16 Ina Garten Appetizer Recipes That Are Total Crowd-Pleasers

Brace yourselves: The holidays are approaching fast. But before you start mapping out Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, take a beat. Your hosting hero, Ina Garten, has a plethora of crowd-pleasing finger foods to choose from that will impress all your guests.

Below, you'll find 16 of my favorite Ina Garten appetizer recipes that are bound to kick off the party. Whether you're hosting a fancy-ish soirée or a casual weeknight hang, these starters will impress without wearing you out in the kitchen. They range from gussied-up cauliflower toasts to a crowd-pleasing Mediterranean mezze platter.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 4 to 6

To me, this bubbly skillet gem is like cheater's fondue. "Who doesn’t love hot melted cheese with crusty French bread for dipping?" Garten inquired in an Instagram caption. "My baked Fontina is always a big hit and perfect for a Super Bowl party. I actually take the skillet out of the oven and just serve it right in the pan!"

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, gluten free, make ahead
• Serves: 4

It's a play on the timeless wedge salad. "It's SO good that you'll want to make it all the time!" Garten claimed in an Instagram post. Despite your inclination to make it during the summer, I'd say it can be served all year long. It stars celery and iceberg lettuce, along with fun additions like radishes, scallions and quality Roquefort blue cheese, which is also the main component of the tangy, vinegary dressing. (Fun fact: She also garnishes the salad with fleur de sel, one of her favorite types of salt. She's partial to the brand Le Saunier de Camargue.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 6

She shared this nostalgic masterpiece to Instagram in 2022, saying, "Chicken Pot Pie Soup is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day, but this is made with fennel, tarragon and sherry with puff pastry croutons on top, so it's no ordinary chicken soup!" She closed the caption with a bit of a humble brag (because she deserves it): "Surprisingly, the recipe took me a while to get right, but it was so worth it!"

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

"Last week, our neighbor's family planned to stop by the barn for drinks, so I thought it was the perfect time to test out a Mediterranean mezze platter," Garten wrote in a Substack post. "I started with good-quality, store-bought hummus, baba ganoush and feta, then dressed them up so they didn’t look store-bought." I love a shortcut, Miss Ina.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

"For me, tomatoes and corn are the taste of summer, so this week I’m sharing some of my favorite tomato recipes," Garten said on Instagram. "Balsam Farm in Amagansett has the best tomatoes and I’m obsessed with using them in everything!" Save yourself some time and effort by substituting store-bought crust instead of making the dough from scratch.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 16 halves

"I love high-low food when you take something familiar and make it special, like Potato Chips with Caviar Dip," Garten explained to her Instagram followers last year. "One of my favorites is Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs with Salmon Roe. It's old-fashioned comfort food dressed up," adding that she made it for an Oscars watch party.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8

This is one of the simpler Ina Garten appetizer recipes on this list, as it doesn't call for any proper cooking and comes together in mere minutes. "I prefer fig spread, which has less sugar than fig jam or fig preserves, but of course you can use either," Garten writes. "Choose a fig spread that's quite thick or it'll be hard to spread the cheese on top."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8 cups

Sure, you could serve this sweet-and-salty snack mix for dessert. (Personally, I think it'd make a great holiday hosting gift.) But it also works as an appetizer. "You can make a big batch, allow them to cool completely, and pack them in striped bags," Garten suggested in an Instagram post.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

"Menus are hard because you have to figure out how all the flavors, textures and colors go together," Garten wrote on Instagram. "To make it easy, here's a menu of my recipes that travel well and can be assembled ahead." These handhelds were at the top of the list. They're extra tangy, thanks to the tomatoes being marinated in red wine vinegar.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

"My Creamy Potato Fennel Soup is full of flavor—but puréed soups can be a little boring when every spoonful is exactly the same," Garten admitted on Instagram. "Instead, I put creamy goat cheese, crisp croutons and [a] drizzle [of] olive oil in the middle of the bowl to scoop up with every bite." Never a dull moment, Ina.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

It's far more elegant than greens tossed in dressing, but not so extravagant that you'll have to cook a million components to top the produce. Garten shared this one a few winters back, saying "Post-holiday excess, I'm making lighter dinners for us this month, but this Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad is so delicious and satisfying that no one minds!"

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8 to 10

Why wait for St. Patrick's Day to treat yourself to this rustic, homemade loaf? With the Barefoot Contessa's recipe on your side, you can whip one up whenever a craving strikes. "Both my Irish Guinness Brown Bread and Irish Soda Bread are quick breads, which means no kneading!" Garten raved on Instagram. "Whichever you make, don't forget to smear some good Irish butter on top!"

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6 to 8

When in doubt, lean on this impossible-to-dislike dip. "This one takes a little more time than regular hummus but it's so worth it!" Garten claims in an Instagram post. "It's light, silky-smooth and topped with chickpeas, almonds and smoky paprika. If you don't have pita, serve it with corn chips or carrots and celery."