Easy Keto Appetizers (Prepared In 5-10 Minutes)

If you’re trying to fill a table with low carb appetizers for a holiday party or other event, you’re probably going to need a few that are just simple and quick to make.

Each of these 12 easy keto appetizers take 5-10 minutes to prepare, and the recipes are easily adjustable so you can make as many or as few as you need.

Whether you’re planning to fill a table with keto appetizers for summer BBQ’s, need a last-minute keto potluck option, or just need a few keto Super Bowl snacks for yourself, making these low carb appetizers won’t take up much of your time.

Most of these keto recipes are so simple, you can even get your kids to make some of the cold keto appetizers while you work on the cooked ones.

One thing I miss since going back on the keto diet, is being able to order the appetizer sample platter at restaurants. While I can always find something on the menu that is keto friendly, there usually aren’t many options for low carb appetizers at restaurants.

Since I miss be able to eat a meal of appetizers, I decided to try making my own little buffet of keto appetizers at home on Christmas Eve.

While I would have loved to make low carb versions of all my favorites, I really didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen on Christmas Eve cooking.

Luckily there are lots of simple ideas for keto appetizers that can be prepared in 10 minutes or less.

While I don’t mind making one or two of the more time-consuming appetizers, when I am trying to make a meal out of it, these easy keto appetizers help me fill up the rest of the table (and my plate)

Keto Pinwheels

Pinwheels have always been a favorite of mine.  When I was in high school, we used to make them in food services class whenever there was a school event.

Initially when I wanted to make a keto version, I tried using zucchini, but the leftovers got soggy in the fridge.  Using sliced ham (or other lunch meats) works much better and the leftovers taste just as good the next day.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of ham
• 4 tbsp whipped cream cheese
• ¼ cup red peppers
• ¼ cup red onions
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Place 6 slices of ham down on a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, slightly overlapping in two row of three.
2. Spread whipped cream cheese on top. 
3. Dice red peppers and red onion (I use a manual food chopper to do it quickly), and sprinkle them on the cream cheese.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. 
5. Use the parchment paper or plastic wrap to keep it all together while you roll it up tightly.
6. Cut it into 8 pieces.  

Servings: 8

Time: 10 min

Net carbs: 2g each

Mini Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

These mini pizzas are like a keto version of those store-bought pizza bagels.   Since it’s pizza, you may even be able to get your kids to try them. 

Ingredients

• 6 Mushrooms
• 3 tbsp sugar-free pizza sauce
• 6 tbsp mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup diced ham (or other small pizza toppings)

Directions

1. Cut the stems out of the mushrooms and use a spoon to scoop out anything you can’t get with the knife. 
2. Fill each mushroom with ½ tbsp of pizza sauce, 1 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and a few pieces of the diced ham (or other pizza toppings).
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Servings: 6

Prep time:  5 minutes

Cook time: 5-10 minutes

Net carbs: 1.5g each

Quick Keto Nacho’s

While I don’t mind using vegetables in place of chips for my taco dip, for nachos, I wanted something a bit more similar to a tortilla chip. Making this keto Mexican appetizer with Whisps is close enough to real nachos to fulfil my craving.

Ingredients

• ½ package of cheddar Whisps
• ¼ cup shredded cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped green onions
• 2 grape tomato’s

Directions

1. Place Whisps on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top.
3. Cut grape tomatoes into 8 pieces each and sprinkle on top with chopped green onions.
4. Melt cheese in oven at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes.

Serving:1

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3-5 minutes

Net carbs: 3g per serving

Club Sub Roll-Ups

Are pickles keto?

With 1 gram of carbs or less, dill pickles are a great keto-friendly snack.  When you wrap some cheese and lunch meat around them, they make an easy keto appetizer too.

Ingredients

• 10 slices of roast beef
• 10 slices of turkey breast
• 5 pieces of bacon
• 5 pieces of lettuce
• 5 slices of cheddar cheese
• 5 large pickles

Directions

1. Place a piece of lettuce between two pieces of sliced roast beef and two pieces of sliced turkey breast. 
2. Place a slice of cheese on top. 
3. Break a piece of bacon in half and place side by side on top (you can use precooked bacon to save time). 
4. Place a pickle on top then roll the meat around it and hold together with a toothpick.

Servings: 5

Time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 2g each

Deviled Eggs

Are deviled eggs keto?

They sure are, and they make a great keto appetizer to bring to any potluck where most of the other guests aren’t keto.

Ingredients

• 6 Eggs
• ¼ cup keto mayonnaise
• 1 tsp of mustard
• Paprika

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Use a large spoon to gently place the eggs in the pot and boil for 12 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and rinse under cool water for 1 minute, then let sit in cool water for 5 minutes.
3. Peel the eggs and slice in half lengthwise.
4. Remove the yolks gently with a spoon and put them in a bowl, while putting the egg whites on a serving tray.
5. Mash the yolk with a fork, then add mayonnaise and mustard and stir until well blended.
6. Spoon the yolk mixture into a piping bag (or if you don’t have one use a plastic bag and cut off one corner).  Pipe the egg yolk into the egg whites, then sprinkle with paprika.

Servings: 12

Cook time: 12 minutes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Net carbs: <1g each

Tuna Stuffed Pickles  

In the summer I often used zucchini boats to make tuna melts for me and the kids for lunch.  This version using pickles instead of zucchini makes for a much better snack or appetizer, with a lot more flavor.

Ingredients

• 6 large dill pickles
• 1 can of tuna
• 2 tbsp of keto mayonnaise

Directions

1. Cut off ¾ of the pickles lengthwise.
2. Spoon out the inside of the pickles.
3. Dice the insides and cut off pieces of the pickles.
4. Combine tuna and mayonnaise and the diced pickles, and stir together.
5. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of the tuna mixture into each pickle.

Servings: 6

Time: 5 min

Net carbs: 1g each

BLT Cups

While I usually make my BLT in a lettuce wrap for lunch, as a snack these cute little cucumber cups work much better. This easy keto appetizer makes a great healthy snack to send in the kids’ lunches too.

Ingredients

• 1 Cucumber
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 2 grape tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce

Directions

1. Cut the cucumber into 1-inch slices.
2. Using a melon baller (or carefully with a spoon) scoop out the insides making sure not to go through the bottom
3. Place 1 tsp of ranch dressing in each cup.
4. Cut 2 grape tomatoes into 8 pieces and put evenly in cups.
5. Chop the two pieces of cooked bacon and place evenly in cups.
6. Top each cup with shredded lettuce

Servings: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 2.5g each

Chicken Salad Sliders

If you’re looking for something to replace the little triangle sandwiches usually served at parties, try these chicken salad sliders.  If you don’t want to do chicken salad, you can easily swap it out for tuna or egg salad too.

Ingredients

• 1 Cucumber
• ½ cup diced chicken breast
• 2 tbsp keto mayonnaise

Directions

1. Combine diced chicken breast with mayonnaise and stir together.
2. Cut a cucumber into 16 slices, 1/4 inch each.
3. Spoon 1 tbsp of the chicken salad onto half of the cucumber slices, then place another cucumber slice on top and use a toothpick to hold it together.

Servings: 8

Prep time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 1g for two sliders

Kielbasa Kabobs

These kielbasa kabobs ended up being my kid’s favorite low carb appetizer at our Christmas Eve buffet.  Since they are so simple to make, they now get them in their lunches regularly.

Ingredients

• Kielbasa
• Cheddar cheese
• Dill pickles

Directions

1. Cut pickles, kielbasa, and cheese into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Put one of each on a toothpick.

Servings: 12

Time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 1g for 2 kabobs

Kielbasa and Cheddar Melts

These are a favorite of mine when I’m craving melted cheese. If you miss having crackers with melted cheese for a snack, try having some kielbasa with melted cheese instead. 

Ingredients

• Kielbasa
• Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Slice kielbasa into ½ inch pieces and place them on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy clean up).
2. Add a piece of cheddar cheese to each kielbasa slice.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3-5 min

Net carbs: 1g for 2 pieces

Ham and Swiss Roll-Up

When it comes to quick and easy keto appetizers, you can’t get much easier than this one.  Since these are so quick to make, I often eat them for a bedtime snack too.

Ingredients

• 20 slices of ham
• 10 slices of Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on top of 2 slices of ham.
2. Roll it up and hold it together with a toothpick.

Servings:10

Time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 1g for 2 rolls

Keto Ants on A Log

Is peanut butter keto-friendly?

While regular peanut butter has around 5 grams of net carbs per tablespoon, natural peanut butter (with only peanuts as the ingredient) only has 2 per tablespoon, so it’s fine in small amounts.

Like on a piece of celery.

Ingredients

• 4 celery stalks
• 4 tbsp natural peanut butter
• ¼ cup of pecan halves

Directions

1. Cut celery into 4-inch pieces.
2. Fill each piece with ½ tbsp of peanut butter.
3. Place 3 pecan halves on each piece.

Servings:8

Time: 5 minutes

Net carbs: 2g each

While I may not be able to order an appetizer variety platter at a restaurant anymore, having my own appetizer buffet at home is just as good.

Not only are these easy keto appetizers great for a party or potluck, but they also work well for a quick keto lunch or snack too.

Even my kids enjoy most of them in their school lunches.

Do you have any other ideas I can add to my easy keto appetizer list?  Or maybe a good low carb appetizer recipe that I can try for my next appetizer buffet?

Let me know on my Facebook post, and don’t forget to follow my Facebook page to see more keto recipes and to see what else I learn on my journey to live a healthier and happier life.