20 Valentine Appetizers for Date Night

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These impressive Valentine's Day appetizers are just what you need for a date night at home. Easy snacks and starters for a romantic meal with your sweetie.

A photo collage features 4 appetizers for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to host a romantic dinner at home or a simple cocktail party for you and your friends.

The difference between a regular evening and a holiday? The answer is all in these easy Valentine appetizers that will make your night more special.

I would love to enjoy a few of these with my girlfriends for a Galentine's Day movie fest, too!

Pour your favorite bubbly drink and nibble the night away . . .

Heart Kabobs

Get out your heart cookie cutters and use them on thick slices of watermelon. Skewer them along with a fresh grape and a cube of cheese for the easiest Valentine appetizer ever.

See the feature photo above for inspiration.

Caprese Salad

Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter on the slices of fresh mozzarella in this easy caprese salad.

Then layer the bright red tomatoes and fresh green basil with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This classic Italian appetizer is the perfect pairing with a glass of wine before dinner.

Caprese Salad
Tomato caprese salad is a classic Italian appetizer or side dish that is best made during summer when the tomatoes are at their peak season. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze for an elegant dish.
5 from 2 votes
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A sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze on a plate with a fork.

Marinated Tomatoes and Crostini

Even easier than the caprese salad, these marinated tomatoes are delicious served alongside a platter of homemade crostini.

Marinated Tomatoes
These easy marinated tomatoes are a simple dinner side dish, salad topping, or perfect pasta salad base. Serve them with crostini for an appetizer or with cottage cheese for a healthy lunch.
5 from 32 votes
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A big bowl of red and yellow cherry tomatoes have been sliced in half and marinated in an Italian dressing.

Mini Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

Anything mini is extra cute and sweet. Pop a box of frozen crab cakes into your air fryer and serve them hot and crispy with this easy remoulade sauce.

BONUS: The dip has a mildly pink hue which makes it look extra romantic.

Remoulade Sauce
This spicy cajun remoulade sauce is a great dipping sauce for crab cakes or for using as a shrimp po'boy sandwich spread, too! Made from easy things you have in your pantry mixed with a few classic creole ingredients for a creamy sauce you'll want to use again and again.
4.97 from 51 votes
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The remoulade sauce is on a plate with mini crab cakes and a spoon. Lemon wedges are scattered around and green onions sprinkled on top.

Romantic Snack Board

Fix a Valentine's Day snack board with all your honey's favorite munchies. Fresh fruit slices and raw veggies always taste better when someone else prepares them for you.

Cheddar Snack Board
This delicious snack board is inspired by the Ultimate Cheddar Snack Board from Stunning Spreads by Chrissie Nelson Rotko.
5 from 1 vote
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A round snack board has sliced green apples, spreadable cheese, slices of cheese, ruffled slices of various meats, and a bowl of fresh blackberries.

Shrimp with Dipping Sauces

Pretty pink shrimp are just right for a Valentines appetizer. Go the extra mile and take my easy boiled shrimp recipe but serve them on a platter where the shrimp are arranged facing each other. They naturally make a heart shape when you point the tails down.

Then mix and match a few of these delicious shrimp dipping sauces for dunking.

Boiled Shrimp
Caraway seeds and bay leaves season the boiling water for the most delicious boiled shrimp. This method makes easy peel and eat shrimp for serving with shrimp cocktail.
5 from 43 votes
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A serving dish filled with boiled shrimp with caraway seeds.

Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini

Take inspiration from some of the most romantic stories of all time and feast like Greek gods and goddesses on a fig platter with goat cheese, pistachios, and crostini.

Bonus Points if you feed your Valentine by hand with a few grapes on the side.

Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini
This elegant crostini appetizer takes just minutes to assemble on a delicious snack board. Make homemade crostini in 10 minutes or save even more time by buying a container of store bought crostini toasts.
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A charcuterie platter has crostini, soft goat cheese, chopped pistachios, and a bowl of fig jam. A few assembled crostini bites are in front.

Bite Sized Crab Melts

Looking to heat things up during your quiet evening at home? Crab meat is a popular pick for amorous chefs. Prep a batch of my easy crab melts and you can cut them into smaller squares for a bite-sized appetizer.

Easy Crab Melts
This rich and delicious crab melt recipe makes a perfect party appetizer or simple dinner entree. Sweet lump crab meat is mixed together with savory cheeses and melted on fresh ciabatta bread.
4.89 from 9 votes
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A platter of cheesy crab melts have green onions sprinkled over the top.

Hot Crab Dip

If you don't want to mess with the crab melts on bread, you could turn the sweet and tender crab meat into this hot crab dip served with your favorite crackers or raw veggies.

Hot Crab Dip
Classic hot crab dip has a cream cheese base with sharp cheddar cheese mixed in. You can make the spread ahead of the party and just bake until hot and bubbly before serving with crackers or raw veggies for a low carb appetizer.
4.60 from 5 votes
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A white baking dish with golden brown hot crab dip has a spoon serving up a portion. There are butter crackers all around the dish.

Bake Shrimp Scampi with Breadcrumbs

If you're looking for a hearty appetizer that could double as a Valentine's day pasta dinner for two, this baked shrimp scampi with breadcrumbs has plenty of sauce hiding underneath you could also serve it over an angel hair pasta.

Baked Shrimp Scampi with Breadcrumbs
This easy baked shrimp recipe is delicious served as an appetizer or as a dinner entree spooned over pasta or with crispy fresh bread. The buttery bread crumb topping adds crunch while the lemon butter sauce keeps the shrimp tender.
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A pan with shrimp with a thick bread crumb topping over the top.

Italian Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Personally, I love an appetizer that is as hands-on as this Italian bruschetta al pomodoro. Serve the tomato and basil mixture in a pretty bowl surrounded by golden brown crostini toasts and you can your Valentine can build your own bites.

Bruschetta al Pomodoro
The classic Italian recipe, bruschetta al pomodoro, includes a toasted crostini topped with an easy tomato, basil, garlic topping. Drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, this is a delicious appetizer to serve when tomatoes are at their peak.
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A plate of bruschetta pomodoro with a bowl of the tomato topping.

Cranberry Brie Bites

If you're hosting a Valentine's Day cocktail party and want pretty platters of festive-looking bites, you will love these easy 3-ingredient cranberry brie bites.

If you're not in the mood for cranberry right now, you could easily substitute a pretty red jam like raspberry or even bing cherry instead.

Cranberry Brie Bites
3-ingredient cranberry brie bites are an easy and festive appetizer recipe to serve through the holiday season. You can use homemade cranberry sauce or a canned cranberry sauce to make these in a pinch!
5 from 2 votes
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A platter filled with cranberry brie bites has a sprig of rosemary in the back.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

For a sweeter spin on a Valentine's appetizer, try serving this gorgeous red strawberry mango salsa with a big bowl of cinnamon pita chips for dunking.

This snack could be part of a larger Valentine's snack board or served on its own with tall glasses of champagne.

Mango Strawberry Salsa
Fresh mango and fresh strawberries come together in this easy to prepare sweet mango strawberry salsa that tastes amazing served with cinnamon pita chips for dunking.
5 from 1 vote
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A bowl of strawberry mango salsa has a blue spoon and cinnamon pita chips on the plate next to it.

Monte Cristo Sandwich Pinwheels

Sweet and savory Monte Cristo pinwheels with a cup of red raspberry jam for dunking have tender slices of pink ham in a sweetly swirled crescent roll.

Monte Cristo Sandwich Pinwheels
These sweet and savory breakfast pinwheels are inspired by the classic Monte Cristo sandwich seen on many restaurant menus. Made into easy nibbles with crescent roll dough, they are perfect for a brunch buffet.
5 from 10 votes
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A plate filled with Monte Cristo crescent rolls and a little cup of strawberry jam for serving.

Piรฑa Colada Fruit Dip

"If you like piรฑa coladas and getting caught in the rain . . . " then this piรฑa colada fruit dip Valentine's appetizer is for you. Serenade your sweetie jus before you pop a fresh strawberry into their mouth with a dollop of this easy fruit dip.

Piรฑa Colada Fruit Dip
This sweet and creamy piรฑa colada fruit dip is just perfect for dunking fresh pineapple, strawberries, or crisp ginger cookies into at your next party.
5 from 4 votes
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A ruffled bowl of pina colada dip has shredded coconut on top and is surrounded by fresh strawberries, pineapple, and gingersnap cookies.

Strawberry Bruschetta

I think this fresh strawberry bruschetta is such a delightful appetizer for when you're not sure if you want sweet or savory.

Juicy red strawberries with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar just might be one of the most delicious ways to enjoy strawberries for Valentine's Day.

Strawberry Bruschetta
This easy party appetizer recipe is perfect for strawberry season. You can have an elegant apptizer in just minutes!
5 from 1 vote
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2 crostini toasts are topped with diced strawberries and a sprinkle of fresh basil to show the strawberry bruschetta appetizer. A plate of crostini sits in the background.

Candied Nuts

My husband and I spent our first Christmas season together in NYC and that trip is one of my favorite early memories from our newlywed days.

These street cart-style hot candied nuts totally remind me of the Big Apple and would make a fun addition to a romantic evening for two.

Candied Nuts
These sweet and slightly spicy candied nuts taste like they just came off a street cart in New York City but only take 5 minutes of prep.
4.17 from 6 votes
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A dish of candied nuts has a red heart decoration. The nuts are coated in a thick sugar crust.

More Valentine's Day Ideas

Looking for more ideas for your Valentine's Day menu? Don't miss these other festive recipes for special occasions:

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A photo collage shows 5 different appetizers for Valentine's Day.

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