Healthy Summer Appetizer Recipes

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

Staff Picks

Loaded Sweet Potato Nacho Fries

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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

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

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

Pear & Camembert Crostini

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Up your appetizer game with this fruit-topped cheese crostini recipe. Warm preserves give the pears a shiny glaze and prevent them from browning.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cured or Smoked Salmon Appetizer Platter

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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

Sausage Balls

These homemade sausage balls are a healthy riff on the original--we add riced cauliflower for moisture and a veggie boost, whole-wheat flour stands in for prepared biscuit mix, and sharp Cheddar adds flavor. Serve these sausage balls for brunch, as an appetizer, or mix them with your favorite marinara for dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

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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

Greek Salad Nachos

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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

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Toasts

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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

Greek-Style Stuffed Mushrooms

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Perk up any appetizer buffet or antipasto tray with these tempting mushrooms brimming with broccoli, feta cheese, garlic, and oregano.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pizza Lettuce Wraps

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Go light and fresh when you're craving pizza: these easy lettuce wraps have all the taste with fewer carbs and calories.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Mango Fruit Leather

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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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Inspiration and Ideas

19 15-Minute Appetizers for a Summer Dinner
Recipes like our Classic Southern Appetizer Board and Taco Dip with Tomato Wedges will have you snacking all summer.
20 Bite-Size Appetizers for Summer Get-Togethers
These healthy appetizer recipes are perfect for summer gatherings.
Best No-Cook Labor Day Party Starters
EatingWell Energy Bars
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Turmeric-Ginger Tahini Dip
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Peanut Butter-Covered Pretzel Rod
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EatingWell Crudité Vegetable Wreath with Ranch Dip

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Take your veggies and dip to the next level with this colorful crudité wreath. This vegetable appetizer is a stunner with white cauliflower, red tomatoes and green broccoli, green beans, snap peas, kale and Brussels sprouts. It's also a delicious way to start your celebration with veggies (which there are rarely enough of at parties and holidays). The homemade ranch dip, which uses nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, takes just a few minutes to make, or you can use a healthy store-bought dip.

All Healthy Summer Appetizer Recipes

Cauliflower Nachos

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Indulge your nacho cravings with this healthy vegetarian nacho recipe that's loaded with vegetables (thanks in part to roasted cauliflower standing in for chips) and protein-packed beans, and has a lot more fiber than traditional nachos. These baked cauliflower nachos, piled with guacamole, melty cheese, fresh pico de gallo and avocado, are great as an appetizer or could be eaten as a light dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Herbed Corn & Edamame Succotash

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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

Bean Burgers with Spicy Guacamole

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These bean burgers will even please carnivores. The cornmeal coating gives a pleasant crunch and smoked paprika, cumin, cilantro and guacamole add Southwestern flavor.
By Vanessa Barrington

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad for Two

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Capers, red onion and fresh herbs give canned tuna and beans a light, fresh taste. Here we serve the tuna salad on a bed of greens. It also works well stuffed into a pita for a sandwich. Give it some extra kick with a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne. Serve with olive bread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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

Caramelized Leek Dip

Caramelized leeks, fresh scallions and chives give this French-onion-inspired dip a triple hit of allium flavor. Serve with crudités and potato chips.
By Laura Kanya

Green Tahini Ranch Dip

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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

Skinny Guacamole

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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

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

Cream Cheese Dip and Crackers

Sneaking green peppers into this quick fresh dip supplies added vitamin C.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Healthy Dark Chocolate "Puppy Chow"

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Crunchy, sweet, salty ... healthy?! Yes, indeed. We gave this classic sweet treat, also called muddy buddies, a grown-up makeover using whole-grain cereal and dark chocolate. Dig in!
By Hilary Meyer

Greek Yogurt with Fruit & Nuts

This simple snack with protein and healthy fat will get you through the afternoon slump.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Hummus-Covered Pretzel Rod

Hummus adds a flavorful protein punch to a pretzel rod for a fun, healthy after-school snack that the kids can even help with.
By Carolyn Casner

Homemade Ranch Dressing with Veggies

Make a big batch of homemade ranch dressing to keep on hand for dipping crisp, raw vegetables anytime for a healthy snack both kids and adults will enjoy.
By Carolyn Casner

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

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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

Nutella-Covered Pretzel Rod

This sweet-and-salty pretzel rod is an after-school snack kids will love to make as much as they'll love to eat!
By Carolyn Casner

Peanut-Chicken Cabbage Wraps

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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

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.

Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks

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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

Herb & Cheddar Gougères

Don't let the fancy French name for these cheese puffs mislead you--this is an easy appetizer recipe. They're traditionally made with Gruyère or Comté; we couldn't resist turning to our Vermont roots and using good old Cheddar instead.
By Katie Webster

Baked Chicken Taquitos

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

Apple Nachos

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In this healthy appetizer (or dessert) recipe, apples make the base for a cinnamon-honey yogurt sauce, chocolate chips, granola and blueberry topping. Feel free to swap out the toppings for whatever you have on hand-coconut, nuts and seeds all make delicious options.
By Hilary Meyer

Crunchy Popcorn Cauliflower

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A cunchy, savory pretzel-pecan coating turns roasted, caramelized cauliflower into an irresistible appetizer or kids' snack that mimics flavored popcorn. Serve this popcorn cauliflower straight from the oven with a dipping sauce and watch these tasty little bites disappear.
By Hilary Meyer

Sicilian Caponata

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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
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