501 appetizer recipes

Empanadas are Brazil's national appetizer, tiny pies filled with chicken olives, and peas.

Crispy sesame-crusted cheese crackers made with just 3 ingredients: cheddar spread, Bisquick, and toasted sesame seeds. Slice-and-bake snacking at its easiest.

Pimento-stuffed olives wrapped in sharp cheddar dough with a kick of cayenne, baked until golden and puffed. A retro cocktail party appetizer that never goes out of style.

Italian oil-packed tuna blitzed with mascarpone, kalamata olives, capers, anchovy paste, and lemon zest into a luxurious tapenade spread. Pile it on grilled crostini for a cocktail party appetizer that disappears fast.

Homemade deviled ham spread with warm spices, hot mustard, anchovy paste, and a whisper of sherry. Skip the canned stuff and make a version that actually tastes like something.

A show-stopping caviar mold set in a tangy blend of sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and unflavored gelatin. Unmold, crown with sour cream and caviar, and serve as a retro-elegant party centerpiece.

Baked Indian-spiced mung bean paté with cauliflower, ginger, jalapeño, cumin, and turmeric. Vegan, gluten-free, and makes stunning little tarts or a sliceable loaf.

Plump shrimp simmered in beer with onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, celery, and lemon, then chilled for a cold appetizer that's pure low-country flavor.

You don’t need an ice cream maker to make this, but you do need a food processor. I use a banana and a small amount of honey to sweeten the yogurt. (See the banana-only variation on this recipe below.) You can serve it like soft-serve ice cream, or let it freeze solid so that it’s more like regular frozen yogurt.

Fresh corn in a shatteringly light tempura batter, deep-fried until golden and lacy. Served with tentsuyu dipping sauce and grated daikon for a crisp Japanese-style appetizer.

Swedish pickled herring with a sweet-sour vinegar brine layered with red onion, carrots, ginger, and horseradish. A classic Scandinavian smorgasbord appetizer that only gets better after 2-3 days in the jar.

Vegetarian party pate made from pinto beans, TVP, and shiitake mushrooms with mirin and mace, baked in a water bath and served cold on crackers.

Bean curd skin rolls wrap shredded mushrooms, dried tofu, celery, and carrot in fresh tofu sheets, then shallow-fry until crisp and golden. Drizzled with a chili-ginger dipping sauce.

Quick microwave pickled beets and cucumbers: canned beets, fresh cucumber, and onion in a sweet-tangy pickling spice brine. Refrigerator pickles ready for the table tomorrow.

A Tibetan style sauce for momos (Tibetan dumplings).

Crunchy deep-fried yellow split peas tossed in warm spices like chili, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. A high-protein vegetarian snack inspired by Indian street food. Stores beautifully in an airtight jar.