31+ Easy Summer Appetizers To Cool You Off In 2022

When you’re feeling hot, these easy summer appetizers are a great way to help your body release some of that heat. The refreshing nature of these delicacies will not just wash away your discomfort, but they can also make your day even better.

The selection of summer-styled food is quite versatile. You can have a crunchy plate of seasoned nachos or try to be fancy by making a few cheeseburger sliders. Overall, you can pick out your menu based on your preference.

In this list, I want to show you my collection of fantastic summer specialties that you can also incorporate into your meals. The recipes are easy, even for beginners, so you don’t have to worry about your cooking skills. Without delaying anymore, let me show you what I have.

Starter Options Suitable For Summer

The following recipes follow a strict selection process since I want to focus more on balancing the nutrients. You will see food here that leans more on the fibrous side, while other options can be meat-heavy.

1. Roasted Tomato Tart

Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

For this entry, I want to introduce you to a simple recipe you can quickly whip up before a summer party. The roasted tomato tart combines the crustiness of the bread with the tender texture of the tomato slices.

The thing you will love about this delicacy is that it doesn’t require you to get professional-grade ingredients. You must get tomatoes, puff pastry, and aromatics (garlic, olive oil, and thyme).

The preparation starts with roasting garlic in the oven to extract the flavors. The roasted garlic will give the pastry a buttery yet spicy taste. In the meantime, you can chop the tomatoes into slices. The assembling is just layering the garlic before adding thyme and tomato slices.

After you bake the pastry, the puff pastry starts becoming crunchier. The richness contrasts superbly with the umami tomatoes.

The roasted tomato tart is delicious and perfect for your summer meal.

2. Eggplant Parmesan Stack

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This entry might surprise you with the complexity of its taste. Eggplant parmesan stack looks like something you see in many high-class restaurants, yet you can now make the dish at home with the help of this recipe.

The core of the eggplant parmesan stack is the layering of ingredients. First, you have the eggplant, which has to go through a baking process to crisp up the exterior. This method allows the moisture to stay inside the eggplants much longer.

Next, the cheese layer consists of melted mozzarella and parmesan. The richness and the nuttiness will fill your taste buds with an incredible experience.

And last but not least, you have the flavorful tomato sauce that combines everything into a complete package. The sauce’s umami and sourness significantly reduce the whole meal’s richness.

3. Duchess Potatoes

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

With a name like duchess potatoes, you know you’re in for a good time while eating this delicacy. No one knows why people decided to name the dish “duchess potatoes,” but I can say for sure that it originated in France in the mid-18th century.

Although the name is quite sophisticated, duchess potatoes resemble mashed potatoes. The starting point is boiling the potatoes (in this case, Yukon Gold) until they turn soft. You can utilize a fork, a spoon, or a potato masher to smooth out the starchy vegetable.

Adding butter and cream will increase the richness of the mashed potato potatoes. When the consistency is to your liking, shove the mixture into a piping bag and start forming swirls on a baking tray. The final step is to bake until the outside turns nice and golden.

The outer layer will likely harden when the potato swirls are in the oven. However, the mushy and warm inside should reveal itself when you bite into it.

4. Guacamole (Mixed Avocado Dip)

Total time: 10 minutes

Instead of Europe, I want to move closer to home, especially to the south. Even if you’re not into Mexican cuisine, there is no denying that the country has an array of dips you can enjoy as starters. In this section, I will show a classic recipe: guacamole.

The main component of guacamole is avocado, a fruit from central America. The texture of the fruit is quite creamy and buttery at the same time. The other ingredients include diced tomatoes, jalapenos, and lime juice.

This specialty might be one of the easiest things you can make. Mix the components in a bowl until you get to the preferred consistency. Some people prefer their guacamole to be smooth; others want a chunkier dip for their chips.

Although the dip looks simple, you can feel a lot of hidden flavors, from the avocado’s richness to the jalapenos’ spiciness and the lime juice’s acidity.

5. Mango Salsa

Total time: 15 minutes

If you’re still craving more Mexican-style dips, this mango-based salsa will satisfy your needs quickly. Unlike the previous entry, guacamole, mango salsa has a broader range of ingredients to please your palate.

For this particular version, the main four ingredients are cubed-up mango, avocado, bell pepper, and jalapenos. Each of the components provides a unique spin to the taste. With mango, you have a sweet and slightly tart essence to increase your appetite.

The spiciness from the jalapenos brings the heat. But simultaneously, the avocado’s creaminess reduces its intensity. Of course, a good bowl of salsa also has a lot of lime juice to complete it.

6. Esquites (Mexican Street Corn)

Total time: 30 minutes

Regional street food is always a staple that many people love to experience once in their life. And esquites, or Mexican street corn, is a delicacy you must find in the streets of Mexico.

But with this recipe, you don’t have to go to Mexico to experience its street food. All you have to do is to get fresh corn, jalapenos, cotija cheese, and lime juice. Instead of doing corn-on-the-cob style, this version is more akin to a bowl of dip, which is easier to eat.

This delicacy’s blend of flavors is magnificent since the corn is lovely and starchy. The cheese is there to enhance the creaminess to a higher level. On the other hand, jalapeno has a concentration of spiciness that stimulates your taste. The lime juice adds a side of tang to the dip.

This tutorial will show you how to recreate the Mexican street corn salad.

7. White Queso Dip

Total time: 20 minutes

Queso, also known by its full name as chile con queso (chili with cheese), is another Mexican-styled dip that you can easily recreate at home. This recipe’s birthplace is the region between the southern side of the U.S and northern Mexico.

The white queso dip version is cheesy, rich, and incredibly spicy, so be warned if you don’t have high spice tolerance. The main ingredients are American cheese, chicken broth, and minced jalapenos.

For the preparation, just melt the cheese in a skillet or a pot with jalapenos and some milk. This mixture is enough to be your dip, but adding chicken broth will increase the savoriness of the queso even more. The cilantro and tomatoes add a fresher taste to the specialty.

To make this dish even more Mexican, you can add chopped chorizo (a type of spicy sausage). The addition will make the sauce more delicious and more intense as well.

8. Buffalo Chicken Dip

Total time: 40 minutes

This buffalo chicken dip combines the savoriness of chicken meat with the richness of a cheese sauce. If you’re planning to host a party with friends and family, this easy and quick recipe is your life-saver.

Like most dip-related delicacies you see above, the principal preparation for the buffalo chicken dip is mixing the ingredients, including shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, and a variety of cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, and cream cheese).

The top layer will gradually turn golden when baking the cheese mixture, which means it’s ready. The texture at the top is slightly crispy, but the inside is scorching and runny. The cheese sauce can coat everything evenly to give you the most exquisite taste.

9. Cowboy Caviar

Total time: 20 minutes

Although cowboy caviar sounds a little too fancy, the dish is nothing more than a bowl of salad that you can make in your kitchen. The recipe doesn’t contain caviar; instead, you use a combination of simple vegetables.

The ingredient list consists of sweet corn, black beans, black-eyed peas, and tomatoes. Due to its nature of being vegetable-heavy, cowboy caviar is perfect for the summer since it allows your body to cool down.

To prepare the cowboy caviar, chop most of the components into smaller portions and mix them in a bowl. Combining lime juice will increase acidity and improve your appetite. You can feel the starchiness of the peas and corn and the umami of the tomatoes in just one bite.

10. Bruschetta (Italian Toast)

Total time: 25 minutes

A summer feast is never complete if you don’t include bruschetta, a delicacy from Italy. Although most people agree that bruschetta made its debut during the 15th century, others argue that bruschetta might have originated as far back as the Roman era.

To make the bruschetta, you have to prepare two things. The first part is the bread, which you will toast in the oven with the help of cooking oil. The oil will allow the bread to form a crispy layer. The step can also keep the bread from drying out when you’re cooking it.

The second part is the topping, which consists of chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Mix the ingredients with balsamic vinegar so the topping will have a delightful tang. The flavors will contrast nicely with the crunchy bread.

11. Caponata (Sicilian Eggplant Salad)

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Continuing with the theme of Italian cuisine, I want to introduce a unique delicacy from Sicily, the southern island of Italy, called caponata. The dish is a mixed salad with an emphasis on eggplant.

Aside from eggplant, there are other components to truly bring out the charm of the dish, like bell peppers, potatoes, and celery stalks. Thanks to the focus on vegetables, you can feel assured that you won’t gain much weight while eating the caponata.

Unlike the standard way of making a salad dish, this variant requires you to use a skillet for cooking the veggies. During the cooking process, you add tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar to enhance the flavors of the vegetables.

While the freshness stays the same, the tomato sauce increases the umami to an outstanding level. The sauce might be sour with vinegar, but sugar reduces the acidity to a more manageable rate for your palate.

Caponata is an Italian delicacy that can bring a lot of freshness to your meal.

12. Deviled Eggs

Total time: 40 minutes

The classic deviled eggs are something you always see in most summer feasts. Generally speaking, this specialty is just another way of consuming hard-boiled eggs, but the egg yolks offer a surprising twist to keep your palate engaged.

Instead of tasting the creamy yet plain egg yolks, you must scoop them into a bowl and mash them into a fine paste. To add more flavors to the yolks, you can add mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and dill pickles.

The mayonnaise has a gentle sweetness that enhances the richness of the yolks. The dijon mustard manages to spice up the mixture while the pickles provide the zing.

When you scoop the yolks back into the eggs, sprinkle a bit of paprika on top so that the spiciness can increase the tastiness of the deviled eggs.

13. Baked Buffalo Wings

Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes

For those who are not familiar with this dish, buffalo wings are spicy chicken wings. The name references the origin of this dish in Buffalo, New York. This version of baked buffalo wings should be perfect if you want a tasty meal.

The main focus for buffalo wings is making the texture as crispy as possible. To achieve perfection, dry the meat with a paper towel. Next, coat the chicken with baking powder, salt, and pepper.

While letting the oven do its job with the wings, you can make the buffalo sauce. The main components are hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch to thicken the mix. The sauce will provide spiciness to improve the taste of the savory wings.

This specialty also comes with a rich and creamy ranch dipping sauce consisting of Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, and garlic powder.

14. Pincho Morunos (Spanish Pork Kebab)

Total time: 2 hours 23 minutes (With 2 hours of marinating)

If there is a country that genuinely excels in appetizers, Spain must be the one. In case you don’t know, it has a whole type of cuisine called tapas, which focuses on light dishes you can eat over a few drinks.

In this section, let me show you how to make pincho morunos, one of Spain’s most famous tapas options. The delicacy is similar to a kebab, a type of meat skewer. The main ingredients are marinated pork and aioli (a Spanish-styled sauce with a thinner texture than mayonnaise).

The marinade for the pork consists of cumin, coriander, and paprika, so you can expect the meat to explode in flavors inside your mouth. The heat will help the seasonings penetrate even deeper during the grilling, creating an orgasmic experience.

And for the aioli, you whisk egg yolk, salt, and lemon juice to get a smooth mixture. The sauce has a pleasant sourness that blends really with the savory pork.

15. Antipasto Skewers (Italian First Course)

Total time: 30 minutes

In Italian cuisine, antipasto refers to the first course of a high-class meal. The servings are usually small to stimulate your appetite for upcoming dishes. But for this entry, I want to show you how to be creative by making antipasto into a skewered dish.

Unlike most skewered options, this version doesn’t require a grill. The only thing you’ll be cooking is the cheese tortellini pasta, which will soften the texture and melt the cheese instead. Next, marinate the pasta with salad dressing and hot sauce to enhance the taste.

Prepare the other ingredients like tomatoes, olives, salami slices, and mozzarella balls. The assembling process is swift since you only have to poke the wooden skewers through the components until they fill up two-thirds of the length.

Eating this version of antipasto is interesting since you will experience different flavors as you go down, from the creamy cheese to the chewy pasta and the salty salami slices.

16. Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Total time: 50 minutes

Vietnamese food has been all the rage nowadays, so you might as well jump on the bandwagon with this quick and delightful appetizer called Vietnamese spring roll. Besides Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), spring rolls are also famous worldwide.

