Vegetarian Appetizers

From ricotta stuffed squash blossoms to easy hummus with tahini, here are fabulous vegetarian appetizers.

1 of 22

Provençal Vegetable Tart

Before she opened Vergennes Laundry, Julianne Jones sold savory tarts at the local farmers' market. This one is made with the vegetables that are in ratatouille.

More Savory Pies and Tarts

2 of 22

Squash Blossoms with Pimento Ricotta

FREDRIKA STJÄRNE

Go to Recipe

Leigh Magar loves the fresh taste of edible flowers. For her, Matt Lee and Ted Lee created a new version of a Tuscan classic, fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta. They mix the ricotta with pimentos—an homage to pimento cheese, a Southern favorite—and serve the blossoms raw.

More Squash Recipes

3 of 22

Feta-and-Radish Toasts

Go to Recipe

Chef Steven Satterfield says you can use any assortment of radishes for these toasts, like watermelon, pink beauty, cherry belle or d'Avignon. If you slice the radishes ahead of time, keep them in a bowl of ice water, which makes them extra cold and crispy.

More Radish Recipes

4 of 22

Tomato Tartlets

Go to Recipe

These luscious little tarts are filled with fresh ricotta. The trick to making the cheese silky is to puree it before spreading it on the flaky pastry and topping it with oven-roasted tomatoes.

More Savory Tarts

5 of 22

Mustard Green–and–Sweet Onion Frittata

Go to Recipe

Although high in cholesterol, eggs are a terrific source of bone-building vitamins D and K. Gabe Thompson combines them with nutrient-rich mustard greens in this healthy frittata.

More Tasty, Healthy Recipes

6 of 22

Stuffed Baby Peppers with Yogurt and Floral Honey

Go to Recipe

"Honey is an incredible anti-everything," says Jovial King. "It's antibacterial, antiviral and great for combating allergies, as long as it's raw." Marcia Kiesel uses King's flower-infused honey in savory dishes, like these yogurt-stuffed peppers.

More Delicious Hors D'Oeuvres

7 of 22

Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Smashed Fresh Favas

John Kernick

Go to Recipe

Puréed fava beans make for a quick and delicious bruschetta topping, especially when paired with slices of fresh mozzarella.

More Bruschetta and Crostini Recipes

8 of 22

Crispy Kale with Lemon-Yogurt Dip

Frances Janisch

Go to Recipe

"I like the idea of making a healthy kind of potato chip that's not one of those packaged, dehydrated vegetable chips," Seamus Mullen says. He roasts kale with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic until it's crunchy.

More Kale Recipes

9 of 22

Baked Sweet Potato and Tempeh Empanadas

Go to Recipe

Tempeh has a long way to go before it becomes as popular as other soy products, but its wonderfully firm texture and versatility make it an excellent protein source. Here, it’s a stand-in for ground meat in a vegan baked empanada.

More Tasty Cauliflower Recipes

10 of 22

Zucchini-and-Pepper Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

Go to Recipe

Switzerland has been making Sbrinz—a hard, aged, cow's-milk cheese—for centuries. Daniel Humm uses the pleasantly salty Sbrinz to top a gratin made with a ratatouille-like mix of sautéed zucchini strips, bell peppers and tomato. Parmigiano-Reggiano, another hard, aged, cow's milk cheese, is a fine substitute.

More Zucchini Recipes

11 of 22

Leek-and-Mushroom Croquettes

Go to Recipe

You also can make the croquettes larger for a vegetarian main course.

More Delicious Vegetarian Recipes

12 of 22

Mozzarella with Summer Squash and Olive Puree

Go to Recipe

This dish from chef Mathieu Perez is a take on the classic Italian mozzarella-tomato-basil Caprese salad. It depends on young, very fresh zucchini and summer squash. To prepare the recipe like Perez, grate the olives finely with a Microplane grater instead of pureeing them.

More Squash Recipes

13 of 22

Goat CheeseStuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs

Go to Recipe

Goat's-milk cheeses are typically lower in cholesterol, calories and fat—and higher in calcium—than cow's-milk ones. Here, creamy chèvre is stuffed into antioxidant-rich mushrooms and topped with crispy herbed bread crumbs.

Mushroom Recipes

14 of 22

Bruschetta

Go to Recipe

This basic bruschetta recipe can be topped with endless combinations of ingredients.

More Appetizer Recipes and Tips

15 of 22

Parmesan Tuiles with Heirloom Tomato Salad

Go to Recipe

Chopped red, green and orange tomatoes are tossed with olive oil and herbs, then served on Parmesan tuiles. The result: a supremely colorful, incredibly easy hors d'oeuvre.

More Amazing Tomato Recipes

16 of 22

Palestinian Spinach Pies

Go to Recipe

The spinach filling in these fatayer, inspired by a recipe from Palestinian-born baker Maha Ziadeh, isn't flavored with feta, as it is in the more common Greek spinach pies. Instead, it's spiked with lemon and sumac, a tangy Middle Eastern spice. Ziadeh forms the pies into a triangle, but the half-moon shape here is simpler to do.

More Terrific Spinach Recipes

17 of 22

Summer Radishes with Chèvre, Nori and Smoked Salt

Go to Recipe

In this very simple appetizer, Jeremy Fox combines slivers of nori with bits of goat cheese—a clever, tantalizing mix of salty and creamy—then serves the dish with radishes and a sprinkle of smoked salt.

More Quick Appetizers

18 of 22

Hazelnut Profiteroles with Blue Cheese and Grapes

Go to Recipe

Shawn McClain pokes a hole in the sides of his savory cream puffs when they come out of the oven to release the steam, then fills them with a creamy mixture of blue cheese and mascarpone.

More Great Cheesy Dishes

19 of 22

Herbed Zucchini Feta Fritters

Go to Recipe

"When I was a kid, my mom fried zucchini fritters when I got home from school; I would steal a couple while they were still hot," says Didem Senol. "When I started cooking, I decided to work on my childhood recipe. I added herbs and feta and reduced the amount of flour to make them fluffier."

More Delicious Vegetarian Recipes

20 of 22

Easy Hummus with Tahini

Go to Recipe

Hummus can do more than cling to a carrot stick. Grace Parisi's sublime version adds nutty flavor to potato salad, eggs and soup.

More Middle Eastern Dishes

21 of 22

Tomato Salsa with Cucumber "Chips"

Go to Recipe

This healthy take on the traditional chips-and-salsa combo is nearly fat-free and super-refreshing. The antioxidant-rich salsa is delicious served right after it's made, but the flavors meld nicely after a day or two in the refrigerator.

More Terrific Cucumber Recipes

22 of 22

Asparagus-and-Ricotta Toasts

Go to Recipe

Gerard Craft likes using extremely fresh ricotta cheese for his toasts. He tops the cheese with sautéed asparagus that he tosses with fresh lemon juice, which brightens the flavors considerably.

More Ricotta Recipes

Replay gallery

Your Profile

Vegetarian Appetizers

1 of 22

Provençal Vegetable Tart

1 of 22

2 of 22

Squash Blossoms with Pimento Ricotta

2 of 22

3 of 22

Feta-and-Radish Toasts

3 of 22

4 of 22

Tomato Tartlets

4 of 22

5 of 22

Mustard Green–and–Sweet Onion Frittata

5 of 22

6 of 22

Stuffed Baby Peppers with Yogurt and Floral Honey

6 of 22

7 of 22

Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Smashed Fresh Favas

7 of 22

8 of 22

Crispy Kale with Lemon-Yogurt Dip

8 of 22

9 of 22

Baked Sweet Potato and Tempeh Empanadas

9 of 22

10 of 22

Zucchini-and-Pepper Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

10 of 22

11 of 22

Leek-and-Mushroom Croquettes

11 of 22

12 of 22

Mozzarella with Summer Squash and Olive Puree

12 of 22

13 of 22

Goat CheeseStuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs

13 of 22

14 of 22

Bruschetta

14 of 22

15 of 22

Parmesan Tuiles with Heirloom Tomato Salad

15 of 22

16 of 22

Palestinian Spinach Pies

16 of 22

17 of 22

Summer Radishes with Chèvre, Nori and Smoked Salt

17 of 22

18 of 22

Hazelnut Profiteroles with Blue Cheese and Grapes

18 of 22

19 of 22

Herbed Zucchini Feta Fritters

19 of 22

20 of 22

Easy Hummus with Tahini

20 of 22

21 of 22

Tomato Salsa with Cucumber "Chips"

21 of 22

22 of 22

Asparagus-and-Ricotta Toasts

22 of 22

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Goat CheeseStuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs