Don't get us wrong, we are big fans of summer (love her work!), but fall might just be our favorite time of year for eating. It’s got all the best food holidays (like Thanksgiving!), all the coziest foods (like casseroles and soups), and it’s the perfect time to gather our friends and families over out of the cold. Whether you’re throwing a rager or are just having a casual get-together this fall, you’ve gotta have apps. They make or break a party, in our opinion (that, and co*cktails)—lucky for you, we’ve got tons of seasonal options here. Check out our list of 60 fall appetizers for all the ideas you'll ever need!
When it comes to the perfect party, there are a few appetizer guidelines we like to follow. There should be a mix of sweet and salty, bite-sized options and chips and dips, a little something healthy in there, and nothing overly complicated. We’ve got some go-tos we return to again and again, but we’re transforming them for fall with seasonal flavors and produce. Looking for something sweet? Try our cannoli chips and dip, our sweet potato bites (complete with marshmallows), or our caramel apple nachos. Leaning more salty? Check out our green bean casserole bundles, our ham and cheese pinwheels, or our mini shepherd’s pies. Not into plates, and want easy finger foods? Try our butternut squash potstickers, our pumpkin deviled eggs, or our french onion soup bombs. Want an appetizer table showstopper that’ll make all your guests ooh and ahh? Take a look at our cranberry brie pull-apart bread, pub beer cheese dip, or Thanksgiving ring. Want to default to something easier, like chips and dip? Try swapping your chips for produce, like our sweet potato chips or apple chips, or switch up the flavors of your favorite dips, like with our cranberry whipped feta dip, our pumpkin hummus, or our maple-prosciutto baked brie. It’s easy to incorporate all your fall favorites into appetizers—honestly, what better reason to throw a party?
Want more fall inspiration? Check out our favorite fall co*cktails, fall dinners, and fall desserts too.
1
Cheesy Green Bean Mushroom Tart
Green beans and mushrooms are a combo we never get tired of, and that goes double for this tart. Fresh blanched green beans are layered onto a creamy blend of ricotta and goat cheese, topped with garlicky mushrooms and cheddar cheese, then baked on a puff pastry crust until perfectly melty, crisp, and crave-able.
Get the Cheesy Green Bean Mushroom Tart recipe.
2
Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip
This cranberry-topped whipped feta dip is here to save your holiday appetizer planning. Fresh feta cheese is combined with herbs, garlic, and cream cheese, whipped until super-smooth, then topped with tart homemade cranberry sauce, toasted pistachios, and honey. The result is a salty, creamy, sweet, tart, and absolutely irresistible dip.
Get the Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip recipe.
3
Pumpkin Deviled Eggs
These pumpkin deviled eggs are way easier to make than a jack-o'-lantern. Paprika gives each its bold color, while a fresh chive makes for the perfect stem. So cute!
Get the Pumpkin Deviled Eggs recipe.
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4
Antipasto Roll-Ups
Your favorite antipasto just got even better—it’s now wrapped in buttery puff pastry. A couple bites in, and you’ll be going back for another. And another. Layered with Provolone, salami, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, and slathered in a Kalamata olive and pepperoncini spread, you’re going to be dreaming about these bundles for days.
Get the Antipasto Roll-Ups recipe.
5
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Part retro, part cult classic, it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese ball. This festive pumpkin rendition may not contain any actual pumpkin, but it’s full of fresh herbs, minced jalapeño, and of course, plenty of cheese (and is SO cute on a holiday cheese board!).
Get the Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.
6
Potato Croquettes
Potato croquettes are one of the most popular Spanish tapas, or small plates, and for good reason. They’re a fantastic way to give day-old mashed potatoes a new life and are the perfect bite-size appetizer for when you want something more exciting than potato chips that still hits those same comfort food notes.
Get the Potato Croquettes recipe.
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7
Pub Beer Cheese Dip
We've done beer cheese in a skillet with pigs in a blanket, over brats, on sliders, and even folded it into macaroni for the most genius comfort food ever. There's one way we had never done it: COLD. 😲 It's salty, creamy, cheesy, and as ridiculously simple to make as it is to scarf down.
Get the Pub Beer Cheese Dip recipe.
8
French Onion Soup Bombs
Cheese and savory onion soup all packed into a delicious ciabatta roll—what more could you need? If you don't have ciabatta rolls on hand, feel free to use Hawaiian rolls instead! They'll be just as good.
Get the French Onion Soup Bombs recipe.
9
Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread
Pull-apart bread reaches a whole new level, thanks to brie and cranberry sauce. Use your favorite homemade sauce recipes, but store-bought works too if you're short for time!
Get the Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread recipe.
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10
Tempeh Buffalo “Wings”
Quicker to make and easier to eat than Buffalo chicken wings, this plant-based version swaps chicken for snackable triangles of tempeh to mimic the crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Get the Tempeh Buffalo “Wings” recipe.
11
Green Bean Casserole Bundles
These are the perfect fall appetizer—they've get everything you love from green bean casserole, but are SO much easier to make. Hot tip: Make extra, these go fast!
Get the Green Bean Casserole Bundles recipe.
12
Baked Feta Bites
If you’re a fan of our cranberry brie bites, we’ve got news for you: There’s a new app in town, and it’s inspired by another fan fave, baked feta pasta. This cheesy finger food features the flavors you know and love, all nestled into bite-sized cups of golden crescent roll dough.
Get the Baked Feta Bites recipe.
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13
Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs
Trust us, grape jelly goes GREAT on meatballs. Autumn party guests of all ages will love it. The sweet jelly mixed with smoky BBQ sauce is a match made in heaven.
Get the Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs recipe.
14
Spinach Puffs
If you love baked spinach dip, you will love these baked puff pastry puffs. They're filled with a mixture of sautéed onion, garlic, spinach, and cream cheese and baked inside little puff pastry cups in a muffin tin. We bet you can't eat just one!
Get the Spinach Puffs recipe.
15
Butternut Squash Potstickers
Making your own potstickers doesn't have to be complicated. These vegan potstickers are easy to put together and most of your time is spent roasting your squash until really tender, which can be done ahead of time. Crimping takes a little practice, but the good news is that even if they look a little wonky they are still going to taste great!
Get the Butternut Squash Potstickers recipe.
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16
Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Bites
Little puff pastry squares get topped with caramelized onions and a little crumbled goat cheese for an easy appetizer that always wows. The final step is a light drizzle of honey for that salty sweet combination everyone will love. Hot tip: These are the perfect opportunity to bust out any good-quality honey you’ve been saving.
Get the .
17
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkins are pretty amazing. You can carve them, roast them, serve them savory or sweet. One of their best (and often overlooked) attributes is their seeds! They’re super easy to prepare and make a seriously delicious snack. They're great prepared super simply, roasted with salt and melted butter, but the variations are completely endless, so get creative.
Get the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
18
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard–Pretzel Chicken
In our opinion, the crunchier, the better. Which is why pretzels make the perfect chicken coating for these nuggets. The obvious and best dipping sauce? Honey mustard, of course. It's a MUST.
Get the Sheet Pan Honey Mustard–Pretzel Chicken recipe.
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19
Sweet Potato Bites
Sweet potato casserole is always a favorite at our Thanksgiving celebrations, so we thought we'd turn it into an appetizer too. These bites will go fast, so make extra!
Get the Sweet Potato Bites recipe.
20
Bacon Wrapped Dates
If you're unfamiliar with dates, it's time to familiarize yourself! The date's sweetness is the PERFECT counterpoint to crisp, salty bacon and creamy goat cheese. We guarantee these will fly off the platter when the party's barely begun.
Get the Bacon Wrapped Dates recipe.
Camille Lowder
Digital Food Producer
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
