Food World Cuisines European Cuisines Greek Cuisine 18 Greek Appetizers From Stuffed Grape Leaves to Saganaki and Spanakopita Use fragrant herbs, tangy feta, and crisp phyllo to make an assortment of starters that taste like Greece. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 27, 2024 Close Photo: Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Whether you're planning an all-out Greek feast or just looking for fresh and tasty pre-meal noshes to entice your guests, you can't go wrong with any of our favorite Greek appetizers. Called mezedes in Greece, these dishes deliver big flavor in small bites. Go for creamy dips like tzatziki and taramosalata, phyllo-wrapped delights, saganaki, and the most delicious ways to showcase tangy, briny feta cheese — your biggest challenge will be leaving room for the main event. 01 of 18 Cucumber-Dill Tzatziki Julia Hartbeck Made from just a handful of ingredients, this creamy yogurt dip comes together in minutes. Pair tzatziki with toasted pita wedges or a crudités platter for an instant appetizer; drizzle it with olive oil just before serving for extra richness. Get the Recipe 02 of 18 Spanakopita Pie Food & Wine Whether folded into triangles, rolled into logs, or layered in a pan, spanakopita is a classic Greek appetizer. This crunchy, cheesy pie is packed with earthy greens and tangy feta cheese and topped with store-bought phyllo dough. Get the Recipe 03 of 18 Saganaki Halloumi (Cypriot Fried Halloumi) Photo by Cedric Angeles / Prop Styling by Stephanie Bohn Cheese saganaki is one of Greece's most popular starters. Here, halloumi is fried in clarified butter, then brushed with spiced honey and served with lemon yogurt, brandy-basted nectarines, and fresh tomatoes in this sweet and savory appetizer from Houston chef Christian Hernandez. Get the Recipe 04 of 18 Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves with Lamb, Rice, and Herbs) Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Stuffed grape leaves can be found across the Mediterranean, from Greek dolmades to Lebanese warak enab. These dolmas feature earthy grape leaves hugged around an ultra-savory lamb, herb, and rice filling. Get the Recipe 05 of 18 Marinated Feta with Lemony Herb “Jam” Balls Greg DuPree A bounty of fresh herbs is put to a tasty new use for these green jam balls studded with preserved lemon and currants. Steaming basil, mint, and cilantro tenderizes the herbs by exposing them to gentle heat, helping preserve their flavor and color; submerging the mixture in olive oil with cubed feta infuses everything with a hint of brininess. Get the Recipe 06 of 18 Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip Matt Taylor-Gross For this easy version of tirokafteri, a jar of roasted red peppers is combined with a package of feta cheese to make a tangy, smoky dip in just five minutes. Get the Recipe 07 of 18 Roasted Baby Artichokes with Parsley and Mint Eva Kolenko Called aginares in Greece, these baby artichoke hearts are plunged into a bath of lemon water before they're browned on the stovetop, briefly roasted until crispy, then cooked with garlic, crushed red pepper, and dry white wine until tender. To finish, they're showered with fresh parsley and mint, seasoned with flaky sea salt, and drizzled with olive oil. Get the Recipe 08 of 18 Avgolemono Chicken Soup with Rice Diana Chistruga Silky avgolemono soup is a Greek classic — and a sensational way to start your meal. Made with lemon juice, egg yolks, and hearty chunks of shredded chicken and rice, this soup is satisfying any time of year. Get the Recipe 09 of 18 Greek Salad of Sorts © John Kernick Crisp pita chips, briny bits of feta, mildly spicy peperoncini, and a sprinkling of fresh herbs mingle with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and kalamata olives for a fresh and flavorful crowd-pleasing Greek salad that hits all the right notes. Get the Recipe 10 of 18 Tirokroketes (Greek Fried Goat Cheese Balls) with Honey © Tina Rupp Golden fried tirokroketes are sweet-savory balls that can be served as an appetizer or dessert. For this variation, club soda lightens the egg batter that coats the cheese, and a double coating of panko crumbs amplifies the crunch. Get the Recipe 11 of 18 Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Triangles © Reed Davis Paper-thin phyllo dough is folded around a buttery mixed-mushroom filling flavored with garlic, shallot, and fresh herbs. The mushroom mixture is pureed with mild and creamy goat cheese, then the stuffed triangles are baked until golden and crispy. Get the Recipe 12 of 18 Taramosalata © Guy Ambrosino This creamy, briny dip made with jarred tarama (carp roe) belongs in the pantheon of classic Greek meze dips, alongside hummus, melitzanosalata, and skordalia. Get the Recipe 13 of 18 Chicken Souvlaki © Evi Abeler Souvlaki — which means "small skewer" in Greek — is often rolled to eat in your hand as a snack. Serving it on a plate with pita and veggies transforms the skewers into a proper meal, but you can also serve it simply with tzatziki for a fantastic appetizer. Get the Recipe 14 of 18 Shrimp Saganaki © Yunhee Kim Saganaki is named for the vessel it's cooked in — "little frying pan." Here, we sauté shrimp with tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese, then serve it right out of the skillet with bread to soak up all the delicious juices. Get the Recipe 15 of 18 Greek Hand Pies with Greens, Dill, Mint, and Feta © Lucy Schaeffer This recipe from chef Jacques Pépin was inspired by a turnover he enjoyed at Marianthi tavern in the Greek village of Monemvasía. The olive oil in the dough makes the crust extraordinarily flaky. Get the Recipe 16 of 18 Herbed Zucchini Feta Fritters © Michael Turek Laced with fresh dill, parsley, and mint, these zucchini fritters get a touch of tang from the addition of feta cheese. Serve them hot alongside the chilled yogurt-cucumber sauce for dipping. Get the Recipe 17 of 18 Grilled Manouri Cheese with Caramelized Plums © Martin Morrell Chef Michael Psilakis riffs on halloumi saganaki by swapping in manouri, a fresh, milky white cheese made from the whey drained off during feta production. Plum wedges are caramelized in honey for an extra-special accompaniment. Get the Recipe 18 of 18 Thrace-Style Spicy Mussels © Kathrin Koschitzki Award-winning cookbook author Paula Wolfert's mussels are first steamed with butter, cinnamon, and white wine, then seasoned with pepper and lemon juice and tossed in an herbed chile-tomato broth swirled with feta cheese. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit