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Healthy, Quick & Easy Appetizer Recipes

Find quick and easy appetizer recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Healthier Appetizers & Finger Foods

Appetizers and finger foods don't have to come from a box. They can be healthy and delicious with these ideas from EatingWell.

Healthier Appetizers & Finger Foods

Corned Beef and Cabbage Appetizers

These fun Shamrock Tostadas are the perfect healthy appetizer for St. Patrick's Day.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Appetizers

FREE Top 10 Appetizer Recipe Cookbook!

Including crostini recipes, dumpling recipes and more, this cookbook features our very best appetizer recipes.

FREE Top 10 Appetizer Recipe Cookbook!

Blue Cheese & Fig Bite

Blue Corn Botanita

Shrimp-Pepper Popper

Deconstructed Spicy Crab Roll

9 Instant Appetizers

Whether you’re gracing guests with a gourmet feast or scrambling to host a few hungry pop-ins, a platter of no-cook canapés is an elegant, easy way to make them feel welcome. These cracker- or bread-based bites rely on bright colors, no-fuss store-bought ingredients and balanced flavors to effortlessly dazzle a crowd. They’re so quick, in fact, we had to measure our prep time in the Test Kitchen with a stopwatch!

Buffalo-Chicken Celery Sticks

These stuffed celery sticks, packed with zesty Buffalo chicken and tangy blue cheese, make a perfect low-carb game-day snack. The kick of flavor from tangy Buffalo sauce is tempered by creamy Neufchâtel (reduced-fat cream cheese), but you can cut back if the hot sauce is too much for sensitive palates. Drizzle a few drops on the sticks before serving for those who can handle the heat.

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Smoked Salmon & Avocado Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are surprisingly easy to make. Better yet, they're incredibly versatile. Smoked salmon and avocado are a classic spring roll combination for an easy healthy lunch to pack for work--or whip some up for a light party appetizer.

Peach & Bacon Crostini

For an easy party appetizer, pick the best seasonal fruit you can find and let the grill lend a smoky backbone to these delicious crostini.

Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Tomme des Pyrénées

Cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers are a traditional specialty of Italy and Provence. This version of the fried vegetarian side dish or appetizer takes on an Occitanie flair with Tomme des Pyrénées, a cheese produced in that southwestern region of France. Thanks to the cheese's rich, slightly tangy flavor, you only need a little bit to highlight this dish.

Serrano-Wrapped Plums

In this simple appetizer recipe, cloaking juicy stone fruit with rich ribbons of cured meat is a quick and simple route to salty-sweet perfection. Serve on your next cheese board with Spanish Manchego cheese and Marcona almonds.

Peach Caprese Skewers

Fresh peaches liven up a classic caprese salad in this super-fast snack. Make this recipe for one or make a bunch for a party appetizer.

Star-Spangled Fruit Kebabs

Cutting naturally red and white fruits into star shapes to pair on skewers with blueberries makes a fun, patriotic fruit dessert you can feel good about eating and serving to your kids. This red, white and blue fruit "salad" will be a hit at summer barbecues, especially for the Fourth of July.

Crispy Parmesan Chips

These homemade chips have lots of Parmesan cheese baked on top so there's no need for high-calorie dip.

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Creamy Stuffed Peppers

Choose sweet or hot pepper then stuff with cream cheese, green onions and chipotle chile peppers to make these delicious poppers.

Mozzarella with Basil

Reinvent this recipe every time you make it by varying the cheese and the herb. Try feta with oregano or dill, or queso fresco with cumin or red pepper flakes.

Raspberry BBQ Sausage Bites

Sweet, smoky and savory, these sausage appetizer bites are a cinch to throw together at the last minute. Just throw some smoked sausage on the grill, slice and toss with the fresh homemade raspberry barbecue sauce for the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Picnic Deviled Eggs with Fresh Herbs

These eggs are perfect for a picnic because they're so portable. Instead of cutting them in half lengthwise, we just cut the tops off so they can stand upright in an egg carton for easy filling, transport and storage. We swapped in Greek yogurt for the traditional mayo to save calories.

Vegetable Bouquet

This edible centerpiece will transform the table at your next gathering. Not only is a crudité bouquet beautiful, it's also delicious! Set it at the center of the table surrounded by bowls of your favorite veggie dips like ranch, hummus and more. This recipe fits into a 6-by-6-inch outer vase. If your vases are smaller or larger, scale the vegetables accordingly.

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Creamy Fruit Morsels

Need a simple dessert or sweet appetizer? Try this recipe. Just sweeten up fat free cream cheese and use on your favorite fruits.

Scrambled Turkey Nachos

These tasty nachos, topped with eggs, turkey sausage and Cheddar cheese, are perfect to serve at your next brunch.

Nutty Chocolate Crunch

This crunchy snack made with rice and bran cereals, peanuts, and chocolate pieces is perfect for on-the-go occasions.

White Bean and Tomato Bruschetta

Almost everything for this appetizer can be made ahead--just prepare the white bean and tomato mixture and toast the bread slices. When you're ready, simply assemble the bruschetta, broil and serve!

Herbed Mixed Nuts

Freshly-toasted nuts are seasoned with herbs and Parmesan cheese for a quick, tasty appetizer.

Herbed Peppers and Olives

Many large supermarkets or delis offer a variety of olives at a take-your-choice olive bar. Mix and match the ones you like best with this simple recipe.

Cheesy Ham & Pickle Wraps

For this no-cook game-day appetizer, tangy dill pickles are stuffed with a creamy filling that's peppered with sharp Cheddar and sweet pimientos, and then wrapped with ham. We cut back on the sodium by scraping out the pickle seeds and opting for reduced-sodium ham, which has 260 milligrams (or less) of sodium per 2-ounce serving.