12 Easy Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Appetizers
Thanksgiving is the ultimate food holiday, and to make your day of cooking a little easier, we've pulled together these easy, make-ahead Thanksgiving appetizers. Whether it's a dip, spiced nuts or a cheese ball, these appetizers can be made a few days (or even weeks!) in advance. Recipes like Curried Butternut Squash Dip and Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip are healthy, flavorful and will keep you full until the main meal.
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Slow-Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip
This creamy, crowd-pleasing dip comes together with ease in your crock pot. Leave it in the slow cooker all party long to keep it warm for serving with perfect, melty cheese in every bite. Whole-wheat bread and raw veggie dippers allow you to dig in without the guilt.
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Nutty Pimiento Cheese Balls
These bite-size pimiento cheese balls from Jamie and Bobby Deen are a huge hit with kids (of all ages). They're the perfect appetizer to bring to a summer picnic. Jamie and Bobby share a passion for great home-cooked food with a Southern flair with their celebrity-chef mom, Paula Deen. These brothers are following in their mom's footsteps with their own TV shows, books and website. Our favorite part of what they're up to: healthy makeovers of some of Paula's recipes! Recipe adapted from The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books, 2011).
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Curried Butternut Squash Dip
This healthy squash dip recipe, spiced with curry and made creamy with the addition of coconut milk, is a delicious alternative to hummus. You can also use other types of winter squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash in this dip. Serve with crisp raw vegetables or toasted pitas for dipping.
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Curried Cashews
These curried cashews are impossibly addictive--every time we made them in the Test Kitchen they disappeared in a flash. If you use salted cashews, omit the added salt.
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Garlic-Chile Marinated Olives
Simply pour warm aromatic oil over a selection of olives to infuse them with loads of flavor fast. These olives are a wonderful easy party appetizer--add any leftovers to salads or simply snack on them.
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Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
This is not your grandma's cheese ball. It has all the flavor of an everything bagel without all the carbs and with just 3 ingredients! Want to emphasize the bagel taste? Serve it with bagel chips and some raw veggies for dipping to keep things healthy.
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Sweet and Salty Roasted Nuts
Spicy seasonings add a bit of zing to roasted nuts for an appetizer that's perfect for any occasion.
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Spicy Olives
Toss olives with orange zest, herbs and spices and just like that you have something that screams it's not just another boring Tuesday evening.
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Double-Tahini Hummus
You'll look like an expert with this easy hummus recipe that produces the lightest, silkiest hummus you've ever had. Chilling the cooked chickpeas ensures that when they're blended with the oil and cold tahini the hummus will come out creamy rather than oily. In a pinch, you can use the quick-soak technique (see Step 1), reduce the chilling time and still get great hummus.
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Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball
Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this healthy cheese ball recipe an alluring holiday treat. Serve with an array of crudités and crisp party crackers.
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Greek Salad Skewers
Turn classic Greek salad into finger food appetizers on a stick. The cute presentation is also super easy to prepare and makes for easy eating at a cocktail party or on game day. Just skewer tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta and olives and serve with a side of Greek salad dressing for dipping!
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Chile-Lime Peanuts
These spicy nuts were inspired by ones sold by street vendors across Mexico. If you can only find salted peanuts, omit the added salt. Add the maximum amount of cayenne pepper if you want an extra hit of spice.