Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes

Start your Thanksgiving off right with one of our appetizer ideas, including baked brie with pecans, roasted squash seeds, and roasted sweet potato salsa. Many of our Thanksgiving appetizers are quick and easy to prepare and are the perfect finger foods for kids and adults alike, and many can be made in advance.

Most Popular

These Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers Are Just What You Need to Start a Fabulous Feast

Keep your hungry crowd happy with deliciously simple appetizers while you finish the holiday meal. Our tried-and-trusted selection includes spiced nuts, crispy chickpeas, ham-and-spinach dip, a fresh take on the relish tray, and cheater's deviled eggs.

By Laura Rege

Warm Fennel-and-Parmesan Dip

168

A warm, golden dip always tempts guests to dig in. This one uses Parmesan cheese to season caramelized fennel and garlic.

Spinach Dip 2.0

106

For a lighter, healthier take on the creamy, cheesy classic, try this update made with ricotta. The savory spread makes an excellent Thanksgiving starter.

Cauliflower, Red Onion, and Chestnut Tart

246

A blue cheese bechamel makes this tart deliciously rich, so you need only a small piece. It's a good starter or side dish for a holiday meal, but it works just as well for lunch or a light dinner with a green salad.

Broiled Feta with Oranges

This salty-tangy appetizer is great with bread and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Baked Brie with Pecans

725

Toasted pecans and maple syrup complement the creamy Brie in this hors d'oeuvre. For the best texture, let the cheese cool before topping it with the syrup mixture.This recipe is by Everyday Food reader Kathy Quinn of Montclair, New Jersey.

Spiced Nuts

594

A perfect spicy snack for the holidays.

Hot Spinach Dip

2587

This rich, creamy dish makes the perfect party dip. Otherwise, you might devour it all yourself.

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

The crab cakes can be formed and chilled a day ahead, and can be fried up to an hour ahead; reheat them in a 250-degree oven on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack just until warmed through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Pan-Fried Sardines

The canned sardines are coated in cornmeal and fried up in minutes for a delicious appetizer.

Quick Shrimp Relish Tray

For an unconventional pre-turkey bite, serve a seafood appetizer at Thanksgiving. This dish is the love child of two retro hors d'oeuvres: relish trays and shrimp cocktail. Build-your-own crostini topped with quick-pickled shrimp and vibrant fixings will tide people over and wake up their taste buds.

Artichoke Turnovers

249

A warm, cheesy artichoke filling is at the heart of these puff pastry pockets.

Inspiration and Ideas

15 Bite-Sized Thanksgiving Appetizers That Your Guests Will Adore

Let friends and family gather around the appetizers while dinner is being prepared. Choose from finger foods such as stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail—our recipes are so delicious they won't notice if the turkey's running late (get our complete turkey tutorial here)!

The Ultimate Guide to Hosting Your First Thanksgiving Dinner

No need to be intimidated by a turkey. Get your first Thanksgiving dinner on the table without a hitch, thanks to our tasty menu and handy timeline.

Garden Veggie Dip

247

Polenta Squares with Prosciutto

Gruyère, Anchovy, and Olive Straws

Cheddar Biscuits with Pecans

287

This savory Southern hors d'oeuvre can be made up to a week in advance, giving you more time to enjoy your guests on Thanksgiving Day.

All Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes

Herb-Marinated Olives

Before the Thanksgiving feast, welcome guests and whet appetites with a relish tray -- including these Herb-Marinated Olives, Garden Veggie Dip, Pickled Carrots, and Smoky Almonds -- and a couple of classic gin cocktails (Negroni and Gibson).

Pomegranate Fontina Rice Balls

Use these Italian style rice balls to complement our chicken-liver crostini.

Parmesan Straws

258

These flaky, cheesy appetizers are the perfect addition to any occasion.

Rosemary Roasted Nuts

118

These elegant mixed nuts perk up a plate of seasonal snacks.

Potato Galette with Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon adds just the right amount of saltiness to layers of golden spuds. Thinly sliced potatoes in concentric circles make a pretty galette. This one has a cool, fluffy spread that pairs perfectly with smoked salmon.

Chilled Oysters with Apple-Ginger Mignonette

Fresh ginger provides a kick while crunchy apple adds sweetness to this mignonette served atop just-shucked oysters on the half shell.

Cocktail Meatballs

140

To give them a light crust, which makes them easier to pick up, meatballs can be rolled in a breadcrumb-and-flour mixture before frying.

Winter Squash Dip

194

For a festive presentation, serve this Winter Squash Dip appetizer in a large, round, hollowed-out squash, such as a turban.

Pickled Carrots

Before the Thanksgiving feast, welcome guests and whet appetites with a relish tray -- including these Pickled Carrots, Garden Veggie Dip, Herb-Marinated Olives, and Smoky Almonds -- and a couple of classic gin cocktails (Negroni and Gibson).

Kale Crisps with Sea Salt and Lemon

At the Blue Hill at Stone Barns farm, Tuscan kale is picked when it's young. The leaves are tender enough that they can be roasted and eaten whole. This likely won't be the case with most kale found at farm stands and in grocery stores, so we recommend slicing the leaves into ribbons.

Caramel-Coated Brie

103

A wheel of brie is topped with a crackling layer of pecan-caramel brittle for this popular appetizer. Serve with toasted rustic bread or crackers.

Pumpkin Dip

118

Served in a roasted pumpkin, this hearty dip can be eaten on crackers, bread, or baby carrots.

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Gruyere

Cottage cheese may seem like an unusual choice, but it adds a tangy flavor similar to that of sour cream. The potatoes can be prepared through step 4 up to a day ahead; refrigerate, covered, until ready to proceed.

Fried Herbed Almonds

217

These crunchy thyme-flecked nuts are delicious served with sherry and slices of manchego cheese.

Smoky Parsnip Crisps

Although it takes about an hour to prepare and fry enough chips for eight, it's worth the effort: They are absolutely irresistible. If kept in resealable plastic bags, they'll stay crisp for up to five days.

Pears with Maple Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola dolce, or dolcelatte, is a creamy, slightly sweet blue cheese. Look for it in specialty shops. If you can't find it, try regular Gorgonzola, which will have a richer flavor.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup

This is an easy, hearty soup for the cooler fall weather.

Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Blue Cheese and Pecans

These delicious grilled proscuitto-wrapped figs with blue cheese and pecans are an ideal accompaniment to many kinds of wine.

Asian Crab Cakes

Mini crab cakes encrusted with sesame seeds get a kick from wasabi and soy sauce. The toppings of wasabi, mayonnaise, cucumber, and pickled ginger add creaminess, crispness, and tang, as well as color.

Sugared Almonds and Pine Nuts

These lightly sweetened nuts have a nice crunch that's equally enticing before and after a meal. Serve the almonds and pine nuts in small dishes alone or alongside cheese or other appetizers, or use them to fill individual cornucopia favors left at place settings.

Account

More