The 25 Best Appetizers to Bring to a Party, from Crowd-Pleasing Dips to Make-Ahead Snacks

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

“It’s not the most highbrow thing to serve to a crowd, so I gave it a little makeover,” former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains. “My take on French onion dip is made with deeply savory caramelized onions and tastes just as obsession-worthy as the original but with a little more class.”

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, no cook, make ahead
• Serves: 4 to 6

An over-the-top cheese board is an easy win, since they usually don’t require a moment of cooking and they’re easy to transport. This one includes three cheeses, fresh produce and seasonal accompaniments. “If you can’t find fresh figs, try dried or use another seasonal fruit. I chose sour cherry preserves, but apricot or fig would be just as lovely,” Gillen suggests.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

It’s hard not to love ranch dressing. Here, it’s made from scratch with buttermilk, white vinegar and a flurry of fresh herbs, then it’s used to coat tender baby Yukon gold potatoes. It’s a natural fit for barbecues, block parties and picnics.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, no cook
• Serves: 6 to 8

Two summer stunners that everyone can get behind, united in one appetizer. “These skewers are sweet, tangy, salty and exactly the finger food I want to serve at my next backyard cocktail sesh,” Gillen states. “They’re ready in 15 minutes and pair really well with a glass of white wine.”

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 4

“My fall Cobb salad is ready for sweater season, with an array of autumnal produce that proves salads don’t have to follow rules,” Gillen says. “I used roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, but you could also try winter squash and broccoli.” Just don’t skip the dried cranberries (or the bacon).

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Whether you’re dunking fresh cucumbers, fried pita or baguette, this party dip will disappear in 30 seconds flat. “For a thicker yogurt dip with the most pronounced swirl of oil, choose a naturally thick Greek yogurt—such as Fage—or swap in sour cream or labneh,” writes PureWow food editor Taryn Pire.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus chilling time)
• Why I Love It: make ahead, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8 to 10

If you need something cold, creamy and crisp to serve as a foil for brisket, burgers or any meaty main, look no further than this macaroni salad. “In the spirit of all the most delicious side dishes, it actually tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge, so I highly recommend making it a day ahead of your picnic,” Gillen suggests.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

“I love a good ol’ Caesar…or even just a pile of mixed greens with a creamy dressing,” Gillen writes. “But when a salad needs to have enough pizazz to cut through a rich meal (say, a roast chicken), I reach for a recipe that’s more complex.” Enter this earthy, refreshing mix of radicchio, frisée and green apple.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

Hot tip: You don’t need to fuss with a spitting vat of hot oil to make crispy chicken wings. “The trick is to dredge them in baking powder before popping them in the oven, which reacts with the skin and jumpstarts the browning process,” Gillen explains. “You can make them even crispier by baking them on top of a wire cooling rack, but a sheet pan works fine too.”

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
• Serves: 16 bundles

Ask the kids at the function, and they’ll say these are the best appetizers to bring to a party, period. Bring them straight from the oven on the baking sheet you baked them on to serve immediately or ask the host to keep the oven warm for a quick reheat. (But they taste great cold or at room temp too, so you can’t go wrong.)

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8 to 10

“They’re just as easy to make as the original, but with a special ‘pretzel’ treatment that gives a gorgeously golden-brown crust, and a sprinkle of everything seasoning,” Gillen raves. “I serve this ever-so-slightly sophisticated recipe with a side of cheater’s aioli for dipping, but I wouldn’t turn up my nose at ketchup, mustard or a little bit of both.”

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Grilled chicken, shrimp tacos, carnitas and ribs alike pair with this seasonal gem. “This is a medium-hot salsa, but it all depends on how spicy your peppers are,” Gillen says. “Feel free to adjust the heat to taste, using more or less jalapeño—and omitting the cayenne—for a milder or hotter flavor.”

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

“Inspired by the flavors of pai huang gua, a Chinese cucumber salad seasoned with rice vinegar, chili oil and soy sauce, this recipe is everything I want in a side dish,” Gillen admits. “It’s refreshing, crisp, juicy and savory with just the right amount of heat.” Peel the cucumbers into ribbons, then sweat them with salt to drain their excess moisture.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 12

Pickles aren’t going out of fashion anytime soon, so this crunchy mix is easily one of the best appetizers to bring to a party. “The key to getting that mouth-puckering flavor lies with vinegar,” Gillen confesses. “While a tablespoon of the regular distilled stuff will do the trick, you can also go all out and buy vinegar powder online. It’s not strictly necessary, but it certainly adds a punch.”

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 16

“This recipe is both make-ahead friendly and almost entirely hands off, even more so if you use rotisserie chicken, plus it frees up precious oven real estate for more important things,” Gillen writes. If there’s a free outlet in the kitchen or dining room, you can bring this crowd-pleaser in the Crockpot for painless portability.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegan, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 2

This sweet-and-salty starter for two can easily be multiplied depending on the size of the party. “I suggest dissolving the miso in water to mellow its punchiness a bit before it’s added to the pot, but you could also just whisk it in straight from the container while the caramel is thickening to keep its flavor intense,” Pire recommends.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

Don’t worry about lugging a whole fondue set to the function; simply bring the pan you cooked it in and a platter of accompaniments. “I make this fondue in a skillet, no special contraptions or metal skewers needed,” recipe developer Erin McDowell explains. “What you will need, however, is plenty of bread for dipping.”

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

“This is a riff on Hawaiian pizza, but it’s like a really fancy Hawaiian pizza,” McDowell raves. “You could serve them alongside a salad as a meal, but they also make a great appetizer for a cocktail party.” Bake them right before leaving the house so they’re warm upon arrival, or briefly reheat them once you get there.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 6 cups

This is not the snack mix you find at the supermarket. What makes this one of the best appetizers to bring to a party is the chorus of fresh herbs (rosemary! oregano! thyme!), the flexibility (use any nuts you’d like, although I’m partial to almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews and pistachios) and that it can be made days in advance.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 4

This unconventional starter is basically a work of art, if you ask me. “When you make salad in a bowl, all the good stuff gets lost and ends up on the bottom,” McDowell writes. “But serve it on a big cutting board and you can see (and access) all the gorgeous toppings.”

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

This souped-up spread is designed to be devoured on the patio with a bottle of Italian wine, but you can really serve it anywhere, anytime. Simply prepare the caramelized balsamic onions, char the bread on a grill or grill pan and assemble—ta-da.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

“While pasta salad popularity tends to skew toward summer months, this five-star-rated recipe has become a year-round hit,” recipe developer and author Kelly Senyei writes. “I’ve updated it to include omega-rich avocado in place of eggs, which yields an even creamier consistency than the classic dressing.”

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 20 halves

When it comes to the best appetizers to bring to a party, deviled eggs have been a top choice for decades. But to keep them from feeling dated, this recipe adds verdant, buttery avocado to the filling. Best of all, they’re served cold, so you can prep them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until the celebration, no reheating required.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

Garden focaccia is a forever trend in my book, because homemade bread is always totally impressive (especially when it doubles as edible art). “It’s delicious as is with a little bit of Parmesan and flaky sea salt, but if you want to kick it up a notch, you can add edible flowers to the top and everyone will think you’re the bee’s knees,” McDowell advises.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Oh no! You forgot to prepare something for the party. No worries—you’ll only need five minutes for this chic starter. “When I have extra time and gigante or corona beans on hand, I like to pan-fry them in a bit of olive oil until they’re golden-crusted, then proceed with the recipe from there,” writes recipe developer and author Heidi Swanson.