16 recipes for quick and delicious appetizers

Here are some of our best recipes for quick and tasty appetizers: try these ideas and bring color, taste and imagination to the table!

Today we are preparing together a nice roundup of quick appetizers to make, ideal for an important dinner or lunch, whether with friends or family. The appetizer is that course which, as the name suggests, is served before the heart of the meal , i.e. the first and second courses, and in a certain sense it is the business card of a dinner or lunch, and is therefore fundamental !

Good appetizers, whether easy or complex, can stimulate the appetite , tickle our palate and make us want to continue even more, with much higher expectations than when we sat down at the table. On the contrary, banal or uninteresting appetizers can make diners turn up their noses.

As you will have understood, therefore, this is a fundamental scope. But this doesn't mean that you have to try your hand at long, laborious and even rather expensive preparations at all costs! Today we will see how to prepare quick and simple appetizers: you will see that with our advice you will be able to bring taste and imagination to the table, all in just a few minutes . Let's start with the fish proposals, followed by the cold ones, the hot ones and conclude with the very easy ones!

• Fish appetizers
  • Salmon mousse
  • Salmon canapes
  • Scallops au gratin
  • Crostini with swordfish
• Cold appetizers
  • Hummus
  • Stuffed eggs
  • Canapés with avocado cream and dried tomatoes
  • Eggplant rolls
• Hot appetizers
  • Small pizzas
  • Arepas
  • Puff pastry rolls with vegetables
  • Savory puff pastry rolls
• Easy appetizers
  • Appetizers with cheese and vegetables
  • Puff pastry breadsticks
  • No-cook meatballs
  • Tricolor glasses

Quick fish starters

For refined and classy dishes, fish, as we know, is an excellent ally. So let's start with some recipes with salmon, swordfish and more, to create small plates that will surely sell out!

Salmon mousse

Let's start with some appetizers with salmon, a fish that is perfect for making these dishes because it is easy to handle and has a taste that explodes in the mouth. The first one we propose is a delicious salmon mousse , which you can easily make with smoked salmon, spreadable cheese , dill, fennel, salt and pepper. In 10 minutes, with the help of a mixer, you will have a fabulous cream to spread on croutons!

Salmon canapes

We continue with another fabulous summer appetizer (but which is good all year round) always based on this fantastic fish: canapés with salmon .

Here, even more than before, we are faced with a quick and easy recipe, which will allow you to create an appetizer that will sell like hot cakes . The trick is to balance the ingredients well: a layer of spreadable cheese (or butter or even yogurt sauce), pepper, salt, a slice of smoked salmon and then some aromatic herbs at the end, for example chives. As a base, you can then use croutons , bread or crackers, the choice is yours!

Scallops au gratin

We are definitely going up a level, with a delicious ingredient that will make you look great. Quick, delicious and beautiful to look at, scallops au gratin are a dish that communicates refinement and style … and if you didn't know, they are easier to prepare than you might think!

There are two things to do here: buy some fresh scallops and prepare a balanced stuffing. Use breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, oil, salt, pepper and lemon, then cover the shell and bake . Simple right?

Crostini with smoked swordfish

Here we are with another spectacular dish. Swordfish is fantastic for creating super tasty appetizers, and these canapés are an example of this. Here too you only need a little, a nice marinade of the fish, a spreadable cheese and some aromatic herbs. Try preparing them and amaze all your guests with these wonderful fish canapés !

Cold appetizers

There are many advantages of being able to serve a cold dish, such as the fact of preparing it well in advance. Here are some cold appetizers that will make your mouth water !

Chickpea hummus

Chickpea hummus makes everyone agree. Among the vegetarian appetizers that you can prepare, this is certainly among the tastiest, and you can serve it in many ways, with baked toasted bread , breadsticks or delicious croutons.

Try preparing it at home , in just a few minutes you will have created a real delicacy!

Stuffed eggs

We know you've been waiting for them! Well, don't worry: could we perhaps write a guide on appetizers without including stuffed eggs ?

It is one of the most delicious appetizers that can be made, and which are very popular on the tables of Italians and beyond. Preparing them is very simple : you have to make hard-boiled eggs, remove the yolk and blend it with other ingredients to create the filling. Capers, anchovies, peppers… have fun to find the filling you like best!

Canapés with avocado cream and dried tomatoes

Another ingredient that is very popular in buffets, brunches and aperitifs is avocado. If it is ripe, in fact, just open it and extract the pulp to already have a versatile and easy-to-handle element, which with just a few condiments already becomes a suitable protagonist for a fabulous dish.

This is the case of the canapés with dried tomato pâté and avocado . To prepare them you will have to combine the avocado with some dried tomatoes, the necessary condiments and blend everything. You'll see what a bomb!

Eggplant rolls

Beautiful, inviting , colourful: they are aubergine rolls ! Here too, the filling is at your discretion, but if you want to follow our advice , use ricotta, pine nuts, salt and pepper, because simplicity pays off here!

In about twenty minutes your rolls will be cooked, and all you have to do is let them rest in the refrigerator and then serve them to your guests. Nice idea, right?

Hot appetizers

We conclude with hot appetizers, delicious to be served freshly made. From pizzas to puff pastry recipes, these preparations are easy and delicious !

Small pizzas

Perfect for aperitifs and buffets, pizzas are one of those easy appetizers that always go great, because after all, let's face it… everyone really likes them .

You know the ingredients, but you can make variations as you like and experiment with many ingredients . Serve them in large quantities and eat them directly with your hands as if they were a warm and inviting finger food !

Arepas

Arepas are soft flatbreads typical of Venezuela prepared with white flour, water and salt. Once cooked, they can be filled as desired with many ingredients , from beans to meat, through to vegetarian fillings with cheese and avocado.

Ideal for a colorful buffet or a different appetizer than usual, these South American focaccias will bring taste , color and tradition to the table!

Puff pastry rolls with vegetables

To make puff pastry rolls with vegetables you will only need 2 rolls of rectangular puff pastry, a couple of eggs, some fresh vegetables of your choice and a cheese you like, such as sweet provola.

With these ingredients you will prepare a delicious filling for your rolls, which you will then just have to cook in the oven at 180°C for about 10-15 minutes. A rare goodness!

Savory puff pastry rolls

We continue in the wake of puff pastry appetizers, but this time we add a little more creativity! We are talking about puff pastry rolls , simple to make but very choreographic .

Make a filling of your choice, then shape them and cook them in the oven until they are golden. Delicious and perfect for an informal dinner, with these rolls you will create a real explosion of taste!

Easy appetizers

All the recipes we have seen so far, to tell the truth, are easy to make but to conclude our collection of quick appetizers in style, we have selected 4 ideas that are really ready in 10 minutes . Don't you believe it? Read on and discover these quick and unmissable recipes!

Appetizers with cheese and vegetables

Let's start with a high-impact idea : savory glasses , or single portions (finger food) based on cream cheese and vegetables to be enjoyed standing up and without the need for cutlery. In our recipe we will prepare the cream with a mix of ricotta, cream and grated Grana Padano and then we will flavor it with chives but you can choose the aromatic herbs you prefer.

To compose the dish, get some glasses (the smallest you can find) and place the cream cheese on the bottom. Inside, immerse the seasonal vegetables you have chosen and cut into matchsticks . To enjoy them, simply scoop out the cream with the help of the vegetables.

Puff pastry breadsticks

Puff pastry breadsticks are a great classic, which is why we certainly couldn't not include them among our quick appetizers! Obviously, we won't make the pastry from scratch, but you will just need to purchase a ready-made roll.

To make them, unroll the puff pastry roll, flavor it with a mix of beaten egg, milk, grated cheese and salt. Cut into strips, roll up and after about 10 minutes in the oven at 180°C you can remove from the oven and serve.

No-cook meatballs

Ricotta meatballs are for you if you are looking for a no-cook and egg-free recipe : easy to make, quick and delicious, they will really impress everyone!

For the no-cook meatball dough you won't even need eggs: start with 5 parts ricotta and 2 parts grated cheese. Drain and sift the cream cheese well before flavoring it with the cheese and if you wish, also add lemon zest or chopped basil. After about 20 minutes in the fridge, form the meatballs with your hands and roll them in the sesame seeds.

Tricolor glasses

And to conclude we leave you with a truly spectacular idea : some glasses that reflect our tricolour. These original appetizers are not only beautiful, but also truly delicious!

A bit like a cheesecake, the composition is made starting with a base of crumbled taralli , followed by a layer of burrata and finally by tomatoes sautéed with brown sugar

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