Serving snacks before the big game? Make a ham and cheddar cheese ball. Planning a fine dining experience with traditional Italian favorites? Start your guests off with a prosciutto cracker appetizer. Going for something simple like sandwiches, subs, or hoagies? Help get everyone in the mood with a thick, creamy hoagie dip appetizer. There are just so many different ham appetizers out there to suit practically any need. If you’re looking for something that should make everyone happy, try one of these recipes.
1. BBQ Sauce-Glazed Pineapple Ham Picks
I love food that looks interesting and tastes great, and intentionally or not, these BBQ-glazed pineapple ham picks look like tiny houses with skinny chimneys. They’re adorable. They also taste incredible and take only 20 minutes to make. All you’ll have to do is stir together your apple butter and BBQ sauce. Then, stick the ham and pineapples on the skewers and coat them with the BBQ sauce mixture. Finally, you’ll bake them for about 10 minutes, and they’re ready to serve. If you love sweet, apple-smoked BBQ flavor, you’ll go crazy for these bite-sized starters.
2. Ham and Cream Cheese Roll-ups
If possible, these three-ingredient appetizers are even simpler to make than the pineapple ham picks! Cover your ham with cream cheese; then, roll up the ham slice with a pickle spear in the middle. That’s it! You’re done! It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to make a couple of dozen. They’re creamy and have the wonderful flavors of ham and dill pickles, which surprisingly go really well together.
3. Ham and Cheese Sliders
Ask any 8-year-old you know, and they’ll tell you that there’s nothing better on a long, cold day than a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of childhood, but most adults would agree; there’s just something about hot ham and cheese that makes us feel comforted and satiated. And served on buttery Hawaiian sweet rolls with thinly sliced Swiss cheese, these melt-in-your-mouth ham and cheese sliders are even better than the standard sandwich.
4. Pear Prosciutto Appetizer
If you think pairing prosciutto, bleu cheese, honey, fresh red chilis, basil, and black pepper with pears seems like an odd combination, you’re not alone. I was skeptical at first, as well. But I needed a quick, last-minute appetizer – preferably one I didn’t have to cook – and I had all the ingredients at home. So I decided to try it. Frankly, I was shocked at how much I liked them and even more surprised at how quickly my friends cleared the entire plate! I guess it’s just hard to beat an appetizer that manages to combine sweet, salty, savory, and spicy into one delicious, bite-sized treat.
5. Ham and Cheddar Cheese Ball
If you love cheese balls as much as I do, then you probably won’t even need a description of this one to know you’ll enjoy it. It looks just like a football! All it takes is shaping your cheese ball a bit differently and adding a few strips of Swiss cheese on top of the pecan coating. And it’s a cheese ball, so you already know it tastes divine.
6. Prosciutto-Wrapped Caprese Salad Bites Appetizer
It shouldn’t take you more than half an hour to whip up enough of these prosciutto-wrapped Caprese salad bites to feed your entire party. Other than some oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic for seasoning, all you’ll need is prosciutto, basil leaves, mozzarella balls, and cherry tomatoes. There’s no cooking involved. You’ll simply have to assemble, drizzle, and add a bit of salt and pepper. It’s an effortless task, but the results are slightly zesty and 100% super yummy.
7. Prosciutto Cracker Appetizer
If you love prosciutto but aren’t crazy about the idea of cherry tomatoes, basil, and balsamic drizzle, try these prosciutto cracker appetizers instead. The crackers are crunchy and salty; the garlic and cream cheese are smooth and herby, and there’s a light sweetness to the appetizers overall. They’re equally as simple to make and taste just as delicious as, albeit different from, the Caprese bites.
8. Crunchy Swiss and Ham Appetizers
These look like hush puppies, but they have a crunchier, flakier crust and taste nothing like them at all. Instead, these flaky, golden delights contain mashed potatoes, ham, Swiss cheese, onions, and more. They’re like hot ham and cheese sandwiches in crispy, bite-sized portions. They’re simple to make, and you can have nearly eight dozen of them ready to go in less than an hour. If you need a large number of appetizers in a short amount of time, these are the way to go.
9. Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
I know! It’s another ham and cheese appetizer, but to be fair, everyone knows how well ham and cheese go together. Plus, you can make these as simple (ham, cheese, cream cheese, and tortillas) or as complex as you like – add spinach, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and all your other favorite veggies, herbs, and condiments! Either way, they require no cooking, are relatively healthy for you, and both look and taste fantastic. Of course, it goes without saying that you can also use whatever kind of cheese or lunch meat you like best, but since this is a list of ham appetizers, I stuck with ham.
10. Hoagie Dip
Contrary to what you may be thinking, this is not a dip for your hoagies. Instead, it’s a dip made from everything you’d use to make a hoagie — only in dip form! As you would with a regular hoagie, you’ll combine pepperoni, turkey breast, salami, and ham. There’s also provolone cheese, onions, lettuce, banana peppers, tomatoes, mayo, oil, and a ton of Italian spices. You’ll chop, dice, or shred everything until it’s small enough for you to use in a dip. Then, you’ll mix well and serve it with crackers, baguettes, chips, or anything else you like. Trust me; it may look a little odd, but it’s sure to be the star of the show. Click on a star to rate it!
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