Not sure why, but vegan and vegetarian cookbooks rarely present many appetizer recipes to speak of, so hopefully you’ll find the wide array of choices here useful and appealing. A nice idea for entertaining (for the winter holidays or any casual occasion) is to offer a spread of hot and cold appetizers (instead of the usual sit-down dinner) with wine or cocktails, followed by a dessert buffet. If you need ideas for a vegan dessert buffet, we’ve got you covered there as well, of course, on the Vegan Dessert Recipes page. Shown above, Eggplant and Tomato Spread.
Are you tempted by VegKitchen’s appetizers and snacks? Here’s Easy Vegan Appetizers, a selection our favorites, now available on Kindle (can be read on any device with the Kindle app!)
Hot and warm appetizers
- Spinach or Arugula Strudel
- Individual Tortilla Pizzas
- Tortilla Spirals
- Avocado Quesadillas
- Vegan Nachos with Chili con Queso
- The Best Vegan Nachos
- Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Goi Cuan)
- Rosemary Roasted Mushrooms
- Scallion Pancakes with “Duck” Sauce
- Barbecue-Flavored Tofu Nuggets
- Broiled Mushrooms Teriyaki
- Nasu Dengaku (Japanese Eggplants Broiled with Miso)
- Smoked Tofu with Celery and Peanuts
- Samosas and Fresh Mango Chutney
- Broiled Lemon-Garlic Mushrooms
- Mushroom, Asparagus, and Artichoke Medley
Finger foods and snacks
- Deviled Tomatoes
- Sweet and Savory Nuts and Pretzels
- Roasted Chestnuts
- Curry Popcorn and Nuts
- Nutty Cashew Dates
- Spicy Cilantro Crackers
- Walnut Meat-less Balls
- Little Macs with Very, Very Special Sauce
- Tempeh Fries with Horseradish-Dill Sauce
- Black Bean Nachos Grande
- Basic Baked Kale Chips
- Tamari Chickpeas
- Black Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade
- Baked Sweet Potato "Fries" with Adobo Dipping Sauce
- Vegan Irish Nachos
- Barbecue-Flavored Tofu Nuggets
- Potato or Sweet Potato Oven "Fries"
- Spanish Chickpea Fritters with Romesco Sauce
Dips and Spreads
- Eggplant and Tomato Spread (shown at top)
- Easiest Hot Bean Dip
- Silken Tofu and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
- Lemon Walnut Bean Paté
- Cool and Spicy Black Bean Dip
- Green Pea, Parsley, and Pistachio Dip
- Dilled Miso-Tahini Dip
- Beet Muhummara
- Pistachio Pesto
- White Bean Dip
- Mock Chopped Liver (Cashew and Green Bean Paté)
- Avocado-Tahini Dip
- White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Paté
- Spinach and Cucumber Spread
- Classic Hummus, with Variations
- Baba Ghanouj (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant and Tahini Dip)
- Roasted Eggplant with Artichoke Hearts
- Olivada
- Black Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade
- Four-Layer Bean Dip
- Chickpea Salad or Sandwich Spread
Salsas and guacamole
- Fresh Tomato Guacamole
- Salsa Verde (Tomatillo Salsa)
- Black Bean Salsa
- Super-Easy Guacamole
- Roasted Vegetable Guacamole
- Fresh Tomato Salsa (Salsa Ranchera)
- Pineapple Salsa
- Peach Salsa
- Avocado Mango Salsa
Cheezy delights
- Vegan Brie Cheez
- Vegan Gooda Cheez
- Basic Herbed Cheese
- Raw Vegan Cheddar Cheese Spread
- Smoky Vegan Cheddar Cheeze
- Cheezy Tofu Spread with Pine Nuts
- Vegan Boursin®-Style Spread
- Chickpea and Hempseed Cheese-y Slices
Dominique @ Just Another Phase says
Oh my goodness those delicious vegan cheeses! I need to get me some cheesecloth and start trying them all!
Nava says
Most if not all of these vegan cheeses require no cheesecloth! Enjoy--
Alan Pratten says
Great
Linda King says
Hi,
Am trying to become Vegan. Where can I fine your gradable cheese and Jack cheese recipes??
Thank You
Linda King
Nava says
Hi Linda — there are many good meltable vegan cheeses on the market. Daiya is my favorite as far as grated cheese goes. I don't really have many of those recipes for vegan cheese from absolute scratch, but one good on that VegKitchen readers seem to like is Smoky Vegan Cheddar Cheez: http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/savor-and-flavor/hot-appetizers-savor-and-flavor/smoky-cheddar-cheez/ — and you can explore more vegan cheese-y recipes in this category: http://www.vegkitchen.com/category/recipes/savor-and-flavor/vegan-cheese-y-delights/
Olwyn Irving says
Do you blog - post? Can I get on an email list if you do. Just discovered your site. Wonderful looking recipes!
Nava says
Olwyn, I don't blog per se, but we do add content all the time. We also no longer send out a newsletter, but you can subscribe to the site with the RSS tool, which is in the bottom row of the social media icons at the top of each page. Another way to keep in touch on a daily basis is to join our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/VegKitchen — you need to remember to go there once in a while on your own, though, as FB shows individual posts to a very small percentage of fans. Thanks for your comment!