75 Thanksgiving Appetizers Just As Exciting As The Turkey
From cranberry brie bites to turkey cheese balls, we've got every app your hungry crowd could ever want.
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and we bet you're busy planning everything for the big meal—the turkey, casseroles, veggies, potatoes, desserts... It can be a LOT, but we implore you to not forget one very important thing: appetizers. While you’re making sure everything is coming together perfectly for dinner, your guests need something to nosh on, something to keep them occupied, and something to get them talking to one another (family or friends can all sometimes use the encouragement). Whether you’re looking for quick and easy last-minute options or want something more elaborate, we’ve got something here for you. Check out our 75 Thanksgiving appetizers for ideas—they’ll take the pressure off you (and the oven timer!).
If adding another thing to your Thanksgiving prep list seems overwhelming, don’t worry. We’ve got some crazy simple shortcuts that’ll keep the stress off of you while still being impressive to your guests. One of our favorites has gotta be store-bought crescent roll dough or puff pastry. You can turn them into a myriad of appetizers without much effort. Check out our cranberry brie bites, our cheese straws, our cheesy green bean & mushroom tart, our caramelized onion & goat cheese bites, or our bacon brie crescent wreath to see how versatile they can be.
Another one of our fallback options is, of course, cheese. No one is mad about a big hunk of brie, goat cheese, or cream cheese to snack on, so you can practically just put out a plate of some and call it a day. We recommend making it extra special by going just a bit further with your presentation, but really, some of these recipes are practically that easy. Try our (goat cheese-stuffed) bacon-wrapped dates, our pumpkin cheese ball, our loaded cheese ball bites, our turkey cheese ball (yep, shaped like one!), or our bacon pecan cheese log.
Another option is to take a note from many of our favorite restaurants and ply your guests with bread before the meal. Any variety of appetizer bread will help engender hospitality (“breaking bread”) among your guests, and really, that's what Thanksgiving is all about. Try our cranberry brie pull-apart bread, our cheese puffs, our cheesy Brussels sprouts mini toasts, or our pretzel ring beer cheese dip. Speaking of dip, feel free to go easy and put out some bread, veggies, and crackers with a simple homemade option, like our cranberry whipped feta dip, our baked Brussels sprouts-artichoke dip, our dill dip, or our bacon spinach dip. They're sure to be beloved by all and keep everyone distracted from inquiring as to when dinner will be served too. 😉
One more thing you’re not going to want to forget? Drinks! Check out our favorite fall and Thanksgiving cocktails for ideas.
Green Bean Casserole Bundles
These are the perfect fall appetizer—they've got everything you love from green bean casserole, but are SO much easier to make. Hot tip: Make extra, these go fast!
Get the Green Bean Casserole Bundles recipe.
Turkey Cheese Ball
Even if you're not serving turkey this Thanksgiving doesn't mean you can't get in on the theme. Enter: this adorable cheeseball. We used carrots, pecans, pretzels, and bell peppers to create the iconic look, but feel free to sub out for different ingredients for what you have on hand. Serve it with crackers and use the decorations as dippers too!
Get the Turkey Cheeseball recipe.
Cheesy Green Bean Mushroom Tart
Green beans and mushrooms are a combo we never get tired of, and that goes double for this tart. Fresh blanched green beans are layered onto a creamy blend of ricotta and goat cheese, topped with garlicky mushrooms and cheddar cheese, then baked on a puff pastry crust until perfectly melty, crisp, and crave-able.
Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip
This cranberry-topped whipped feta dip is here to save your holiday appetizer planning. Fresh feta cheese is combined with herbs, garlic, and cream cheese, whipped until super-smooth, then topped with tart homemade cranberry sauce, toasted pistachios, and honey. The result is a salty, creamy, sweet, tart, and absolutely irresistible dip.
Get the Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip recipe.
Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread
Pull-apart bread reaches a whole new level, thanks to brie and cranberry sauce. Use your favorite homemade sauce recipes, but store-bought works too if you're short for time.
Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Bites
Little puff pastry squares get topped with caramelized onions and a little crumbled goat cheese for an easy appetizer that always wows. The final step is a light drizzle of honey for that salty sweet combination everyone will love. Hot tip: these are the perfect opportunity to bust out any good-quality honey you’ve been saving.
Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath
Looking for an appetizer that doubles at a centerpiece? This cheesy, savory crescent ring is perfect for your holiday gathering. And if it's a vegetarian app you're after, we'd suggest subbing in sautéed mushrooms for the bacon.
Get the Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath recipe.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Part retro, part cult classic, it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese ball. This festive pumpkin rendition may not contain any actual pumpkin, but it’s full of fresh herbs, minced jalapeño, and of course, plenty of cheese (and is SO cute on a holiday cheese board!).
Get the Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.
Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
In the world of fancy bite-size appetizers, the crab-stuffed mushroom reigns supreme. These are also great with chopped, cooked lobster or shrimp meat, but try to avoid imitation crab if you can—it gets a little stringy, and you and your Thanksgiving guests deserve the best this year.
Get the Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.
Caramelized Onion Dip
This dip is creamy, savory, and perfectly scoop-able, so it’s no wonder it’s always the first to disappear. With this recipe, we take the classic onion dip one step further by incorporating deeply caramelized onions into the mix. It takes a little longer than you might think for onions to truly caramelize (we’re talking at least one hour), but we promise it’s worth it (and can be made ahead of time!).
Get the Caramelized Onion Dip recipe.
Bacon-Wrapped Dates
If you're unfamiliar with dates, it's time to familiarize yourself! The date's sweetness is the PERFECT counterpoint to crisp, salty bacon and creamy goat cheese. We guarantee these will fly off the platter when your guests have barely begun to arrive, so make extra.
Get the Bacon-Wrapped Dates recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkins are pretty amazing. One of their best (and often overlooked) attributes is their seeds! They're great prepared super simply, roasted with salt and melted butter, but the variations are completely endless. We love ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, or cinnamon sugar for an added pop of flavor.
Get the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
Skordalia
Skordalia is a creamy, garlicky Greek dip we love to serve at parties, including Thanksgiving. Made from potatoes and walnuts, this dip is smooth and creamy and always a surprise hit. Serve it with toasted pita or veggies for a new favorite!
Get the Skordalia recipe.
Tomato Feta Pinwheels
These little puff pastry pinwheels are the perfect last minute appetizer—they bake in just 20 minutes and you might already have the ingredients at home. Feel free to get creative with the fillings too. We went with briny feta and tomatoes, but we bet crumbly goat cheese or ricotta and roasted red peppers would be great too.
Get the Tomato Feta Pinwheels recipe.
Spiced Candied Pecans
These particular pecans are our #1: SUPER spiced, crunchy, sweet, and salty. They're great eaten by the handful, as an accompaniment to a cheese board, or even sprinkled over salads during the main course this Thanksgiving.
Get the Spiced Candied Pecans recipe.
Pimento Cheese
If you love party dips like Buffalo chicken or spinach artichoke, you’ll LOVE pimento cheese. Affectionately known as the “caviar of the South,” pimento cheese has been a Southern party staple since the early 1900s. This soft, creamy spread loaded with shredded cheddar cheese and spiked with diced pimento peppers and hot sauce can be served hot or cold (so make it ahead of time!).
Get the Pimento Cheese recipe.
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Bacon-wrapped scallops are one of those dishes that wow guests but secretly are so easy to make (only 5 ingredients!). For best results, use big sea scallops and thin-cut, conventional bacon, but feel free to swap out the herbs for whatever you like
Get the Bacon-Wrapped Scallops recipe.
Turkey Feta Meatballs
Not making a big Thanksgiving turkey this year? Serve these turkey meatballs as an app instead. We like these atop our lemon-yogurt spread, but feel free to get creative—meatball subs, spaghetti & meatballs, whatever you like.
Get the Turkey Feta Meatballs recipe.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff?! These are a fan favorite every fall. They always disappear within minutes, probably because the combo of salty, creamy brie, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, and crunchy pecans is PERFECT.
Get the Cranberry Brie Bites recipe.
Stuffed Mushrooms
To make these, we stuff baby bella mushrooms with garlicky, herby bread crumbs and plenty of cheese. Stuff them ahead of time and bake them off when you're ready for the most Thanksgiving-friendly appetizer ever.
Get the Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
