Planning a holiday party? You probably have the decor figured out, but what about the food? If you want to serve something light and on the healthier side, these salad appetizers are perfect.
The 20+ Best Salad Appetizers for Parties, Holidays, and Potlucks
1. Waldorf Salad Endive Appetizer
I love to serve appetizers with fruit because they add a hint of sweetness – like this Waldorf salad endive appetizer. It’s simple, delicious and it looks fancy, too.
You’ll need some Belgian endive to use as cups to hold your salad made of grapes, celery, walnuts and apples. The homemade dressing is delicious and incredibly easy to make.
2. Caesar Salad Wonton Cups
These wonton cups are divine. They’re filled with a tasty Caesar salad that’s easy to prepare. Just bake wonton wrappers (you can find them in most grocery stores) in a standard muffin or cupcake tin for about 8-12 minutes until they’re crispy. Then, stuff each cup with your salad, which has chicken, bacon, parmesan cheese, romaine lettuce and homemade croutons.
Recipe Tin Eats also shows you how to make your own Caesar dressing.
Related: 20 Refreshing Summer Salads to Make for a Crowd
3. La Scala Chopped Salad
This is one of those salad appetizers that are anything but boring. It features crisp lettuce, salty salami, chickpeas, mozzarella cheese and a tangy homemade dressing.
Make sure you use the Italian salami that comes in a log – not the deli meat. It should say “dry aged” on the label. This is the key to getting that delicious flavor that the La Scala salad is known for.
The dressing also calls for Pecorino Romano cheese, but you can use grated Parmesan if you can’t find this variety in your local shop.
4. Wedge Salad Skewers
These salad skewers are delicious and the perfect finger food to serve at your party. Fill each skewer with chunks of iceberg lettuce, bacon, red onion, avocado and cherry tomato. Top with blue cheese dressing (or whatever creamy dressing you prefer).
If you’re not a fan of avocado, you can use cucumber chunks instead.
5. Prosciutto Wrapped Pears with Arugula
These prosciutto-wrapped pears have all the ingredients of a salad wrapped in slices of salty prosciutto. You’ll need slices of red pear, baby arugula greens, pomegranate arils and seasoning. Just wrap these ingredients inside slices of your favorite prosciutto and you’re ready to serve.
I like to top these with a drizzle of olive oil, but wait until just before serving to do this so that none of the ingredients get too soggy.
6. Easy Taco Salad Cups
Tasty taco salad served in cute little cups made from wonton wrappers. You’ll arrange the wrappers in a muffin tin and bake until crispy. Then, you can fill with your taco salad made with ground beef, taco seasoning, cheese, lettuce, guac, salad and sour cream.
For a vegetarian twist, use refried beans instead of meat or crumbled tofu.
7. Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad
One of my favorite salad appetizers to serve is this Lebanese tabbouleh salad. It’s delicious, easily serves a crowd and is so easy to make.
Fine bulgur is the key to making this dish. It needs to soak in a delicious dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The rest of the salad is simple: chopped parsley, tomatoes, green onions and mint.
You can serve these in a big bowl for everyone to dig into, or you can serve them in little romaine lettuce cups.
8. Skewer Bites Platter
Skewer salads are so fun to make, but why stick to one type when you can serve a variety? You can add so many different combinations of salad ingredients to skewers:
- Greek salad with olives, tomatoes, feta and cucumber
- Salami and cheese with Gerkins
- Salami and cheese with pickled veggies
- Pepperoni caprese
- Ham and cheese with fruit
The possibilities are endless. Serve your skewers on a pretty platter to impress your guests.
9. Caesar Salad Cup Appetizer
It doesn’t get much simpler than this appetizer idea. Just fill appetizer cups with Caesar salad: romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons and Caesar dressing. Don’t forget to include mini forks, so guests can just grab a cup and enjoy.
10. Asian Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
This chicken salad appetizer is always a guest favorite. The crispy wonton cups really steal the show and are so simple to make. Just arrange wonton wrappers in a muffin tin to create little cup shapes. Bake until crispy and fill with Asian chicken salad.
The salad is a mix of chicken, cabbage, carrots, scallions, toasted sesame seeds and a tasty homemade dressing.
11. Cantaloupe and Mozzarella Caprese Salad
Here’s a classic salad that you can serve at any party. You’ll need a melon baller for the cantaloupe as well as mozzarella balls, prosciutto, basil, mint, honey and basic salad dressing ingredients.
If you want to make this recipe even more appetizer-friendly, you can serve them on skewers.
Related: From Garden to Table: 21 Fresh Spring Salad Recipes
12. Caprese Salad Skewers Appetizer
Simple yet delicious, these caprese salad skewers only need a few ingredients: cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, fresh basil leaves and balsamic glaze.
Add these ingredients to a skewer or toothpick and top with the balsamic glaze just before serving.
13. Taquito Salads
These mini salad appetizers are unexpected and delicious. You’ll make your own mini taco shells from corn tortillas baked in a muffin tin.
Then, you’ll add other tasty ingredients, like romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, creamy dressing, avocado, black olives and pumpkin seeds.
14. Potato and Green Bean Salad with Capers, Olives and Dill
This delicious potato salad is perfect for any gathering – any time of year. The best part? It’s insanely easy to make.
It’s a mix of fingerling potatoes, blanched green beans, kalamata olives, capers, fresh dill, oregano and a rich homemade dressing.
15. Tuscan Artichoke Salad
A taste of Tuscany in as little as ten minutes? You’ll appreciate every bite of this salad, which whisks all of your dressing ingredients in a bowl first: olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, fresh basil, oregano, salt, pepper and maple syrup.
In a separate large bowl, toss your marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, red onions and garbanzo beans together and serve.
Toss with your dressing and serve.
16. Greek Salad Skewers
One of the easiest and tastiest salads on the list are these Greek salad skewers that you can whip up in no time at all. Wooden skewers work best. And all you need are:
- English cucumber
- Green bell pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- Feta cheese chunks
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil
It’s as simple as cutting the feta into chunks, prepping the veggies and assembling the skewers with green peppers, feta, cucumber, tomato and olives. Drizzle on your olive oil or opt for Greek vinaigrette if you prefer.
17. Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe
Sometimes, all you need is some olives to add flavor to a salad. For this recipe, you’ll start by chopping all of your ingredients:
- Green olives (pitted)
- Kalamata olives (pitted)
- Gardiniera
- Capers
- Minced garlic
- Celery
- Parsley and oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Green onions
Combine in a bowl with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Cover and put in the refrigerator for a week to allow everything to marinate together. Stir throughout the week and serve when ready.
18. Caesar Wedge Salad
Bacon and Parmesan cheese make this wedge salad stand out in the crowd. You only need Romaine lettuce hearts, six strips of cooked bacon, Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, black pepper and lemon wedges for this recipe.
Slice your Romaine hearts lengthwise, drain and arrange on a pallet. Top with dressing, add bacon strips to the middle of each wedge and then sprinkle on your cheese. Add your remaining dressing on top, along with some black pepper, before serving.
19. Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Candied Bacon
Candied bacon, shredded Brussels sprouts and a tangy, spicy flavor make this one of my favorite salads on the list. Start by preheating your oven to 400℉ and then toss the following together before baking for 5 minutes:
- Bacon
- Brown sugar
- Cayenne
- Maple syrup
- Rosemary
You’ll then add walnuts and butter, toss to coat and bake again for 8 minutes. While baking, combine your Brussels sprouts and kale in a large salad bowl. Whisk your dressing ingredients together and then massage them into your greens until you add cheese, pomegranates, warm bacon and walnuts on top.
20. Tarragon Chicken Salad Crostini
Salad appetizers like these are perfect with a festive charcuterie board because they’re filled with the flavors of tarragon mayo and infused oil on a crostini. You’ll need quite a few unique items for this one, such as an ONGROK botanical infuser and micron filter bag.
21. Caprese Salad Shooters
Caprese salad shooters are simple yet delish and light. Start by roasting pine nuts in a cold frying pan. Blend your basil, nuts, garlic, parmesan, olive oil and salt and pepper together. Add tomatoes to the bottom of a serving glass, followed by:
- Tortellini
- Mozzarella pearls
- Pesto
Continue layering until you reach the top, and put a touch of balsamic vinegar on it.
Related: 20+ Chopped Salad Recipes That Are Anything But Boring
22. Shrimp and Avocado Taco Salad
Fifteen minutes is all it takes to make this delicious shrimp and avocado taco salad. If you have a mini food processor, it’s even easier to make these. You’ll split this into two main parts:
- Marinade that you make with cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, honey and chili powder.
- Salad made with shrimp, romaine lettuce, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, avocado, sea salt and blue corn tortilla chips.
And the rest is simply adding your marinade ingredients into your processor to smooth and then adding to a ziplock bag for at least ten minutes. Sauté your marinated shrimp until barely cooked, add in lettuce and cabbage, avocados and tomatoes and crushed tortilla chips. Drizzle on your dressing and some sea salt.
