Appetizers are a fantastic way to start a meal whether it’s a regular night at home or if you’re entertaining friends. Try one of these cheap and easy appetizers that are perfect for all occasions and budget-friendly.
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Serving a tasty appetizer or even an array of easy appetizer recipes is a great way to kick off the summer or holiday season. Who doesn’t love some chips and dip at a backyard BBQ or Cranberry Brie Bites at a Christmas party?
But you know what I love about appetizers? Besides being the best part of a super bowl game day party, they are the perfect way to welcome guests with an easy snack while you fuss with the main course. It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing a casual potluck supper or a fancy dinner party, having a few cheap and easy appetizers is an easy way to make your guests feel welcome.
And no, you don’t have to be rich to be hospitable! There is more than one easy recipe here that you can prep on a shoestring budget. Be ready for unexpected guests with these easy apps in your repertoire!
Shopping Tips for Easy Appetizers
How you shop has a direct impact on your grocery budget. You, after all, are the one to put the food in the grocery cart!
Don’t get so caught up in being the hostess with the mostest that you overspend or outstretch your budget. There are some easy strategies to serving delicious easy appetizers without going broke.
Consider these approaches to shopping for your party:
- Shop your kitchen first. What ingredients do you already have on hand? There’s no reason you need to go out and buy more if you’ve got plenty of food on hand at home. Do a quick inventory of your fridge, freezer, and pantry to see what you’ve got to work with.
- Shop the sales. Every week your grocery store issues a sales flyer. Make a habit of scanning this each week so you have an idea of what’s priced affordably. Often the items on the front and the back of the flyer are offered at rock bottom prices to get you in the door. Pro tip: Stocking up regularly on sale items will give you a bigger pantry to work from going forward.
- Look to inexpensive ingredients. Barring a sale, stay away from the meat and cheese departments. These items will cost more than foods. Focus on ingredients that are almost always affordable, like vegetables and grains.
Budget Ingredients to Focus On
When you’re shopping for cheap and easy appetizer ingredients, it’s a good rule of thumb to keep a party-ready pantry. This doesn’t mean that you have to buy expensive ingredients all year round. Instead, keep an eye open for sales on ingredients that might normally be higher priced.
When you see a good sale, stock up on a few of these so that it’s easy to throw together a last-minute appetizer without the higher price.
lemon juice – great for seasoning and a substitute for vinegar in many recipes
olive oil – adds luscious, rich flavor to any number of dishes. Great for drizzling on hummus or goat cheese and a few grinds of black pepper to make it just a little bit more.
fresh herbs – see if you can grow a little kitchen garden as fresh herbs make any of your favorite easy appetizers a little more fancy
puff pastry or crescent dough – perfect for appetizers or desserts, puff pastry stores well in the freezer.
fresh veggies – If you keep carrots, cucumbers, and celery on hand on a regular basis, you always have what you need for a veggie tray, one of the classic appetizers
spicy sausage – perfect for stuffed peppers or sausage balls
cheddar cheese and other favorite cheeses – perfect for making a cheesy dip, homemade cheese ball, or a simple cheese board
canned chicken, salmon, or tuna – makes a quick chicken salad or tuna salad to spoon into lettuce cups or atop small toasts or a savory salmon dip for veggies.
sour cream, mayo, or cream cheese – ideal ingredients for delicious dips
canned beans – perfect to make hummus or a black bean dip
potato, tortilla, or pita chips – Load up on sale so that you always have dippers for the party classic dips
jars of roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, or caramelized onion – perfect for dips or other small bites
olives, pepperoncini peppers, or pickles – ideal for adding to a relish tray
canned tomatoes and green chiles – make your own quick salsa in minutes when you have these pantry basics on hand.
Cheap and Easy Appetizers Ideas
The appetizers rounded up here are not only easy to prepare, but they are also easy on the wallet. You can serve them to a crowd without breaking the bank, perfect for game night snacks.. And they taste amazing!
The following dip recipes are absolutely delicious! Serve them alongside veggies, chips, crackers, toasts, or breadsticks.
Looking for Budget Party Food Ideas?
Be sure to check out our archives of party food recipes and tips for saving money on those important celebrations.
FAQ
Plant-based food, such as veggies, beans, and grains are often the most affordable for a party. Meats and cheeses will drive up the costs. Choose your appetizers to be heavy on the veg while using the more expensive items to flavor your vegetable-based appetizers.
Finger foods are a great dish to serve because you don’t need to provide cutlery or a seat. Folks can eat standing or sitting. Some good finger foods include taquitos, quesadillas, potstickers, and mini pizzas.
Follow the Good Cheap Eats System for doable strategies for shopping on a budget. When it comes to parties, shop your kitchen so that you can use foods you already have, then fill in the blanks with sale items or naturally budget-friendly foods such as vegetables, beans, and grains.
On average you’ll need the following food per person: 2 drinks, 4 to 6 appetizer bites, 6 oz meat or other protein, 1 cup of each side salad, and 1 to 2 portions of dessert.
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This post was originally published on August 25, 2016. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Michelle
These fritters look yummy. We have a couple monster zucchinis on the counter right now, and I heard from one of the kids there are more out on the vine….I think I’ll give this recipe a try and see if the family likes it 🙂
Jessica Fisher
I hope they like it!
Alice E
I like the idea of the zucchini fritters, but since leeks are very pricey here I might substitute sweet onions.
I usually just do dip or meatballs in either marinara or the old standard ketchup and grape jelly sauce. My usual dips are the Spicy White Bean Dip from the AlaskaFromScratch website or a yogurt dill dip that I think I found in a blog on the FoodieWithFamily website. I like hummus, but it is expensive and even if you make your own the tahini is pricey. The bean dip is a bit more basic and goes well with crackers or veggies. It goes over well except with my daughter-in-law who expects bean dip to be the Tex-Mex type. For that type I usually just mash up a can of chili style beans with or without a batch of salsa.
Jessica Fisher
Yes, onions or scallions will work great. The bean dip sounds delicious!
Stephanie M.
Here is an appetizer that I have served many times and people always ask for the recipe.
Cordon bleu appetizers
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard (I use guldens)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup small diced cooked ham (I use the packages of small dice ham that I find in the store)
1/2 cup minced chives, divided
18 slices French bread (1/2 inch thick)
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in the Swiss cheese, ham and 1/4 cup of chives. Spread 1 TBS. mixture over each bread slice; place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining chives.
The mixture can be made ahead of time and frozen until ready for use. I’ve done this and it’s just like it was freshly made. I just make it and put it into a freezer bag. It defrosts in a short period of time and can be made the day of service.
Another appetizer that goes over very well:
Cheese Clouds
1 jar of Cheese Whiz
1 can dinner rolls such as Pillsbury
1/2 stick butter
Put butter and cheese in a round pyrex dish and melt in a 350 oven for about 5 minutes. With a fork, blend together. Cut each biscuit into quarters and arrange on top of cheese. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Guests can pick up a piece of the biscuit and the cheese mixture underneath it.
Jessica Fisher
I love the sound of those Cordon Bleu Apps. Yum!