40 Yummy Vegetarian Appetizers
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These delicious vegetarian appetizers will wow your guests! They are flavorful, easy to make, and perfect for feeding a crowd. Grab your drink… and get ready to enjoy the party!
Published on March 2023/Updated on November 2024

If you’re hosting a get-together or looking for a dish to bring to one, these easy veggie appetizers are delicious, easy to make in large batches, and sure to please a hungry crowd.
I love to serve them whenever I’m entertaining also because they are all affordable, super flexible, and short-ingredient-list recipes.
Nothing fancy, nothing too complicated, only simple staples and big flavor.
Fresh vegetables, artisanal bread, canned legumes, and fresh cheese are turned into colourful, fun, and delicious vegetarian finger food.
And my family and friends love them!
We have crispy crostini, bruschetta, and a topping galore. Slice up some baguette or ciabatta and toast in the oven until crispy. And for the scrumptious topping, the options are endless!
Next, we have focaccia, an amazing savoury flatbread flavoured with fruity olive oil and topped with dried or fresh herbs, sea salt, olives, cherry tomatoes and basil. Feel free to get creative with these fantastic focaccia toppings.
I love focaccia because it can be made ahead of time following my super simple no-knead recipe and reheated in the oven when it’s time to serve. It’s economical and perfect for sharing, like these incredible mini pizzas!
Finally, no party is complete without dips! Whip up a batch of colourful hummus made with chickpeas or peas and a lot of spices. Try scrumptious sun-dried tomato paste or olive tapenade, or go for more indulgent, whipped ricotta, fresh mint yogurt, or delicious cream cheese dip. They all are perfect with pita bread, tortilla chips, and crudités.
We also have caprese skewers, marinated mozzarella, and spicy olives ready in minutes, which are the perfect options if you are short on time. You can also enjoy carrot fritters, crispy zucchini bites, or butternut squash fritters.
No matter which vegetarian appetizer recipe you choose, these ideas will surely please your guests. They’re also economical without compromising on flavour and nutrition.
I LOVE them, and I hope you will, too!
Vegetarian Appetizers
5-Ingredient carrot fritters
These carrot patties are crispy and delicious. We also love this appetizer recipe because it uses only 5 inexpensive ingredients, it comes together quickly and uses up plenty of carrots. How clever is that?
Green Pea Hummus
This gorgeous, creamy pea hummus is packed with plant-based protein, has a wonderful Middle Eastern flavor, and is super versatile. It makes a colorful vegetarian appetizer perfect all year round.
Focaccia with Tomatoes
Everyone is going to love this focaccia with cherry tomatoes. It's the ultimate comfort food, perfectly soft and chewy and full of juicy tomatoes and fruity olive oil. Make a double batch, cut it into bite-size pieces, and share with a happy crowd!
Baked Ricotta
These baked, flavorful ricotta slices are easy to whip up, economical, and versatile. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs and chili flakes, and serve them on a platter with breadsticks or focaccia for an Italian-style appetizer.
Mini Pizzas
Delicious, cheerful, and flavourful, these terrific mini pizzas are always a big hit! They are also economical and freezable, and you can make them ahead of time for your convenience.
Beet Hummus
You’ll be dipping everything into this delightful beet hummus. It's a quick vegetarian appetizer that looks and tastes fabulous. It’s also healthy and packed with nutrients, and its vivid colors will bring life to any dining table.
Whipped Ricotta Crostini
Everyone will love the fluffy and fresh ricotta on crispy bread drizzled with honey and aromatic thyme. The best part? These super easy vegetarian crostini make a wonderful appetizer that’s elegant, indulgent, and fast to make.
Bruschetta Dip
In this delicious Italian bruschetta dip, the diced ripe tomatoes swim in tomato juices and olive oil infused with garlic and fresh basil. Spread on grilled bread for an authentic Italian experience!
Spicy Olives
What about juicy olives? In this recipe, the amazing, savory olives are flavored with garlic, herbs, and chili. They are a terrific make-ahead appetizer or finger food sure to please a crowd and economical, too.
Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Another simple appetizer recipe that packs so much flavor: a sun-dried tomato spread that combines a tangy, savory, chunky texture and sensational flavors. Serve with crostini or crackers; you’re going to love it.
Crostini with Ricotta & Peas
These delicious slices of bread are toasted until crispy and piled with creamy ricotta, tender peas, lemon zest and mint. They are full of fresh flavor and make a simple yet wonderful vegetarian appetizer ready in minutes!
Tomato Pasta Salad
This is another wonderful recipe that makes the most of summer tomatoes. It's a pasta salad packed bursting with flavor and juicy cherry tomatoes. It's so delicious and makes a great summer vegetarian appetizer.
Jalapeño Cream Cheese
Creamy and loaded with terrific flavors, this jalapeño cream cheese is an absolute breeze ready in just 5 minutes. Serve it with breadsticks, veggies, crackers, or any of your favorite dippers. It's always a hug hit!
Breadsticks (grissini)
These Italian breadsticks are not chewy and soft, but they’re long, thin, rustic, crispy AND truly delicious. Serve them with your cheese board, dips or olives, they make a fantastic addition to your appetizer platter and look so fancy. And they’re addictive too!
Dip Sauces
Simple yet flavorful, spicy Sriracha combined with garlic, creamy mayo, and fresh lime juice makes anything you dip into it addictive. Serve it with baked or crispy, fresh veggies.
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes
Make the most of summer produce with a bowl of marinated cherry tomatoes. They're fresh, garlicky, and bursting with flavor. Serve with crispy garlic or Italian crostini, and everyone will be back for seconds.
Garlic Crostini
This crostini recipe is a no-brainer and great for customizing with your favorite vegetarian add-ins. Serve your crostini with a wonderful cheese platter, roasted veggies, or one of the colorful dips and hummus you'll find in this collection!
Sun Dried Tomato Paste
This delicious sun-dried tomato paste, with its rich, piquant flavor, is quick to make and a big crowd-pleaser! Best of all, this easy recipe requires less than 10 minutes and a handful of ingredients.
Black Pepper Focaccia
There is nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked focaccia from the oven. Cut it into slices and share it with your friends. Its crisp crust, chewy texture, and black pepper flavor are simply incredible!
Green Olive Tapenade
Juicy green olives, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil are blended together to create this delicious olive dip. It's absolutely a no-brainer, full of fresh flavor, and terrific with crackers and toasted bread!
Pizza with Peppers (no-knead recipe)
Colourful and full of juicy, flavorful peppers, this delicious pizza makes a great vegetarian appetizer. Cut into squares, garnish with fresh basil, and serve!
Smoky Beans on Toast
Crunchy, smoky, and garlicky, these amazing scrumptious beans make a vegetarian bruschetta topping that is so easy to make and so delicious. It's also packed with plant-based protein.
Super easy focaccia recipe
It’s hard to resist the wonderful smell of freshly baked focaccia! It's moist, chewy, and packed with hints of olive oil. It pairs beautifully with cheese and vegetarian appetizers and is perfect for sharing. The no-kead recipe is super easy!
Bruschetta with Mozzarella
Everyone will love this quick bruschetta with crispy bread and creamy mozzarella. It's packed with fresh flavor and comes together quickly with a handful of good-quality ingredients. It's oh-so-delicious!
Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese
This dish is perfect for any party or gathering. It requires just a handful of simple ingredients and minimal prep time. It tastes delicious and wonderfully creamy, and it's great with tortilla chips and crispy pita bread.
Caramelized Onion Chutney
Easy and economical, this caramelized onion chutney is full of flavour and perfect for top crostini or crackers. It also pairs beautifully with cheese like brie or cheddar, the perfect accompaniment for a cheese platter!
Chickpea Bruschetta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Rub your toasted bread with a garlic clove and top with smashed chickpeas, yummy sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. This flavor-packed bruschetta appetizer is sure to be a hit!
Marinated Mozzarella Balls
These marinated baby mozzarella packs a lot of flavor and make a delightful vegetarian appetizer. The recipe is super easy to make and definitely a crowd-pleaser!
Salad with Grapes
This simple and quick salad with grapes and blue cheese packs a lot of flavour and looks vibrant. It's a terrific vegetarian appetizer idea that is sure to please a crowd.
Italian Crostini
This crostini recipe is embarrassingly easy to make, but the texture and flavor of these simple crostini are so delicious. Serve them with cheese or your favorite charcuterie board—they will be gone in no time.
Mint Yogurt Sauce
Dips are always a hit at parties, and this easy yogurt mint sauce is a no-brainer, especially if you have fresh mint to use up. It's zippy, packed with bright flavor, and tastes great with veggies, crackers, and all your dippable favorites.
Caprese Salad Skewers
This is one of the easiest vegetarian appetizer recipes in my repertoire. Made with soft mozzarella cheese, ripe cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil, these skewers are a breeze to put together and will be devoured in no time!
White Bean Dip
Beans are a staple in our house, and I'm so happy to include this white bean dip in this appetizer recipe collection. It's smooth, zippy, garlicky, and nicely spiced—perfect for dipping!
Mushroom Pizza
Love mushrooms? You can turn this fabulous pizza with mushrooms into an excellent vegetarian appetizer that is flavorful and perfect in autumn and winter.
Fried Mozzarella in Carrozza
What about delicious gooey mozzarella cheese in every byte? This fried mozzarella sandwich, crisp on the outside and melted on the inside, is the kind of cheesy comfort food perfect for sharing.
Roasted Carrot Hummus
This is another fabulous and colorful hummus recipe! The roasted carrots and chickpeas bring color and an incredibly smooth texture that makes this hummus so delicious. It also happens to be healthy and vegetarian.
Focaccia with Olives (Easy | No-Knead)
Another great no-knead focaccia with a golden oil-scented crust that is moist, packed with juicy olives, and delicious. This is one of my favorite vegetarian appetizer recipes when we have friends over!
Herbed Whipped Ricotta
This whipped ricotta is every ricotta lover’s dream come true and perfect when you need a quick appetizer. It’s an easy, breezy dip that is fluffy, creamy, and great for entertaining.
10-Minute Tzatziki
This tzatziki sauce is fresh, flavorful, and so versatile. It’s perfect for dipping or serving with pita bread, falafels, olives, crudites, grilled vegetables, or bite-sized canapés.
Goat Cheese Pizza
This is another vegetarian pizza recipe that makes a brilliant party appetizer. Cut into small squares and sprinkle with chilli flakes and thyme.
Loved these vegetarian appetizer ideas?
Great! I have easier appetizer recipes that are perfect for parties and special occasions. These include big, fancy salads or pizza recipes, perfect for making a veggie pizza appetizer that works well when you have kids.
Here are more of my favs:
- 50+ Vegan appetizers
- 40 + Italian appetizers
- 25 Dairy-free appetizers
- 40+ Party food ideas
- 20+ Dip sauces
Whether you plan an epic holiday gathering, potlucks, or any other special reunion, I hope some of these easy vegetarian appetizer recipes will be on your menu! : )
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40 Vegetarian Appetizers
Ingredients
- 26 baguette or ciabatta, slices
- ½ – 1 tablespoon olive oil, for brushing the bread, as needed
- 1 cup (250 grams) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons clear runny honey, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts (or 2 Tbsps chopped walnuts or pistachios)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Slices the baguette, cut 0.5cm / 1/4-inch thick, ideally on the diagonal.
- Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F. Alternatively, preheat a grill pan on the stove.
- Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, and spray or lightly brush them with some olive oil, than bake (or grill) for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden and crispy. Set aside.
- Whip the ricotta in a food processor until smooth and creamy. It takes 1-2 minutes. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, in airtight container.
- When it's time to serve, spread the whipped ricotta on crostini, drizzle with a touch of honey, sprinkle with thyme leaves, pine nuts and a pinch of salt. Arrange the crostini on a serving plate and serve straight away. Alternatively, place everything on a serving plate and let the guests make their own crostini.