The presentation of the spring rolls is pretty unique since you wrap most of the ingredients in rice paper, another delicacy from Vietnam. The filling combines mint leaves, lettuce, cooked shrimp, and rice vermicelli noodles.

As you can see, the filling has proteins in the shrimp, the leaves’ fibers, and the noodles’ carbs. With one bite, you’re absorbing the whole nutrition pyramid. And with sweet and sour fish sauce as your dip, one roll might not be enough.

With this video, you can understand how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.

17. Honey Garlic Chicken Skewer

Total time: 4 hours 25 minutes (With 4 hours of marinating time)

Let me introduce you to the honey garlic chicken skewer if you prefer something more exotic for your summer outdoor BBQ party. I can assure you that after your guests eat this delicacy, they will come to your house for more.

The most crucial step is marinating the chicken to let out the savoriness, or the chicken will be pretty bland. The marinade consists of soy sauce, honey, ginger, and ketchup. The meat will have umami, sweetness, and quite a zing with this mixture.

Keep the chicken in the delicious concoction for a few hours to let the flavors seep into every meat tissue. The final step is to cook the meat using a grill. With the help of direct heat, the meat will tighten and help the taste spread evenly.

When grilling, use the marinating sauce to baste the outside of the chicken to keep it as moist as possible.

18. Loaded Nachos

Total time: 30 minutes

Every summertime party needs a serving of nachos as the starting course. However, with so many recipes on the Internet, you might have a hard time choosing. In that case, you can try this loaded nacho variant with everything in just one plate.

This delicacy consists of three parts: chips, meat, and toppings. To cook the meat, you toss the ground beef into a skillet with seasonings like chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. The condiments will enhance the savoriness of the meat.

To serve on top of chips and meat, you can prepare a mixture of toppings, avocado, tomatoes, and jalapenos. These vegetables provide a refreshing taste to the nachos and lessen the overwhelming meaty flavor. Overall, loaded nachos are pretty balanced.

19. Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Total time: 35 minutes

When it comes to jalapeno poppers, the most common way of cooking it is with deep-frying. However, it can be pretty unhealthy due to the greasiness of the oil. But this recipe doesn’t have to worry anymore because it’s almost oil-free.

You can start by cutting the jalapenos in half and scooping out the core. This step can reduce the intensity of the peppers and make the delicacy more palatable. Next, mix the cooked bacon with cream cheese, shredded cheese, and onions to make the filling.

The assembling step is filling the pepper shells with the bacon mixture and sprinkling on crushed chips. The heat from the oven will melt the cheese and bind most of the ingredients together. As a result, you get a spicy, rich, savory snack before a meal.

20. Cheesy Corn Poppers

Total time: 50 minutes

With the same style as the jalapeno poppers, the cheesy corn poppers are more suitable for those who can’t handle spicy food. This type of popper is small, compact, and bursting with flavors once you suck out all of that creamy goodness.

The central portion is always about the corn, which you mix with cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and green onions. The cheese combination’s richness adds a lot of depth to the starchy corn. The green onions give some freshness to the delicacy as well.

Once you have incorporated most of the ingredients, form the batter into balls and coat them with panko bread crumbs. The crumbs will likely develop a crunchy exterior, making them delightful to chew.

21. Shrimp Ceviche (Peruvian Shrimp Salad)

Total time: 25 minutes

As you can see from the name, ceviche is a delicacy from the Latin American country of Peru. In most versions of ceviche, people use raw fish soaked in lime juice for the central portion of this salad. But for safety reasons, I want to show you this precooked shrimp ceviche instead.

The first thing you want to do is to cook the shrimp until the meat turns orange. Ceviche requires you to chop the ingredients into smaller pieces, including shrimp, tomatoes, red onions, and jalapeno peppers. The vegetables will bring the freshness to a higher level.

Another critical factor for a good ceviche is lemon juice. The acidity from the juice ties the flavors together in the most harmonious way. When you bite into the shrimp, the sourness blooms into your taste buds, but the meat’s sweetness will immediately follow.

If you want more precise instructions on how to cook shrimp ceviche, this is the tutorial for you.

22. Creamy Shrimp Salad

Total time: 10 minutes

The shrimp train is not stopping here; there is another delightful recipe called creamy shrimp salad. Unlike ceviche, this version of shrimp salad will overwhelm your mind and body with a combination of rich and savory ingredients.

With this type of salad, you always start cooking the shrimp to increase the firmness of the texture. Chop the meat into small pieces and toss them with the creamy sauce that includes cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.

Thanks to the sauce, the salad explodes with many layers of flavors. The cheesiness of the cream and the thick texture of the mayonnaise is the first thing you can taste. After that, you can taste the tang from the lemon that contrasts with the sweet shrimp.

23. Barbecue Shrimp

Total time: 2 hours 14 minutes

Another better way for you to enjoy shrimp is with a delicious barbeque. This shrimp-based version is going to surprise you with how simple it is. The shrimp can impress the pickiest eaters with the correct type of marinade.

You must combine components like soy sauce, lemon juice, parsley, and chopped onions for the marinating sauce. When you soak the shrimp into the sauce, the umami, as well as the acidity, breaks down the meat tissues and enhances the savoriness.

After around 2-3 hours, you can finally start grilling. The heat from the oven will further enhance the texture by adding a layer of caramelization. Basting the shrimp with the sauce also keeps the meat from drying out.

24. Fried Calamari (Squid Rings)

Total time: 30 minutes

Although fried food can be pretty greasy, something is captivating about the crunch of the texture when you bite into it. If you’re looking for that experience, this recipe for fried calamari might be the one. The simplicity of this delicacy is going to blow your mind.

Calamari is another name for squid rings, which can be very chewy and sweet. The consistency of the meat will provide an excellent contrast to the crunchy coating, consisting of bread crumbs, flour, and eggs.

Once you finish frying the calamari, the exterior will crisp up and turn a delightful golden color. This version of calamari will go well with a rich saffron-flavored aioli dip, which you can make by combining lemon juice, garlic, and saffron thread.

Without a doubt, fried calamari is one of the best summer appetizers in the world.

25. Oysters Rockefeller

Total time: 30 minutes

The oyster Rockefeller originates in the state of New Orleans, made by a chef called Jules Alciatore in the late 19th. Due to the richness of the delicacy, Jules decided to name it after the wealthiest man during that time, John. D. Rockefeller.

The unique thing about this recipe is the special creamy concoction that tops the salty oyster. To make the sauce, combine garlic, onion, heavy cream, and baby spinach. You can adjust the thickness of the cream based on your preference.

On the other hand, shuck the oysters from the shells and cook them with olive oil. When you have finished, add the oysters to the shells and pour the cream-spinach mixture on top. Before baking, add prosciutto and shredded parmesan for extra savoriness.

With the cheese melting, the oysters will become creamier with a slightly salty undertone. The appetizer is great for a fancy party.

26. Mini Crab Cakes

Total time: 25 minutes

The mini crab cakes are fun little treats for you in the summer, whether you’re staying at home alone or having a small gathering with family and friends.

The ingredient list for the crab cakes consists of crab meat, bread crumbs, and eggs. Of course, you must add a lot of aromatics like red onions, red pepper, and garlic to increase the fragrance and flavors of the crab meat.

The preparation is just mixing the components until you get a batter. You can scoop each portion and toss it into a frying pan using a spoon. When frying the cakes, the exterior will turn golden, turning the texture from runny to crunchy.

The mini crab cakes would go well with a special aioli sauce consisting of garlic, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. The sauce has a pleasant sourness that enhances the sweetness of the crab meat.

27. Ham And Swiss Sliders

Total time: 40 minutes

This ham and swiss sliders recipe can be fantastic starters to get your appetite working. The dish is quick to make, and they can please your guests with the simple combination of cheesy and meaty goodness.

The components of this delicacy include ham, Swiss cheese, and Hawaiian bread rolls, which can be fluffier than your average bread rolls. Split the rolls between the top and bottom to spread a mixture of Dijon mustard, butter, and relish.

The final step is to assemble the ham and cheese between two layers of bread. In the oven, the cheese will melt and spread its creaminess all over the bread. The saltiness from the ham prevents the cheese from being too strong, while the mustard sauce provides a pleasant tang.

