Are you in the market for egg-free appetizers? Look no further! I’ve found some good ones!
As I’m writing this, Easter is fast-approaching, but eggs are still hard to come by. Is anyone else panicking about this? I use eggs pretty regularly in my everyday life, but my egg usage goes into overdrive around Easter. We dye eggs, we make egg salad, and most importantly, we make deviled eggs.
Deviled eggs are probably the most common Easter food in the U.S. But with an egg shortage that is causing eggs to be hard to find and super expensive when you do find them, many of us are looking for a back-up plan. I know it’s sacrilege to even suggest an Easter without deviled eggs, but it might have to happen.
I’m the queen of a back-up plan, so I’ve done the work to find egg-free appetizers for us that could be good replacements on our Easter spread. None of these can fully fill deviled eggs’ shoes, but they all are good munchies that give you those Spring feels.
Even if you can find eggs near you and you don’t have to hand over your first-born as collateral to get them, this list might also be helpful if you are feeding someone with an egg allergy or you just want to jazz up your Easter spread with a little variety. I’ve separated the list into dips and bites, and I’ve noted which are gluten-friendly or can be made gluten-friendly if you are feeding someone who is avoiding gluten for any reason. So, even if you’re doing so grudgingly, let’s see what egg-free appetizers we can make for Easter this year.
Egg-Free Appetizers
Dips
I love a dip at a big gathering. Most of the dips that I make are more appropriate for game day than Easter, though, so I went on a mission to find delicious lighter dips. These are good, y’all.
Fruit salsa
If you have kids, you know that you need to have fruit as part of any spread. Sometimes the children at your gathering will eat nothing except fruit, so you want them to eat at least one thing. Sure, you can opt for a standard fruit salad, but why not make it more fun and make a fruit salsa? Serve with cinnamon chips and watch it disappear!
Gluten-friendly variation
Instead of serving cinnamon chips with your fruit salsa, consider serving gluten-free Graham crackers!
Hummus
I know that hummus isn’t a groundbreaking suggestion on a list of egg-free appetizers but hear me out. You can do so much with hummus for a party! Especially at Easter, serving hummus is a great opportunity to play with your food. I suggest that you make a hummus garden. Grab a shallow dish and load up your hummus, either store-bought or homemade. Then grab some raw veggies and plant your garden. Make rows of veggies like baby carrots, snap peas, and broccoli florets and serve crackers on the side.
Gluten-friendly variation
Hummus and veggies are naturally gluten-free. If you want to make the whole thing gluten-free, opt for seed-based or almond flour crackers. My favorite gluten-free crackers are Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers.
Cheese ball
Another item on the list of egg-free appetizers that isn’t groundbreaking is a cheese ball. But don’t sleep on the cheese ball. Cheese balls are delicious, easy to make, should be prepped ahead of time, and can be molded into cute Easter shapes. I’m pretty partial to a carrot shape myself.
The internet has an infinite number of cheese ball recipes that contain any flavor you could want. I’m feeding kids who loves ranch, so I’ll go with a bacon and ranch flavored cheese ball almost every time.
Gluten-friendly variation
Again, your only potential gluten in this egg-free appetizer is your choice of dipper. Opt for gluten-free crackers and veggies to keep this appetizer one even the gluten-free among you can enjoy.
Grilled feta
Ok, so grilled cheese might not technically be a dip, but you eat it like a dip, so I’m including it here. If you’ve never had grilled cheese, this needs to be high on your list of egg-free appetizers to try this Easter. It has a delightful texture that is truly addictive. Again, you can find many delicious recipes for grilled feta, but I like this version with chimichurri and pistachios for Easter. It’s bright and gooey and perfect!
My favorite thing to serve with grilled feta is crostini. I like that the crostini are slightly more substantial than crackers so they hold up to the grilled feta better.
Gluten-friendly variation
If you have a gluten-free person in your group, include some gluten-free crackers along with the crostini. It’s still a good pairing!
Bites
For a true substitute for deviled eggs, you need handheld egg-free appetizer bites that you and your family and friends can pop while chatting and helping kids find hidden eggs. Some of these egg-free appetizers are so good, you will want to keep these in your regular rotation even after the egg situation has normalized.
Two Tomato Bruschetta
I have made this two tomato bruschetta so many times, and I don’t think I’ve ever come across a group of people who haven’t eaten the whole tray. This stuff is truly delicious. I mean, how could tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil on bread be bad? It can’t be!
Strawberry Bruschetta
If you want to have a little bruschetta sampler tray, I would highly recommend making the two tomato bruschetta and this strawberry goat cheese bruschetta. It’s a totally different flavor profile than the tomato-based version, but it’s equally delicious. I mean, balsamic glaze is involved, people!
Spinach artichoke pull-apart bread
Do you love spinach artichoke dip but don’t like the potential mess that a dip brings? Enter spinach artichoke pull apart bread! This stuff is crazy good. And you might even get your kids to eat a vegetable when you present it with this much bread and cheese. That’s a definite bonus!
Zucchini puff pastry pizza
Piling a bunch of veggies and cheese on a sheet of puff pastry is always a good start to an appetizer. When you add lemon to the mix, it gets very Spring, very fast. This zucchini, lemon, and goat cheese puff pastry pizza is an egg-free appetizer not to miss on Easter!
Veggie pizza
You might be surprised to see veggie pizza on this list of egg-free appetizers. But this is not the delicious, greasy delicacy that makes a fantastic option when you want pizza for dinner, this is the veggie pizza that was on offer at every gathering in the 1980s and 1990s. Are you laughing? Don’t laugh too soon! This old school veggie pizza appetizer is delicious, and you’ll see it disappear from your spread. It’s crudité on a pizza, for goodness’ sake!
Cheese board
Is it even a holiday gathering without some sort of cheese board? I think not! People love to gather round a selection of cheeses, crackers, and cold cuts. It must be in our DNA. Of course, you can go to the grocery store and raid the specialty cheese case and set your selections out with crackers and meats, but I like to kick my cheese boards up a notch with some homemade pimento cheese. It’s my way of bringing the South with me to any gathering. And it always gets eaten, even if it’s by me for lunch the next few days in a grilled cheese sandwich.
Gluten-friendly variation
A cheese board is naturally gluten-free, so you can serve this egg-free appetizer to all your guests without worry. If you want to serve crackers, just opt for a gluten-free variety.
Parmesan crisps
If I haven’t given you enough cheese-based egg-free appetizers, you’re in luck because here’s another one. And one that’s so easy you can’t not include it on your Easter spread. What is this magical appetizer? Parmesan crisps, of course!
These are embarrassingly easy, but here’s my “recipe:”
Spoon about 1 Tbsp mounds of freshly grated Parmesan cheese onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner. Freshly grind some pepper on top of each mound. Stick in a 400°F oven for 6-8 minutes. Yum!
Parmesan crisps are naturally gluten-free, so no variation required!
Melon & prosciutto skewers
If you think fruit and pork eaten together sounds weird, you have a wonderful surprise in store for you! Melon & prosciutto skewers are such a bright egg-free appetizer to start your Easter meal out right. Just be careful with the skewer part of this appetizer if your group includes small kids. Nobody needs to lose an eye on Easter Sunday!
This is another super easy appetizer to choose, but if you need a guide, here’s how I assemble them:
Grab small wooden skewers or the longer toothpicks. Stack balled or cubed melon (I like cantaloupe here), fresh basil, prosciutto, and a small mozzarella ball on the skewer one on top of the next. Drizzle the whole thing with that delicious nectar that is balsamic glaze.
These are another great naturally gluten-free option!
Zucchini pizza bites
No, I’m not repeating an item. These are another version of zucchini pizza that uses the zucchini as the pizza crust rather than a pizza topping. Simply slice a zucchini into rounds, then add your pizza toppings. You can choose whatever toppings you like, but I like to keep these simple with just a little bit of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese. Then pop them into a 400°F oven for about 5 minutes and finish them off in the broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
Another one that needs no alteration to be gluten-free!
Smoked salmon cucumber bites
If you’re looking for more veggie-centric egg-free appetizers that are a little bit heartier, you need to try these smoked salmon cucumber bites. Gluten-free, egg-free, and a Spring dream with all that fresh dill, these aren’t to be missed!
Deviled potatoes
Last, but not least, I had to include something deviled on my list of egg-free appetizers looking to replace deviled eggs. If you can’t make deviled eggs happen this year, deviled potatoes might be your next best thing. These little bites are like the beautiful love child of deviled eggs and potato salad. Dare I say you’ll want to devil your potatoes every Easter?
No variation needed to make these gluten-free!
Other posts
Looking for other Easter inspiration? Check out these posts:
I hope you’ve found some egg-free appetizers that sound delicious to you. What are your go-to Easter appetizers? Share them below or over on Instagram @sarainseason.