11 On-The-Fly Appetizers to Keep Hungry Guests Happy

In a perfect world, Thanksgiving guests would arrive when they should, all the food would be ready when you wanted it to be, and no one would require a snack to tide them over until turkey time. But—if you didn’t already know—this isn’t a perfect world. And it doesn’t have to be.

Thanksgiving dinner won't unfold exactly the way you planned, but that’s ok. There are workarounds and solutions that can help you in the nick of time. If you’re dealing with an immediate disaster, we recommend heading over to our Thanksgiving hotline, where our editors, recipe testers, and test kitchen chefs are on call to help in your moments of need.

Our 50 Best Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes

But for all the other times, it helps to have last-minute support in your back pocket refrigerator. And what better way to keep everyone busy than a last-minute snack? We recommend throwing together a few easy appetizers for noshing while you wrap up in the kitchen. These dips, spreads, and bites can be made the day of, then kept in the fridge or on the counter. Maybe these recipes will bring you peace of mind—or just peace and quiet until dinnertime.

Raspberry and Beet Chèvre

ABC Kitchen’s Butternut Squash on Toast

Italian Snacking Bread

Crostini with Roasted Grapes, Vanilla Yogurt, and Fresh Basil

Marc Forgione's Salt Cod "Tonnato" with Crudité

Jacques Pépin's Fromage Fort

Heidi Swanson’s Parmesan Cheese Spread

Party Pretzel Bites

Laurie Colwin's Rosemary Walnuts

Smoky Fried Chickpeas

Chevre Devils

And if all else fails, follow this helpful guide to making sure your guests have a drink in hand as soon as they arrive.

How do you keep your guests at bay? Let us know your tricks in the comment section below.