83 Best Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes & Ideas | Thanksgiving Entertaining Recipes and Ideas : Food Network

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Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board

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Butternut Squash Soup

Ina marinates mushrooms in olive oil and wine, then stuffs them with sweet Italian sausage and cheese.

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Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

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Brie-and-Cranberry Stuffed Bread Bowl

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Maple, Walnut and Bacon Brie Bites

Most recipes for bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts call for holding everything together with toothpicks, but we skip that step. Setting the bacon seam-side down on the baking sheet makes it seal in the hot oven. The maple syrup glaze helps to make each bite sweet and caramelized.

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Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts with Creamy Lemon Dip

A spinach puree (extra creamy and flavorful, thanks to sour cream, garlic and fresh herbs) teams up with chopped almonds for the perfect nutty toast topper.

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Spinach Almond Crostini

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Fried Olives

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Dump Spinach and Artichoke Dip from Frozen

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Brussels Sprouts-in-a-Blanket

For richness, Ina stirs a bit of cream into her hearty potato soup. Creme fraiche adds extra creaminess and a slightly tart flavor. Deep-fried shallots add a great crispy texture contrast.

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Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Serve this crowd-pleasing finger food before the turkey dinner. The dash of paprika on the deviled eggs lends a warm, festive color.

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Picnic Deviled Eggs

Alton’s homemade onion dip takes only a few more minutes to make than the instant kind, and once you’ve made it from scratch, you’ll never go back to the store-bought version.

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Onion Dip from Scratch

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Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

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Figs in a Blanket

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Stuffed Mushrooms

This crowd-pleasing appetizer couldn’t be easier: Tyler Florence wraps Brie in foil and bakes it in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is gooey like fondue.

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Baked Brie

Ina’s creamy soup features three different types of mushrooms: portobello, cremini and shiitake. A rich base of butter, cream and homemade stock bring the dish together.

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Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Smoky cheese and bacon combine with the natural sweetness of caramelized onions in this hot, crusty party bread that is meant for sharing.

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Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pull-Apart Bread

The Barefoot Contessa jazzes up a classic fall soup with a buffet of fun and sometimes surprising condiments so guests can choose their own toppings.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Condiments

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Holiday Bacon Appetizers

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Italian Cheese Ball

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White Bean-Pomegranate Crostini

Skip the store-bought mixed nuts and make your own — Ina Garten’s are coated with fresh rosemary, dark brown sugar and a hint of cayenne.

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Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Giada De Laurentiis garnishes each bowl of her creamy squash soup with fontina cheese-topped crostini.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini

Generally, when you think of creamed corn, you think of hot soup or pudding. But this version opens up another possibility: dip. Made with fresh parsley and caramelized onions, it’s served cold with crisp vegetables or baguette toasts — a lovely way to start a holiday party.

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Creamed Corn Dip

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Stuffed Mushroom Dip

These delicate stuffed mushrooms make it easy to snack while mingling at a Thanksgiving cocktail hour. Create the perfect bowl shape to accommodate the stuffing by using a melon baller to gently scoop out the stem from inside each mushroom cap.

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Stuffed Mushrooms

If frying pasta sounds strange to you, keep an open mind: crispy pasta shell, soft cheese filling and ample marinara sauce for dipping. What’s not to like?

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Fried Ravioli

Giada’s two-bite appetizers are made with crunchy toasts, a bright sun-dried tomato jam, goat cheese and lots of herbs.

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Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomato Jam

Sweet dates pair perfectly with Giada’s creamy mascarpone-goat cheese mixture. A slice of salty prosciutto balances the flavor.

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Cheese-Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

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Winter Squash Soup

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Potato-Leek Soup With Bacon

Rachael’s easy, cheesy dip is baked in the oven and served warm, topped with chopped almonds for crunch.

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Swiss and Bacon Dip

Guy Fieri uses acorn squash, a cousin of the butternut, for this creamy fall soup.

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Acorn Squash Soup

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Bacon-Wrapped Spinach Dip Crostini

Starting your meal with Michael Symon’s cold soup provides a welcome foil to Thanksgiving’s heavier main course. And this recipe is bursting with unexpected flavors, like jalapeno, coconut milk and cilantro.

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Chilled Carrot Soup

Make shrimp cocktail about an hour (or earlier for the sauce) before guests arrive for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. 

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Shrimp Cocktail

Sandra Lee’s stuffed mushrooms come with an Asian twist. She uses rice in place of traditional breadcrumbs, brings in a little meat with the pork, and amplifies the dish with soy sauce, ginger and cilantro.

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Ginger Rice Stuffed Mushrooms

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Carrot-Ginger Soup with Tofu

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Pomegranate Cheese Ball

Fill our simple pastry crust with butternut squash, sliced apples and decadent Stilton cheese. Then bake until golden brown for a beautifully seasonal appetizer.

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Butternut Squash, Apple, and Onion Galette with Stilton

Snack on Trisha’s buttery cheese straws before you sit down to feast.

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Cheese Straws

Ree rolls goat cheese in freshly chopped dill and serves it with crackers for an appetizer that’s ready in just 20 minutes.

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Goat Cheese with Fresh Dill

Ina tops grilled bread with red and yellow bell pepper strips and creamy Gorgonzola. While sauteing the peppers, add a tiny bit of sugar to bring out intense color and caramelization.

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Bruschetta with Peppers and Gorgonzola

These are classic tapas, but they never get old, especially spruced up just a bit with a touch of ricotta cheese.

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Ricotta-Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates

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Baked Brie with Fig Compote

A little bit of sage and balsamic vinegar goes a long way in this recipe, adding great depth of flavor to a simple fall soup.

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Butternut Squash Soup

Sage, red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan add rich, warm notes to this gnocchi dish, perfect for easing into a comforting Thanksgiving meal.  

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Gnocchi With Brown Butter and Sage

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

The shrimp gets a ton of flavor from the paprika and thyme marinade — even without the bacon. But, of course, the bacon only makes it better. 

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Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Sweet apples and nutty squash make an excellent pair in Ina Garten’s hearty soup. 

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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Fresh green food is a rare but welcome sight on the day of the year’s biggest feast. Serve veggies like haricots verts, broccolini and roasted Brussels sprouts with yogurt-dill dip and spiced pepitas to entice even the pickiest of eaters. 

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Green Crudites with Yogurt-Dill Dip

Giada’s crispy, smoky sprouts and cranberries plumped in Champagne vinegar add bite to creamy ricotta spread on toasts. 

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Charred Brussels Sprout Crostini

Food Network Magazine’s cleverly named Popcornucopia captures the essence of fall in each kernel. With poultry seasoning, pecans, apple chips and herbs, the snack will tease guests with a preview of the sweet and savory flavors soon to come.  

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Popcornucopia

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Pigs in Blankets

Guests will gobble up these crispy, cheesy pre-dinner snacks — we suggest you make a double batch.

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Parmesan Breadsticks

With roasted acorn squash and multicolored baby carrots, ranch dip just won’t do for this vibrant crudite platter. Blend together a beautiful orange romesco sauce featuring New Mexico chile pepper, garlic, toasted bread, smoked almonds and paprika. Add some crunch to the spread with raw radishes and any extra almonds that didn’t go into the dip.  

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Red Crudites with Romesco Sauce

Valerie Bertinelli jazzes up pumpkin seeds with cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves for an addictive treat. Before guests arrive, set bowls out in conversation spaces around your home.

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Sweet and Salty Pepitas

Biting into creamy risotto coated in crispy breadcrumbs is always a delight, but Giada hides an additional tasty surprise in these arancini — a bite of chicken-apple sausage in each one.

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Stuffed Arancini

Keep things bright and light during the appetizer hour. Balance crisp produce (like green apple and jicama) and cool, tangy blue cheese dip with roasted cauliflower and candied walnuts.

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White Crudites with Blue Cheese Dip

These savory hors d’oeuvres require only four slices of white sandwich bread for their crispy crust. Dip them in Dijon mustard for an extra-peppery app.

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Mushroom Croquettes

Pick up a loaf of French bread and get inspired by dozens of savory and sweet topping ideas. Try No. 24, with Taleggio cheese and candied nuts.

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50 Easy Toast Toppers

For fresh citrus flavor, Alton drains off the olive brine before submerging the olives in a zesty marinade of vinegar, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, tarragon and curry powder. Make them a day or two before your party, so they have time to soak in the flavors of the marinade.

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Citrus Marinated Olives

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French Onion Soup

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Creamy Portobello Soup

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Katie’s Deviled Eggs

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Cheese Curds and Sausage in Puff Pastry

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Blue Cheese and Pecan Strudel

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Cheesy Phyllo Cups with Butternut Squash

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Butternut Squash Bisque with Shrimp

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Pomegranate-Brie Phyllo Cups

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Brie-Onion Dip in a French Bread Bowl

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Fried Butternut Squash with Spicy Honey

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Butternut Squash

Alton’s sweet and spicy pecans are a perfect precursor to a Thanksgiving meal. The nuts’ dark sugar and cinnamon coating will whet your appetite for the autumnal flavors to come.

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Spiced Pecans

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Parker’s Split Pea Soup

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Bacon-Wrapped Dates

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Squash Soup in Pumpkin Bowls

Sweet balsamic-roasted portobello mushrooms are the perfect base for gooey melted mozzarella cheese and a crumbly topping that has just a hint of nutty Parmesan.

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Mozzarella Stuffed Portobellos

Start with a platter of Giada’s Italian-style crudite. She wraps the veggies in prosciutto and shaves Parmesan on top for some holiday decadence.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Crudite

Guests will go crazy for this light, refreshing beet and orange salad, and best of all, they’ll still have room left for the main course. A simple dressing of hazelnut oil, coriander and orange juice adds a touch of sweet, floral flavor.

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Roasted Beet, Onion, and Orange Salad

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Air Fryer Baked Brie with Pesto, Sundried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts