Food and Recipes Appetizers One-Bite Appetizer Recipes for Hassle-Free Hosting 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 March 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman No matter the occasion, when hosting company, having an appetizer ready as soon as they walk through the door is always a good idea. However, for more laid-back gatherings or impromptu happy hours, we understand not wanting to have to drag out extra plates for the pre-dinner course. So, we have a solution for you: our best one-bite appetizers. These no-fuss appetizers don't require extra plates or utensils for serving. Just place a stack of napkins next to your serving platter and allow your guests to enjoy these appetizers with one hand while being able to hold a drink in the other. Your guests will love not having to juggle carrying a plate and you'll love having less dishes to wash when the party's over. Plus, most of these one-bite appetizers come together with just a handful of ingredients so they come together both quickly and easily. 01 of 12 Mini Potato Skins Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Mini Potato Skins If you don't have a piping bag on hand, you can use a zip top plastic bag to pipe on the sour cream. 02 of 12 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers You're just two ingredients away from getting this easy appetizer on the table. 03 of 12 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs As the name implies, the secret ingredient to crowd-pleasing meatballs is grape jelly. Plus, your slow cooker will do the work while you prepare for your guests. 04 of 12 Cheddar Cheese Straws Southern Living Recipe: Cheddar Cheese Straws If you just want to offer up a small snack before the main course, you can never go wrong with cheese straws. 05 of 12 Cranberry Brie Bites Southern Living Recipe: Cranberry Brie Bites Our favorite appetizers are delicious, come together quickly, and require just a few ingredients. These cranberry bites are all three. 06 of 12 Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups These warm bites bake for just 5 minutes, meaning you can get them on the serving platter in just 25 minutes. 07 of 12 Cheese Dreams Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart Recipe: Cheese Dreams Keep these cheese snacks in the freezer for last-minute guests. 08 of 12 Baked Brie Bites Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Baked Brie Bites This recipe packs plenty of flavor and texture into every bite 09 of 12 Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites Hector Sanchez Recipe: Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites Serve up the taste of the classic sandwich in bite-sized form. 10 of 12 Basic Deviled Eggs Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski Recipe: Basic Deviled EggsStart any cookout off on the right foot with classic deviled eggs. This recipe makes 12 halves, so you may want to consider doubling the ingredients. 11 of 12 Crispy Cheese Wafers Recipe: Crispy Cheese Wafers To make sure this recipe is successful, we recommenced grating the cheese by hand. 12 of 12 Maple-Bacon Smokies Southern Living Recipe: Maple-Bacon Smokies In our book, you can't go wrong serving bacon-wrapped appetizers. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit