30 Best-Ever Appetizers for a Crowd

Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread
Photo: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Every Southern hostess knows the appetizer spread is the star of any party. It's not the stocked bar at a holiday soirée, the riveting conversation at a dinner party, and not even the most exciting round of Yahtzee at game night. It's the bacon-wrapped, cheese-laden bites, dips, and spreads we're housing faster than you can say Jack Robinson.

When we say we'd rather fill up on a hefty dose of tasty, bite-sized appetizers all night than on a three-course meal, we aren't playing. For those of like mind, we've rounded up the best appetizers for a crowd that are easy to make, ready to serve, and sure to leave an impression. Between our classic cheddar shortbread crackers, crowd-pleasing party poppers, and creamy spinach dip, these most popular appetizers will have the crowd begging for mercy. And you reigning as the snack queen.

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Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham

Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham
Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham

Recipe: Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham

This classic dip gets a Southern twist with sweet onions and country ham. Trust us, this shareable appetizer never disappoints at any tailgate or party.

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Queso-Filled Mini Peppers

Queso-Filled Mini Peppers
Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Queso-Filled Mini Peppers

Forget the tortilla chips! These peppers make a much cuter vessel for melty queso. Baked until golden perfection, these bites are party-ready.

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Cheddar Shortbread Crackers

Cheddar Shortbread Crackers
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Cheddar Shortbread Crackers

Talk about a top-notch hostess gift and holiday snack. Pair these crispy, cheesy crackers with a bottle of wine, and you're more than set.

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Bacon Bites

Bacon Bites
Oxmoor House

Recipe: Bacon Bites

Get ready to call these bites your "most talked about, sought after, and begged for recipe." In a delicious turn of events, only three ingredients will get you there, too.

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Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread

Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Herbed-Goat Cheese Spread

This recipes calls for just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time, making it a go-to dish to whip up when guests drop in on a whim. It pairs well with fresh veggies, crackers, and just about any munchies you have in the kitchen cabinet.

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Bacon Bow Tie Crackers

Bacon Bow Tie Crackers
Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman

Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers

We reckon it was a no-brainer to use bacon and buttery crackers together. They're a match made in snack heaven. It should go without saying, but this two-ingredient bacon-focused appetizer will be your easiest (and most popular) snack ever.

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Warm Cheese-and-Spicy Pecan Dip

Warm Cheese-and-Spicy Pecan Dip
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Warm Cheese-and-Spicy Pecan Dip

For another Southern take on a classic snack, this cheese dip does the job. Crunchy, cayenne-spiced pecans give a festive kick to melty cheese dip.

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Smoky Snack Mix

Smoky Snack Mix
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Smoky Snack Mix

Good thing it's easy to double or even triple this smoky mix recipe—watch as it performs quite the disappearing act. Crunchy, smoky, and a little addictive, this appetizer is perfect for casual drop-ins and holiday parties alike.

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Shrimp with Honey-Garlic Sauce

Shrimp with Honey-Garlic Sauce
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley

Recipe: Shrimp with Honey-Garlic Sauce

Pack in the flavor with fresh shrimp with a tangy topping of lemon, garlic, honey, and soy sauce. This recipes takes just 15 minutes start to finish, and works well served on a skewer for large groups.

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Mini Potato Skins

Mini Potato Skins
Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Mini Potato Skins

It's too easy to pop these potato skins, and we guarantee they'll be gone before every guest has arrived. The five-ingredient recipe is simple, delicious, and no-fail with guests of any age.

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Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Red Pepper-Feta Spread

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Red Pepper-Feta Spread
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Red Pepper-Feta Spread

Nothing spices up sliced veggies and water crackers like a creamy, spicy red pepper and feta dip. Take this spread to the next level by adding quinoa and in-season cherry tomatoes on top—then, dip away.

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Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups

Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups

Mushrooms aren't a crowd-pleaser for everyone, but we'd argue that these pastry-filled cups are. Best part: This recipe can be made ahead and takes just 5 minutes to bake.

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Cheddar-Horseradish-Walnut Cheese Ball

Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Cheddar-Horseradish-Walnut Cheese Ball

It's not a Southern party without a cheese ball, particularly during the holidays. Master the classic appetizer by making this best-ever recipe that gets major flavor from sharp Cheddar cheese, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, a dash of hot sauce, and horseradish.

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Crack Crackers

Crack Crackers Recipe
Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Crack Crackers

Don't be surprised when a snack intervention heads your way—because it's impossible to stop eating these crack crackers. We dressed up store-bought crackers with ranch dressing mix, dried dill, and garlic powder. The end result? Our easiest-ever, pop-in-your-mouth snack.

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Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans

Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans

If you're going for the wow factor, this sheet pan snack has you covered. We're serving this appetizer at every tailgate or movie night this year.

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Nashville Hot Chicken Dip

Collard Dip
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Nashville Hot Chicken Dip

Make every chicken wing or tender into bonafide Nashville Hot Chicken. Well, sort of. This recipe is meant to be a dip for chicken wings and the likes. To speed things up, pick up cooked wings from your favorite restaurant or grocery store.

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Baked Brie Bites

Baked Brie Bites
Laurey W. Glenn

Recipe: Baked Brie Bites

If there's ever a time when you need to pull a snack out of a hat, these cheesy, pepper jelly-packed bites have your back. They might look a little fancy, but they actually only take five ingredients and 18 minutes of prep. Win, win?

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Creamy Shrimp Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips

Creamy Shrimp Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Creamy Shrimp Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips

This creamy shrimp dip rewards those that think outside of the box. Conveniently, it's ready to go in under an hour. Tip: The crispy wonton chips really make all the difference.

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Party Poppers

Party Poppers
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Party Poppers

A classic appetizer, reimagined. This spicy bite-sized snack is stuffed with a heavenly chicken-cream cheese filling and then wrapped in hickory-smoked bacon.

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Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Everyone will love these hearty little pies. Filled with chicken, carrots, and peas, these mini savory pot pies fit in with every crowd, but especially a hungry one.

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Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

Collard Dip
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

This Southern take on traditional hummus is something we can get behind. Using black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas, this smoky hummus recipe turns out to be quite the crowd-pleaser.

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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Perhaps our favorite part of these puffed-up bites? They're surprisingly easy to make, thanks to storebought puff pastry. After that, the flavors come together quite decadently, from the buffalo chicken to the blue cheese dressing and chopped parsley. This recipes makes 40 rolls, so it's perfect for a party.

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Baked Goat Cheese Spread with Pepper Jelly

Baked Goat Cheese Spread with Pepper Jelly
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Baked Goat Cheese Spread with Pepper Jelly

For some Southern families, it just wouldn't be Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas without this traditional appetizer spread. We recommend rounding out this recipe with crudité and bread.

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Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Hearty and satisfying, this recipe was made for a crowd, especially when the crowd will be staying awhile. Make it in a slow-cooker for ultimate ease.

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Afterburners

Afterburners
Southern Living

Recipe: Afterburners

This popular recipe combines unexpected ingredients in the best possible way. And these shrimp-stuffed peppers are especially delicious when served with a spicy queso dip.

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Cocktail Meatballs

Cocktail Meatballs (70s)

Recipe: Cocktail Meatballs

Perfect for every event from football tailgates and holiday parties to bridal brunches, this recipe for cocktail meatballs has been around the Southern party circuit a time or two—and for good reason.

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Cheese Snappy Wafers

Cheese Snappy Wafers
Hector M. Sanchez

Recipe: Cheese Snappy Wafers

Southern hostesses have known for decades just how reliable cheese wafers are when it comes to pleasing hungry house guests. They're quick, easy, and undeniably delicious—what else could you ask for?

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Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs (90s)
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

If you haven't sensed a theme yet, dishes with cheese or a little spice tend to be winners with just about any crowd. We first published this recipe in the '90s, so while not quite vintage, it's well on its way to becoming a well-loved Southern classic.

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Lump Crab Mornay

Lump Crab Mornay

Recipe: Lump Crab Mornay

Once you've mastered a go-to dip recipe, you're set for any potluck that might show up on your calendar. The delicious blend of creamy cheese and just a little bit of heat has long made crab mornay a Southern classic worth making a classic of your own.

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Ham Delights

Ham Delights
Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Ham Delights

This recipes starts with a package of Hawaiian dinner rolls. It's a great recipe for a crowd because you simply fill each sandwich with meat, cheese, and secret sauce—then bake and serve. Try it once and this hearty appetizer will become a go-to. It's even easy to transport!

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