Food and Recipes Appetizers Our Best Make-Ahead Appetizer Recipes 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 Published on June 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Whether you're having guests over to your house or need an appetizer to take along to a potluck, there are times when you need to make an appetizer ahead of time. These recipes will allow you to serve up a delicious appetizer even if you're short on time the day of the gathering where you'll be serving them. Classics like deviled eggs, pimiento cheese, and more have always been favorites of Southern hostesses not only because of how delicious they are, but also because they can be made in advance. In addition to being able to be made ahead, these appetizers are also easy to pull together. Many of these recipes have to be chilled overnight, which makes them the perfect appetizers for when you need a make-ahead option. Read on for our best make-ahead appetizers that'll come to the rescue on your busiest days. 01 of 15 Bloody Mary Poached Shrimp Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Bloody Mary Poached Shrimp Since this dish has to chill for at least 8 hours and preferably up to 24, it must be made ahead of time. 02 of 15 Black Bean and Corn Salsa Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salsa This big batch salsa is made to serve 12, but can be easily doubled for even larger crowds. Plus, we bet you won't mind having leftovers which can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. 03 of 15 Marinated Feta With Cherry Tomatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Marinated Feta With Cherry Tomatoes Toasted baguette slices serve as an ideal base for a tomato and cheese mixture that marinates overnight before serving. 04 of 15 Old Bay Rémoulade with Crudités and Shrimp Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Old Bay Rémoulade with Crudités and Shrimp This remoulade can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, so you can prepare it several days in advance of an event if needed. 05 of 15 Basic Deviled Eggs Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs You can prepare deviled eggs a day in advance and store them in the refrigerator. If you'll be transporting them, keep the filling separate and top the eggs just before serving. 06 of 15 Cheddar Cheese Straws Robbie Caponetto; Prop Styling: Mary Beth Wetzel; Food Styling: Pam Lolley Recipe: Cheddar Cheese Straws Both kids and adults will love this classic snack. 07 of 15 Basic Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Basic Pimiento Cheese Not only is this appetizer a Southern classic, but it also requires just a few stirs to pull together. 08 of 15 Texas Caviar Southern Living Recipe: Texas Caviar Although this dip is simple to pull together, we bet it'll be a bigger hit than most time-intensive appetizers. 09 of 15 Benedictine Spread Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist:Christine Keely Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Benedictine Spread After it's prepared, this spread can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. 10 of 15 Buttery Toasted Pecans Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Buttery Toasted Pecans This simple snack can be stored for up to a week and are great to have on hand for drop in guests. 11 of 15 Spinach-and-Vidalia Dip Greg Dupree Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Spinach-and-Vidalia Dip Both chips and veggies are great dipping options for this spinach dip. 12 of 15 Orange-Basil Yogurt Dip Iain Bagwell Recipe: Orange-Basil Yogurt Dip You can refrigerate this dip in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 13 of 15 Buttermilk-Ricotta Cheese Dip Hector Sanchez Recipe: Buttermilk-Ricotta Cheese Dip Make sure to follow the directions for this recipe and stir only when instructed for the best results. 14 of 15 Smoky Snack Mix Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Smoky Snack Mix Depending on how large of a crowd you'll be serving, it may be worth doubling this homemade snack mix recipe. 15 of 15 Cheese Dreams Southern Living Recipe: Cheese Dreams These cheesy bites can be stored in the freezer, just add 10 minutes to the cooking time. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit