Food and Recipes Appetizers The 20 Best Appetizers From Grandma’s Recipe Box By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Senior Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on June 30, 2024 Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox No matter what your reason was for visiting Grandma's house was, or how long you'd be there, she probably always started offering food in the form of a snack or appetizer as soon as you walked through the door. From homemade snack mixes to warm dips to cheese in a variety of forms and more, it's easy to see why Southern grandmothers have long served these classic appetizers. They're easy to make while still delivering plenty of flavor, and many of them have a short ingredient list so she probably always had the ingredients on hand so she could whip up an appetizer at any time.These classic appetizer recipes just like Grandma used to make are easy to pull together and are sure to be passed down for generations to come. 50 Last-Minute Appetizers That Are Ready In 25 Minutes Or Less 01 of 20 Sausage Balls Emily Laurae/Southern Living This classic, no-fuss appetizer comes together using just three ingredients. get the recipe 02 of 20 Cheese Dreams Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn These cheesy treats can be stored in the freezer, so they're great to keep on hand for drop-in guests so you'll never be without a appetizer to serve, which we're sure would make Grandma proud. get the recipe 03 of 20 Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox When making homemade Pimiento Cheese, make sure to hand shred the cheese for this classic dip just like Grandma always did. get the recipe 04 of 20 Classic Deviled Eggs Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Grandma could probably whip up a batch of deviled eggs without even looking at the recipe. get the recipe 05 of 20 Nuts and Bolts Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Homemade snack mix can be easily customized to be made with the ingredients of your choice. You can skip the nuts, use cayenne pepper for a little spice, or add a few more Cheez-Its. Just make sure the mixture is well-coated before baking. get the recipe 06 of 20 Stuffed Mushrooms Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Stuffed mushrooms are a classic, easy appetizer but are slightly more elevated and will look great on the spread of any dinner party. get the recipe 07 of 20 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland The not-so-secret ingredient Southerners use to make the best slow-cooker meatballs is grape jelly. get the recipe 08 of 20 Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Emily Laurae No cooking or prep is involved to pull together this two-ingredient appetizer that has long been a favorite of Southern grandmothers. get the recipe 09 of 20 Ham-and-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Southerners will always love Hawaiian rolls, and this classic slider recipe is just one of the reasons. get the recipe 10 of 20 Spinach-Artichoke Dip Caitlin Bensel A good dip is a welcome appetizer for any occasion. Offer chips, vegetables, or a combination of both for dipping. get the recipe 11 of 20 Party Cheese Ball Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox This basic cheese ball recipe comes together in just 10 minutes. get the recipe 12 of 20 Baked Brie In Puff Pastry Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Easily upgrade Brie into a warm appetizer by baking it in a prepared puff pastry from the grocery store. get the recipe 13 of 20 Cheddar Cheese Straws Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Pantry staples come together to create one of the South's favorite appetizers. get the recipe 14 of 20 Buttered Saltines Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen You can keep both ingredients for this simple, two-ingredient appetizer on hand so you can easily pull an appetizer together even with short notice. get the recipe 15 of 20 Texas Caviar Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox This no-cook dip just requires some chopping and a little stirring to pull together. get the recipe 16 of 20 Picnic Egg Salad Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Whether served on top of a baguette, as a sandwich, or with crackers, you can't go wrong with egg salad as an appetizer for lunch. get the recipe 17 of 20 Toasted Pecans Photo: Iain Bagwell A bowl of toasted nuts is the perfect pre-meal snack that won't fill guests up before the main meal. Grandma even probably had a special bowl reserved for setting them out. get the recipe 18 of 20 Rotel Sausage Dip Caitlin Bensel Rotel and Velveeta are a dynamic duo that Southerners will always love, For a lighter version, you can skip the sausage. get the recipe 19 of 20 Ham Salad Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox There's no way this creamy, meaty salad would not top Grandma's lists of must-serve recipes. Whip this up in just 10 minutes, and scoop on crackers and toasted baguettes. get the recipe 20 of 20 Ritz Cracker Party Sandwiches Morgan Hunt Glaze; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling Ritz are always in the pantry at Grandma's house. And this recipe makes them the star of the sandwich, which is layered with meat, cheese, and pepper jelly. get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit