5 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers to Stave off the Hangry Relatives
Appetizers for Thanksgiving are a tricky game. You want people to not be too hungry, but everyone wants to keep room for the big meal. I have a few tricks to keep this delicate balance and keep you sane while you cook the big meal.
1- Stay away from heavy appetizers like meatballs. Keep things light with fruit, crackers, dips, and spreads. This will keep the edge off while leaving room for the main event.
2- Use things you can prep ahead. If you’re making the big meal, you don’t need another thing to do on Thanksgiving day. If you’re bringing the appetizers, you want things ready, not something that requires you to use your host’s kitchen.
#1 – Savory Salmon Spread
This goes well with a variety of crackers, pita chips or veggie dippers. Bonus – it fits the low carb people. This is a mix-it-all-in-one-bowl-and-serve type of thing and can be made a day ahead.
#2 – Marinated Olives
I make this marinade right in the bowl I’m going to be serving it in and then mix in the olives. Truly one dish. This is great made 2-3 days ahead and then set out to come to room temp before your guests arrive. Which is perfect because you’ll need room in the fridge anyway. Place some toothpicks next to it let people graze.
#3 on our Thanksgiving appetizer list is a mustard pretzel dip.
This one can be made a day or two ahead and is best with butter snap pretzels. Not sponsored. Just trust me. With only 4 ingredients and the ease of a dip you just mix and serve, this one is a family favorite for both the eaters and the one who has to make it.
#4 – My favorite – Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
Can you believe this only has TWO INGREDIENTS?! If you didn’t know I’m in love with Feast Mode Flavors, this is why. They are blends, which cuts out some measuring work and some ingredient collecting work. You can get 10% off here if you use my code ALLTHINGSALICIA (affiliate link). They have clean ingredients, they’re gluten free, and they’re low carb!
This dip is just cream cheese and Feast Mode Caramel Apple.
Serve with with apples and graham crackers for the win. I like to use the Simple Mills chocolate grahams because they’re gluten free. But in the interest of full disclosure, when you dip into this with a graham cracker, is tastes just like caramel apple cheesecake.
#5 – Last but not least for our Thanksgiving Appetizers – Baked Brie with Basil and Orange Marmalade.
This one takes slightly more prep. To prep ahead, cut the brie, thaw your phyllo dough, and make sure you have your other ingredients. There aren’t that many and I promise you this is worth the tiny bit of extra.
This stuff is not a baked brie with the phyllo wrapped around a wheel of cheese thing. This is more like an upgraded baklava. It’s delicious. I’m not an orange marmalade fan, I’m not a brie lover (not a hater, just not totally impressed by it), but I love this stuff!
This can bake earlier in your day and needs to cool a bit so no need to stress about having it warm right out of the oven. It’s pretty easy and quick to assemble, doesn’t have that many ingredients, and tastes like heaven. The flavor is different, in all the right ways.
Want to know the best part?
I made these the other day for the pics (For the pics of course. Not because I want fancy appetizers before the holiday). From start to finish, including cleaning up in between dishes, it took me less than an hour to make all 5 appetizers!
Want more appetizers? You might be interested in these:
Boosted Cheddar Bacon Jalapeno Poppers
I also have a free downloadable Thanksgiving Planner!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 8 oz. can salmon boneless, skinless
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup finely. minced red onion
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon capers
- 1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons salt
- chopped chives for garnish
- dippers such as crackers, pita chips, raw veggies
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh orange peel
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh
- 1 pinch red pepper flake
- 1 jar spanish olives the green ones with pimento stuffing - around about 6 oz.
- 1 jar Kalamata olives around about 15 oz.
- 1 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 1 bag butter snap pretzels
- 1 8 oz. tub whipped cream cheese
- 1/4 cup Feast Mode Caramel Apple Flavor save 10% using code ALLTHINGSALICIA at feastmodeflavors.com/allthingsalicia - affiliate link
- dippers apple slices, graham crackers, etc...
- 1 8 oz brie round
- 1 whole phyllo dough sheet -thawed they come in boxes with two sheets typically
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Ingredients
For the Savory Salmon Spread
For the Marinated Olives
Mustard Bacon Pretzel Dip
For the Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
For the Baked Brie with Basil and Orange
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- Mix everything except your dippers. Cover and chill until ready to use. Serve with your dipper choices.
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Drain the olives and add to the marinade. Stir. Refrigerate until 1 hour before serving, stirring every now an then to make sure all the olives sit in the marinade a bit. Return to room temperature before serving.
- Mix the ingredients (but not the pretzels) in a bowl. Chill and serve with butter snaps.
- Mix cream cheese with the flavoring. Taste and add more if you like. Chill until ready to serve with the apple slices and graham crackers.
- Chop the brie into 1/2 pieces. Lay out the sheet of phyllo. It will naturally have three fold lines.
- Brush melted butter in the middle section. Drop half the cheese onto it. Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper and almonds. Drop small spoonfuls of marmalade over than. Fold one of the remaining sides over the middle and seal. Repeat on top of that. Fold the last side over and seal. Brush with butter and marmalade.
- Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Let it cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Serve room temp. I do this on a video on YouTube channel if you feel like the directions weren't clear. The channel is Plow and Pantry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zUotoqNldE