45 Bite-Sized Appetizers That Are as Cute as They Are Delicious

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 1 to 2

Pro tip from PureWow food editor and recipe creator Taryn Pire: "Starting with a cold pan not only helps the bacon cook evenly, but it also slowly renders out the fat, making for a crispier final product." To take the presentation a step further, candy the bacon by whisking a bit of maple syrup and brown sugar together in a small bowl and drizzling or brushing it over the strips while they cook.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: no bake, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
• Serves: 2 to 4

Finger food definitely includes popcorn, and you can whip up this take in larger batches with minimal effort. "Instead of tossing the popcorn in melted butter and sprinkling the seasonings on top, I mash all the ingredients into a paste before melting it," Pire says. "That way, every drop of butter is infused with garlicky, cheesy goodness."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 48 bites

Cheesy noodles never go out of style, and PureWow editors swear by this recipe because it’s pretty much a guaranteed hit. “I love serving them with a drizzle of Buffalo-ranch dressing or hot honey, just to take the flavor up a notch,” VP of editorial content Candace Davison says. "If your guests aren’t into heat, you could use regular ranch or a garlic aioli instead."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 24 bites

Yes, it's another Brie recipe—but can you blame me? Davison thought up this ingenious combo last year, and I’m confident it’s a bite-sized appetizer that will leave an impression on your party guests. “There's no Super Bowl (Taylor's Version) app quite like this tangy, creamy wonder,” she asserts.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, vegan
• Serves: 4 to 6

Instead of resigning your vegan friends to raw veggies at the app table—no shade to veggie trays—try this recipe. The mushrooms are packed with flavor, look pretty and pair well with a variety of bevs. (I'm partial to a crisp white wine or wheaty beer.)

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

I love pinwheels because they're endlessly customizable and always gorgeous to look at, despite being low-lift to prepare. This option requires just four ingredients, and if you can’t get your hands on soppressata, any salami or pepperoni would do.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
• Serves: 14 bites

Give leftover cranberry sauce a second life...or make these just for funsies. With just six ingredients and less than 20 minutes of prep time, you have no excuse not to. (After all, the recipe calls for store-bought pie crust.) The thyme garnish is optional, but it scores major aesthetics points in my book.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: keto, vegetarian, make ahead
• Serves: 12

Deviled eggs are the it girl of bite-sized appetizers...in a retro sort of way. Here, wasabi brings this throwback starter into the modern day. "[It] provides a touch of peppery pungency that adds balance to the mayonnaise in these deviled eggs," recipe creator Natalie Keng explains.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 18

If presentation isn’t exactly your strong suit, allow me to share these garlicky cheese straws. The recipe isn’t overly complex, and all you have to do is give the dough a little twist before baking. Put them in a cute display cup, and you’ve got an appetizer you can be proud of.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 10

These dressed-up pigs in a blanket are juicy, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Plus, with the additions of apple and sage, they're prime for any fall or winter gathering. I suggest making an extra batch, as it's basically impossible to eat just one.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, no bake, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 8

Where are my Charlottes at? For Sex and The City fans, you know this app would be front and center at any York affair. I love that these deliver fancy tea sandwich vibes, but I love that they're no-bake and ready in less than 15 minutes even more.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, no cook
• Serves: 6

When it comes to appreciating a good charcuterie board, I say start 'em young. This recipe is totally kid-friendly, and they can help with the prep to boot, from choosing what goes on the board to practicing their assembly skills. Go with sturdy, less adventurous cheeses, like cheddar or gouda, for picky eaters.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, keto, make ahead
• Serves: 10

We love a recipe that elevates basic pub fare. These goat cheese balls let you have your mozz sticks and eat them too. (The spicy sage honey is also a revelation.) Pro tip: Make these in advance and pop them in the freezer, then fry them up until warm, crisp and melty once you’re ready to serve.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8

If you’ve ever heard these called "devils on horseback," now you know why—they're diabolically good. The saltiness of the bacon and pungent edge of the goat cheese perfectly cuts the caramelized sweetness of the dates. Plus, they look very sophisticated at the end of a toothpick, if I do say so myself.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes, one pan
• Serves: 8

Arts and crafts are not one of my strong suits, so when party-prepping food, I’m always looking for options that are easy to assemble and still elegant. These crostini do the trick. Savory, sweet, crunchy, cheesy, a hint of spice—what more could a host ask for?

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8 to 10 croquettes

Bring the magic of New Orleans to your next party with these fluffy, fishy beauties. For a snack that looks complex, they come together in about 20 minutes and will actually keep folks satisfied before the main meal—music to my party-planning ears.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 15

Tofu becomes a textured, aromatic filling in a cutesy, papery-crisp shell. If frying is new to you (or you don’t fancy standing over a pot of hot oil), pop these suckers in the air fryer instead for less mess and a similar texture.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, make ahead, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 80 crackers

One of my special talents? Inhaling a half a box of Extra Toasty Cheez-Its in two minutes flat. This vegan variation of the snack promises to bring similar flavor in a bite-size, plant-based (thanks to nutritional yeast) package.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8

“Is there a better way to repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken than this?” recipe creator and food blogger Chunga Rhee asks. I’m inclined to say no, especially when you serve it in quesadillas with a pico de gallo, guacamole and queso bar to let people customize the bite-sized appetizer to their liking.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12 fritters

Handheld apps for the win. You’ll appreciate the mix of salty feta, tender broccoli and savory hummus, all wrapped up in a portable snack that can be toted around a party in a napkin. The lemon tzatziki dip is merely a fabulous bonus.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If you’re not singing the Bagel Bites theme song in your head right now, we need to talk. This recipe calls for full-sized bagels, but I’m including it because it can be mini-fied by subbing in smaller bagels. Level up with a bar of creative toppings that guests can stack themselves.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, high protein
• Serves: 12

Yes, this recipe is a bit messy to serve, but isn’t that the beauty of a burger? A drippy, saucy, gooey slider is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. Personally, I recommend serving these with a cocktail-heavy beverage menu, since nothing prevents guests from getting too rowdy like meat, cheese and bread.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, vegetarian, make ahead
• Serves: 8

If the temps are below 60 degrees, you can bet your buns I’m craving comfort food, usually in the form of a carby, garlicky treat. This garlic bread wreath is fluffy, flavorful heaven, not to mention exactly the kind of pre-dinner carb that's worth filling up on.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 16

Warning: This sweet and spicy nut mix is plain irresistible. Make some for a party, but definitely save some (or heck, a whole second batch) for later to make sure you get some after your guests do. Oh, and this mix goes particularly well on toast or yogurt parfaits...just sayin'.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

“Tostones, which are made with unripe green plantains, are deliciously savory and salty,” recipe creator Kathryne Taylor says. If you want to double the recipe for a crowd, use two sheet pans and bake in the upper or lower thirds of your oven for maximum crispiness.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: one bowl, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

Get the party started with handheld enchiladas. I love them because you can customize the filling according to you and your guests' taste preferences. Try swapping the chicken for another protein, like steak, shrimp, seitan or more beans.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, make ahead
• Serves: 12

This recipe has a secret ingredient: kettle-cooked potato chips. Reviewers say they not only add flavor, but also a slight crunch that goes brilliantly with the cream cheese filling. You can easily double the recipe and make it ahead of time, too. Top them with cheese and bake when you’re ready to serve.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, sheet pan recipe
• Serves: 10

If there’s a snack mix out at a party, you can bet I won’t be far away. I like that this recipe works as a delicious appetizer, but it can also be easily scooped into to-go bags as a party favor once guests are ready to leave.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 16

Puff pastry is the gift that keeps on giving. Turn two sheets into a stunning work of edible art with these stunning twists. Recipe creator Jessica Merchant says she based this creation on Starbucks’s ham and cheese croissant. “[It’s] twisted into a beautiful holiday star and is such a delicious, crowd-pleasing appetizer,” she says.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

This recipe is a showstopper, y’all. Rainbow beets add beautiful color and earthy flavor (hence why I’m Team Beet for life) to an otherwise simple dish. Bake it all on a sheet pan, then cut it into tiny servings that are almost too pretty to eat...almost.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours
• Why I Love It: slow cooker, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 12

This list would not be complete without a Crock-Pot meatball recipe, if you ask me. I love this creative take that calls on fig jam for a dose of sweetness. Dump all the ingredients in your slow cooker, set it and forget it. (Until it’s time to eat, that is.)

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, make ahead
• Serves: 12

“Lasagna in a muffin tin? Yes, it’s possible!” recipe creator Nicole Malik writes. “These are made with pesto, cheese, lots of veggies and wonton wrappers instead of lasagna noodles.” Like many recipes on this list, they're customizable and can easily be made for vegans or carnivores.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, Paleo-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

Give your bacon a top hat and a monocle, and what do you get? Prosciutto, its fancy, sophisticated cousin. Wrap it around shrimp, and you’ve got a high-protein, satiating, classy appetizer that fits in at any party.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: keto, low carb, high protein
• Serves: 12

Three cheeses? A secret dose of cauliflower? Cups?! I’m not trying to do a dramatic reading here, but I think we can all appreciate how big a deal this bite-sized appetizer recipe (aka handheld mac and cheese) actually is.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: air fryer recipe, Paleo-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

Erin Druga, the recipe developer behind The Almond Eater, says these babies are a dream for folks who are short on time. “It's made with shredded coconut and breadcrumbs, cooks in just 10 minutes and tastes like your favorite restaurant appetizer,” she claims. Need I say more?

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 8 to 10

If you always have a bottle of Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning (EBTBSS, for short) from Trader Joe’s in your kitchen, I have the ultimate recipe for you. It's the key to zhuzhing these pigs in a blanket. Did I mention the rich shortcut aioli for dipping?

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

These cheesy, spicy, crumbly muffins won’t last long. Try this baking tip from recipe creator Lexi Davidson if you make them at home: “If you're looking for a more cake-like cornbread, you can increase the melted butter to 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup.”

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, <30 minutes, make ahead
• Serves: 11

If you believe in the Olive Theory, this appetizer might very well introduce you to your soulmate. And if you’re not interested in coupling up, they’re still tasty as hell. They'd make a tasty cornerstone of a cheese board, or they can be served solo with fancy toothpicks and napkins instead.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd pleaser, vegetarian, low sugar
• Serves: 12

Sound the alarm! The classic caprese combo has become portable, people. “I serve these [skewers] at all my parties,” recipe creator Sara Welch says. “Everyone loves this classic flavor combination, and it’s even more fun to eat it off a stick.”

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 32

Fried green tomatoes might feel like a summer snack, but I love to munch on these when temperatures drop and I’m craving that sitting-on-a-patio-with-sweet-tea feeling. These little guys are bright, tangy, and indulgent, so there's no one right time to enjoy them, IMO.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 30

Spanakopita is a Greek treat that's pretty much impossible not to love. For the uninitiated, it's a spinach and feta hand pie served up in a crispy shell of flaky phyllo dough. In case you aren't sold yet, know that it tastes even better drizzled in honey.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

“If you’re looking for a calorie-conscious sandwich, this isn’t it,” recipe creator Kristen Maxwell admits. “It is, however, one of the funnest sandwiches you’ll ever get your two little paws on.” ICYMI, think of a Monte Cristo as a fried ham-and-turkey grilled cheese sandwich with jam or preserves.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 18

If fall could be represented in a bite-sized appetizer, this is it. Between the fig jam, cinnamon-kissed nuts and fresh rosemary, it's destined for a cold-weather holiday party. You can assemble a massive batch of these in advance, so they're ready to bake at party time.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: one bowl, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Never made arepas before? Now’s your chance to perfect this fluffy, crispy Venezuelan dish. “If you want to keep it simple and practice the basics, you can just follow this recipe,” developer Paul Palop says. Once you’ve mastered it, he recommends stuffing 'em with carne mechada, a robust shredded beef stew.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24

Let’s talk about quiche, baby. These are cheesy, eggy delights that steal the show on an appetizer table, not to mention at brunch. In the unlikely event you have any left over the next day, they'll reheat like a charm for breakfast.