28. Bacon Cheeseburger Slider Bake

Total time: 45 minutes

If ham and cheese sliders can’t satisfy your craving, let me introduce you to another recipe called bacon cheeseburger slider bake. This delicacy is a mini version of a cheeseburger, but the components inside are more complex.

Since Hawaiian buns have a distinct taste, the cheeseburger slider bake also uses the same type of bread as the base. Cut the buns in half and bake the bottom parts with a generous amount of cheddar cheese. The cheesy layer will give the bread much-needed saltiness.

In the meantime, cook your ground beef with tomatoes and seasonings (Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce). When the meat has perfectly caramelized, layer it on top of the bottom buns, add more cheese and close it with the top buns.

You can coat the top part of the buns with a glaze (butter, brown sugar, and Worcestershire) so the final product looks shiny and delightful.

29. Gazpacho (Spanish Tomato Soup)

Total time: 15 minutes

Like the pincho morunos you see above, gazpacho is a Spanish dish you will see most during the summer. The main selling point of gazpacho is its focus on cooling you off with an emphasis on cold vegetables.

You should get solid components: cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and shallots. Of course, vegetables will be nothing if you don’t have the necessary aromatics like lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. These ingredients bring vibrancy to the soup.

The “cooking” process is blending everything until you get a smooth liquid. Once you taste it, your mind will experience a tsunami of flavors, like sourness, sweetness, and savoriness from the vegetables.

The coolness of gazpacho can quickly relieve you from the summer heat.

30. Fried Zucchini Sticks

Total time: 13 minutes

The recipe for fried zucchini sticks makes the perfect finger food for your summer game day. The dish is simple to make since you don’t have to prepare many ingredients. The only bad thing about fried zucchini is that the flavors might force you to make more than you plan.

First, cut the zucchini to the length that you want. Next, dip the zucchini portions into flour and then an egg bath. The final coating layer will be necessary, as it holds bread crumbs and parmesan cheese for the creaminess.

When you’re deep-frying the zucchini sticks, make sure to keep an eye on the texture and the color. Once the fries turn golden, take the fries out—the exterior forms a crunchy shell, which is delightful to eat. The zucchini sticks stay quite moist on the inside due to the crust.

31. Zucchini Garlic Bites

Total time: 30 minutes

This recipe also uses zucchini to create a delectable and crunchy treat for the eaters. The excellent little balls are great if you want your summer feast to start with a positive experience. When people bite into the balls, the flavors overwhelm their tongues and mind.

The preparation might not take too much effort since you only have to grate the zucchini and garlic to get folded into a batter. You must add eggs, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and oregano to this mixture.

Instead of using hot oil to fry, which might be unhealthy, the best way to cook zucchini garlic bites is with an oven. As the balls harden thanks to the heat, the outside turns golden brown, signaling that the zucchini bites are ready to serve.

The texture of the bites is crunchy yet tender on the inside. You can feel the zucchini’s sweetness enriched by the fatty cheese.

32. Lettuce Wrap With Dumplings

Total time: 20 minutes

When you want a quick appetizer during the summer, you can always count on this lettuce wrap with dumplings. The recipe takes less than an hour to make, and you can use that free time to focus on the main dish.

The ingredient list for this delicacy includes dumplings, lettuce leaves, and garnish (cilantro, carrots, and green onions). You first must cook the dumplings for a tender texture that you will feel when biting into the lettuce wrap.

Next, you can prepare the peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, warm water, and sweet chili sauce. The peanut-flavored dressing increases the nuttiness of the wrap. Alongside the garnish, this variant of lettuce wrap is refreshing with a crunchy exterior and a chewy core.

Great Appetizers To Reduce Summer Heat Waves

Thanks to the recipes above, you won’t have trouble choosing the right menu for your summer feast. Those dishes are pretty simple, but they can pack a lot of flavors. Once you serve the food to your friends and family, they will return for more.

Thanks for reading, and make sure you like this article and share it with more of your friends on social media. Please comment if you have any questions regarding the dishes, and I will answer them. Until next time, have a nice meal!