There’s nothing we love more than loading up on lots of flavorful small bites — picnics, backyard barbecues and pool parties, included. No matter what kind of get-together you’re hosting, you’re going to need a few appetizers to hold everyone over until your mouthwatering mains come off the grill. You can’t go wrong with picks like summery dips, assorted bruschetta, sliders, a myriad of skewers and appetizers right from the grill — so we’ve rounded up all of that and more, right here. You’ll find everything you need to get the party started, including our take on Baba Ganoush, a classic Levantine eggplant and tahini dip that is beloved throughout the Middle East. Our version calls for grilling the eggplant and skips any yogurt to allow the charred smoky flavor to really shine through.

Sweet mini peppers get halved and filled with a creamy mix of herbed cream cheese and fresh lump crabmeat, then baked until the tops start to brown. They come out of the oven in under twenty minutes, making them a polished little appetizer that's easy to pass around at a summer gathering.

Kardea’s blend of sweet, spicy and smoky flavors prompted several reviewers to name these “the best wings ever.”

Make the most of sweet summer peaches by serving them on a crispy baguette with a tangy goat cheese spread.

Vibrant tomatillos combined with garlic, jalapeño and cilantro makes an easy and flavorful Mexican-style salsa verde that’s perfect for topping tacos or as a dip for crunchy tortilla chips. Roasting the vegetables in a hot pan gives the salsa depth and is an excellent contrast to the lightly sweet and acidic flavor of tomatillos. One of the advantages of making your own salsa is that you control the amount of heat in it: Leave the seeds in the jalapeños for a boldly spiced sauce or take them out for a milder one.

Spiced ground chicken meatballs get a surprise cube of blue cheese tucked inside, then get pan-seared, finished in the oven and tossed in a buttery honey hot sauce before landing on slider buns with pickle chips. They bring serious heat and a little tang to any cookout spread and disappear fast.

We love a good bread bowl so why not a bread platter? Whether you make your own pizza dough or buy it at the store, cooking it on the grill will give you a dough that is golden, crisp and tinged with a subtle smoky flavor. Loaded with warm melting cheese, briny olives and salty charcuterie, the board can be the centerpiece of a snacks and drinks gathering with friends or served alongside a big green salad for the perfect summer dinner.

Stuffed mushrooms are an all-time favorite appetizer, any time of year. Slide them onto a skewer and pop them on the grill for your next outdoor gathering. For a zesty twist on the classic flavors, try substituting fresh chorizo and cilantro for the sausage and parsley.

Ree updates this classic salad by adding a simple balsamic glaze. Just cook the vinegar over low heat until it thickens — and then prepare to be amazed by its sweet and savory flavor!

Guy Fieri's signature Donkey Sauce does double duty in this app: It's used as a binder for the crab cakes and as a dipping sauce — which guarantees every bite is packed with flavor.

Tinned clams are mildly briny, tender and useful in a variety of preparations — pastas, soups or in dips or spreads. These flatbreads make the perfect party starter, if you cut them into wedges or squares.

Trisha’s slightly-spicy appetizer is ideal for pairing with an icy margarita.

Inspired by rotolo di zucchine — a ham, cheese and zucchini-based appetizer from Italy — our version uses thinly sliced prosciutto and homemade scallion cream cheese for a light and refreshing dish you can enjoy all summer long.

This recipe takes baked brie to a whole new level by replacing jam with fresh fruit, herbs and nuts and infusing it all with a touch of smoky flavor from a cedar plank. Keep a close eye on it when grilling — the bottom rind will fully melt if cooked too long, causing the brie to lose its shape and release all the warm gooey cheese!

Waldorf salad is the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It’s refreshing and juicy, and it’s light and crisp at the same time. Instead of serving it in a traditional salad format, try skewering each ingredient for an easy-to-eat appetizer.

Summertime is the pinnacle of caprese season, so we married our love of the grill with our love of this simple classic. The key to this recipe's success is to get the absolute best ingredients you can. Fresh local mozzarella, perfectly ripe tomatoes, good-quality olive oil and a fresh loaf of crusty bread really make a difference here.

These delicious deviled eggs are packed with smoky flavor. Adobo sauce and smoked paprika spice up the yolks, while a quick trip to a hot grill gives the whites a hint of fire and grill marks.

If you’re planning a party or barbecue, having a few appetizers that are easy to eat while standing up will make your guests’ lives much easier. These antipasti skewers are flavorful and filling, and they’re super easy to eat with one hand. The recipe is versatile too, so feel free to swap out any of the ingredients for something else.

Both creamy and citrusy, one taste of these pork skewers will transport you from your backyard to someplace tropical.

Valerie gives salty feta a nice, spicy kick by mixing chile paste and garlic into it. Roasted red pepper rounds the flavor out, adding just a touch of subtle natural sweetness.

Making oysters for a crowd is a whole lot easier with this quick shucking hack. Simply grill the oysters for a few minutes to open the shells, just enough for a knife to easily fit inside. Once the oysters are shucked, you can serve them raw on the half shell with mignonette and lemon wedges, or grill them up with Bourbon BBQ sauce, bacon and chives, or with a flavor-packed garlic, herb and white wine scampi butter. Using a foil roasting pan filled with some coarse sea salt helps keep the oysters from spilling and makes it easy to get them on and off the grill.

For an appetizer that will never fail to impress, serve the bruschetta topping in a separate bowl and let guests build their own. That way, the toast will stay crisp and you can prep the dish ahead of time.

In Mexico, charring vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, peppers and onions is a popular way to add a smokey flavor to salsas, soups, sauces and the like. We used that technique here for both the guacamole and queso. You can also make the rest of the queso on the side burner, if your grill has one. If not, be sure to set the saucepan over high enough heat on the grill so that the mixture simmers. Since queso doesn’t reheat well, make it right before you want to serve it.

Classic Caesar salad undergoes a buffet-ready makeover, here served in crispy crouton cups.

Use a mandoline to turn the vegetables into paper-thin slices, and then find zen while you perfect filling and rolling each lovely bundle. It takes time and practice, so be sure to have a few extra rice wrappers on hand in case some tear.

Fresh and light, Valerie’s mini crab cakes are the perfect recipe for summer entertaining.

When you need an easy appetizer that comes together with just a handful of ingredients, this is your recipe. We love that each perfectly balanced bite is served on its own toothpick, making it easy for guests to mingle and nosh at the same time.

Keep this classic recipe for veggie fries in your back pocket. They're delicious alone (and will certainly satisfy any French fry connoisseur), but they're also a willing blank canvas for dipping sauces and extra toppings.

Everyone's favorite holiday appetizer goes on a tropical vacation, resulting in a sweet-salty twist for your cookout's cheese board.

Giada says, "A piadina is a lot like a pizza, except that the crust doesn't rise and it's typically cooked on a grill to give it a nice, smoky flavor and crunchy crust. You can top a piadina with anything you like. This no-sauce combination is very typical of northern Italy, where piadini are especially popular."

Garlicky and cheesy bread with the butter-and-lemon-herb flavors of shrimp scampi — what's not to love?

Transport the tropics to your backyard with Tyler's island-inspired kebabs. He bastes the skewers while they're cooking on the grill so the barbecue sauce caramelizes right on the chicken and pineapple chunks.

Why go with store-bought salsa when it's so easy to make fresh, spicy salsa all on your own? Alton's secret ingredient: mild, full-of-flavor dried ancho chiles.

Grilled corn and tomatoes give this salsa a smoky-sweet twist.

Fry up some fresh zucchini for a crunchy, Italian-style starter.

Rachael's grilled shrimp recipe doesn't get easier or tastier. Tip: If you don't have a grill, you can broil these shrimp on medium heat.

Marcela removes the seeds from the jalapenos before stuffing them with mozzarella and wrapping them in bacon. Cooking them on the grill sizzles the outside, while the inside becomes oozy and creamy.

Who remembers the bliss of ordering late-night disco fries — topped with gravy and bacon — at the diner? This baked zucchini twist you can make at home is a bit more virtuous, but it still totally hits the spot.

Why should tortilla chips have all the fun? Turn the humble zucchini into crunchy disks, then dress them up with all the fixings — jalapenos, avocado, pico de gallo and more.

Bright and colorful, this goat cheese bruschetta is a deceptively simple appetizer for impromptu gettogethers and big summer bashes alike.

The unlikely pairing of seafood seasoning and sherry creates a savory, sweet butter with slight notes of toffee. 

These easy-to-grill skewers are full of flavor thanks to a tequila-spiked margarita mix marinade.

We made these "fries" round just for fun, but you can certainly slice them into sticks. Spiced up with homemade ranch seasoning and dressing, the fries have a bold flavor that steals the show no matter what shape the veggie.

These bacon-wrapped dates are stuffed with manchego and almonds and grilled to perfection.

For an easy and elegant appetizer, serve sweet and tangy shrimp in endive cups.

Try Aarti's oven-baked appetizers instead of fried jalapeno poppers. She fills the halved peppers with light cream cheese, scallions and apples, then wraps each bite with a bit of bacon.

A reader won the Chairman's Challenge in Food Network Magazine with this creative pineapple recipe. The fruit does double duty: It's combined with the polenta and used in the shrimp's marinade.

We’re willing to bet you’ve never had caprese like this before. Giada freezes a blended tomato sauce and serves the icy mixture with fresh basil, mozzarella and pine nuts. The granita can be made up to four days ahead of time, so feel free to meal prep your summer entertaining menu.

These clever foil packets are quick to put together and cook up perfectly for a summer barbecue. And because they are personal size, your guests can eat them with our suggested toppings or their favorites. 

There's a meal's worth of flavor contained in just one bite of Bobby's snackable baguettes topped with creamy ricotta, grilled shallot relish and sweet Italian sausage.

The combination of panko and cornmeal makes these fries (inspired by the flavors of Louisiana) especially crunchy. Serve them in cute paper cups for a picnic-style party wherever you are.

Sunny's take on this fiesta favorite will liven up your next party.

Turn the dreaded chore of cleaning out the fridge into a delicious and light no-cook summer appetizer with Ree’s gazpacho.

Watch with amazement as one little zucchini morphs into a giant platter of fries that rivals any fairground food. Change up the batter by using a beer with more pronounced hops (like an IPA), if you like.

When it's fried green tomato season, we mean, summer, this recipe from Trisha Yearwood is a must-have. Keep it on hand and you can turn out irresistible crowd-pleasers for every party. Her creamy dipping sauce is just the right amount of spicy.

Juicy shrimp are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of garlic, jalapenos, scallions and cilantro that also adds vibrant color to this two-bite appetizer.

Make restaurant-style guacamole at home for your next picnic. It's best served fresh, so make it just before guests arrive; if you're bringing guac to a party, take the ingredients with you and make it when you arrive.

The stir-fried filling in Rachael's lettuce wraps boasts crunch, bright colors and flavor from oranges and hoisin.

"There is, to me, no better thing than when a food can be cooked in its own shell for deep, authentic and simple flavor," says Alex. "Be patient with the clams. Sometimes they can take a few minutes to open on the grill. I find that when I give up and turn my back on them, that’s when they open."

Blend canned white beans with garlic, lemon and olive oil for a super-flavorful, easy-to-make dip to serve with homemade pita chips or sliced vegetables.

When you shuck your oysters, make sure to leave as much of the oyster’s juices — its liquor — in the shell as possible so it stays moist. As for the Jalapeno-Herb Mignonette, if you aren’t into fresh cilantro, rest assured that fresh chives or tarragon can do the trick too.

Ayesha’s crispy hush puppies are the best way to kick off a summer fish fry and, best of all, take less than 30 minutes to put together. 

The cold-smoked tomatoes add some depth to this tropical and spicy seafood dish while plantain chips provide a perfect, mildly sweet crunch.

This crunchy snack, topped with blue cheese and hot sauce, boasts all the usual flavors of the fan-favorite wings — but lets vegetarians dig in too.