24 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers for Hangry Guests

Give them something to nibble while they wait.

Thanksgiving appetizers can be a divisive topic. Do you really need a snack spread when you’re about to devour a feast? We say yes. First of all, no one wants peckish guests talking politics. And a baked Brie placed strategically in the living room is a great way to keep your uncle from repeatedly asking, “Is dinner ready yet?”

Here are 24 easy appetizers, many of which provide a brighter and lighter contrast to the earthy and rich flavors of the day.

1. Spicy Green Tahini Dip

In this bright and refreshing dip from Andy Baraghani, Swiss chard is blended with tahini, fresh mint, garlic and chile until creamy. Don’t skimp on the garlic and serrano for a nice kick. (In fact, some readers suggest throwing in extra of both.)

Recipe: Spicy Green Tahini Dip

2. Shrimp Cocktail With Cranberry Cocktail Sauce

Shrimp cocktail feels fancy, but it’s not too filling, which is why it’s a holiday appetizer M.V.P. Genevieve Ko’s clever cocktail sauce calls for using cranberries blended with a little sugar and maple syrup in place of the classic tomato base. The tangy sweetness is the perfect foil to the bite of the horseradish.

Recipe: Shrimp Cocktail With Cranberry Cocktail Sauce

3. Herby Cottage Cheese Dip

In this recipe, Yossy Arefi whizzes cottage cheese in a food processor, transforming it into a rich and creamy base for parsley and basil, with scallions and sautéed onion as a nod to a classic onion dip.

Recipe: Herby Cottage Cheese Dip

4. Easy Cheese Straws

This classic Southern cocktail snack can be found in store-bought tins all over the region, but the homemade variety is so much more flavorful, with a superior crunchy texture. And they’re actually very easy to make. In this recipe from Matt Lee and Ted Lee, simply combine extra-sharp Cheddar, butter, flour, cream and crushed red pepper in the food processor until a ball of dough forms. Roll it out, cut it into long slender straws and bake.

Recipe: Easy Cheese Straws

5. Grilled Oysters With Harissa-Parmesan Butter

Briny oysters are an excellent special-occasion food, and they aren’t too filling. J. Kenji López-Alt’s recipe calls for harissa butter, a simple-to-prepare, complex sauce, but you could also try a classic lemon-garlic butter.

Recipe: Grilled Oysters With Harissa-Parmesan Butter

6. Baked Brie Puffs With Chile Crisp

These tiny appetizers, an adorable twist on baked Brie from Ali Slagle, are made of store-bought puff pastry, Brie, raspberry jam and chile crisp. They are easy to make but require a little time to put together, so set up an assembly line of dinner guests and put them to work.

Recipe: Baked Brie Puffs With Chile Crisp

7. Easy Crudités

For a crudité platter that’s more than just a pile of baby carrots and a bowl of ranch dressing, use Lidey Heuck’s recipe as a guide. She suggests blanching some of the vegetables and serving others raw to provide a variety of textures.

Recipe: Easy Crudités

8. Stuffed Mushrooms

Pop one of Kay Chun’s small stuffed mushrooms into your mouth, and you’ll be reminded of the buttery, garlicky flavors of escargot. The mushrooms are juicy and meaty, while the bread crumb topping adds satisfying crunch.

Recipe: Stuffed Mushrooms

9. Indian-ish Baked Potatoes

In this Priya Krishna recipe, roasted baby potatoes are topped with sour cream, chile, chaat masala, ginger and onions, making for a nuanced and spicy way to kick off your Thanksgiving meal.

Recipe: Indian-ish Baked Potatoes

10. Spinach Artichoke Dip

“This is one of the best party pleaser dishes that people constantly demand I make for them,” one reader wrote about Alison Roman’s spinach-artichoke dip. For tangier flavor, use canned artichokes rather than frozen, and to make the dip a real showstopper, run it under the broiler, so you can present it bubbling and golden.

Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip

11. Aioli With Roasted Vegetables

Do as Melissa Clark says: Roast a bunch of vegetables on a sheet pan and then serve them with Provençal aioli — a lemon-garlic-infused mayonnaise — for a delightfully simple appetizer. Throw some raw vegetables on there for variety, if you like, or some shrimp and oysters.

Recipe: Aioli With Roasted Vegetables

12. Ricotta Toast With Roasted Grapes

In this recipe from Raquel Villanueva Dang, the chef of Baby’s Kusina and Market in Philadelphia, grapes are roasted until they collapse into a jammy topping for creamy whipped ricotta. A salty-sweet glaze of balsamic vinegar, honey and fish sauce finishes things off. Serve with crostini.

