25 Last Minute Thanksgiving Appetizers
Plan ahead and include a few easy last minute Thanksgiving appetizers for your holiday menu to help your family and friends tide themselves over for the big feast.
While you're planning your Thanksgiving dinner, don't forget to include a few easy appetizers for enjoying before the main event.
I know you've got oodles of delicious dishes on your Thanksgiving menu, but while everything is cooking away on Thanksgiving day, it can be nearly impossible to wait all the way until dinnertime!
Embrace the holiday season and plan for some light nibbles filled with seasonal flavors that complement that gorgeous turkey dinner you've got in the works.
These last minute Thanksgiving appetizers take very little time to prep and many can even be made in advance.
Jump to:
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Peppered Glazed Pecans
- Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
- Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the Crockpot
- Peanut Butter Apple Dip
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Seasoned Boiled Shrimp
- Seasoned Pretzels
- Raspberry Mustard Dip
- Frozen Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
- Roasted Gnocchi with Butternut Squash
- Monte Cristo Sandwich Pinwheels
- Cheddar Snack Board
- Candied Nuts
- Sausage Crescent Roll Swirls
- Cold Spinach Dip
- Artichoke Dip
- Veggie Tray with Dill Dip
- Everything but the Bagel Pull Apart Bread
- Sweet Potato Bites
- More Thanksgiving Recipes
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Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Softened cream cheese topped with an easy sweet cranberry sauce is a make-ahead masterpiece you can serve in minutes.
This crowd favorite appetizer is sized for a generous portion or you can freeze half the cranberry sauce for a second smaller event later.
Cranberry Brie Bites
My favorite dishes are both an easy recipe and elegant appetizer that makes you look like a rockstar.
Even though this is made from a can of refrigerated crescent rolls dough, my friends were convinced it was made from store bought puff pastry. They bake up golden brown and so delicious.
Peppered Glazed Pecans
The best way to fill those holiday candy dishes is to also offer something on the savory side to balance all the sweet. These peppery glazed pecans have the perfect spicy bite and would pair great with chocolates.
Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
Pile up the fresh baguette slices on a snack board and assemble this easy goat cheese appetizer with prepared fig jam and pistachios.
Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly
You can keep all the easy ingredients for this festive appetizer on hand in your fridge and pantry and have the perfect snack to offer holiday guests even at the very last minute.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the Crockpot
Give a generous sprinkle of fresh chopped green onions for festive color over these savory sweet and sour meatballs. It is one of my favorite things to keep warm for hours on the buffet table while friends come and go.
It makes particularly great last minute thanksgiving appetizers because sometimes a beefy meatball is a nice complement to the turkey dinner and the tangy sauce is just so delicious.
Peanut Butter Apple Dip
Serve this creamy peanut butter dip with fresh fruit and salty pretzels as a hearty appetizer.
Parents of the little ones know that it is never a bad idea to have a kid-friendly snack on hand. This lets them fill up on the dip in case your main dish isn't so popular with the picky eaters.
Air Fryer Shrimp
It's smart to have a healthy appetizer or two at the ready to add to your holiday buffet. You can make my air fryer shrimp in just minutes and serve it with a wide variety of shrimp dipping sauces.
Seasoned Boiled Shrimp
This delicious appetizer is my mom's recipe and only requires THREE ingredients and only THREE minutes to cook!
Seasoned Pretzels
Seasoned pretzels are the perfect finger food to add to a party table.
The best part is you can pick from 16 different seasoning blends in my recipe card and pair them with an easy dip for a quick snack.
Raspberry Mustard Dip
Wow guests with this homemade raspberry mustard dip for pairing with those seasoned pretzels. It is a relatively low calorie option compared to all the cheesy, creamy appetizers.
Frozen Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
For the easiest Thanksgiving appetizer, pop a batch of frozen crab cakes into the air fryer and serve it with my delicious remoulade sauce.
The best part is that you'll save oven space for other baked nibbles or your main meal.
Roasted Gnocchi with Butternut Squash
For special occasions, it is a good idea to make sure your main meal has a vegetarian-friendly option.
While there will be plenty of delicious food, you never know when someone needs a meat-free dish.
This roasted gnocchi is filled with seasonal flavors from the browned butter and fresh sage. If you're not serving it as a side dish, it would make an amazing snack served with party picks for nibbling.
Monte Cristo Sandwich Pinwheels
It can be so hard for everyone to wait for the main Thanksgiving feast as it cooks alll dayyy longgg.
Give them a perfect brunch appetizer with these Monte Cristo pinwheels, it will help tide them over while the turkey continues to cook.
Cheddar Snack Board
A cheddar snack board with crisp apples pairs amazing with the flavors of roast turkey.
To really nail the Thanksgiving theme, add pumpkin hummus and cranberry cheese ball bites for easy finger foods on the platter.
Candied Nuts
You could add these candied nuts to that cheddar snack board I just mentioned to add a festive touch to the charcuterie.
They actually would be just perfect sprinkled over a holiday salad, too.
Sausage Crescent Roll Swirls
The simple ingredients in these sausage crescent roll swirls lend themselves to a make ahead recipe you can keep prepped in the fridge.
For even more flavor, add a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles to the sausage before you roll the swirls.
Cold Spinach Dip
One of the most flavorful dips to serve at a holiday party is this cold spinach dip made from cream cheese, sour cream and frozen spinach. Serve it with bagel chips or tortilla chips for a hearty snack.
Artichoke Dip
When I need a low carb appetizer for the holiday, I always bake a dish of my jalapeño artichoke dip and serve it with raw veggies instead of crackers.
Personally, I love this hearty hot dip on a thick Triscuit cracker, so I always have a basket of those on hand, too.
Veggie Tray with Dill Dip
Nothing is as easy as grabbing a raw veggie tray from the store but the first thing you should do is ditch the processed dip it comes with and take just a few minutes to make my homemade dill dip for veggies instead.
It has a fresher flavor and is much more delicious.
Everything but the Bagel Pull Apart Bread
If you've got a spice jar of everything but the bagel seasoning on hand, you must try this Everything Bagel bread in your bread machine!
Formed as a pull-apart bread with small bread "bubbles" loaded with butter and spices, this would be a delicious appetizer to let your guests rip off bites for a snack.
Sweet Potato Bites
While I usually bake my crispy roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish, they would actually make an awesome and unique gluten-free appetizer if you serve them on a platter with party picks.
Make a batch of spicy sauce or copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce for dunking.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Need some more help planning the ultimate Thanksgiving menu? Don't miss these other fantastic holiday tips:
