Healthy Summer Appetizer Recipes

Find healthy, delicious summer appetizer recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

Rating: 4.71 stars
14
Packed with protein and fiber, this tuna and bean salad is ready in a flash. For an extra kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Turmeric-Ginger Tahini Dip

Rating: 5 stars
1
Flavored with turmeric, ginger and garlic, this tahini dip recipe is perfect for dipping vegetables or topping your next falafel.
By Julia Clancy

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Toasts

Rating: 5 stars
1
They would have been canapés back in 1979--today they're trendy avocado toasts. Let your guests creatively customize their nibbles by setting out an array of garnishes for this healthy appetizer.
By Katie Webster

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Try this satisfying snack instead of nuts. The tasty legumes are lower in calories and packed with fiber.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Loaded Sweet Potato Nacho Fries

Rating: 4.5 stars
2
Bump up the vitamin A and fiber when you swap tortilla chips for sweet potatoes in this healthy recipe. Serve as an appetizer at your next party or turn it into dinner by adding chicken, tofu, shrimp or more beans for protein.
By Hilary Meyer

Greek Salad Nachos

Rating: 5 stars
2
This vegetarian nacho recipe is a fun combination of two favorites--nachos and Greek salad. It uses whole-grain pita chips instead of the tortilla chips used in traditional nacho recipes, and it's loaded with the classic fresh vegetables in Greek salad as well as creamy hummus and salty feta cheese. And it doesn't even need the oven! Easily doubled, this makes a great appetizer or light dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Shrimp Summer Rolls

This sophisticated-looking shrimp summer roll recipe is surprisingly easy to make and makes a great party appetizer or first course. Look for rice-paper wrappers--translucent round sheets made from rice flour--in the Asian section of large supermarkets or at Asian food stores.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Rating: 3.8 stars
4
Spicy peanut sauce is the perfect match for these Thai-marinated grilled chicken strips.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cucumber Cups with Deviled Ham Salad

Swap crostini for cucumber cups to hold ham salad in this easy appetizer recipe. Bring these healthy, crunchy bites to your next potluck or serve them at brunch and watch them disappear.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cured or Smoked Salmon Appetizer Platter

Rating: 4 stars
2
This smoked salmon platter requires little effort but the spread makes a big impression. Served with all the fixings--capers, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber and more--a smoked salmon platter is the ultimate make-ahead appetizer. Lay out everything listed in the ingredients below or just a few of the elements along with an assortment of crackers, cocktail bread and/or sliced baguette.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cucumber-Topped Rye Crisps

Rye crisps make an all-star snack because they are fat-free, low in sodium and oh, so crunchy. Jazz them up with this light, fresh topping idea.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tomato-Basil Skewers

Rating: 4.6 stars
4
Skewering mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes makes them easy to nosh at a party.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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Inspiration and Ideas

20 Bite-Size Appetizers for Summer Get-Togethers

20 Bite-Size Appetizers for Summer Get-Togethers
These healthy appetizer recipes are perfect for summer gatherings.
Best No-Cook Labor Day Party Starters

Best No-Cook Labor Day Party Starters
Serve a beautiful appetizer without turning up the heat. Entertain with ease and celebrate the unofficial end of summer without turning on the stove. These delicious Labor Day appetizers require minimal time while shelling out maximum flavor. From cheese boards to dips and salads—there is a bite for everyone to enjoy!
Fig & Honey Yogurt

Fig & Honey Yogurt
Homemade Ranch Dressing with Veggies

Homemade Ranch Dressing with Veggies
Lemon Tuna & Yogurt Cracker

Lemon Tuna & Yogurt Cracker
Strawberries and Cottage Cheese

Strawberries and Cottage Cheese

Tropical Snack Mix

Sweet, salty and simple, this tropical treat is a perfect on-the-go snack for a quick energy boost.

All Healthy Summer Appetizer Recipes

Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Galbi)

The longer you marinate these Korean sweet-and-savory ribs, the better. Look for flanken-cut short ribs in the meat department or ask your butcher to cut them for you. If you can't find perilla or shiso leaves, try using mint instead.
By Judy Joo

Pan-Fried Zucchini Chips

Fresh zucchini slices are battered in crispy panko and pan-fried until golden brown and crunchy. You can eat them with a fork, but popping these zucchini chips by the slice is perfectly acceptable. Serve with a dollop of creamy dressing for a simple summer vegetable side.
By Carolyn Casner

Fruit & Nuts Snack Mix

Whip up a big batch of this sweet and salty mix for on-the-go fuel or to have on hand for after-school snacks.
By Carolyn Casner

