The Reason Guests Skip Dinner? These 17 Thanksgiving Appetizers Plead Guilty

You know the appetizers are too good when guests are already full before the turkey hits the table. Someone takes another stuffed mushroom, someone else goes back for the spinach dip, and suddenly everyone is saying, “I’ll just have a little dinner.” Sure.

I like having a few things ready to nibble on while everyone catches up, but there’s a fine line between keeping guests happy and accidentally ruining their appetite. These are the kinds of bites that make that line very easy to cross.

These 17 Thanksgiving appetizers are so tempting, dinner might have to wait. From savory little bites to creamy dips, they’re worth putting out, even if you end up with a few fewer hungry guests.

Brie Cranberry Bites Appetizer

Tiny pastry cups, melted brie, and a spoonful of cranberry sauce: that’s the whole story. They bake in puff pastry until warm, and they’re so small that “just one more” turns into five.
Get the Recipe: Brie Cranberry Bites Appetizer

Creamy Whipped Feta Dip with Garlic and Toasted Walnuts

Pro tip: warm the pita first. Feta, olive oil, and garlic whip up smooth, and toasted walnuts on top give it crunch. This is the dip people hover around, so don’t expect it to last until dinner.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Whipped Feta Dip with Garlic and Toasted Walnuts

No-Cook Hot Pepper Jelly Dip with Cream Cheese

Sweet heat and cream cheese are a good team, and this dip needs no oven, which matters on Thanksgiving when the oven’s already full. Whip it in a food processor, chill it for about 30 minutes, and you’re done. Skip the freezer, since the cream cheese and sour cream can separate.
Get the Recipe: No-Cook Hot Pepper Jelly Dip with Cream Cheese

Cranberry Sauce Cocktail Meatballs

Your oven is full of turkey, so let the slow cooker handle the meatballs. A quick homemade cranberry sauce makes them sweet and tangy, and they stay warm until guests are ready. Put the pot at the end of the counter and let people help themselves.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Sauce Cocktail Meatballs

Baked Feta Dip Recipe With Honey, Dates And Hazelnuts

This dip grew out of a baked feta appetizer I’d had, one with dough balls, honey, and walnuts, and I wanted it simpler. A block of feta (not crumbles) bakes with chopped Medjool dates and hazelnuts under honey and olive oil, until the dates turn soft and gooey. Please don’t skip the dates.
Get the Recipe: Baked Feta Dip Recipe With Honey, Dates And Hazelnuts

Potato Skins

Potato skins are a meal pretending to be a snack. Scoop out baked potato halves, load them with cheese and bacon, and bake until the edges crisp. They’re hearty, so guests who “just wanted a little something” end up full.
Get the Recipe: Potato Skins

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

Vintage recipes are right up my alley, and this cheese ball shows why. You chill a creamy cheddar and ranch base, roll it in crispy bacon and chives, and set out crackers, pretzels, or veggies. Make it ahead, and nobody has to hover in the kitchen.
Get the Recipe: Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

Easy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Not every guest eats dairy, so a dip everyone can scoop is worth having. This vegan spinach artichoke dip is a dairy-free take on a party favorite, so nobody sits out the snack table.
Get the Recipe: Easy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Date Snickers

Dates are all over my recipes, and this is their candy-bar side. They get filled with peanut butter and nuts, then covered in chocolate, for a sweet bite that’s a little like a Snickers. It’s a good one for guests who want dessert early.
Get the Recipe: Date Snickers

Baked Brie with Figs

Figs are a holiday flavor for me. I’ve roasted them with hazelnuts and spooned them over vanilla cake, and they keep finding their way back to my holiday table. This baked brie is the easy version: molten cheese with figs, herbs, and nuts, best right out of the oven, and it keeps guests happy before the main meal.
Get the Recipe: Baked Brie with Figs

Cheese Puffs Air Fryer

Cheese puffs with “one and a half ingredients” is how the recipe describes it, and I love how little it asks of you. The air fryer puffs the cheese up, so your oven stays free for the turkey. They’re low-carb, gluten-free, and grain-free, so guests who skip bread and crackers get a snack, too.
Get the Recipe: Cheese Puffs Air Fryer

Cranberry Goat Cheese Appetizer

Cranberries do more than sit beside the turkey. Tangy cranberries and creamy goat cheese make a festive bite that takes little work. Set it out early, because it’s the kind of thing people reach for first.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Goat Cheese Appetizer

Bacon-Wrapped Pickle Bites

Yes, really: a pickle wrapped in bacon. Bake the little dill spears until the bacon turns crisp, and you get salty, sour, and crunchy in one hand-held bite. Guests who say they’re saving room won’t save much.
Get the Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Pickle Bites

Herb and Cheese Puff Pastry Appetizers

Warm puff pastry swirls are hard to walk past. The pastry is rolled around herb, cheese, and cheddar, sliced, and baked into golden spirals, with chives and garlic giving them a savory bite.
Get the Recipe: Herb and Cheese Puff Pastry Appetizers

Buffalo Deviled Eggs

These have hot sauce in the yolks, blue cheese on top. You mix the hot sauce into the filling until it’s smooth, and every egg tastes like a buffalo wing. Put a plate out before dinner, and I’m not sure the main meal stands a chance.
Get the Recipe: Buffalo Deviled Eggs

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Pull one piece off the loaf and watch the mozzarella stretch. The bread bakes crispy and golden outside and stays soft inside, with garlic butter and melty cheese throughout. It takes 6 ingredients and about 15 minutes of hands-on work, and guests will tear into it before the dinner rolls even come out.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Pineapple Cranberry Brie Crescent Ring

Crescent dough looks fancy without the fuss, which is exactly what I want on a busy day. Pineapple, cranberry sauce, and brie go inside, and it bakes into a golden ring you can pull apart. Watch how many people come back for a second piece.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Cranberry Brie Crescent Ring

I’m convinced the hardest part of Thanksgiving is saving room for dinner. What’s the appetizer you can never stop eating?