Perhaps another dish has already spoken for your oven’s real estate, or maybe it’s just too blazing hot outside to even think about turning that bad boy on. Whatever the case, we’ve got plenty of great no-bake appetizer options to help you round out your menu. Some recipes don’t require any cooking at all, like Tuna-Avocado Ceviche with Salsa Macha. For something with crunch, go for crowd-pleasers such as toasted ravioli or tender, crispy hush puppies. To go the creamy route, try Dirty Martini Dip or our curried version of deviled eggs. Keep reading for all these and more tasty no-bake appetizer recipes to build your spread.
Green Curry Deviled Eggs
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Use store-bought green curry paste as a filling for this crowd-pleaser with an herbal flavor and fun presentation. Crispy spiced puffed rice tops each egg to provide a crunchy contrast.
Honey Mustard Beer Cheese Fondue
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Keoshia McGhee
Honey mustard adds a sweet and tangy flavor to this cheesy fondue made with Swiss, cheddar, and light beer. Pretzels, cubed bread, sliced summer sausage or salami, and roasted fingerling potatoes make great dippers.
Texas Caviar
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Also known as Cowboy Caviar, this delicious mix of black-eyed peas, tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, jalapeño, and onion can be served with chips and a bright and tangy dressing for Texas-style snacking.
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
It takes just 25 minutes to dredge pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in seasoned flour, sear until browned and tender, and make a buttery pan sauce to coat the chicken.
Crudités with Miso-Sesame Dip
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This umami-packed dip from Leina Horii combines earthy toasted sesame seeds, nutty white miso, and rice vinegar for a mild sweetness and acidity.
Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with Fresh Tomato Cocktail Sauce
Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman
Give shrimp cocktail a summery glow-up with a lemony marinade and a trip to the grill for a lovely char. Use some of your prime summer tomatoes to make this fresh twist on cocktail sauce, and make sure to serve lots of grilled bread alongside.
Dirty Martini Dip
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Nicole Hopper / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
If you take your Dirty Martini with a blue cheese-stuffed olive or three, this boozy and briny dip is for you. We soaked buttery Castelvetrano olives in gin and vermouth, then processed the brine with a creamy blue cheese base that’s the perfect match for crostini or ruffled potato chips.
Toasted St. Louis-Style Ravioli
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford
Bread your favorite store-bought refrigerated ravioli in a seasoned blend of panko and Parmesan, fry them up until golden and crispy, garnish with fried herbs and more cheese, and serve with homemade or jarred marinara for this irresistible appetizer.
Spiced Carrots with Whipped Feta
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Emily Neighbors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This dish is one of many dips chef Cheetie Kumar serves at her Mediterranean spot, Ajja, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Flavor caramelized carrots with cumin, coriander, and Urfa pepper, and serve over whipped feta with toasted sourdough for a colorful appetizer.
Air Fryer Burrata
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco
Coat cream-filled burrata with breadcrumbs and then bake it in the air fryer until it’s crispy on the outside and gooey inside, then serve with pesto and toasted ciabatta slices.
Zeytinyağli Yaprak Sarmasi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)
Photo by Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Musa Dagdeviren shares the recipe for these tender vegetarian stuffed grape leaves from the Turkish region of Mugla in The Turkish Cookbook. The tangy brightness of the brined grape leaves is mellowed by a rice filling seasoned with fresh parsley, dill, and plenty of cooked onions.
Shrimp Toasts with Scallion-Chile Sauce
Greg DuPree
This semi-traditional take on the dim sum favorite is anchored by a shrimp paste that comes together quickly in the food processor with just five ingredients. Make the mousse up to two days ahead of serving.
Tuna-Avocado Ceviche with Salsa Macha
Jen Causey
Salsa macha tastes amazing on pretty much anything. Add a couple spoonfuls to cubed raw fish to transform an everyday ceviche into an extraordinary snack. Serve like poke or with tostadas.
Feta-Stuffed Marinated Olives
Photo by Dan Perez / Food Styling and Prop Styling by Nurit Kariv
Adeena Sussman turns Castelvetrano olives into a fragrant, bright, and herbaceous addition to any grazing table spread with za’atar, feta, lemon, chile, and parsley.
Tender, Sizzling Hush Puppies
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Chef Joe Kindred channeled childhood memories of eating hush puppies at seafood restaurants to create this recipe with a fluffy interior and a lacy, crisp crust. The secret to the hush puppies’ tender, light crumb? “To keep them extra crispy, I use frozen grated butter gently folded into the batter,” he says.
Garlic-Butter Steak Bites
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford
Recipe developer and tester Marianne Williams’ recipe for juicy steak bites features a velvety pan sauce full of umami-rich flavors. Serve them as an appetizer with toothpicks.
Salmon Croquettes with Creole Aïoli
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Tender and flaky on the inside while crispy on the outside, these salmon croquettes lean on a homemade Creole spice blend for a piquant kick. Chopped cornichons and their brine bring a bit of salty crunch to the creamy aïoli.
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with Hot Honey Glaze
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
The key to these impossibly crispy chicken wings is to cook them in two batches, ensuring they’re not overcrowded in the air fryer. The wings are first tossed with lemon pepper, then coated with a buttery hot honey glaze and served with more of the glaze for dipping.
Caviar Waffle Bites
Greg DuPree
Justin Chapple brings us this inventive and playful take on blini. Strips of waffles house pockets of caviar, crème fraîche, and chives, making perfect grab-and-go appetizers.
Musubi Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple Salsa
Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee
Inspired by the beloved Hawaiian snack comprising Spam, sushi rice, and nori, Robin Bashinsky swaps in ham and matches it with pineapple salsa for this handheld appetizer.
Grilled Vegetable Flatbread with Smoked Almond Muhammara
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This showstopping veggie-based appetizer features grilled zucchini, peppers, and squash on sangak, a gigantic Persian flatbread. The vegetables are marinated after grilling, which gives you time to whip up the smoky, tangy muhammara and grill the sangak until golden.
Mini Wedge Salads with Anchovy Dressing
Greg DuPree
For these personal wedge salads, a clever panko crust lets each guest enjoy their handheld salad in just a bite or two — no forks required.
Mango-and-Halloumi Fritto Misto
Victor Protasio
Justin Chapple forms a light but dippable crust on sturdy halloumi and firm mangoes with a batter of fizzy club soda, flour, and cornstarch for this cheese and fruit mixed fry.
Dining and Cooking