4 Quick And Easy Appetizers You Need To Try

Appetizers are essential party foods that can be dressed up or down depending on the type of party you’re hosting. You might think fancy appetizers require more work than you have time for, but many of them only need a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time to make. Here are four quick and easy appetizers you need to try.

1. Baked Soft Cheeses

When most people think of easy appetizers, they think of what takes the least amount of work to make look and taste good. One of the easiest ways to make an appetizer is to bake a soft cheese and arrange food you can spread the cheese on around it on a plate or tray. Popular choices include fruit, crackers, toast, apple slices and carrots. Your cheese can be anything soft enough to spread even without congealing as it cools, such as feta or goat cheese, but the most popular choices are soft cheeses with rinds, such as brie and camembert. For more complex flavors, add honey, jams, nuts and berries to the tray.

2. Pigs in a Blanket

One of the most traditional appetizers, pigs in a blanket can be made from scratch or bought pre-made, depending on your preferences and the time available to you before your party. If you buy them pre-made, you can dress them up with different dipping sauces or additional seasoning. If you choose to make them yourself, most recipes are relatively simple. Either make your own puff pastry from scratch or purchase some and roll mini hotdogs up in strips of pastry. Whatever way you choose to make them, you simply need to pop them in the oven for a few minutes and then they’re ready to eat.

3. Charcuterie Boards

Charcuterie boards have always been quite popular, but in the age of social media that popularity has exploded due to their aesthetic diversity. Traditionally, charcuterie boards include mainly savory and salty fare, including sliced meats, cheeses, nuts, crackers, bread, olives, pretzels and various spreads. However, modern charcuterie boards can include almost anything. Popular options include assorted desserts, fruits or vegetables and appropriate dips, sauces and spreads. The important thing is to arrange the contents of the board in ways that are pleasing to the eye.

4. Buffalo Chicken Dip

Sometimes, your appetizer needs to be more focused on making sure people are able to eat their fill rather than on looking nice. This is where various complex dips, such as seven-layer dip and artichoke dip, come in. One of the most popular dips is buffalo chicken dip. Like many appetizers, you can purchase it pre-made or make it yourself. It’s quite versatile, as it’s filling enough to be eaten on its own, spread on crackers and bread or with assorted chips and vegetables. You can also serve it hot or cold.

Appetizers are incredibly diverse food options with many ways to make them your own. Feel free to look up interesting appetizer recipes and experiment with ways to make them your own.