25 Quick and Easy Appetizers ... and Irresistible!

Easy appetizer recipes

These appetizer proposals will make you look great if you have guests. And the best thing is that they are super easy and quick to do.

Teaspoons of salmon and avocado

Here you have a must for easy appetizers with a total party look and a simply delicious and irresistible taste. And if not, check it out for yourself. See recipe.

Shrimp and zucchini skewers

As simple as alternating slices of rolled zucchini with prawns in the middle and grilling on a griddle for a couple of minutes per side. So that the zucchini slices do not break when you roll them, scald them a little first and then run them under cold water.

Moorish skewer montaditos

You just have to sauté some of the meat they sell to make Moorish skewers and, instead, insert it on skewers, put it on tostatidas and sprinkle chopped chives on top.

Three whims with cheese

If you are a cheese lover, you will fall for the manchego skewers with melon and ham, the caprese banderillas (mozzarella, cherrys and basil), and the grated cheese lollipops. They are easy to make, without having to scratch your pocket and, why fool us, they are sooooo good. See recipe.

Zucchini rolls with vegetable patés

With the help of a kitchen mandolin, make zucchini slices. Spread them with vegetable patés (hummus, guacamole, olivada …). Roll them up and decorate them with herb leaves or sprouts. If you don't like raw zucchini (if it is very fresh, it can be eaten raw without any problem), you can blanch it or grill it for a couple of minutes.

Goat cheese with jam

Another super easy and very attractive option is to cut slices of roll goat cheese, put a little jam on top and decorate with nuts, aromatic herbs, sprouts… An appetizer that you could add to your vegetarian recipe book.

Crudités instead of bread

To lighten the appetizer and dip without losing the line, you can put crudités instead of breadsticks or nachos. At Clara, we have opted for some cucumber, carrot and beet sticks, and we have placed them in some colored silicone molds for muffins, which brighten the eye and give a feeling of party.

Watermelon, melon and ham skewers

Make balls of watermelon and various types of melon with the help of a scoop (if you don't have it, you can also do it with the fruit cut into cubes), and alternate them with Iberian ham shavings, mozzarella balls and fresh basil leaves. It's an idea from our blogger, Delicious Martha.

Lighter guacamole

A classic of the aperitifs that is much lighter if we replace the corn pancakes with vegetable sticks. See recipe.

Hummus for dipping

Hummus cannot be lacking in a good appetizer either. And more if you follow our light version by reducing the amount of tahini and changing the olive oil for a Greek yogurt. Take note and see what you think. In the newsroom we are crazy about it. See recipe.

Super light Russian salad

In order not to have to give up the queen of tapas and appetizers for fear of gaining weight, we have prepared a 100% guilt-free version with 250 fewer calories than a lifetime. Yes Yes. See recipe.

Mini vegetable skewers

Grab some skewer sticks and thread into slices of zucchini, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and washed broccoli trees. Cook the skewers on a grill or griddle and let them brown for 2 or 3 minutes (if you like them "al dente", that is, crispy, you don't need to do them much). And accompany with a mustard vinaigrette or another of our light and super easy to make sauces and vinaigrettes.

Tartlets with Russian salad

An infallible trick to make quick and easy appetizers is to use items that are already pre-cooked. Yes, it can also be done even if the orthodox of the kitchen put their hands on their heads. You just have to take some tartlets that they already sell pre-cooked in the supermarket and fill them with a good Russian salad (homemade or pre-cooked, too). And top them with peeled prawns.

Salmon montaditos

Easy, no: ultra-easy. You just have to cut cucumber slices. On them, put a teaspoon of spreadable cheese mixed with chopped dill. And on top, place a roll of smoked salmon with a few drops of olive oil and a leaf of dill.

Montaditos of potato omelette

Omelettes are one of the most popular dishes in the cookbook for any occasion: impromptu dinners, take-out lunches and, of course, as an easy and inexpensive snack. You can use homemade or pre-cooked tortillas, and with different fillings (potato, zucchini, spinach, artichokes …). To make it more sophisticated, you can present it like this: in montaditos, with a tomato on top and rosemary flowers. And if you suffer from calories, discover how to make a super light potato omelette.

Pickles Banderillas

Banderillas are another of the stars of quick and easy appetizers. Apart from the ones they sell already assembled, you can make them yourself by stringing the pickles that you like the most and other ingredients. We have made these with olives, piquillo pepper, pickled anchovy and quail egg. Another classic is to take a canned artichoke heart, roll it up with an anchovy and hold it with a skewer.

Kale, beetroot and zucchini chips

On a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and without piling up, put pieces of kale leaf without stem, and very thin slices of beets and zucchini. Then, water with a thread of oil, add curry and ground ginger to taste. And finally, bake for about 8 minutes at 180 degrees. Easier, impossible.

Toasts with sardines

On some bread toasts, put diced tomato, some sardines in oil and, to give it a party touch, a little olive pate. If you want to do it yourself, you just have to chop and mix a handful of olives with anchovies, a little minced garlic, a couple of almonds, and olive oil. It is one of the quick and easy recipes that can be made with a can of sardines.

Rice baskets with prawns

Another idea with pre-cooked volcanoes or tartlets is to fill them with some leftover food and decorate them. We have made these with a rice salad that we had left. And we have dressed it as a party with a peeled shrimp on top and some sprouts. But it would also be delicious with a rest of fideuá or paella and a mussel on top, a scrambled egg … An aperitif of use like our recipes to take advantage of the leftovers.

Low calorie cheese stuffed zucchini

It's one of our favorite snacks, it's easy, it costs next to nothing, it's only 186 calories, and it has a very slick party look. See recipe.

Smoked salmon stuffed with Russian salad

Combining a sophisticated ingredient like smoked salmon with a battle filling like Russian salad (which you can have already made), you get a nutritious appetizer, rich in omega 3 and delicious! See recipe.

Fresh cheese and salmon canapes

Cut sliced bread into small squares and spread a little fresh cheese. Put a piece of salmon and garnish with caviar substitute and a sprig of dill. Yes, yes, that easy and fast.

Quail egg stuffed mushrooms

Clean some large mushrooms. Remove and cut the stems. Crack a quail egg into the hole. Bake at 180º until the egg whites have set but the yolk is still liquid. If you want it to be richer, you can sauté the chopped mushroom stems with onion and minced garlic, and some diced ham.

Mango and shrimp canapes

Cut the round shaped bread. Do the same with the handle. Sauté some small frozen prawns and reserve. To assemble it, put: layer of bread, layer of mango, layer of bread, a little pink sauce, a couple of prawns, a rolled anchovy and sprinkle with parsley. In addition to being an easy and quick appetizer, it is one of the Christmas canapes that will make you look great.

Shots of avocado cream and prawns

If you can't think of what to make as an aperitif, you can make a cream (or throw one that you already have made) and serve it in shots as we have done with these avocado and prawn cream. It is a super easy recipe that, in addition to having an irresistible look, is not excessively caloric. Can you ask for more? See recipe.

A good aperitif is like the prologue to the best celebration. But almost always it is lazy to get down to work because it seems that it is going to give us a lot of work, or because some need ingredients that have never been in our fridge …

However, it doesn't have to be this way. With the quick and easy appetizer recipes you've seen and the tricks you have below, these dishes will no longer have any mystery or difficulty for you.

They have to enter by sight

The secret to a good aperitif is often not so much a magic recipe as a good presentation. Any daily dish, for example, can make a delicious appetizer if you present it with a little grace.

Canapes and tostaditas. You only need sliced bread or normal bread and cut it into colorful shapes with the help of a pasta cutter, for example. Or just cutting the slice on the diagonal to create triangles.
Divine skewers. You can insert into them practically any meat or seafood you have on hand and intersperse it with vegetables or mushrooms and that's it. Nutritious and very attractive.
Banderillas for all tastes. You just have to wrap olives, pickles, chives and hearts of alcochofa with pickled anchovies or anchovies in oil, and insert them on a toothpick. Easy and delicious.
Shots, glasses and casseroles. Any puree, cream or stir-fry becomes a party appetizer if you serve it in a shot glass, a liquor glass or an individual casserole. It is elegant and has no mystery.
Swap the bread for spoons. Many classic skewers that are served on bread can be served by dispensing with it and placing the filling on spoons. The salpicón, the tartar or the shellfish are very attractive with this presentation (and thus they are lighter).

Give it an extra flavor and color

Often, for any dish to become something special you only need to add something that gives it a sophisticated touch, both visually and in taste.

Aromatic spices. If you use them at the end of the plate as something decorative, you will not only add flavor to your aperitif, but also a more appetizing look. You can top, for example, a shot of pumpkin cream with a few flakes of salt and a touch of freshly ground pepper.
Nutritious nuts and seeds. As in the case of spices, they help you to give it flavor and color as well as a nutritional plus. A paté toast becomes a very appetizing appetizer just by putting a peeled walnut on top.
Sprouts, tender and aromatic shoots. They provide attractiveness without adding almost calories to the appetizer. From arugula or lamb's lettuce leaves to bean sprouts, passing through the classic parsley leaf. Ideal to top small pieces of toast, shots and spoons.

And save time saving steps

One of the drawbacks that pulls the most when preparing appetizers is having to prepare everything in individual and miniature portions. But if you organize yourself well, you can save a lot of time.

Serial kitchen. Arrange the different ingredients in bowls and plates, and arrange them in a row and in the same order as in the recipe. You will only have to take the appetizer holder (toast, skewer, shot, spoon …) and gradually add one ingredient of each as if you were on an assembly line.
Streamline the process. For canapés and toasts you can choose to cover them with the filling in larger formats (whole slices of bread, loaves of bread cut lengthwise in half …). And when you have it covered and even decorated, cut into smaller portions. If you do it directly on the serving tray, in addition, you do not have to worry about placing them one by one.

Cover photo: Delicious Martha.