30 Easy Appetizer Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated July 16, 2020

Celebrate a special occasion or just a fun Friday night with our recipes for dips, fondues, meatballs, snack mixes and more appetizer recipes.

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Cheese Fondue

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Classic cheese fondue is a splurge in every sense--but it's also guaranteed bliss. (And you don't even need a fondue pot!) CJ Bienert, owner of The Cheese Shop of Des Moines, shares his easy recipe.

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Cranberry-Sauced Meatballs Appetizer

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Shape and bake the chicken meatballs ahead of time, then pop them in your slow cooker with cranberry and barbecue sauces.

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Ricotta and Parmesan Spread

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Fresh herbs season this ridiculously simple spread from BelGioioso Cheese in Wisconsin. It keeps well in the fridge and is delicious with cherry tomatoes or other vegetable dippers, as well as crackers or baguette slices.

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Zucchini-Tomato Cups with Blue Cheese

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These six-ingredient bite-size appetizers taste best warm, so assemble them in advance and pop them in the oven when guests arrive.

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Ripe Olive Cheese Ball

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Perfect for parties and tailgating! Make these cheese balls up to three months ahead of time then freeze. Thaw frozen cheese balls overnight in fridge before serving.

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Cheesy Snack Mix

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Grated Parmesan cheese gives extra cheesy flavor to this blend of crispy corn and rice cereals, canned shoestring potatoes, crisp breadsticks and bite-size cheese crackers.

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Parmesan-Crusted Goat Cheese with Basil Oil

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This beautiful and unusual recipe makes one small cheese ball, but easily doubles or triples to make multiple for a party. The recipe comes from Indiana-based blogger Annie Marshall.

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Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce and Lemon-Chive Mayo

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Skip the supermarket tray. Our shrimp cocktail update is the ultimate make-ahead party app. Roasting brings out the shrimp's natural sweetness, and the two homemade sauces are ridiculously simple.

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Turkey Pesto Sliders

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These six-ingredient party sandwiches are simple and delicious. The recipe comes from Indianapolis-based blogger Annie Marshall.

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Marinated Cheese Cubes

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Pantry ingredients turn ordinary Monterey jack into a deli-style party snack that tastes even better when you make it ahead. You can prep it three days in advance.

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Buffalo Sweet Pepper Poppers

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These easy appetizers combine two party favorites -- jalapeno poppers and buffalo chicken wings.

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Tangy Sour Cream and Onion Dip

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Onion dip is a classic for a reason-and this 100 percent homemade version is one of the best we've tasted. It's fab with potato chips, of course, but we also love it with crisp Romaine or Little Gem lettuce leaves for a lighter twist.

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Fresh Vegetable Chips

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These chips are a fresh and healthy alternative to traditional potato chips. Serve with Caramelized Onion Dip, if you like.

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Gouda and Red Onion Pizza

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This easy appetizer pizza features shredded Gouda and caramelized onions. The recipe comes from Gouda maker Oakvale Farmstead Cheese in London, Ohio.

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Swiss-Artichoke Dip

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Artichoke hearts, dried tomatoes and sauce combine for a rich, creamy dip. Our recipe calls for processed Swiss cheese because it melts smoothly, but regular Swiss cheese will work fine, too. The dip will have a more stretchy, less creamy texture, but it tastes just as good.

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Spicy Rosemary-Peanut Caramel Corn

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This is caramel corn all grown up-studded with salted peanuts, flecked with rosemary and kissed with cayenne. Set a bowl on the coffee table as a way-fun alternative to Chex Mix.

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Mediterranean Eight-Layer Dip

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We've seen a lot of dips through the years, but we've never forgotten this one—juicy veggies, tangy olive tapenade and feta piled on a thick layer of hummus. We like to make it ahead and serve it with warm toasted pita wedges. This recipe, originally published in 2005, made a list of all-time favorite recipes.

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Mini Burger Party Platter

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To keep in step with the small-meal trend in restaurants, we created this Mini Burger Party Platter with fun sauces to choose from, including Balsamic Mayo, Herbed Goat Cheese and Citrus Ketchup.

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Hot Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Dip

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Roasted red sweet peppers fleck this dip with a festive crimson touch. Serve the warm, cheese-filled appetizer with bread or pita wedges, or some water crackers.

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Jack Cheese and Smoky Chipotle Fondue

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Lots of Monterey Jack cheese goes into this creamy fondue, along with sour cream, chipotle peppers and bacon. Scoop up with bread or tortilla chips.

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Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms

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This five-ingredient recipe comes from the bacon pros at Nueske's meats in Wisconsin.

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Feta, Honey and Date Spread

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This spread can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to 3 days. For a flavorful dipper, brush pita wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and thyme before toasting in oven.

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Mini Italian Beef Sandwiches with Pepperoncini Slaw

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These little beef sandwiches make a great appetizer for a party. And you can put them together in just 20 minutes.

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Wasabi Almonds and Popcorn

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If you'd like to cut additional fat from this zesty snack mix, use five sprays of butter-flavor nonstick spray instead of butter. Be sure to add the spray right before eating to prevent the popcorn from getting soggy.

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Tortilla-Black Bean Casserole

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Layer a tomato-bean mixture, cheese and tortillas for a casserole with south-of-the-border flavor. Let each guest top their portion with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, green onions, olives and/or sour cream.

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Chocolate-Caramel Fondue

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Just three ingredients go into this quick dessert: sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping and chocolate. Vary your dippers to match the mood of your party.

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Mexican Seven-Layer Dip

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Combine pantry-ready ingredients such as canned bean dip and taco sauce for this easy dip. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Not Your Ordinary Brie

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Apple-cranberry chutney adds a spicy kick to this warm, baked brie appetizer.

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Fireside Beer-Cheese Fondue

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Mix and match cheeses to suit your taste in the fondue, then serve with an assortment of dippers, such as cubed French or Italian bread, cooked ham cubes, seedless grapes, apple chunks, and cut-up fresh vegetables.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

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A reader in Saint Paul gave us this recipe, which always gets raves from her guests. The sweet glaze uses pineapple juice, ketchup and soy sauce.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com