Healthy Party Appetizer Recipes

Swapping in tender-crisp cauliflower slices for chips in these cauliflower nachos ups your veggie servings for the day.

A perfect soup pairing or an easy snack, this healthy cheese toast recipe features fresh tomatoes, salty Cheddar cheese and cracked pepper atop slices of crusty bread

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).

This easy, fresh tomato salsa is delicious on tacos, tostadas or simply served with tortilla chips. Since the heat of jalapeños varies, start with one, taste, then add more if you want it hotter. For a sweet-tangy variation, add about 1 cup diced fresh fruit, such as pineapple, mango or peach.

Think of these easy no-bake cookies as a healthy makeover of one of our favorite Girl Scout Cookies--chewy caramel, dark chocolate and toasted coconut come together with fiber-boosting oats instead of sugar and flour. And the best part? They take only 15 minutes from start to finish.

Roasted cauliflower florets take the place of shredded chicken in this vegetarian riff on Buffalo chicken dip. This veggie version of the popular game-day appetizer boosts your vegetable intake in the most creamy, delicious way possible.

These oven-baked wings are designed to be cooked ahead, taken to a tailgate or picnic, and reheated on a charcoal or gas grill. We love the sweet-spicy glaze--just be sure to pack plenty of napkins!

Next time you have a Girl Scout Cookie craving, try these healthier no-bake cookies instead. Their bright and lemony flavor is balanced by sweetness from Medjool dates, and they're held together with millet and almond meal. Keeping the dough chilled and dusting your hands with confectioners' sugar will keep them from sticking to your hands while you shape them.

Turn the basics of a cheese board into adorable mini grilled cheese sandwiches for a satisfying appetizer.

Sneaking green peppers into this quick fresh dip supplies added vitamin C.

Baked tortilla chips and reduced-fat cheddar cheese help keep these Tex-Mex morsels diabetic-friendly.

Salty-tangy blue cheese pairs beautifully with sweet fig jam in these easy appetizers, which are perfect for a holiday party. The optional minced chives add a nice pop of color, but these are just as tasty without herbs. Keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip these up for impromptu holiday cocktail parties.

Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this packable lunch is just like a personal-size cheese plate to take on-the-go. The healthy and easy snack-style meal is perfect to take for lunch at work or for a light picnic date night.

Top crispy sweet potato skins with guacamole for a healthy take on classic potato skins in this easy crowd-pleasing recipe.

Make your own microwave popcorn--it's the simplest technique for making popcorn at home and only requires popcorn kernels and a single brown bag. You'll pop up a perfectly fluffy, light snack each time.

Toasted chickpeas are now a popular vegan snack, but why spend extra money buying them at the health food store when you can easily make them yourself? They're delicious as a snack but also make a wonderful salad topping.

Soaking chickpeas in vinegary hot sauce gives them a mouthwatering tang before they crisp up in the oven. The result? An addictively crunchy snack that's actually good for you.

"Kibbeh" describes dishes made with bulgur, onions and spices. That mixture is combined with everything from tomatoes to goat. It's layered and baked, shaped into balls or footballs, stuffed, deep-fried or eaten raw. This vegetarian kibbeh recipe is made with pumpkin and stuffed with seasoned greens. Sorrel adds a lemony flavor, but you can use chard or kale and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the filling. Use fine bulgur or the texture of the dough will be gritty.

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.

Channel the flavors of the Mediterranean in this bountiful appetizer board. A duo of classic hummus and roasted eggplant dip offers dunking options for seeded crackers, carrot sticks and raw fennel slices. Juicy grapes and dried apricots provide a sweet counterpart to salty prosciutto and feta cheese.

Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this affordable lunch is easy to make and pack yourself. With high-protein ingredients like a hard-boiled egg, edamame and tuna, this bistro-style lunch will leave you feeling satisfied.

Creamy apple butter and sharp Cheddar cheese are a perfect match in these easy party hors d'oeuvres. This recipe calls for prepared pie crust, which is pressed into mini muffin tins to make little tart shells, so it's super easy to make as well. Add slices of apple for extra crunch, if you'd like, or keep these bites simple. Either way, consider making a double batch--they'll go quickly.

You can make these bars ahead of time and freeze them, tightly wrapped in foil, for up to 3 months.

This finger food is the perfect healthy appetizer to get your party going. Three ingredients are all it takes to make this elegant hors d'oeuvre--no one will ever guess how easy they were to make! Want to keep things plant-based? Use vegan pesto in the breadcrumb stuffing. You can also swap the whole-wheat breadcrumbs for gluten-free.