Appetizer Recipes for Every Occasion

Editors' Picks

14 Air Fryer Appetizers to Make ASAP

Start your next gathering out the right way with our amazing air fryer appetizers.

12 Make-Ahead Easter Appetizers

Keep your holiday meal preparations simple with these crowd-pleasing bites.

8 Inexpensive, But Awesome, Beef Appetizers for the Super Bowl

Holy cow is right!

20 Bacon Appetizers for Your Next Party

Fact: Everything's better with bacon—and that includes your next appetizer spread.

27 Vibrant and Easy Spring Appetizers

Once spring rolls around, all we want to do is gather up and make an occasion to eat outside.

40+ Cinco de Mayo Appetizers to Get the Party Started

Get your party started on the right foot with one (or two, or three) of our favorite Cinco de Mayo appetizers.

Favorite Holiday Appetizers

10 Best Store-Bought Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining in a Pinch

Stock for freezer with these delicious bites for easy, fast, and festive snacking.

45 Easy Christmas Appetizers

We've rounded up everything from festive finger foods to unbeatable dips so you can satisfy—and impress—everyone at your next holiday gathering.

50 Festive New Year's Eve Appetizers

40+ Make-Ahead Christmas Appetizers

30 Quick and Easy Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Appetizers

Gluten-Free Holiday Appetizers and Desserts

Layered Buffalo Chicken Dip

This buffalo chicken dip is a completely homemade labor of love, and your guests will fall head over heels for this incredible appetizer. This dip offers the complete buffalo chicken experience all in one dish and combines layers of different ingredients and flavors along with a unique scratch-made carrot ranch dressing. There is a crunch, a richness, and a level of spice all mixed together in this wow-worthy dip that make it the perfect contributiion to any party or tailgate. This dish delivers intense flavor and an all-inclusive and truly delicious buffalo chicken experience.

Delicious Appetizers for Summer Cookouts

Appetizers on the Grill

Kick your next summer party off the right way--with smoking good apps and snacks straight from the grill.

15+ Seafood Appetizers That Are Perfect for Summer

Say hello to summer with these scrumptious seafood appetizers.

Fresh Summer Appetizers

These summer-approved appetizers will do the trick and please everyone.

14 Dips That Start With a Container of Sour Cream

Sour cream's subtle tanginess and, well, creamy texture make it a near-perfect base for all kinds of dip recipes, from traditional picks like onion, ranch, and spinach-and-artichoke, to spicier options like Layered Buffalo Chicken Dip.

100 Super Fast Finger Foods to Serve a Crowd

Hosting a party or headed to a potluck? You'll want to take a look at these easy, fast, and portable finger food recipes first. No spoons or forks required.

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball

The buffalo flavor that we all know and love is typically made by combining vinegar, butter, and a cayenne pepper-based hot sauce. Skip the intense prep that buffalo wings require-- get all of the flavor you crave with a buffalo cheese ball. Prepared Buffalo wing sauce makes it easy to make and the blue cheese gives each bite an addictive richness. Serve while watching the next big game with your friends.

By Amanda Williams

Loaded Totchos

This sensational spud riff on nachos is an hommage to party food lovers everywhere. Loaded with toppings and drizzled with a hot cheese dip, these totchos are ready to rock and roll right onto your plate.

By Robby Melvin

Easy Chili-Bean Dip

Get your dip on with this super easy, 7-ingredient Tex-Mex dip. Just combine your ingredients and heat them together on the stove.

Our Best Portable Appetizers

Choose these easy, no-mess appetizers when you need to take a dish to the party.

20+ Smoked Salmon Appetizer Recipes

Whether you pair it with cucumbers or canapés, there’s something about smoked salmon that elevates the standard finger food. The delightfully pink protein adds a pop of color and salty goodness to any number of hors d'oeuvres, making them look and taste equally delicious. Amp up the snack selection at your next shindig with these easy smoked salmon appetizers.

30+ Easy Potato Appetizers

From impressive Potato Puffs to reliable French fries (try French Dip French Fries, our delicious twist on a classic), our best potato appetizers are sure to get any party started. For a healthier—but still tasty—potato app, try one of our favorite sweet potato recipes (like these super easy Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges).

5-Ingredient Appetizers

These appetizer recipes are elegant, easy, and, because they have so few ingredients, won't break your budget.

10 Money-Saving Appetizers

Save money with these easy All You appetizer recipes that are all under $1.50 a serving. They're perfect for entertaining when you're a little short on cash.

All-Purpose Entertaining Crackers

Why buy something that you can make easily and more deliciously at home? Make these all-purpose crackers as they are, or top with Asiago cheese, sea salt and black pepper, Italian herbs, or sesame seed oil after rolling the dough and before cutting it into desired shapes. Note that if you choose to make larger, 2" crackers, the yield is around 60 crackers, which serves 30 people.

By Deb Wise

Three-Cheese Spinach and Caramelized Onion Dip

This rich and flavorful dip easily becomes a fun and fancy take on a cheese and spinach dip when topped with crispy pancetta and crunchy fried shallots, which are essentially like mini onion rings.

By Mark Driskill

Buffalo Beef Dip

Why make the same old Buffalo chicken dip when you could incorporate beef? Beef is naturally richer and more savory, so its no surprise how delcicious it is when paired with the iconic heat of Buffalo sauce. Serve this perfect twist on a crowd-pleasing favorite while watching the big game. Our bet is that you never go back to the bird. Be sure to look for packaged, pulled beef without sauce (since you will be adding your own). Alternatively, you can always use leftover smoked, shredded beef from your favorite BBQ restaurant.

By Sara Tane

Chicharrón

The perfect fried pork skins can be actually be made at home with this deliciously crispy, spicy, and flavorful appetizer item. To make things easier, you can prep the skins ahead of time and cover in an airtight container to fry them when you're ready. While this recipe is more of a labor of love, it tastes better that way, and also acquiring properly sourced pork skins is a must for some truly exceptional flavor.

By Robby Melvin

Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Two appetizer favorites team up for one incredible bite in these pimiento cheese-loaded deviled eggs.

By Darcy Lenz

10 5-Star Appetizers from Cooking Light

When you need the "wow" factor if your appetizers, look to these highly rated recipes.

Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

This might sound strange, but as it turns out, a golden-crisp egg roll stuffed with beef, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and mayo might just be one of the most delectably genius things we've ever made. This playful appetizer is reminiscent of everything you love about fast food--but unlike a fast food cheeseburger fix, you actually know what's going into it. You can find fresh egg roll wrappers in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.

By Robin Bashinsky

50 Last-Minute Appetizers For Your Next Unexpected Gathering

Choose one of these super-easy appetizer recipes when you've got unexpected guests or if you forgot to make a dish to take to the party.

Cheesy Taco Jalapeño Poppers with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Beefy, cheesy, taco-tasting poppers that are deep-fried and delicious... what more could you ask for in an appetizer? Cilantro-Lime Crema adds the perfect amount of balancing brightness, making these poppers something to remember. We recommend baking the jalapenos before frying them to cook them all the way through and give them that irresistible tender texture.

By Ivy Odom

Kitchen Sink Dessert Cheese Ball

Who wouldn't love all of their favorite indulgences rolled into one? Make an appetizer with a sweetness that contrasts the usual salty and savory apps. We recommend serving with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or even with thinly sliced apples or strawberries.

By Amanda Williams

Pasta Suppli

Suppli is similar to arancini, except stuffed, usually with a chunk of melty cheese.

By Stacey Ballis

55+ Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

The Brilliant Secret to Making Better Mashed Potatoes

65 Super Easy Finger Foods to Make for Any Party

Editors' Picks