35 Easy Appetizer Recipes Ready in 15 Minutes
Updated: Dec. 03, 2023
Need a platter of easy appetizers for an upcoming party? These crowd-pleasing appetizer ideas are quick to fix in 15 minutes or less!
Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just serving family dinner, starting with appetizers is extra fun. It’s a great way to sneak in a special in-season vegetable or whet appetites with an out-of-the-ordinary treat. Our best easy appetizers offer tons of variety: Think sweet and savory dips, fancy skewers, crunchy snacks, fresh veggies and cheese plates. You’ll find choices for vegetarians and carnivores, and ideas for every season of the year.
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Quick Tortilla Pinwheels
This easy appetizer recipe is a double-whammy: It takes just 15 minutes to make, and you can prepare it ahead of time. While the roll-ups look fancy, they’re made simply by layering cheesy ingredients onto a flat tortilla, rolling it up, and slicing. Serve with a good store-bought salsa.
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Beer Dip
One of our top-rated appetizers of all time, this cheesy, creamy beer dip is irresistible! Best of all, it’s adaptable. Make it with a classic beer, a non-alcoholic beer or a gluten-free beer. Serve with pretzels, sliced vegetables or crackers.
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Pastrami Roll-Ups
Dill pickle fans, these are for you. Like an Italian sandwich in a bite, these roll-ups are savory, tangy and creamy.
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Homemade Guacamole
Guacamole is a natural appetizer to serve before a Mexican-inspired feast, but it’s so delicious as a snack, it doesn’t really matter what you’re serving for dinner. Make your own tortilla chips a day in advance if you want a fully from-scratch app.
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Dreamy Fruit Dip
Who said that appetizers have to be savory? This sweet dipping sauce is delightful with fresh fruit. Depending on what’s in season, try strawberries, pineapple, grapes, apples or pears.
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Tomato-Goat Cheese Spread
Soft, creamy goat cheese makes an ideal base for spreads since it’s so easy to blend with flavorings. Here, both sun-dried tomatoes and their juices are used to flavor the cheese. Serve with mild-tasting crackers to let the full-flavored dip shine.
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Caprese Salad Kabobs
A platter of Caprese salad is hard to beat, but when serving in appetizer form, try these kabobs. They’re an easy handheld treat; no silverware or individual plates needed.
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Strawberry Salsa
Did you know that strawberries and tomatoes have similar flavor profiles? It’s strange but true! Adding sliced strawberries to classic tomato salsa ingredients brings extra sweetness and makes the salsa more versatile. It’s still great with corn chips, and especially tasty paired with cheese and crackers.
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Peanut Butter Granola Pinwheels
This homey peanut butter roll-up is a fun appetizer for a kid’s party or a family dinner. It’s also super simple. Spread peanut butter and honey (or jam or jelly) on a tortilla, sprinkle with granola, and roll.
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Peachy Jalapeno Guacamole
Tired of the same ol’ guacamole? We love peaches in savory recipes! Try this spicy-sweet variation of guacamole. Stirring juicy chunks of peach and minced jalapeno into the dipping bowl adds morsels of exciting flavor that perks up the palate.
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Artichoke Caprese Platter
This simple-to-assemble salad combines the flavors of two favorite restaurant appetizers: artichoke dip and Caprese salad. The result is a fresh, but hearty, appetizer perfect for eating al fresco.
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Ham & Potato Salad Sandwiches
This filling party appetizer is great for a game-day potluck. Ham, boiled eggs, tomatoes and pickles are all classic sandwich toppers, but the addition of potato salad to the bread is what takes this recipe to genius level.
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Brownie Batter Dip
Who hasn’t snuck a taste of brownie batter off the mixing spoon? This chocolately dip recreates that special treat, without the raw eggs. Serve with sliced apples, Animal Crackers or pretzels.
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Parmesan Ranch Popcorn
Chips and crackers dominate appetizer tables, but we’re here to nominate an alternative: popcorn. It’s a crowd-pleaser, quick to make, and easy to scale up as big a batch as you need. Actually, there are infinite popcorn toppings!
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German Beer Cheese Spread
If you’ve only ever had store-bought cheese spread, you’ve got to make this recipe. By blending cubed cheese, Worcestershire sauce, spices and your favorite beer, you can control the texture and flavor. Super creamy? Grab a softer cheese, or add a splash more beer. Super spicy? Add a pinch of cayenne or green chile.
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Layered Hummus Dip
This fresh, healthy appetizer recipe is the perfect spread for a sticky summer day. Cucumbers add a refreshing crunch, crumbled feta cheese is irresistably savory, and fresh tomatoes complete any summer recipe.By the way, here’s how to make hummus from scratch.
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Spicy Shrimp Salsa
The shrimp plate is often the first to empty at a party. A great trick for serving shrimp on a budget is to mix shrimp into a fresh salsa. As a bonus, the acidic flavors of tomato and lime jazz up the slightly sweet shrimp.
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Hot Pizza Dip
Serve an array of crackers or breadsticks with this crowd-pleasing party appetizer. The pizza dip is as customizable as real pizza—add your favorite chopped veggies or pepperoni to the bowl if you like.
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Pina Colada Fruit Dip
Smooth whipped marshmallow creme, tangy cream cheese and shredded coconut make a sweet, surprising dip. Serve with a big plate of fruit and watch your guests swarm like moths to a light.
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Garlic Garbanzo Bean Spread
Similar to classic hummus, but with a brighter flavor thanks to green onions and parsley, this bean spread is a sure hit. Serve as a dip with crudités or as a spread over crackers.
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Super Quick Shrimp and Green Chile Quesadillas
Cheesy quesadillas get a sophisticated upgrade in this spicy recipe. Chopped shrimp are a real treat, but you can omit them or swap for shredded chicken if you prefer.
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Chunky Mango Guacamole
Some of our favorite guacamole recipes have a secret ingredient. Here, diced mango adds bursts of sweet juiciness to creamy avocados.
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Dill Vegetable Dip
This may be the most formal recipe in this roundup, but it requires only five minutes of prep time. Assembling sliced crudités vertically in individual cups makes for a striking presentation that’s also practical, packaging both dip and veggies in a single-serving dish.
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Spicy Crab Dip
Everyone loves crab dip, but not many people realize how easy it is to make! Using canned crab (or even imitation crab meat) means zero hammers are required to enjoy the rich crustacean flavor.
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Caramel Apple and Brie Skewers
Threading bite-sized fruits, veggies or cheese on a skewer is a simple trick for handheld appetizers. While savory combinations are easy to dream up, this sweet caramel-laced confection will surprise and delight your guests.
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Loaded Baked Potato Dip
If you serve this creamy dip with waffle fries, it’s like a deconstructed loaded baked potato! It’s the perfect casual appetizer before an easy cookout dinner.
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Cannellini Bean Hummus
Hummus is a go-to appetizer for a good reason: It pairs with just about anything you can dip in it, from pretzels to veggies and beyond. This classic recipe combines tahini, garlic and lemon with cannellini beans rather than the traditional chickpeas—they blend more smoothly since they don’t have skins—but you can use whichever you prefer.
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Mom’s Vegetable Dip
Dips don’t get much smoother than this creamy treat. The secret? Thinning the cream cheese base with a bit of milk, ensuring that even the most delicate potato chip can dunk without breaking.
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Cheesy Snack Mix
Snack mix might seem like a throwback to high school parties in the basement rec room, but give it another look! With their appealing mix of savory and sweet flavors and crunchy and crispy textures, snack mixes are customizable and fun.
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Jalapeno Ranch Dip
Serve this delectable ranch dip alongside a vegetable platter. Use up the leftovers as a dip for your favorite tacos.
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Bacon Cheese Spread
This is the dip bowl that will go quickest at any party, on any occasion, guaranteed. A blend of mayo, cheese and bacon is definitely rich, but chopped raw onion adds a sharp brightness that keeps it from tasting too heavy.
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Blue Cheese Potato Chips
Nachos are great, but have you ever given potato chips the same treatment? This savory pan of tomatoes, bacon and tangy blue cheese will get gobbled up fast.
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Cheesy Quesadillas
It’s easy to make a big batch of quesadillas. Get out your longest sheet pan, layer as many tortillas as will fit, and sprinkle on some cheese and salsa. Serve with sour cream and guac or just more salsa.
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Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl
The special ingredient in this chunky spinach dip? A packet of ranch seasoning! Serving the dip in a bread bowl adds a wow factor, but it will taste just as good in a plain bowl.
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Chunky Blue Cheese Dip
Funky blue cheese has a strong flavor, so it’s ideal to enjoy as an appetizer. It tastes great with both savory and sweet dippers, like fresh apple slices or potato chips.Next Up: What Is a Relish Tray and What Should You Put on It?
Originally Published: February 08, 2019
