26 Crowd-Pleasing Appetizer Recipes That Are Crispy, Cheesy, and Hard to Resist Find crispy wings, melty dips, golden-fried bites, and saucy sliders in this collection of easy, shareable starters. By Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi is a writer, editor, and home cook with over 13 years of experience in food, travel, and lifestyle magazines, ranging from alt-weeklies in Bangkok to monthly airline glossies in Singapore and New York City. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 29, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Whether you’re hosting a casual game day or a more polished cocktail hour, you'll find some of our favorite comforting, cheesy, crispy, and irresistible appetizers here. This recipe roundup features rich and homey starters like fried cheese curds with ranch dip, spicy shrimp sliders, and potato-stuffed taquitos. They are fuss-free, easy to pass around, and impossible to refuse. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 26 Adobo Chicken Wings Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke Dallas-based chef Anna Swann makes chicken wings with an easy, umami-packed adobo marinade that reduces into a sticky glaze while the wings cook in the oven. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 26 Classic Deviled Eggs Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali The filling in classic deviled eggs is simple and punchy: garlic, mayo, dill, and mustard. The hard part is the presentation: run the boiled eggs under cold water so the peel comes off without breaking the whites, and use a pastry piping bag to fill them neatly. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 26 Fried Cheese Curds with Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis Mild and chewy white cheddar cheese curds get a double dose of flavor in this recipe: the airy batter made with rice flour and beer, and the rich homemade ranch dip for when you're ready to serve. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 26 Buffalo Chicken Dip Abby Hocking F&W's Justin Chapple reimagines Buffalo chicken wings as an exceedingly easy dip that goes great with tortilla chips or celery sticks. Make the mix in a cast-iron skillet and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes for salty, spicy, cheesy goodness. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 26 Pork-Scallion Potstickers Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling Store-bought gyoza wrappers and a large skillet with a lid make relatively quick work of these delicious potstickers from floral designer Ayako Yoshikawa-Gordon. She likes to serve these gingery pork potstickers simply, with soy sauce. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 26 Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Dip Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen These hot and spicy lamb meatballs from F&W's Justin Chapple come together quickly in large batches in the oven. The only major labor is mixing up the meat (or meat alternative) with the spices and harissa. Take care not to overmix it and try to make the meatballs all the same size. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 26 Bollitos de Papa y Elote (Potato Elote Bites) Emily Kordovich 2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez combines two comforting favorites in this rich and crunchy deep-fried snack: bollitos from the Dominican Republic and spicy Mexican elotes. The exterior is made with potatoes and tapioca flour, making these bollitos gluten-free, too. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 26 Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Pickles and Gin-Spiked Sour Cream Dan Perez / Food Styling and Prop Styling by Nurit Kariv When cookbook author Adeena Sussman wants a taste of latkes without having to shred or fry potatoes, she turns to this recipe. Golden and crisp at the edges with a soft, creamy center, smashed baby yellow potatoes make an excellent base for a range of toppings. Let your guests load up on fresh herbs, salmon roe, quick-pickled vegetables, and gin-spiked sour cream. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 26 Tandoori Chicken Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Dust off your grill (charcoal is best) to recreate this beloved chicken dish from North India. The legendary cookbook author and food writer Madhur Jaffrey has a simplified recipe with a relatively short ingredient list for the marinade. The magic is all in the smoke and char. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 26 Cheesy Sausage Cocktail Toasts Jennifer Causey For these tasty toasts, cookbook author Andrea Slonecker borrows from the flavors of her childhood. She makes one change: swapping creamy mascarpone and robust Taleggio for the Velveeta in her grandmother's original recipe. "The topping can be made a few days ahead, and it's as straightforward as browning some Italian sausage and melting in the cheeses," she writes. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 26 Fried Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman A staple of Cajun cooking, recipes for boudin vary but typically combine pork, rice, liver, and spices. These boudin balls are fried until crisp outside and creamy within, then finished with smoked paprika, parsley, and a tangy Creole mustard dipping sauce. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 26 Chile Crisp-Glazed Bacon Bites Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Crispy, slow-roasted slab bacon is delicious unadorned, but a homemade chile crisp takes it to a whole new level. Of course, a good store-bought chile crisp will work just fine, but it's not much more effort to combine dried chiles, ginger, garlic, shallots, peanuts, and a few spices. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 26 Crispy Chicken Wings Diana Chistruga This simple take on fried chicken wings by Todd Porter and Diane Cu is less about an elaborate sauce and more about getting a perfectly crispy exterior every time. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 26 Spinach Dip Hot Bread Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley The gentle kick of Calabrian chiles enhances this classic spinach dip, a recipe from the now-closed Mr. Digby's in San Francisco. A sourdough boule cut crosswise and lengthwise (but not cut all the way through) makes a delicious and toasty base for the cheesy béchamel-spinach filling. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 26 Salmon Croquettes with Creole Aïoli Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Melissa Gray Streett / Prop Styling by Christina Daley There are two homemade Creole elements that set these crunchy salmon croquettes apart: a piquant and aromatic spice blend that goes into the fish, and a Creole aïoli starring cornichons and their brine as well as mustard. To ensure the croquettes don't fall apart while cooking, refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 26 Shrimp Pakora Sliders with Coconut-Cilantro Chutney Jennifer Causey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn Make beloved batter-fried pakoras into saucy sliders using this recipe. The shrimp are quickly marinated in onions, lemon juice, and curry leaves before being tossed in a dry batter of chickpea flour and cornstarch, then deep-fried. The coconut-cilantro chutney brings a punch of bright, tangy flavor. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 26 Salsa Asada de Aguacate (Avocado Salsa) Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva Instead of a classic guacamole for your next party, why not serve this avocado salsa by LA-based Mexican-American chef Bricia Lopez? The simple recipe starts by grilling tart tomatillos, and then blending them with scallions, garlic, cilantro, and ripe avocados. Break out the tortilla chips. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 26 Two-Bite Parmesan Biscuits Caitlin Bensel These tiny, two-bite biscuits are baked on a sheet lined with Parmesan cheese, which gives them a delicious, crispy crust. Serve them with honey for a sweet snack, or work in some fresh chives for something more savory. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 26 Hash Brown Chaat Andria Lo Two nostalgic snacks come together in this hash brown chaat from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada. This meticulous recipe makes all the elements from scratch, but you could use store-bought hash browns in a pinch. The distinctive, tangy chutneys are especially delicious. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 26 Pigs in a Blanket Abby Hocking Pigs in a blanket may seem simple, but Une Femme Wines co-founder Jen Pelka turns them into soirée-worthy snacks by brushing triangles of store-bought puff pastry with a flavor-forward glaze of honey, mustard, and black pepper before rolling them up. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 26 Mini Panamanian Beef Empanadas Quentin Bacon This recipe by Panamanian chef Charlie Collins delivers miniature beef empanadas that have a perfectly flaky pastry, and moist meat flavored with achiote seeds, cilantro, and other aromatics. The empanadas can be baked instead of fried if you prefer. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 26 Taco Dip Food & Wine / Photo by Abby Hocking F&W's Justin Chapple offers a variation on the game-day classic, starting with minced beef cooked in taco seasoning, topped with layers of refried beans, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Additional layers of chunky freshness come from chopped tomatoes, avocado, jalapeño, and cilantro. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 26 Potato and Poblano Taquitos Victor Protasio Not only are these taquitos delicious, you can prepare a large batch of the filling — such as this vegetarian one with potatoes, mushrooms, and peppers —and roll the tortillas in advance, then fry them in batches as people arrive. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 26 Mini Brioche Lobster Rolls Kana Okada These lobster roll–inspired hors d'oeuvres are surprisingly easy to make. Cooked lobster, mayonnaise, tarragon, and lemon zest come together in a food processor and can be spooned into hollowed-out brioche rolls. This recipe works equally well with shrimp or lump crab. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 26 Tater Tot Nachos (Tatchos) with Kimchi Cheese Sauce Kay Chun A childhood favorite gets a cheesy, fiery reinvention without losing any of the playfulness in this recipe by food writer Kay Chun. Cook store-bought tater tots for a few minutes beyond package instructions — until they're nice and crispy — so they better hold up under the kimchi gravy and cheese. Get the Recipe Save 26 of 26 Three Cheese Mini Macs Kana Okada In this recipe, portions of pasta and a simple cheese sauce go into mini muffin tins that are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. This helps each mini mac hold together and makes them great handheld snacks. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Recipes Appetizers Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit