Food and Recipes Appetizers 30 Best-Ever Appetizers for a Crowd By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 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. 01 of 30 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. 02 of 30 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. 03 of 30 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. 04 of 30 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. 05 of 30 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. 06 of 30 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. 07 of 30 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. 08 of 30 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. 09 of 30 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. 10 of 30 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. 11 of 30 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. 12 of 30 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. 13 of 30 Cheddar-Horseradish-Walnut 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. 14 of 30 Crack Crackers 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. 15 of 30 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. 16 of 30 Nashville Hot Chicken 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. 17 of 30 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? 18 of 30 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. 19 of 30 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. 20 of 30 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. 21 of 30 Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus 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. 22 of 30 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. 23 of 30 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. 24 of 30 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. 25 of 30 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. 26 of 30 Cocktail Meatballs 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. 27 of 30 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? 28 of 30 Tex Mex Deviled Eggs 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. 29 of 30 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. 30 of 30 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! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit