21 No-Bake Appetizers to Simplify Entertaining
Fry, grill, process, or whip these party starters.
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Emily Neighbors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Perhaps another dish has already spoken for your oven's real estate, or maybe it's just too blazing hot outside to even think about turning that bad boy on. Whatever the case, we've got plenty of great no-bake appetizer options to help you round out your menu. Some recipes don't require any cooking at all, like Tuna-Avocado Ceviche with Salsa Macha. For something with crunch, go for crowd-pleasers such as toasted ravioli or tender, crispy hush puppies. To go the creamy route, try Dirty Martini Dip or our curried version of deviled eggs. Keep reading for all these and more tasty no-bake appetizer recipes to build your spread.
Green Curry Deviled Eggs
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
This classic appetizer gets a fresh herby layer of flavor thanks to a curry paste filling, which comes together in no time in a food processor. Each egg gets a topping of crispy spiced puffed rice that delivers a contrasting, satisfying crunch.
Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with Fresh Tomato Cocktail Sauce
Give shrimp cocktail a seasonal, smoky upgrade with this recipe, an ideal appetizer for summer dinner parties and cookouts. The shrimp are marinated in a bright lemon-garlic mixture that gets a kick from crushed red pepper. The cocktail sauce echoes the lemony notes from the shrimp and features a combination of fresh tomato and smoked sun-dried tomatoes.
Dirty Martini Dip
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Nicole Hopper / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
If you take your Dirty Martini with a blue cheese-stuffed olive or three, this boozy and briny dip is for you. We soaked buttery Castelvetrano olives in gin and vermouth, then processed the brine with a creamy blue cheese base that's the perfect match for crostini or ruffled potato chips.
Spiced Carrots with Whipped Feta
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Emily Neighbors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This dish is one of many dips chef Cheetie Kumar serves at her Mediterranean spot, Ajja, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Flavor caramelized carrots with cumin, coriander, and Urfa pepper, and serve over whipped feta with toasted sourdough for a colorful appetizer.
Shrimp Toasts with Scallion-Chile Sauce
The secret to this semi-traditional dim sum favorite is a butter-studded shrimp mousse that comes together quickly in a food processor with just five ingredients. The dipping sauce is as simple as chopping half a scallion and stirring it together with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, and sesame seeds.
Tuna-Avocado Ceviche with Salsa Macha
When you add a couple of spoonfuls to cubed raw fish, smoky, crunchy salsa macha is a game changer that transforms an everyday ceviche into an extraordinary dish. It's great on top of tostadas or eaten like poke as an appetizer.
Feta-Stuffed Marinated Olives
Fragrant za'atar, a spice blend ubiquitous in Israel and across the Middle East, flavors these briny, feta-stuffed olives with its notes of thyme, marjoram, sumac, and sesame seeds. Lemon, chile, and parsley cut through the rich, herbaceous flavors, adding a bright freshness to these easy, bite-size appetizers.
Salmon Crudo
Hugh Davison
The combination of raw salmon and citrus shines bright in this eye-catching appetizer from chef Kat Turner of Highly Likely in Los Angeles. Opt for salmon belly if available, as the extra fattiness pairs particularly well with the juicy grapefruit and spicy yuzu kosho, a Japanese condiment made from fermented chiles.
Zeytinyağli Yaprak Sarmasi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)
The brightness of the brined grape leaves is balanced by the rice filling, which is seasoned with fresh parsley and dill and slightly sweet cooked onions. Musa Dagdeviren shares these tangy, tender vegetarian rice-and-herb-stuffed grape leaves from the Turkish region of Mugla in The Turkish Cookbook.
Tender, Sizzling Hush Puppies
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Chef Joe Kindred channeled childhood memories of eating hush puppies at seafood restaurants to create this recipe with a fluffy interior and a lacy, crisp crust. The secret to the hush puppies’ tender, light crumb? “To keep them extra crispy, I use frozen grated butter gently folded into the batter,” he says.
Toasted St. Louis-Style Ravioli
Pick your favorite store-bought refrigerated ravioli for this iconic Italian-American recipe, which transforms the stuffed pasta into a crunchy and super-satisfying appetizer. Breading the ravioli with panko and Parmesan helps form a crispy shell when frying. A gently garlicky marinara sauce is the perfect partner for dipping.
Garlic-Butter Steak Bites
These quickly stir-fried beef bites deliver all the savory luxury of a steakhouse-caliber steak. The buttery, velvety sauce coats every piece nicely, and the vermouth's herbal richness pairs perfectly with the savory Worcestershire. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks, or enjoy over mashed potatoes or polenta.
Salmon Croquettes with Creole Aïoli
A homemade Creole spice blend adds a piquant kick to these salmon croquettes, which have a crunchy exterior and tender, flaky interior. The aïoli — starring finely chopped cornichons and their brine, Creole mustard, and a hint of sugar — is an irresistible combination of creamy, crunchy, and salty, and an ideal match for the croquettes.
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with Hot Honey Glaze
Hot, sweet, crispy, and buttery, these wings are tossed with lemon pepper seasoning and cooked until crispy in an air fryer. They're then coated with a hot honey glaze and served with more of the glaze for dipping. A garnish of cilantro adds color and brightness to the dish.
Caviar Waffle Bites
Instead of serving blini alongside a tin of caviar, Justin Chapple makes these adorable handheld snacks. Waffles are cut into strips, and the pockets are filled with caviar, crème fraîche, and snipped chives to form the perfect pop-in-your-mouth morsel.
Grilled Vegetable Flatbread with Smoked Almond Muhammara
In addition to turning heads at your cookouts, this vegetarian wonder is packed with make-ahead options and smart shortcuts. Make the Smoked Almond Muhammara up to three days in advance and stash it in the fridge; skip a step and substitute jarred roasted peppers for the grilled bell peppers.
Mango and Halloumi Fritto Misto
Seafood and vegetables are often the star of fritto misto. In this version, Justin Chapple swaps in ripe but firm mangoes and sturdy halloumi cheese, showcasing their incredible versatility. A batter of fizzy club soda, flour, and cornstarch forms a crust that is light but dippable.
Musubi Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple Salsa
Musubi, the beloved Hawaiian snack made of Spam, sushi rice, and nori, happens to be a perfect party appetizer. In this version, sticky, sweet ham replaces the Spam and is topped with vibrant pineapple salsa. Prep the cabbage and toppings in advance and assemble just before serving.
Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing
These mini wedges are coated in a creamy, anchovy-packed dressing and dredged in crunchy panko, making them easy to eat with your hands. Alternatively, you can serve the dressing and breadcrumbs alongside the lettuce wedges, for easy dipping.
Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip
For her Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip, 2018 F&W Best New Chef Katianna Hong keeps it simple, pairing just-picked vegetables with a thick, tangy soy dip. This starter is the perfect way to show off whatever fresh vegetables you can get your hands on.
Chorizo-Filled Dates Wrapped in Bacon
This timeless tapa from Spanish cookbook author Penelope Casas has everything going for it — it's sweet, smoky, and savory, all in one bite. Plus, it comes together in just 20 minutes.
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