Great Grilled Appetizers for Your Outdoor Party (2024)

Growing up, Michael Symon's Greek family always dipped their grilled meat in yogurt, a habit his friends found strange. Cooking with yogurt has become mainstream — you find it in all sorts of sauces. He's still convinced it's best on grilled meat like these kebabs, though.

Recipe: Lazy Meatball Kebabs with Yogurt

Fresh and colorful, this tantalizing vegan appetizer uses the best of late summer produce.

Recipe: Pumpernickel with Avocado, Charred Corn, and Tomato

For this excellent appetizer, jumbo shrimp are marinated in chile-garlic oil, then wrapped with bacon and grilled. They're served with a house-made co*cktail sauce that's spiked with horseradish.

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with co*cktail Sauce

Tender steak wraps around hearty, healthy greens in this perfectly balanced, Asian-inspired appetizer.

Recipe: Kale-and-Scallion Negimaki

If you're intimidated by shucking oysters, this recipe for barbecued oysters is for you. When you grill them, steam builds up inside the shells until they pop open. Then you slather a little garlicky red barbecue sauce on each oyster, put them back on the grill to get hot and bubbly, and you're done. At a party, bring your oysters to the grill and show your guests how it's done so they can barbecue their own.

Recipe: Spicy Barbecued Oysters

This creative dish will astound any pizza-lover.

Recipe: Figs, Rosemary, and Parmesan Grilled Pizza

Grilled artichokes and dip make a simple but special appetizer for your summer cookout.

Recipe: Grilled Artichokes with Creamy Butter Dip

At the Portland, Oregon, restaurant Pok Pok, Chef Andy Ricker roasts these meaty, tender ribs for two to three hours over a low fire for a fabulously smoky flavor. In this easy adaptation, the ribs are slow-cooked in the oven, then finished on the grill. Baby back ribs cut across the bone are the classic Thai choice, but whole ribs are just as delicious.

Recipe: Honey-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Whiskey Marinade

These easy, bite-size appetizers pair grilled red potatoes with a classic combination of smoked salmon, sour cream, and dill. Also, this dish is quite economical since the salmon serves mostly as a flavoring agent for the budget-friendly potato.

Recipe: Potato Halves with Smoked Salmon and Dill

Savory wild mushrooms and creamy fresh cheese make a deeply satisfying topper for simply grilled bread.

Recipe: Wild Mushroom and Burrata Bruschetta

Serve this strong-flavored spicy grilled shrimp as an appetizer with crusty bread and a bold Sauvignon Blanc.

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp with Citrus-Sambal-Oelek Dressing

Serve these grilled nectarines with lightly sweetened mascarpone (Italian cream cheese) as a first course or a sophisticated dessert. Look for balsamic glaze near balsamic vinegar in well-stocked supermarkets or use honey for a sweeter taste.

Recipe: Grilled Nectarines with Mascarpone Cream

With a topping of sauteed mushrooms, onions, and rich blue cheese, these little burgers are a flavorful addition to your next barbecue or cookout spread.

Recipe: Steak-House Sliders with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

These deliciously-spiced, grilled chicken skewers are perfect with a sweet-and-tangy peanut sauce.

Recipe: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Bread flour has more gluten than all-purpose, which makes for a chewy and tender crust. While it's not necessary to let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, the results will be more flavorful. A pizza peel is a shovel that can be used to slide the flatbreads onto the grill.

Recipe: Grilled Cornmeal Flatbreads with Peaches, Serrano Ham, and Spicy Greens

This is a fun little appetizer of mussels roasted with salsa verde, a bold-flavored Italian sauce made with lots of fresh herbs, garlic, and anchovies. We blanch the garlic in this version to give it a more subtle flavor that doesn't overpower the mussels. The bonus in this recipe is that you get leftover mussel broth, which is a delicious base for seafood soups and sauces.

Recipe: Grilled Mussels with Salsa Verde

Classic Andalucian gazpacho combines raw vegetables like tomatoes and onions with red wine vinegar for a little kick. We've transformed the recipe by using grilled vegetables brightened with a blend of vinegar, orange juice, and lemon juice.

Recipe: Grilled-Vegetable Gazpacho

These grilled Cuban sandwich-style quesadillas are easy to eat out of hand, making them a great dish for backyard drinks and appetizers.

Recipe: Cubano Quesadillas

In this fun incarnation of Caesar salad, grilling romaine with a light brushing of oil boosts its flavor while adding few calories. For the dressing, Kerry Simon ingeniously swaps in low-fat mayonnaise for egg yolks.

Recipe: Seared Romaine Spears with Caesar Dressing