Recipe: Ricotta Toast With Roasted Grapes

13. Cacio e Pepe Cheese Puffs

These Ina Garten puffs have all of the richness of classic gougères, but with the welcome addition of savory Parmesan and spicy black pepper. Take a make-ahead tip from this reader: “I made these for a Thanksgiving Day appetizer. I froze them a few days ahead and reheated them. They were excellent and super fun to make!”

Recipe: Cacio e Pepe Cheese Puffs

14. Mast-o-Khiar

Andy Baraghani’s riff on the classic Persian yogurt, mint and cucumber dish is a bright, cooling counterpoint to warm, buttery Thanksgiving food. “A fantastic version of my favorite classic,” one reader wrote. “The pistachios really make it special.”

Recipe: Mast-o-Khiar

15. Spinach Corn Dip

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s spinach corn dip is reminiscent of spinach artichoke dip, but it’s punchier, with juicy corn kernels, spicy jalapeño, fragrant basil and zesty lime. Feel free to use frozen spinach, but be sure to thaw it first and give it a good squeeze to get rid of excess water so you don’t end up with a watery dip.

Recipe: Spinach Corn Dip

16. Figs and Pigs in a Blanket

Melissa Clark provides a sophisticated riff on pigs in a blanket by wrapping a combination of chopped dried figs and prosciutto or salami with store-bought puff pastry and then baking until golden.

Recipe: Figs and Pigs in a Blanket

17. Classic Deviled Eggs

“This is THE gold standard for deviled eggs,” one reader wrote about this classic recipe from Sheila Lukins. They are a surefire hit and a great protein-packed way to ward off prefeast tummy rumblings.

Recipe: Classic Deviled Eggs

18. Bhel Puri for a Party

Most of the components of Priya Krishna’s chaat can be made ahead, so the only thing you have to do day-of is assemble it, which we think you should do in front of your guests for greatest effect. If you are time-crunched, use store-bought chutneys and tortilla chips, but making the fresh sauces and crunchy chips is what makes this snack truly transcendent.

Recipe: Bhel Puri for a Party

19. Hot Cheese Olives

A little bit Southern and a little bit retro, these two-bite appetizers from Julia Reed feature pimento-stuffed cocktail olives wrapped in a simple Cheddar dough and then baked. Make a big batch ahead, freeze and then heat through in an oven when you’re ready to serve.

Recipe: Hot Cheese Olives

20. Baked Feta With Honey

The effort-to-reward ratio of this appetizer from Sara Dickerman is a rare and beautiful thing. Simply pop a big hunk of feta onto a baking dish, cover it in honey and black pepper and then pop it under the broiler. What comes out is a tangy, creamy, caramelized wonder with just a pop of heat. It’s great spread on radishes or carrots, or served with little toasts or crackers.

Recipe: Baked Feta With Honey

21. Grape Jelly Meatballs

Millie Peartree levels up this classic meatball appetizer by asking you to make your own meatballs, rather than using the frozen variety that is usually called for. This means you can use any ground meat you like. The meatballs come together easily and cook in the slow cooker, which allows the sweet, savory and spicy flavors to meld over time. This also means that they’ll stay warm throughout your celebration.

Recipe: Grape Jelly Meatballs

22. Baked Brie

“I made this last night as the appetizer for my dinner party, and my four guests devoured it in minutes!” one reader wrote about Melissa Clark’s baked Brie. Instead of mellow raspberry jam, she suggests using orange or ginger marmalade to provide a zippier contrast to the creamy cheese. Here’s a handy tip from readers: Slice the Brie in half and put the jam between the two layers of cheese rather than on top. This keeps the jam contained and helps it meld with the cheese.

Recipe: Baked Brie

23. Marinated Feta With Herbs and Peppercorns

This recipe is great for a busy holiday because it’s basically just assembly: Toss cubed feta with preserved lemon, peppercorns and chile, and then let the flavors meld overnight in the fridge. The next day, it’s ready to be spooned over crunchy fresh vegetables or seedy crackers. Alexa Weibel recommends a feta in brine, which will be creamier than the crumbled, dry variety.

Recipe: Marinated Feta With Herbs and Peppercorns

24. Cheese Dreams

Grilled cheese, but make it appetizer-worthy. For this Melissa Knific recipe, slather white bread in a mixture of sharp Cheddar, butter, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and mustard powders, and then bake until crispy and golden.

Recipe: Cheese Dreams

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