Healthy Appetizers: The Perfect Super Bowl Recipe Ideas

The beloved Super Bowl is coming up. Healthy appetizers are a must to have for your Super Bowl party. I’m sharing some of my favorite easy and healthy appetizer recipes in this week’s post. Not just for football but for any party you are hosting. These easy and healthy appetizer recipes will surely wow every party guest. 

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Why These Healthy Appetizer Recipes Are A Must

• These are easy and healthy appetizer recipes because they don’t take all day in the kitchen plus they include lots of veggies.
• Under 30 minutes and done. I like that!
• They are made with real, whole food ingredients
• Even better they are all dairy free. All but one are gluten free.
• The cashew cookie bars are my kids absolute favorite and they pack in all the good nutrition!
• They include lots of veggies and will leave every meat eater hungry for more

So without any more waiting here are my top favorite healthy appetizer recipes to enjoy!!

Crispy Veggie Wontons:

These amazing Veggie Wontons will knock your socks off. You think you just ordered from PF Changs but you will do your insides a favor by making these instead. My version is made with fresh, whole food ingredients, plus a lot less sodium.

These are dairy free but not gluten free. To make them gluten free you can use the rice paper wraps. If you have or have a recipe please comment below! I’d love to hear what you have found!

These are actually really easy to make. Don’t let the title fool you and think they’ll be difficult. Super easy appetizer.  CLICK HERE to check it out.

Collard Sushi rolls:

My good friend, Caroline, introduced me to these collard sushi rolls. and I have made them the past three years for any get together as one of my healthy appetizers. It does not disappoint. Plus, everyone is pleasantly surprised with how good they are.

I also made them for my birthday get together last year and people were ALL over them because of their amazing flavor! They are as simple as this. Recipe below: 

Ingredients For Collard Roll Sushi

• 1 bundle of collard leaves (peel the stem off the middle)
• 1 container hummus (pick your fav flavor)
• 1 bag frozen onions/peppers mix (will use about 1/2 cup)
• 1 zucchini (chopped) 
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup chickpeas 
• 1/2 cup corn (I use frozen organic corn)
• 1/4 tsp of each: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder)
• 2 tbsp Tesse Maes Dairy Free Habanero Ranch (this dressing has eggs so if you are vegan pick a vegan ranch)

Instructions For Collard Greens Sushi Rolls

1. Peel stem off middle of collards. I just take a knife and slide down the stem. You don’t want to completely remove it, just get the hard part off. 
2. Place collard leaves in boiling water for two minutes.
3. Remove and place on flat surface.
4. Then spread hummus in the middle. This is about 1 tbsp on each collard. 
5. Sauté shredded or chopped zucchini, black beans, chickpeas, corn, and peppers with olive oil.
6. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika. **You can use any veggies or beans that you like**
7. When done cooking veggies/bean mixture, toss them with Tesse Maes habanero ranch dressing.
8. Then place on top of hummus. This will be about 1 tbsp of veggies/beans for each roll.
9. Roll up tightly and cut like sushi or leave rolled up. If you put too much hummus or veggie mixture it will ooze out and be hard to roll up. So use just a little and see how it rolls up first. 
10. I like to serve some habanero ranch as a dipping sauce on the side too. 

Lentil and Bruschetta Dip

1. 1-2 Containers of Trader Joes Bruschetta (it’s found near the hummus and salsa. It’s the olive oil based kind).
2. 1 pack of already steamed lentils. Found at Target or Trader Joes. Found in the bean/rice section at Target and in the produce section at Trader Joes.
3. Mix the two together and serve with tortilla chips. We like to serve with Black Bean tortilla chips!

This is by far the best party dip ever! It’s definitely one of the easiest and healthy super bowl appetizers! 

Pickled Shrimp

My good friend’s dad makes the absolute best pickled shrimp. A few years ago I had it for the first time and I love to make this easy dish.

It’s easy, fresh, and you can add any veggies you have on had to it. This is a recipe I found that is easy and I decrease the oil used in the recipes. I also add bell peppers, cucumbers, and okra to mine. Check it out HERE.

To keep it completely plant based substitute the shrimp for chickpeas. I haven’t tried it with chickpeas but I use chickpeas in a lot of dishes and really like their texture. You can always leave out the chickpeas and just do pickled veggies.

That would be amazing too and then you’d have a new healthy appetizer recipe for any occasion. Plus, the pickled veggies are great for the gut and you could have for the week as a snack, on top of salads, with lunch or dinner. 

Cashew Cookie Bars With Chocolate Chips

As a feeding therapist and health conscious Mom I am all about moderation because I want my kids to grow up having a healthy relationship with food.

I am also all about helping them learn how to make special treats that consists of whole food nutrition. I want them to know that real whole food taste just as good as a store bought item.

One day we were in the kitchen and my son loves cashews so I decided to throw some ingredients together. We were all surprised by how amazing these cashew cookie bars with chocolate chips are. We eat them for snack, breakfast, dessert, whenever!

These are dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. We use the Enjoy Life brand of chocolate chips. The mini chocolate chips are our fav! 

They are definitely a regular in our house. They are the perfect sweet treat to be added to your list of healthy appetizer recipes for your weekday or party. We all love a good sweet treat at a party.

CLICK HERE to check out my favorite cashew cookie bar recipe.

Air Fryer Onion Rings

I LOVE LOVE my air fryer. It cooks anything and I love the way it makes food crispy on the outside. We are gluten and dairy free so I’m always on the hunt for food finds that taste good and aren’t full of too much junk. 

Ian’s makes really good GF onion rings. They are found in the frozen food section along with other onion rings and fries. I pop these bad boys into the air fryer and they come out crispy and so good. These are perfect for any party as they stay pretty crispy once cooked and out on a platter. 

I’d find a favorite dip to have with these. It could be as simple as ketchup, honey mustard, Ranch, or Habanero Ranch. 

Of course you can make your own onion rings by slicing down onions into rings, dipping into eggs, then coating with Ian’s GF bread crumbs. Put a little olive oil on your hands and rub together all over your palms.  Then pat each onion ring with hands. 

Place in the air fryer on 400 for about 10-12 minutes. You may have to flip halfway through. 

You can find Ian’s HERE

Cucumber Salad 

 I love this colorful and yummy salad. It’s one of the prettiest salads and a perfect healthy super bowl appetizers around. I also like this dish because it’s cold and most super bowl food ends up being warm foods. 

It add a nice change to all the heavier based foods you typically have at parties. It’s light and won’t leave you feeling bloated and heavy. 

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers chopped
• 1 pack of grape tomatoes (chopped in half lengthwise)
• 4 radishes (sliced in thin slices)
• 1/4 cup Favorite Italian or Vinaigrette dressing (I love Aldi’s brand of House Vinaigrette or Ken’s Simply Vinaigrette dressing)

Optional: For extra plant power here are some additional items for this already healthy super bowl appetizer.  Add in a couple baby bell peppers chopped, chickpeas (drained), chopped zucchini, feta cheese (if dairy free you can use vegan parmesan cheese which is great too)

Instructions

1. Wash and chop cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes. I like to chop cucumbers into fourths instead of just in half because you get a little bit of a couple veggies on your spoon or fork.
2. Chop any extra veggies.
3. Pour about 1/4 cup dressing over veggies and mix. If adding feta or vegan parm then go ahead and sprinkle on top.
4. Set in fridge until ready to serve. This stays in the fridge nicely for about 4-5 days and is one of the perfect plant based and healthy super bowl appetizers. 

Graze Trays For The Kids 

As a feeding therapist I love creating meals that are kid friendly. Kids want food that looks appealing and taste good! I love to put out graze trays because they are colorful, have a variety of foods, look appealing, and lots of yummy foods/snacks in them. 

Plus they have so much variety that there is typically something for all kids included in this graze tray. I also like them because they can take the pressure of kids, especially picky eaters, when they can grab what they want. 

You can use a platter with cupcake holders or you can use a cupcake pan. I like to use the 12 cup cupcake pan. I also love these silicon cupcake liners from Amazon that you can find HERE. These are even great for lunch boxes to separate lunch items out. 

Food For The Graze Trays

Veggies 

• Cucumber slices or sticks
• Celery sticks 
• Jicama sticks (found in produce, white in color, mild flavor, crunchy)
• Radish slices (sliced thin)
• Carrots sticks, chips, or baby carrots
• Baby Bell peppers sliced into long strips 

Fruits

• Blueberries 
• Blackberries 
• Grapes (if younger kids are present then slice into fourths or lengthwise because of choking hazards)
• Strawberries (can slice in half or keep whole)
• Apple slices or rings (cut the apple horizontally)
• Pear slices 

Fruit, veggie, and berry chewables for all ages. My most easiest Mom hack I’ve found. Literally just dehydrated fruits, veggies, and berries in a chewable. No fillers, no preservatives, no junk. Just food! Plus, For kids over four they can eat free!!

Dips and Snacky Foods

• Chocolate hummus, Cool Whip (love the So Delicious DF brand), Hummus, Ranch, Ketchup, Salsa, Guacamole, Bruschetta-Lentil dip from recipe above
• Tortilla scoops or regular Tortilla chips  
• GF Pretzel sticks (my kids also love the Synder brand GF Honey Mustard Pretzels)
• Pieces of granola bars (we love the Kind Kids, Made Good granola bars or ball, and Annies GF granola bars)
• Energy Balls (recipe below)

Place a few veggies, chips/snacks, and fruits into the cupcake holders. Place a couple dips into the cupcake holders too. Kids absolutely love these graze trays because they are fun, colorful, and sure to have something for everyone. 

This is my kid’s favorite healthy super bowl appetizers to make!

Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers

These are one of the easiest and quickest healthy appetizers you can make. I also love them for lunch and snacks during the busy work week. Literally, you can throw these together in about 10 minutes. Just lay out on a platter and boom you are done! 

Ingredients For Baby Bell Peppers

• 1 bag of Baby Bell Peppers 
• 1 container Hummus 

Instructions

1. Cut the top off of each baby bell pepper. 
2. Make sure the seeds are mostly out of each pepper. 
3. Take a knife and scoop out some hummus. Places hummus inside each baby bell pepper. Make sure you place enough hummus in each pepper to fill it up. 
4. Then run knife along top of pepper to make sure it’s smooth across the top. Lay on a platter and everyone will enjoy these beauties. 

Note: You can use any hummus flavor that you like. It’s fun to switch it up! 

Energy Balls 

Oh, these are one of my favorite because I love a little sweet treat but I don’t always want it to be so sweet that I feel yucky! These pack a plant powered punch and are perfect for kids too.

I have a whole book of these recipes that our Health Made Simple Pro Community has made but for now I’m giving you my kid’s favorite energy ball recipe. Make extra of these because I promise you they will go fast!

CLICK HERE to see the easy peasy recipe. 

Hummus Dip

This dip is easy and colorful. Most likely you already have the ingredients in your fridge. We make this gluten free by using BFree brand pita flat bread. You can also use regular pita bread, tortilla chips, or fresh veggies to scoop dip with. 

Ingredients for Hummus Dip 

• 1 container hummus (if large crowd use 2 containers)
• 1/2 -1 cucumber (chopped small)
• 1/2 container grape tomatoes (chopped in half)
• Drizzle of Italian dressing (optional) 
• Feta crumbles (optional)
• 1-2 packs of GF or regular pita bread OR tortilla chips OR fresh cut veggies to scoop 

Instructions

1. Spread a small amount of olive oil and garlic salt on the GF pita bread. Stick in the oven on 350 until lightly crispy. If using veggies chop and set aside. If using tortilla chips place in a bowl. 
2. Once pitas are done, cut into triangles. 
3. Place hummus in a bowl or small serving platter. 
4. Cut cucumbers and tomatoes. Layer on top of hummus. Do not mix in. 
5. Drizzle with Italian dressing and sprinkles of feta. If you are dairy free then leave out the feta. 
6. Place pita bread, tortillas, or veggies all around the hummus dip and serve. 

Smoked Salmon Roll Ups 

This is my aunts dish and it is amazing! Easy and such good flavor. She makes it with regular cream cheese but I use the DF cream cheese. I like the miyokos brand the best. This is for sure a crowd pleaser. 

Ingredients

• 1 pack of smoked salmon (wild caught)
• 1 container cream cheese (dairy free or regular)
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing (I like Tesse Maes DF ranch)
• 2 tbsp capers (drained)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion 
• 1 pack of GF soft tortilla shells (BFree brand spinach, sweet potato, or regular)

Instructions

1. Cut onion into finely chopped pieces. 
2. Lay tortilla flat on the counter or cutting board. 
3. Mix 1/2 container of cream cheese with 1 tbsp ranch dressing. If making for a large crowd use the whole container of cream cheese and 2 tbsp ranch dressing. 
4. Spread cream cheese/ranch mixture along the center of the tortilla wrap. 
5. Next, place a piece of smoked salmon on top of cream cheese. 
6. Then sprinkle some capers and finely chopped red onion. 
7. Roll up tightly. Then cut into pin wheels (like sushi rolls)

Well ya’ll that’s my go to healthy super bowl appetizers that I hope you will make and enjoy! I love hearing from you so please don’t forget to comment on your favorite healthy appetizer recipes!

Also, follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration, gluten free, dairy free, and kid friendly foods.