Pastry Appetizer Recipes

Plump little pumpkin fritters with a hint of curry.

One of these days Michele and I will travel to the south of France, where we'll eat this amazing tomato tart at least once a day. It's going to be hot, since we'll have to go in the middle of summer to enjoy best possible tomatoes, but that's fine, as long as there's chilled rosé. One layer of tomato is plenty, since more than that will make for an overly wet tart, which means your pastry will not stay crispy.

These quick and easy ham and cheese crescent rolls make a great lunch or mid-day snack. You can swap any deli meat for the ham and use any cheese that you like.

Beautiful braided crescent roll with chicken and broccoli.

If you are looking for a quick, easy, delicious appetizer, this is for you. I've served them many times and my friends always gobble them up. Even cheese haters love this. You can find the phyllo cups in the freezer section.

Here's a great looking and great tasting appetizer. It's easy, too! You can substitute any flavor of cheese spread for garlic herb.

These stuffed savory pastries are a traditional Indian favorite. Lamb meat and spices are cooked together to create a mouthwatering filling for the easy to make dough. The recipe may seem complex, but it's actually fairly simple. Enjoy!

These make a simple, delicious, and elegant appetizer. They impress every time!

This is my go-to finger food for any party - it's super quick and easy to make and all you need is puff pastry, cheese, and herbed cream cheese.

Delicious appetizer for a holiday party or family gathering.

If you like jalapeno poppers, you will love these fried wontons stuffed with cheese and jalapeno!

My husband and I returned recently from a wonderful trip to Puerto Rico. While there we fell in love with "empanadas de pollo" (chicken pies), that we found at roadside stands along Route 3. Here is a version we came up with once we returned--delicious!

This is a Bolivian meat pastry, a cousin to the empanada. This recipe is one handed down from my grandmother. It makes 16 medium-sized saltenas.

The recipe for these spinach and feta appetizer triangles came from a Greek family friend. They may be frozen prior to baking.

People often bake the sausage roll whole, then cut it up. But I've found that if you cut them into individual rounds first, the crispier results more than make up for the extra work. I like to eat mine dipped in a bit of mustard.

My original version for the Argentinean recipe. Rich and delicious. Any meat can be used for this recipe, just be sure to cut it up into tiny pieces.

Beautiful and delicious, these savory but sweet little appetizer 'cookies' are easy to make and sure to be a huge hit at your next party!

These classic empanadas are ubiquitous all over Argentina. Filled with minced beef, hard-boiled egg, green olives, and potatoes, they make a filling snack or packed lunch treat.

Try this easy and authentic empanada pastry dough! Quick to make since all ingredients are mixed in a food processor, then kneaded just very quickly and it's done. You can make it in advance, just cut it into discs, and freeze for later use.

My family loves these juicy meat pies with raisins, chopped olives, and hard-boiled eggs. This recipe is always a hit.

These puff pastry-wrapped olives are our family's favorite holiday appetizer. We make them with a variety of olives - pimento stuffed green, plump kalamata, Provencal - just make sure they are pitted. We like to use strongly flavored olives; the flavor of canned ripe olives disappears in the puff pastry. You can make these ahead, and freeze; allow 30 minutes for the pastry to thaw before baking. Another advantage: the kids like to make them and eat them.

Tasty, hot appetizers that take little time to prepare but will impress your guests!

Puff pastry pinwheels are a great appetizer or finger food for any occasion but for Christmas I like to arrange them as a Christmas tree.

These fun-to-make flatbreads are a common fixture on menus in China, and while they all feature the same few ingredients, they come in a variety of thicknesses. The thinner you make these, the crispier they'll be, but you won't get that nice, layered, oniony inside. On the other hand, if you make them too thick, they can be a little doughy inside, so I try to shoot for something in between.