Food and Recipes Party Food and Drink 41 Festive Mini Appetizers to Get the Party Started By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 4, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall These mini appetizers put the party in the palm of your hand. They make enjoying festive food simple, and these recipes make it fun. Our recipes for mini appetizers include new twists on traditional Southern classics. From mini chicken and waffles to mini tomato sandwiches, honey we shrunk your Southern favorites! These tiny bites will disappear so quickly, and with kid-friendly mini appetizers like meatball sliders and pizza poppers, every family member will love these. Fill a plate with these mini appetizers and savor every little flavor-filled bite. 01 of 41 Shrimp Boil Skewers Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Shrimp Boil Skewers Serve this colorful appetizer in small cups if you want to skip the skewers. 02 of 41 Basic Deviled Eggs Southern Living Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs The filling for Southern-style deviled eggs is nothing more than egg yolks, mayonnaise (Duke's if you can find it), mustard, and sweet pickle relish. 03 of 41 Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise Victor Protasio Recipe: Mini Tomato Sandwiches With Bacon Mayonnaise Tomato sandwiches are a Southern mainstay, so we made them appetizer friendly and added our new favorite condiment—bacon mayonnaise. 04 of 41 Party Poppers Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Party Poppers Who doesn't love this famously popular appetizer? 05 of 41 Mini Potato Skins Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Mini Potato Skins These crispy wonders have everything you love about a loaded baked potato in one bite. 06 of 41 Ham-and-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Sliders Southerners will instantly recognize this handheld staple, and the first bite is bound to kickstart all kinds of reminiscing about the last time a melty, gooey, baked ham-and-cheese slider hit the taste buds. 07 of 41 Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles Jennifer Davick Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles Keep waffles warm in a 200° oven up to 30 minutes before assembling. Top waffles with chicken, and drizzle with Peach-Horseradish Maple Syrup. 08 of 41 Hoppin' John Parfaits Jennifer Davick Recipe: Hoppin' John Parfaits Layer black-eyed pea mixture, hot cooked rice, and tomato mixture in 12 (7-oz.) glasses for a charming presentation. 09 of 41 Cheese Dreams Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart Recipe: Cheese Dreams This recipe makes a huge batch of these cheesy bites, but don't worry: They freeze beautifully. 10 of 41 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs This retro appetizer will never get old in our house. 11 of 41 Loaded Deviled Eggs Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Loaded Deviled Eggs This mash-up of two all-time favorite recipes is so creative and delicious that people will gobble them up. 12 of 41 Queso-Filled Mini Peppers Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Queso-Filled Mini Peppers If you can't go to a Mexican restaurant without ordering queso, this appetizer is a homemade must-try. 13 of 41 Buffalo Chicken Sliders Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Sliders Whether you serve these Buffalo Chicken Sliders at a tailgate or passed during cocktail hour, we have a feeling there won't be leftovers. 14 of 41 Baked Brie Bites Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Baked Brie Bites This recipe takes everything you love about creamy baked brie and puts it into an adorable (and no-mess!) package. 15 of 41 Mini Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Stephen DeVries Recipe: Mini Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas These muffin-tin bites are way easier to throw together than the usual stuffing and rolling that comes with enchiladas. 16 of 41 Fried Chicken Sliders with Pimiento Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Fried Chicken Sliders with Pimiento Cheese Two Southern classics in one dish? Yes, please. 17 of 41 Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Jennifer Davick Recipe: Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Start with a package of frozen meatballs and cook with bottled barbecue sauce and cherry preserves for this easy, 5-ingredient appetizer. 18 of 41 Spinach-and-Artichoke Bites Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Spinach-and-Artichoke Bites This recipe wraps classic spinach-and-artichoke dip in buttery crescent rolls for a mess-free appetizer. 19 of 41 Crab Cake Hush Puppies Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Crab Cake Hush Puppies Serve these tasty hush puppies with your favorite rémoulade or cocktail sauce. 20 of 41 Bacon Wrapped Smokies Southern Living Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Smokies Mini smokies are always a hit at parties,and wrapping them in bacon only ups the delicious ante. 21 of 41 Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls Photography: Caitlin Bensel Food Styling: Ali Ramee Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Spicy Bisquick Sausage Balls These bites are the best thing you can do with that box of baking mix in the pantry. 22 of 41 Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts Alison Miksch Recipe: Muffin Pan Tomato Tarts Love tomato pie? Try these colorful, mini versions for a fun appetizer. 23 of 41 Mini Crab Cakes with Cajun Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Mini Crab Cakes with Cajun Sauce Crab cakes feel fancy but are super easy to make. Creating tiny patties makes them perfect pre-dinner. 24 of 41 Prosciutto-Wrapped Mango Bites Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Prosciutto-Wrapped Mango Bites This recipe proves how a few simple ingredients can look and taste totally elegant together. 25 of 41 Chicken Salad Tarts Jennifer Davick Recipe: Chicken Salad Tarts This chicken salad appetizer recipe is perfect for any occasion and (almost!) too pretty to eat. 26 of 41 Bacon Deviled Eggs Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Bacon Deviled Eggs Go ahead and make a second batch—these deviled eggs with thick bacon are so easy to make and tend to disappear quickly. 27 of 41 Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce This kid-friendly appetizer comes together with help from your slow cooker. 28 of 41 Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites Hector Sanchez Recipe: Inside-Out Hot Brown Bites Louisville's famous Hot Brown sandwich gets appetizer treatment with these savory bites. 29 of 41 Mini Shrimp Rolls Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Mini Shrimp Rolls These shrimp sliders have the perfect amount of kick thanks to pickled jalapenos. 30 of 41 Ham-and-Cheese Skewers Charles Walton IV Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Skewers We love a no-cook appetizer that is still full of flavor. 31 of 41 Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites There are plenty of inventive ways to enjoy sweet potatoes, and these spicy sausage balls are one of the best. 32 of 41 Pizza Pepper Poppers Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Pizza Pepper Poppers These mini peppers are kid-friendly, fun, and gluten-free! 33 of 41 Bacon Bow Tie Crackers Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman Recipe: Bacon Bow Tie Crackers This addicting appetizer only requires two ingredients, but it's delicious with brown sugar or parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, too. 34 of 41 Cranberry Brie Bites Southern Living Recipe: Cranberry Brie Bites These pretty bites only need four ingredients, including a topping of pecans for a satisfying crunch. 35 of 41 Melon, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto Skewers Jennifer Davick Recipe: Melon, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto Skewers Salty ham, fresh melon, and creamy mozzarella meet in appetizer harmony in this recipe. 36 of 41 Petite Sweet Potato Biscuits with Pulled Pork and Slaw Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Petite Sweet Potato Biscuits with Pulled Pork and Slaw Get the whole cookout in one bite with these mini biscuits. 37 of 41 Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini You can prep the tomato topping up to two days in advance to save you time before you serve this appetizer. 38 of 41 Curried Shrimp Tarts Recipe: Curried Shrimp Tarts Simply stir the ingredients, spoon them into the pastry tarts, and voila: You have an Instagram-worthy appetizer. 39 of 41 Mini Caprese Bites William Dickey Recipe: Mini Caprese Bites Leave the fork and knife behind and still get all the caprese salad goodness you love. 40 of 41 Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites Jennifer Davick Recipe: Herbed Goat Cheese-Melon Party Bites We try to use fresh watermelon as much as possible during the summer, and these pretty bites are a unique way to do so. 41 of 41 Pepperoni Pizza Sliders Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Sliders Possibly the easiest party food in existence, these pizza sliders keep things ooey and gooey. 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