The best Thanksgiving appetizers are light, made ahead and easy to eat standing up. The oven is busy with the turkey and dinner is the main event, so the job of an appetizer is to take the edge off hunger, not to fill anyone up. Something crisp, something creamy, something sharp, and nothing that needs the oven at four o'clock.
One that does all three: ricotta toasts topped with pickled white shimeji mushrooms. Bright, crisp little clusters on rich, cool cheese, made in ten minutes and eaten in two bites. Our pickled mushroom toast recipe adds browned butter.
Below: how many appetizers to make and how to plan them, which pickled mushroom suits which bite, twenty-five easy Thanksgiving appetizers from make-ahead bites to dips and a relish tray, a make-ahead timeline, and the questions people ask.
How to plan Thanksgiving appetizers
- Keep it light. Two or three appetizers are enough before a sit-down dinner. Make four or five only for a long afternoon or a big crowd.
- Make them ahead. Choose things you can finish the day before or the morning of, so the kitchen is free for the turkey.
- Skip the oven where you can. Cold and room-temperature appetizers don't fight the bird for space. If one needs heat, make it the only one.
- Plan four to six bites per person when a big meal follows. That is a common caterer's rule of thumb, and it keeps everyone hungry for dinner.
- Put out one sharp thing. Before a meal of gravy, stuffing and mashed potatoes, a pickle or a briny bite wakes everyone up instead of filling them up.
Which pickled mushroom suits which bite
- White shimeji: bright and delicate, for ricotta toasts and the cheese board. Its product page pairs it with "Soft cheeses, burrata, fresh mozzarella".
- Crimini: whole caps with garlic and thyme, firm enough for a toothpick. The jar for the relish tray and skewers.
- King oyster: thick, meaty coins with truffle oil in the jar. Lay them on crostini with goat cheese.
- Shiitake: the most savory, with tamari in the brine. Good next to an aged cheddar or Gruyère.
- Black shimeji: savory and tender, in apple cider vinegar. Serve it with pâté on toast.
"Bought these for a small cheese board and everyone kept asking where the mushrooms were from. The crimini were the first jar we finished."
— Chris M., Golden Grove customer
A jar holds 250 g (about 9 oz) of mushrooms once drained, which tops a big platter of toasts with some left for the relish tray. A 2-Pack of pickled white shimeji covers Thanksgiving and leaves a sealed jar in the cupboard for Christmas; the label says to store it in a cool, dry place until it is opened. For Thanksgiving, order by the middle of November.
25 easy Thanksgiving appetizers
Make-ahead bites
1. Ricotta toasts with pickled white shimeji
Toast thin slices of sourdough, spread with ricotta, top with a few clusters of pickled white shimeji, black pepper and flaky salt. Toast the bread in the morning; top it just before guests arrive.
2. Deviled eggs
A classic for a reason. Make the filling the day before and pipe it in an hour ahead. Finish with smoked paprika and chives.
3. Cranberry brie bites
Puff pastry or phyllo cups in a mini muffin tin, each filled with a cube of brie and a spoon of cranberry sauce, baked until golden. Fill them ahead and bake them while the turkey rests.
4. Bacon-wrapped dates
Medjool dates stuffed with goat cheese or blue cheese, wrapped in half a slice of bacon and baked until crisp. Assemble them the day before.
5. Prosciutto-wrapped pears
Thin wedges of ripe pear wrapped in prosciutto with a drizzle of honey. No cooking, five minutes.
6. Antipasto skewers
Mozzarella, salami, an olive and a pickled crimini on a cocktail pick. Our antipasto skewers recipe makes two dozen in half an hour.
7. Rosemary spiced nuts
Pecans or almonds roasted with butter, rosemary, brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne. They keep for a week in a sealed jar.
8. Cheese straws
Twisted strips of puff pastry with Parmigiano and black pepper. Bake them the day before and stand them in a glass.
Cold appetizers
9. Shrimp cocktail
Cooked, chilled shrimp around a bowl of cocktail sauce. Buy them cooked and it takes five minutes.
10. King oyster crostini with goat cheese
Spread toasted baguette slices with goat cheese, top with a coin of pickled king oyster and a few drops of honey. Rich, sharp and sweet in one bite.
11. Stuffed endive leaves
Crisp endive leaves filled with blue cheese, diced pear and toasted walnuts. They double as edible spoons.
12. Smoked salmon cucumber bites
Thick cucumber rounds topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and dill. Light enough for before a big meal.
13. Marinated olives and feta
Olives and feta cubes warmed with olive oil, orange zest and herbs, then cooled. Make them two days ahead; they get better.
14. A pumpkin cheese ball
Cream cheese and cheddar rolled into a ball, rolled in paprika and marked with string to look like a pumpkin, with a pretzel stick for a stem.
Warm appetizers
15. Baked brie with cranberries and pecans
A wheel of brie baked until soft, topped with cranberry sauce and toasted pecans, with crackers around it. Twenty minutes in the oven while the turkey rests.
16. Stuffed mushrooms
Fresh mushroom caps filled with sausage and cream cheese, or spinach and Parmigiano, then baked. For a brighter filling, fold in a few chopped pickled crimini.
17. Sweet potato rounds
Roasted sweet potato slices topped with goat cheese, a pecan half and a drizzle of maple syrup.
18. Butternut squash soup shooters
Small cups of smooth squash soup with a swirl of cream. Make the soup days ahead and warm it on the stove.
19. Cranberry meatballs
Cocktail meatballs simmered in a cranberry and chili sauce, kept warm in a slow cooker so the oven stays free.
Dips
20. Spinach artichoke dip
Creamy, cheesy and baked until bubbling. Mix it the day before and bake it while guests arrive.
21. Whipped feta with honey
Feta blended with cream cheese and olive oil until smooth, topped with honey and black pepper, with pita or crudités.
22. French onion dip
Slow-cooked onions in sour cream, with chips and crisp vegetables. Better made a day ahead.
Boards and trays
23. A relish tray
The old-fashioned Thanksgiving starter: celery, carrots, radishes, olives, pickles and pickled mushrooms on ice. It is light, crisp and made in the morning. Our guide to the Thanksgiving relish tray shows how to set one up.
24. A Thanksgiving charcuterie board
Cheddar, pecans, figs, pears, a little prosciutto and a bowl of pickled mushrooms, kept small so nobody fills up. Ideas and a turkey-shaped layout are in our Thanksgiving charcuterie board guide.
25. A turkey-shaped veggie tray
Carrot, cucumber, pepper and celery sticks fanned out like tail feathers around a bowl of ranch or hummus. It is all vegetables, and children like helping to build it.
A make-ahead timeline
- Three days before: spiced nuts, the cheese ball, the marinated olives and feta.
- The day before: deviled egg filling, dips, skewers, stuffed dates and cheese straws. Toast the crostini.
- The morning of: the relish tray and the board, covered in the fridge.
- The last half hour: anything warm, and the toppings on the toasts.
Once appetizers are out, perishable food shouldn't sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Put out half, keep half cold, and swap them.
Thanksgiving appetizer questions
What are easy Thanksgiving appetizers?
Deviled eggs, a relish tray, shrimp cocktail, prosciutto-wrapped pears, spiced nuts, and ricotta toasts with pickled mushrooms. All of them are made ahead and none needs the oven at the last minute.
What appetizer can I bring to Thanksgiving?
Something that travels and needs no oven at the host's house: a cheese ball, marinated olives and feta, skewers, spiced nuts, or the makings of a relish tray with a jar of pickled mushrooms.
What are good cold Thanksgiving appetizers?
Shrimp cocktail, stuffed endive, smoked salmon cucumber bites, a relish tray, antipasto skewers and crostini with goat cheese and pickled king oyster.
How far ahead can I make Thanksgiving appetizers?
Nuts and cheese balls up to three days ahead, most dips and fillings the day before, and anything with crackers or toast on the day, so it stays crisp.
What finger foods can I buy at the store?
Cooked shrimp, a cheese and cracker plate, olives, pickles, crudités with dip, and a jar of pickled mushrooms in a bowl. Put them on nice plates and nobody will mind.
The short version
Make two or three light appetizers, mostly ahead, with one sharp bite to wake everyone up before dinner. Ricotta toasts with pickled white shimeji take ten minutes, and a 2-Pack covers Thanksgiving and Christmas; order by the middle of November. For more, see our relish tray and Thanksgiving charcuterie board guides.