a caviar platter with blinis, chips, and all the little accompaniments. It looks fancy, but it’s really just a charming assembly.
Dessert Charcuterie Board
End the night with a dessert board! Cookies, candy, fruit, and chocolate all on one platter. It’s the sweet finale guests always remember.
Easy Party Desserts
Check out all of my easy party desserts to go with these savory appetizers!
Appetizer Tips
When it comes to serving appetizers, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, make sure you have enough appetizers to feed your guests. A good rule of thumb is at least five or six different options for a small gathering, and eight to ten options for a larger party.
Second, think about how you’ll serve them. For a sit-down dinner, place the appetizers on a kitchen island or a separate table. For a cocktail party, set up a buffet so guests can help themselves.
Make sure you have plenty of napkins and small plates. And if you’re serving food outside, use food covers to keep bugs away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the most popular options include dips and spreads, finger foods, cheese-based appetizers, and canapés. You can also assemble a cheese board for a really easy appetizer.
Some good cold appetizers include hummus, guacamole, marinated olives, deviled strawberries, and a burrata platter.
Anything from a quick fruit and cheese platter to bacon wrapped dates. We also love pigs in a blanket, jalapeño poppers, or a seven layer dip.
Some good low-carb appetizers include vegetable platters, mini meatballs, and salmon skewers. You can also serve low-carb crackers with easy dips.
Some good vegetarian appetizers include whipped ricotta, green goddess dip with crudité, and pear and apple chips.
his depends on the type of party and time of day. For a cocktail party, plan on six to eight appetizers per person. For a dinner party, three to four per person. And for a buffet, two to three per person.
Now that you have the best list of appetizer ideas, it’s time to make your own! If you make the mini poke bowls or any of these, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. It truly helps other readers find these recipes, and I love hearing which ones were a hit at your party!
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Easy Party Appetizers Mini Poke Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lb sushi-grade ahi tuna
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp back sesame seeds
- 2 large avocados , cubed
- 1/4 cup dry seaweed, 1 to 2 sheets
- 2 garlic cloves, roasted and chopped
Instructions
- Cut the tuna into small cubes with a sharp knife.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add tuna, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, seeds and dried seaweed and toss to combine.
- Let the tuna marinate in the refrigerator for a bit while you slice the avocado.
- In little bowls dive the tuna up.
- Add in a few pieces of avocado.
- Garnish with a few chips and green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What an amazing array of apps! thank you 🙂
The Fish and Chips does not seem to have a link – could you link it please? I like that it is not your usual app.
These easy party appetizers look fantastic! I love how simple yet delicious they are — perfect for entertaining without spending hours in the kitchen. Can’t wait to try a few of these at my next gathering
Simply delicious! We loved these mini poke bowls and I saved the collection to make more!
So many great ideas here! I’ve made a list of favorites and the hot crab dip is a favorite.
So many amazing appetizers! The mini poke bowls were super easy and a huge hit with the crowd! The perfect individual size and so delicious!