20 Valentine Appetizers for Date Night
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.
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.
Marinated Tomatoes and Crostini
Even easier than the caprese salad, these marinated tomatoes are delicious served alongside a platter of homemade crostini.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Piña Colada Fruit Dip
"If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain . . . " then this piña 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.
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.
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.
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:
