Get appy! Try these crowd-pleasing recipes, taken from a few of our favorite blogs.
18 Vegan Appetizers Anyone Will Enjoy
Vegan Vegetable Tempura
Vegan appetizers from Vegan Yum Yum will make you wonder why other tempuras were irresistible. Snow peas, carrots, and broccoli work especially well here, but try what you like. Wondering about the benefits of getting more veggies into your body? Check out the amazing things that happen when you decide to eat a vegan diet.
Vegan Quinoa Spinach Bites with Gingered Orange Dipping Sauce
Bean there, dunked that? Blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes takes trendy quinoa and rolls it into a finger-friendly treat. If you want to skip the honey in this recipe, substitute agave nectar.
Hummus
You say hummus, we say yummus to these vegan appetizers. Taste of Home creates a perfect, classic hummus sure to please even the most finicky of guests. Once you’ve got the chickpea kind down pat, experiment with these other easy-to-make hummus recipes.
Thai Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Slim dunk: Blog The Curvy Carrot rolls up veggie-packed vegan appetizers made for a bowl of tangy peanut sauce. Rice noodles (very thin, practically thread-like strands) can be found often in the Asian food aisle at most supermarkets.
Spring Pea Guacamole
Dip, dip, hooray! A classic hit at casual parties, blogger Tori Avey slips frozen or fresh green peas into a simple guac recipe. You get more protein along with the good-for-your-heart fat in this Tex-Mex favorite. As you dip away, you can read up on the 7 health benefits of avocados.
Polenta Fries
For a fry without the fryer, try baked polenta fries from the blog Oh My Veggies. Light and crispy, you can dunk them in a homemade garlic-y tomato sauce, or just pop open a jar of marinara. You’ll never go back to those deep-fried, high-calorie mozzarella sticks again!
Fried Risotto Balls
Call these tasty poppers by their classic Italian name, arancini, if you’re feelin’ fancy. Here, blog Healthy Happy Life coats leftover risotto in bread crumbs and nutritional yeast. The yeast will give you some much-needed vitamin Bs, which are great for your skin, hair, and nails.
Cucumber and Zucchini Summer Salsa
Skinny dip your way through this vegan salsa from blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes with a big bowl of whole-grain pita chips. Great for summer when the cukes and zukes arrive. And don’t miss these best vegan protein sources to try.
Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Nacho Cheese
These morsels from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen hit the same appetizer notes as buffalo chicken wings, but with a vegan tune. Even better, you’ll be eating more cauliflower—a powerhouse cruciferous veggie that gives you the same nutrients as broccoli, kale, and cabbage.
Chickpea Fritters
Chickpea fritters with a sweet-spicy sauce from Taste of Home make for a filling vegan appetizer. Plus, garbanzos have some wonderful health benefits—from providing fiber that’s good for your GI tract to the surprising boost chickpeas give to your sex life.
Vegan Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Blog The Full Helping‘s macho nacho dip layers smooth artichoke and spinach with mozzarella-style shreds and a rich cashew cream sauce, then tops the dish with nutty breadcrumbs.
Vegan Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Skewers
You’ll be a non-dairy queen with this vegan appetizer recipe from blog Olives for Dinner: Homemade cheese gets skewered caprese-style with basil and cherry tomatoes. Now that you’ve gotten a taste for plant-based dishes, here are 12 more vegan recipes to try.
Vegan Garlicky-Pepper Tofu Bites with Chili Dipping Sauce
Spicy vegan appetizers from That Was Vegan uses on-hand pantry items like soy sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and lemon juice. Check out these tofu recipes even meat eaters will love.
Onion Rings with Thai Dipping Sauce
Golden brown onions from the blog Olives for Dinner get tongue Thai’d with an Asian-inspired, five-ingredient dipping sauce: water, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and red chili pepper flakes.
Triple-Stacked Vegan Quesadilla
Vegan quesadillas from Healthy Happy Life ooze with vegan sausage and cheese, plus mushrooms and cabbage slaw. It’s not only delicious, but eating cabbage is good for you. So is switching to more plant-based foods—so check out the reasons why going vegan isn’t crazy.
Vegan Mushroom Crostini with Rosemary Lemon Cashew Cream
Vegan appetizer of champions: Blog 86 Lemons calls for dried porcini mushrooms, but use whatever shrooms are at the market to top the velvety lemon-cashew spread.
Crispy Tofu with Black Pepper Sauce
Taste of Home transforms a block of tofu and some Asian pantry staples into an impressive vegan appetizer (or main dish!). One bite, and you’ll become a tofu convert for life!
Vegan Cranberry Tofu Lettuce Cups
Like Thanksgiving side dishes in a bite, That Was Vegan scoops colorful tofu, mushrooms, carrots, and cranberries into lettuce leaves. Next, don’t miss these 23 vegan comfort dishes everyone will love.