EatingWell Energy Bars

Rating: 4.38 stars
2
Instead of buying pricy energy bars, fuel your fitness routine with this great-tasting homemade energy bar recipe. Whether you use these energy bars as a pre-workout snack or to refuel and recover post-workout, they'll give your body what it needs. Best of all, you can make this energy bar recipe in minutes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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.
By Breana Killeen

Hard-Boiled Egg & Almonds

This small snack packs a nutrient punch--it's loaded with protein, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to make eating healthy easy and yummy.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Blackberry & Cream Cheese Cracker

Fresh blackberries and light cream cheese make a pretty, sweet topping for a crispbread snack, especially with a little mint sprinkled on top. Besides being beautiful and delicious, blackberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Strawberry & Blue Cheese Bruschetta

Rating: 5 stars
1
In this healthy bruschetta recipe, the big, bold, salty, tangy flavor of blue cheese makes an unexpected but utterly delicious match with sweet juicy strawberries. This bruschetta recipe makes a quick, easy appetizer and is so pretty topped with chopped green chives.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Chicken Taquitos

You only need 5 ingredients to make this quick and easy chicken taquitos dish for two.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

Rating: 3.71 stars
15
Tossing chicken tenders with cornmeal gives these chicken nuggets great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and carrots.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Skinny Guacamole

Rating: 4 stars
2
This delicious guacamole recipe replaces half the amount of high-calorie avocado in a traditional guacamole recipe with a stealth, low-calorie vegetable--zucchini--to cut 100 calories and 6 grams of fat so we can eat more guacamole with fewer calories. We use the microwave to cook the zucchini until it's very tender, but you can steam it on the stovetop if you prefer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks

Rating: 4.06 stars
10
Our oven-baked zucchini sticks taste every bit as good as their deep-fried brethren with only a fraction of the fat and calories. Serve with a side of your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Rating: 5 stars
2
These easy-to-make homemade granola bars are inspired by the flavors of a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. But feel free to vary the mix-ins to your preference. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sicilian Caponata

Rating: 4 stars
3
This caponata is a vibrant mixture of fresh vegetables, including eggplant, onion, celery and tomatoes. Olives, capers, basil and pine nuts makes it special. Serve it as a side with fish or as a spread on rustic bread. Prepare it the night before serving if you can; it always tastes better the next day.
By Sheilah Kaufman

Endive with Goat Cheese, Strawberries & Walnuts

Rating: 5 stars
2
Vary this quick-to-assemble vegetarian appetizer recipe with the season. Try sliced nectarines in place of the strawberries in the summer and halved grapes in the fall. Chopped pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts are all delicious in place of the walnuts as well.
By Seamus Mullen

Herbed Corn & Edamame Succotash

Rating: 4.83 stars
4
Fresh green soybeans, called edamame or sweet beans, are a great addition to this classic American dish, where they stand in for the traditional lima beans. The succotash is wonderful as it is or topped with grilled shrimp, salmon or chicken.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Peanut-Chicken Cabbage Wraps

Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy chicken lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this Thai-inspired recipe--any fresh green that's sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Clementine & Pistachio Ricotta

Skip sugar-sweetened yogurt and try ricotta instead. Topped with fresh fruit and nuts, it's the perfect healthy snack.
By Breana Killeen

Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

Rating: 4.32 stars
12
This roasted eggplant and feta dip gets a kick from a fresh chile pepper and cayenne pepper. There are countless variations on this classic Greek dip. Out-of-season eggplant or eggplant that has been heavily watered often has an abundance of seeds, which make the vegetable bitter. Be sure to taste the dip before you serve it; if it's a touch bitter, you can remedy that with a little sugar. Serve with toasted pita crisps or as a sandwich spread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Edamame & Salmon Stir-Fry with Miso Butter

Rating: 4.67 stars
1
One bite of this healthy stir-fry recipe and you'll start thinking about what else you can stir miso butter into. Spread the miso butter on roast chicken or toss it with steamed vegetables. Serve with rice noodles or brown rice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks

Shredded zucchini, eggs and cheese combine in this easy recipe for low-carb cheesy breadsticks like you would get from the pizzeria, but healthier! Dip this gluten-free appetizer in marinara or pico de gallo for even more flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix

Double, triple or quadruple this healthy trail mix recipe and keep it on hand for when you need a sweet snack.
By Breana Killeen

Green Tahini Ranch Dip

Fresh spinach and herbs blended with tahini and garlic make this tahini dip recipe perfect for crudités--or try it as a vegan alternative to regular ranch dressing.
By Julia Clancy

Mango Fruit Leather

Rating: 5 stars
1
This no-sugar-added fruit snack is a healthy treat kids and adults will both love. It's perfect for packing in a lunchbox for school or work or just enjoying as a snack or better-for-you dessert at home.
By Carolyn Casner
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