Food and Recipes Appetizers 43 Summer Appetizer Recipes Made for Easy, Breezy Entertaining By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 16, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele When summer rolls around, we get ready for an endless stream of social functions. Showers, tea parties, reunions, and more will all require menus and dishes worthy of the season and its bounty. Take a morning trip to the farmer's market and get the party started with these crowd-pleasing appetizers that are made for summer. We're swooning over simple, yet effective summer appetizers like Beet-Goat Cheese Dip and dressed-up Lemon-Tarragon Potato Salad. Can't forget about all the dips and egg salads, either. The perfect Picnic Egg Salad is calling our name. And don't even get us started on the tomatoes. The best part? These easy appetizers won't take long to prepare—you might even be able to do some of the prep ahead of time for less stress day-of. This collection of no-fail recipes promises to win over every guest. Whether you're spending a weekend at the lake, attending a potluck lunch, or throwing a backyard barbecue, you'll be making these easy appetizer recipes all summer long. 01 of 43 Spinach-and-Vidalia Dip Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Spinach-and-Vidalia Dip This dip can be made ahead of time, leaving you more time to spend with your guests. 02 of 43 Classic Deviled Eggs Southern Living Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs Deviled eggs belong at every summer gathering. 03 of 43 Pickled Tiny Tomatoes Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Pickled Tiny Tomatoes Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 04 of 43 Baked Brie with Jezebel Peaches Iain Bagwell Recipe: Baked Brie with Jezebel Peaches Pepper jelly and peaches give baked brie an instant upgrade. 05 of 43 Deviled Egg Salad and Asparagus Tartines Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Deviled Egg Salad and Asparagus Tartines A laid-back finger sandwich is great for more casual occasions. 06 of 43 Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce While you have the grill going for the main course, pop these colorful okra-and-pepper skewers on the fire for a hint of smoky flavor and a quick tenderizing. The Dijon dipping sauce elevates this to an unforgettable summer appetizer. 07 of 43 Smoked-Tomato Salsa Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Smoked-Tomato Salsa Ditch the jarred stuff—this homemade salsa with a smoky kick will get your guests talking. Serve alongside tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. 08 of 43 Crack Crackers Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Crack Crackers After the first bite, you'll understand why they're called Crack Crackers. 09 of 43 Southwest Black-Eyed Pea Dip Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Southwest Black-Eyed Pea Dip Serve with plenty of your favorite tortilla or pita chips for dipping. 10 of 43 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Just two ingredients are needed to make this easy appetizer, and we suggest doubling (or tripling) the recipe. 11 of 43 Queso-Filled Mini Peppers Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Queso-Filled Mini Peppers Mini sweet peppers are the perfect bite-sized vessel for rich cheese dip. 12 of 43 Red Chipotle Pepper Jelly Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Red Chipotle Pepper Jelly Homemade pepper jelly is summer's liquid gold. When you have a jar, you're minutes away from a multitude of recipes. The most classic Southern summer appetizer? Pour the pepper jelly atop a block of cream cheese, and roll out some crackers. Bon appetit! 13 of 43 Corn and Jalapeño Dip Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Corn and Jalapeño Dip This creamy and cheesy dip only includes eight ingredients and minimal prep time. 14 of 43 Grilled Green Tomatoes with Jalapeño-Honey Vinaigrette Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Green Tomatoes with Jalapeño-Honey Vinaigrette There's much more you can do with green tomatoes than fry them. Not convinced? Consider this standout recipe for grilled green tomatoes your proof. 15 of 43 Mini Potato Skins Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Mini Potato Skins These crispy potato skins are party perfect with bacon, cheddar, sour cream, and green onions. 16 of 43 Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts Alison Miksch Recipe: Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts This bite-sized version of tomato pie is the perfect party appetizer. 17 of 43 Easy Summer Appetizer Board Photo: Hector Sanchez; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Easy Summer Appetizer Board Welcome guests with Sothern summer classics like pimiento cheese and riesling peaches. 18 of 43 Marinated Field Pea Relish Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Marinated Field Pea Relish Serve this field pea relish with chips for a happy hour snack. 19 of 43 Fresh Fruit Salad Jen Causey Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad Orange juice, honey, and mint add even more flavor to summer fruits. 20 of 43 Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise It's not summer without tomato sandwiches. 