40 Fancy Appetizers That Are Secretly Really Easy to Make
You have a few friends coming over, so you want to serve a bunch of photogenic starters that everyone will be eager to share on Instagram (not to mention taste incredible). Don’t fret: It’s easier than it seems, as long as you choose a few foolproof recipes. From a Pinterest-ready Italian bruschetta board to dangerously poppable French onion cups, I found 40 fancy appetizers that are secretly really easy to make.
Many can be prepared ahead, and they're simple enough for newbies to pull off (even though they don't look it). Bring them to a potluck, whip them up for your annual Christmas party and keep your faves in your back pocket for a special occasion, whether it be a holiday or a random weeknight.
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1. Split Pea Soup with Bacon and Beer
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead
Serves: 6 to 8
Split pea soup may sound old-school and unappetizing, but hear me out. With fresh croutons, a can of your favorite pale lager, sherry vinegar and a ton of bacon, it's far more exciting than what you ate as a kid. "The beer is what gives this soup a well-rounded flavor without a ton of effort on your part," writes former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen, "but if you want to skip it, you can use an equal amount of water or chicken stock instead."
2. Vegan Miso Caramel Dip with Pretzels and Granny Smith Apples
Photo/Styling: Taryn Pire
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: vegan, make ahead, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Serves: 2
For those who go gaga over any sweet-and-salty appetizer. The caramel isn't as sugary as you might expect, thanks to umami-rich miso paste. "I suggest dissolving the miso in water to mellow its punchiness a bit before adding it to the pot," writes PureWow food editor Taryn Pire, "but you could also just whisk it in straight from the container while the caramel is thickening to keep its flavor intense."
3. Blackberry-Brie Upside-Down Pastries
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Serves: 8
Remember when these tiny tarts took over TikTok in 2023? "My version features a blackberry-Brie combination that’s a little bit sweet, a touch savory and as easy to devour as it is to assemble," explains Gillen. "I highly recommend serving them on the patio with a Hugo spritz for the full effect."
4. Spicy, Crunchy Sesame Cucumber Salad
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, no cook, <10 ingredients
Serves: 4
"Inspired by the flavors of pai huang gua, a Chinese cucumber salad that’s seasoned with rice vinegar, chili oil and soy sauce, this spicy, crunchy sesame cucumber salad recipe is everything I want in a side dish," Gillen asserts. "It’s refreshing, crisp, juicy and savory with just the right amount of heat to bring me back for another bite."
5. Yogurt Dip with Frizzled Carrot-Herb Swirl
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
If your go-to is store-bought ranch dressing, try this fancy appetizer alternative on for size. "It features a swirl of frizzled carrot and herb-infused oil and chopped pistachios for layers of texture and flavor," Pire explains. "For a thicker yogurt dip with the most pronounced swirl of oil, choose a naturally thick Greek yogurt—such as Fage—or swap in sour cream or labneh."
6. Vegetarian Sushi Cups
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: no bake, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
Serves: 8
Impress your friends by making your own sushi (well, a simplified version anyway). This vegetarian spin is surprisingly easy to pull off, but feel free to add cooked shrimp or raw, sushi-grade fish to the filling if you're feeling ambitious.
7. Roasted Green Bean Salad with Navy Beans and Preserved Lemons
Brown Sugar & Vanilla
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegan
Serves: 6
Want to transform green bean salad into something très chic? Easy. Just call them haricots verts and crown them with preserved lemon-caper dressing. Ta-da.
8. Sweet Potato Crostini
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 30
Toppings are everything when it comes to this iconic finger food. I'm partial to dried cranberries and roasted almonds atop a layer of crème fraîche, but smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese are tasty too.
9. French Onion Cups
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 12
The coziest fall soup of all time, wrapped in a blanket of easy store-bought puff pastry. Each bite is packed with the essentials, like buttery sweet onions, beef broth and Gruyère.
10. Baked Mac and Cheese Bites
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 48
Dress up comfort food by serving it in bite-size portions. Feel free to dress the macaroni and cheese up with crumbled bacon, fire-roasted canned tomatoes, greens or Buffalo chicken. (PureWow VP of Editorial Content Candace Davison makes these on the regular and recommends drizzling with hot honey to really take the flavor up a notch.)
11. Coconut Shrimp
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 8
I know, deep-frying coconut shrimp sounds intimidating. But I promise it’s easier to manage than you think (and so worth the work). Pass the sweet chile sauce, please.
12. Spicy Pineapple Prosciutto Tarts
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 8
Think Hawaiian pizza, only a million times more elegant. Frozen puff pastry allows these spicy pineapple and prosciutto tarts to come together in 30 minutes.
13. Crisp Fall Green Salad With Benne Seed Ginger Dressing
Emily Dorio/The Saltwater Table
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
Any seasonal starter that I don't have to cook is one after my own heart. Heirloom benne seeds gussy up this simple dressing and seasonal salad, starring baby kale, kohlrabi, lettuce and Brussels sprouts.
14. Melon Caprese Skewers with Herb Oil
Floating Kitchen
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: no cook, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
Serves: 10
A melon baller is the secret to making Liz Harris’s impressive-looking watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew skewers with mozzarella. Prosciutto, grilled steak, pancetta and pesto would all be tasting pairings as well.
15. Roasted Mixed Nuts
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Serves: 6
Serve a ramekin of these homemade roasted nuts to give pre-dinner cocktails a five-star touch. The recipe calls for a mix of almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews and pistachios.
16. Boursin Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Serves: 8 to 10
Need to dress up a package of cheese from the grocery store? Top Boursin with caramelized onions and chunks of bacon, then serve it with crackers, bread and crudités for dipping. In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that?
17. Whipped Feta Dip
Healthfully Ever After
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Serves: 4
Sure, I could share this nine-ingredient dip with my guests...but I just might inhale a batch all by myself instead, thank you very much. Pair it with cucumbers and toasted pita.
18. Prosciutto and Fig Salad Board
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 15 minutes
Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead, <10 ingredients
Serves: 4
It'll take you 15 minutes tops to assemble this stunning salad. Best part? All the toppings will be easily accessible on the board instead of trapped at the bottom of a bowl. Ingenious.
19. Italian Bruschetta Bar
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: no bake, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
The epitome of a fancy appetizer. Pass me a negroni to wash down all the crusty bread, burrata, salami, olives and marinated artichoke hearts.
20. Feta Wrapped in Phyllo with Sesame and Honey
Romas Foord/Sea Salt and Honey
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Serves: 2 to 4
You first fell for this briny cheese when you made TikTok's baked feta pasta. Reinvigorate your love for it with this 25-minute recipe that only calls for six ingredients.
21. Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Photo/Styling: Katie Wayne
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegan, <10 ingredients
Serves: 2 to 4
When summer tomatoes are at peak deliciousness, they don't need much zhuzhing. Just use quality sourdough bread and the best balsamic you can find.
22. Caesar Pasta Salad
Robert Bredvad/The Secret Ingredient Cookbook
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Never choose between creamy pasta salad and crisp greens again. Feel free to serve this dish post-summertime, too—the omega-rich avocado Caesar dressing tastes divine year-round.
23. ‘Frycuterie’ Board
Photo: Caroline Dorn/Styling: Katie Wayne
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 4 to 6
How can such a simple side be made to look like a fancy appetizer, you ask? By plating four different varieties of it (sweet potato, crinkle-cut, curly and tater tots) with four equally delicious dipping sauces.
24. Cheesy Polenta Bites with Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 8 to 10
Each polenta bite is like a crispy corner piece of cornbread. As if that wasn't drool-worthy enough, factor in salty goat cheese and crispy pancetta.
25. Five-Minute Bean Salad
Heidi Swanson/Super Natural Simple
Time Commitment: 5 minutes
Why I Love It: no cook, vegan, <30 minutes
Serves: 6
Guests are arriving in ten and you have nothing to feed them. Before you panic, check your pantry for canned white beans—they're bound to save the day and keep everyone full while you figure out dinner.
26. Spanish Tapas Board
Kylie Mazon-Chambers/Share + Savor
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 10 to 12
Manchego cheese, Ibérico ham and cured chorizo are expected. But everyone will be especially floored by the heirloom pan con tomate and patatas bravas with saffron aioli, promise.
27. Baked Brie with Figs, Pistachios and Orange
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 8 to 10
Sweet and savory with melted cheese? Count me in (and everyone else). Baked Brie is just right for serving at Christmas Eve dinner, even without the winter produce.
28. Italian Pinwheels
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 23 minutes
Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
Serves: 12
Cheese + meat + carbs = fancy appetizer heaven. The fact that you can have these tasty bites on the table in less than 30 minutes is just a bonus. (Oh, and they're basically picky eater-proof.)
29. Chopped Italian Salad Pizza
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6 to 8
Everyone loves pizza but a slice of 'za doesn’t exactly scream fancy appetizer...unless you zhuzh it up with some fresh greens and a red wine vinegar dressing, that is. It's a stellar match for grilled chicken, IMO.
30. Avocado Deviled Eggs
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Serves: 20
Regular deviled eggs are out—avocado deviled eggs are in. The buttery addition makes the filling that much richer and drool-worthy (as well as verdant).
31. Spaghetti Squash Fritters
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
Dipping these crispy bites into the spicy yogurt sauce will truly send your dinner guests to flavor heaven (but you can serve them to finnicky eaters with ketchup or honey mustard instead).
32. Gluten-Free Cheese and Cauliflower ‘Breadsticks’
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: <500 calories, low carbs, kid-friendly, gluten free
Serves: 4
Don’t leave your gluten-free friends to snack on olives and nothing else—these wheatless breadsticks are seriously moreish. Even your gluten-loving guests will crave seconds.
33. Grilled Corn with Spicy Aioli
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
This Mexican street food-inspired number will impress everyone in your inner circle. Serve the corn with cotija, lime, Tajín and cilantro so your guests can top their own.
34. Crispy Roasted Artichokes
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, low carb, vegetarian
Serves: 6
The humble artichoke makes its debut as the ultimate hors d'oeuvre. I love how fancy this app looks and how secretly easy it is to make. (Seriously: The recipe calls for six ingredients, including salt and pepper.)
35. Mini Spinach Ricotta Calzones
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
Serves: 12
Because everything tastes better in miniature form—and filled with cheese. Good looking out, store-bought pizza dough. Serve the bites with marinara, pesto or even Alfredo sauce for dipping.
36. Mini Mason Jar Chicken Potpies
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Serves: 12
The mini mason jars are so stinkin' cute. As for the ornate pie crust toppers, they're easier to master than you may realize. I won't judge if you eat more than one, promise.
37. Mini Lasagnas
Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6
Everyone loves lasagna, but a whole tray of the stuff is more "comfort food" than "fancy." Enter these mini cups that are oh-so chic and extra crunchy, thanks to wonton wrappers.
38. Scallion and Chive Flatbread
Photo: Nico Shinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, vegetarian, make ahead
Serves: 12
Sorry, but I'll never get over garden focaccia. A flourish of edible flowers makes this starter even fancier. Have your camera ready the moment it comes out of the oven.
39. Smoked Salmon Crostini with Herbed Mayonnaise
The Mom 100
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 8
Ten minutes and a food processor gives you Katie Workman’s herbed mayonnaise, the best base for these savory smoked salmon crostini. I'll be using it on sandwiches and in tuna salad from here on out.
40. Brussels Sprout Sliders
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Serves: 6 to 8
One crucial rule for making fancy appetizers: They all taste better on a stick. Here, it’s Brussels sprouts, prosciutto and pearl mozzarella. Serve them with balsamic glaze for dipping.
