10 of the very best gluten-free appetizers to serve up at your Thanksgiving gathering! We have you covered with both chilled and warm appetizers that you can mostly make-ahead!
1. Instant Pot Hummus (No Soak!)
Making hummus at home doesn’t have to be intimidating! After much trial and error, I’ve perfected using the Instant Pot to create homemade, creamy hummus in under an hour (because of pressurizing and depressurizing time). This mostly hands-off recipe gets rave reviews from readers and doesn’t even require pre-soaking the beans. It intentionally makes extra cooked beans and bean liquid to use for future batches of hummus (tuck those in the freezer). You can make the beans up to three days in advance and then whip up the fresh hummus in about 5 minutes Thanksgiving morning. Serve with your favorite veggies and watch disappear!
2. 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Bean Dip
My 3-Ingredient warm bean dip is one of the easiest gluten-free appetizers you can make. Dump and go, hands-off and can stay warm in the slow cooker. A small slow cooker is better if you have one but don’t stress, I’ve made this in a 6-Quart and just had lots of extra room. To save even more time, you can combine the ingredients in the slow cooker insert the night before, then turn on low a few hours before your guests arrive. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and topped with my famous pickled jalapenos!
3. Deviled Eggs with Truffle Salt
Kick your deviled eggs up a notch with my Truffle Salt Deviled Eggs. Based on an old family recipe and super easy to make, these taste elegant and sophisticated but are ready in about 20 minutes. To save time, you can hard-cook the eggs and make the filling up to 2 days in advance, BUT, I recommend filling them right before serving to keep them looking beautiful for your guests!
4. Rosemary Mixed Nuts
Mixed nuts are an easy gluten-free snack to have on hand for Thanksgiving and our Rosemary Mixed Nuts combine fresh rosemary, salt, nuts and dried cranberries for a festive nut mix that really feels like Fall. You can make this up to one week in advance but I highly recommend doubling the recipe as you know you will be steady snacking until turkey day.
5. Old Bay Shrimp
Old Bay Shrimp is one of my favorite gluten-free appetizers to bring to someone else’s house. They take all of about 10 minutes to make, look and feel super fancy, and taste even better. You can serve them warm (if serving at home) or chilled (to take along). Either way, make sure to bring an extra sprinkle of Old Bay as some like these shrimp extra spicy!
6. Marinated Goat Cheese (Cana de Cabra)
Cana de Cabra is a Spanish goat cheese that comes in rounds. It has a soft inside and firm rind which makes it perfect for marinating. Here, we use a combination of toasted almonds, parsley, olive oil, and spices to create an easy and stunning cheese appetizer that will W-O-W all of your family and friends. Serve with your favorite (GF) crackers or crusty (GF) bread and be prepared for people to ask you for the recipe!
7. Greek Salad Bites
Everything you love about Greek salad but on a stick. Easy, adorable, low carb, vegetarian, and of course, naturally gluten-free! Greek salad bites are the perfect appetizer to hold everyone over until the main meal. To save time you can prepare all of the elements the day before but I recommend assembling the morning of Thanksgiving to keep the cut cucumbers looking fresh.
8. Cheesesteak Stuffed Mushrooms
When it comes to hot gluten-free appetizers, stuffed mushrooms are a classic. Here, we have the flavors of a Philly Cheesesteak neatly packed into a low-carb mushroom cap. For Thanksgiving, I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe and prepping everything in advance. You can cook the filling and stuff the mushrooms up to two days ahead. Remove uncooked stuffed mushrooms from the fridge about 1/2 hour before cooking, top with shredded cheese and pop into the oven just before your guests arrive.
9. Keto Antipasto Cups
For all of your guests who are eating Keto, we have you covered with a Keto Antipasto cup using baked salami rounds to form cups. You can make the baked salmi rounds the day before as well as mix the antipasto filling BUT don’t fill these until your guests arrive (or fill when you get to your Thanksgiving gathering) so that the salami cups don’t absorb too much extra moisture!
10. Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates with a Kick
Have you ever tasted a naturally sweet Medjool date stuffed with spicy pepper jack cheese and then wrapped with smoky bacon? If not, you better head over and print this recipe out STAT. I include directions to cook these on a cast-iron skillet on the BBQ grill (in case you are out of oven space for the turkey and sides) but you can also pop them on a tray and bake at 375F until the bacon is brown and the cheese is melted!
Soooo, which do you think you will make? Please, please make sure to come back and tell me. I love hearing about my recipes in the wild!
Happy Thanksgiving, xo alyssa
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