21 of 43 Hot Cheesy Crab Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Hot Cheesy Crab Dip Lumps of juicy crab are ensconced in a mixture of cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Honestly, if you're serving this dip, why serve anything else? 22 of 43 Arancini with Pomodoro Dipping Sauce Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Arancini with Pomodoro Dipping Sauce These little balls of rice taste amazing but only have three steps. Make the rice mixture, with is flavored with thyme and Parmesan, before frying it to a crisp golden brown. It's an appetizer that'll instantly transport you to a warm evening in Rome. 23 of 43 Jalapeño Popper Dip Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Jalapeño Popper Dip Summer sports watch party? Family reunion? Serve our Jalapeño Popper Dip as an appetizer and everyone will be asking for the recipe. 24 of 43 Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip Anyone who doesn't love buffalo chicken might be lying. And anyone who says they don't like buffalo chicken dip? They're really asking for it. 25 of 43 Beet-Goat Cheese Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Beet-Goat Cheese Dip A vibrant dip is just the thing you need for a fresh summer appetizer. We take the classic beet and goat cheese pairing to new heights, combining them with dates and Greek yogurt for a creamy factor. If you don't have time to roast your own beets, don't panic. A package of pre-cooked ones will do just the trick. 26 of 43 Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups These little tartlets may be meatless, but that doesn't mean they're not filling. 27 of 43 Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta These cute, composed bites make lovely summer hors d'oeuvres. Pass around a platter and they're sure to disappear. 28 of 43 Deviled Egg Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Deviled Egg Potato Salad We're combining two of the summertime greats—deviled eggs and potato salad—in this legendary recipe. 29 of 43 Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad Of course, summer comes with a big dose of heat and humidity. This appetizer doesn't require the stove, so make it one of your go-tos. 30 of 43 Field Pea Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Field Pea Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Serving this is basically a Southern summer rite of passage. It makes for an excellent appetizer or side dish, served along with fresh corn on the cob and potato salad. 31 of 43 Lemon-Tarragon Potato Salad Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Lemon-Tarragon Potato Salad Let's face it. Potato salad might be one of the ultimate appetizers. Who can resist chunks of tender potatoes with a creamy dressing? Very few. Here, the lemon adds a summery spot and makes it a seasonal dish. 32 of 43 Crab Cake Bites with Old Bay Mayo, Chives, and Lemon Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Crab Cake Bites with Old Bay Mayo, Chives, and Lemon This recipe for miniature crab cakes comes from Adam Evans, chef at award-winning Birmingham restaurant Automatic Seafood and Oysters. If there's one piece of advice we can offer, it's this: don't skip the Old Bay mayo. 33 of 43 Jessica B. Harris' Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Jessica B. Harris' Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Everybody loves a classic fried green tomato, and Jessica B. Harris's version is as good as it gets. 34 of 43 Roasted Potato Salad Joy Howard Recipe: Roasted Potato Salad If you want to make a controversial summer appetizer move, kick the mayonnaise to the door. These roasted potatoes won't need it. 35 of 43 Summer Orzo Salad Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Recipe: Summer Orzo Salad Plump tomatoes, crunchy pistachios, crisp cucumbers, and a basil pesto create a breezy summer appetizer you'll want to make again and again. Take it on the first picnic of the season or serve it at garden party. 36 of 43 Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad with Ricotta and Summer Herbs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad with Ricotta and Summer Herbs Sure, it looks fancy, but this salad is only two steps and can be executed while the grill heats up for all the hot dogs. 37 of 43 Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Pasta salad is always a tried-and-true winner, but this might be the ultimate summer side. You heard it from us first. 38 of 43 Butter-Baked Saltine Crackers Southern Living Recipe: Butter-Baked Saltine Crackers Don't underestimate these crackers. Put out a bowlful and your guests are in danger of filling up on them before the main dishes even appear. 39 of 43 Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra Jennifer Causey, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Recipe: Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra Deviled eggs are so easy, you might as well add a little pizazz in the form of some okra. 40 of 43 Pimiento Pickle Poppers Southern Living Recipe: Pimiento Pickle Poppers With just six ingredients (two of which you may already have in your pantry), there's no excuse not to make these very poppable summer bites. 41 of 43 Crawfish Dip Greg DuPree Recipe: Crawfish Dip Cooking this dip in a slow cooker will ensure it stays warm until you're ready to serve. 42 of 43 Green Tomato Stacks with Herb Oil and Crispy Capers Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Green Tomato Stacks with Herb Oil and Crispy Capers An elegant, un-fried take on green tomatoes, these pretty tomato stacks make a great starter for a seated summer dinner. 43 of 43 Picnic Egg Salad Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Picnic Egg Salad You're just 15 minutes away from getting this crowd-pleasing recipe on the table. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit