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Thanksgiving dinner is the best meal of the year. Fittingly, it also requires a ton of advance preparation and day-of cooking. If you stay organized and gather all the necessary ingredients and recipes ahead of time, hosting a great Thanksgiving dinner can be a ton of fun — but even the most experienced cooks sometimes struggle to get the main course on the table in a timely manner, let alone all of the Thanksgiving sides.
To prevent hungry guests from constantly asking when dinner will be ready (or worse, hovering over you in the kitchen), it’s smart to put out a spread of holiday appetizers that will keep people busy and happy while you put the finishing touches on the turkey. (Little kids can stay occupied with these easy Thanksgiving crafts and coloring pages.) And there’s no reason these appetizers should add to your overall cooking load. To keep things as easy for yourself as possible, pick a few of these no-cook Thanksgiving appetizers ahead of time for your upcoming Turkey Day feast. Most of them travel well too, so they’re great if you’re not the one hosting.
A version of this story was originally published November 2018.
Mini Pistachio Cheese Balls
Image Credit: Courtesy of Travel & Food.
Tangy balls of creamy goat cheese are rolled in chopped green pistachios to make this deceptively simple starters.
Get the recipe from Travel & Food.
Easy Blue Cheese and Apples
Image Credit: Courtesy of Meals with Maggie.
This easy apple appetizer features wedges of your favorite fall apples, drizzled with spicy hot honey, sprinkled with blue cheese crumbs, and topped with crunchy walnuts.
Get the recipe from Meals With Maggie.
Fall Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples, Pecans and Blue Cheese
With such a rich meal on the menu later in the day, why not treat guests to a crunchy, fresh fall salad? This one is packed with plenty of flavor thanks to sweet apples and funky blue cheese.
Get the recipe from Skinnytaste.
Sparkling Brie Cranberry Bites
Image Credit: Courtesy of Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
Cranberry sauce doesn’t get enough attention on the dinner table, so it’s wise to highlight the sweet-tart fruit in your appetizer spread as well.
Get the recipe from Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
Marinated Mozzarella Balls
You can make a big batch of these marinated mozzarella balls, serving them with crostini and crackers as an appetizer, then using them to top turkey paninis or pizza the next day for an easy meal.
Get the recipe from The Darling Apron.
Cranberry Jalapeño Dip and Salsa
Image Credit: Courtesy of Dip Recipe Creations.
A quick blitz in the food processor is all it takes to tranform cranberries and jalapeños into a zingy dip to be spooned over a softened block of cream cheese.
Get the recipe from Dip Recipe Creations.
Football Cheese Ball
For a lot of people, Thanksgiving is about one thing and one thing only, and we don’t mean turkey; it’s football! Make a no-cook football-shaped cheese ball covered in a savory mix of crumbled bacon bits, nuts, and green onions, and you’ll be the MVP of the day.
Get the recipe from Best Appetizers.
Mini Pumpkin Cheeseballs
Image Credit: Courtesy of Kitchen Simplicity.
These adorable cheese balls are pretty hands-on, but that means they’re also a great way to keep your kids busy as you do most of the cooking before your guests arrive.
Get the recipe from Kitchen Simplicity.
Melon, Prosciutto & Mozzarella Sticks
Image Credit: Courtesy of Running to the Kitchen.
No cutlery necessary for these sweet-savory skewers made from prosciutto, sweet melon balls, and fresh mozzarella.
Get the recipe from Running to the Kitchen.
10-Minute Cheese Board
Image Credit: Courtesy of Damn Delicious.
No easy appetizer spread is complete without a cheese board. You really can’t go wrong, but we love focusing on autumnal colors and ingredients this time of year.
Get the recipe from Damn Delicious.
Savory Pumpkin Hummus
Image Credit: Courtesy of As Easy as Apple Pie.
No need to wait until dessert to get your pumpkin fix. This easy hummus gets an earthy kick from canned pumpkin purée and tastes great with pita, tortilla chips or raw veggies.
Get the recipe from As Easy as Apple Pie.
Antipasto Party Skewers
Image Credit: Courtesy of The Sweetest Occasion.
Craving something salty? These simple skewers fit the bill, and the kids can help make them as a fun activity to keep everyone busy while you’re focusing on cooking the main meal.
Get the recipe from The Sweetest Ocassion.
Cranberry-Feta Pinwheels
Image Credit: Courtesy of Genius Kitchen.
Pinwheels aren’t always the classiest appetizer at the party, but this feta-cranberry rendition is colorful and balanced enough to impress.
Get the recipe from Genius Kitchen.
Blue Cheese Dip
Image Credit: Courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria.
This savory, decadent dip comes together in just a few minutes and is exactly the type of indulgent appetizer you want to dig into during the holidays.
Get the recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.
White Cheddar-Chive Pimento Cheese
Image Credit: Courtesy of MyRecipes.
There’s nothing inherently Thanksgiving-y about pimento cheese. If you’ve ever tried it, though, you know it makes any party significantly more delicious!
Get the recipe from My Recipes.