These heart-shaped appetizers are equal parts tasty and beautiful to put you in the right mood for whatever the theme calls for! Celebrating an anniversary, bridal shower, a loving thank-you, or just want to treat your kids for Valentine’s Day?
Many of these foods are themed for Valentine’s Day but you can enjoy them for any occasion that calls for heart-shaped snacks!
Changing your favorite appetizers from their classic shape into a heart theme is surprisingly easy and with the right recipe, they will taste as good as they look!
These 18 heart appetizers are perfect for adding the right extra touch to a themed party or to show your loved ones how much you care for them.
The way to many people’s hearts is through their stomachs, but you can treat their eyes too with these easy perfectly themed appetizers.
Start your next party or meal with a Taco Heart Ring or Heart Shaped Polenta Crostini.
With Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips or Heart Shaped Crackers, you have a simple appetizer that can please anyone, especially when paired with the right accompaniments such as dips, salsa, or cheese.
Go ahead and pull these out for every special celebration that needs some extra love mixed in, or just as a special surprise for those you care about!
1. Vegetable Pizza
Pizza is a great lunch or dinner but with these bite-sized versions, they make a great appetizer for all to enjoy!
With a heart shaped cookie cutter, you will get the right size and shape for your mini pizzas.
Spinach dip and diced broccoli, red peppers, and carrots make great toppings for this but after testing this recipe out, you can have fun trying new versions!
2. Buttered Pretzels
Not only are these pretzels fun to eat but they are also fun to make, especially when you get your kids involved with the process!
These are similar to regular soft pretzels but with a more fun shape that is actually quite easy to get.
Once these are done baking, they get brushed with melted butter and should be enjoyed right away.
3. Bruschetta Hearts
Bruschetta is always a good call for a pre-meal appetizer but turning it into a heart themed snack makes it that much better!
This is quick to make with only 20 minutes from start to finish but will taste like days have gone into the preparation.
Tomato, basil, and garlic all topping a crispy piece of bruschetta are sure to win over anyone!
Here’s a quaint list of super good Valentine’s Day appetizers, too!
4. Mozzarella Cheese Filled Hearts
These heart pies are full of cheese both inside and out, with mozzarella inside and grated parmesan baked on top.
The roasted red pepper pesto is equally important to your heart pies so make sure to include that as a dip for your hearts.
These are simple to make, delicious to eat, and perfectly themed.
What else could you want in your heart themed appetizers?
5. Taco Heart Ring
If you are hosting a crowd, this is the perfect appetizer to let everyone munch on however much they like before the main meal.
All of your favorite parts of a taco are included, such as ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa.
A container of salsa in the middle with lettuce, tomato, and onion around it gives it a beautiful presentation while letting everyone serve themselves as much as they would like.
6. ”Hearty” Caprese Skewers
These skewers involve three ingredients and no cooking!
A majority of the work involved is in getting your heart shaped tomatoes but even that is much easier than you may believe.
Add a little bit of balsamic vinegar drizzled on top for an extra kick in every bite!
7. Tea Party Sandwiches
Kids young and old alike will love all of these cute sandwiches.
They are crustless, in a beautiful shape, and have many different flavor options!
There are traditional cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches, egg salad with dill, and a ham salad, so everyone can grab whichever fits their taste.
8. Heart Shaped Bacon
Few foods compare to crispy slices of bacon especially when it is baked into a heart.
There are only a couple of extra steps in making your special bacon but even those just take seconds.
The only extra steps include shaping your bacon, and re-shaping it after it has baked for a bit.
9. Show The Love Salad
Salads before your main meal are common but due to that, they can get boring quickly.
All you need is a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes in your cucumber, red peppers, and mozzarella cheese to make it fun again!
Since anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and other special occasions are usually full of sweet treats, this is a nice way to balance that all out and make sure you get your veggies in too!
10. Roasted Potatoes
Perfect as a side dish or a simple snack while you are waiting for your dinner to finish cooking, these heart shaped roasted potatoes are simple and delicious!
A little bit of olive oil, salt, and grill seasoning adds tons of flavor so they will be far from boring and plain.
A good tip to keep in mind is that soaking your heart slices in ice water will help them crisp up when you cook them!
Any leftover potato pieces will be great to add to another meal so be sure to save those.
11. Heart Shaped Polenta Crostini
With a tube of prepared polenta, this appetizer is very easy to make, but if you prefer to prepare your polenta yourself, feel free to do so!
Goat cheese, cream cheese, and milk make a great topping for your cooked polenta with a single roasted cherry tomato on top adding the right touch it needs!
No one will be disappointed in this tasty pre-meal snack!
12. Parmesan Garlic Knot Hearts
Even if these were made in the traditional garlic knot shape, they make a great appetizer or side dish for a special dinner.
The heart shape makes ‘em that much better!
Store-bought breadstick dough makes this very easy to prepare and it never hurts to add garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to your garlic knots!
Add a Valentine’s Day cocktail to accompany these yummies!
13. Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips
Cookie cutters and food coloring make this fun and perfectly in theme for whatever occasion may call for heart shaped appetizers!
It can be easier to paint your entire tortilla before you cut it into hearts but feel free to use an unused watercolor brush to paint on the color.
These bake for only about ten minutes and will get even crispier as they cool.
This is a fun way to enjoy your classic chips and dip appetizers but with a fun twist on it!
14. Queen Of Tomato Tarts
If you opt for pre-made puff pastry, this recipe only uses three ingredients!
Use both a larger and smaller cookie cutter to cut out hearts from your pastry while using a smaller one to cut out your tomatoes.
Dijon mustard is great for lining your pastries and ensuring your tomato bakes right in place.
Optional but delicious, go ahead and top off a little bit of crumbled goat or feta cheese to your cooked tart.
Serve these tart beauties on this heart-shaped serving platter.
15. Flaky Cheese Hearts
Making your own buttery dough only takes five ingredients and with a heart shaped cookie cutter, you get a simple and delicious themed appetizer.
A little bit of salt, poppy seeds, and caraway as toppings are delicious and add a Czech touch which is the origin of this recipe.
These crackers taste amazing as is and will be great on their own without any dips or toppings.
16. Valentine’s Day Appetizer: Caprese Cups
Here is another twist on Caprese salad to get it perfectly in theme for your celebration or event.
These can be made as a no-bake appetizer or baked for extra roasted flavor with your tomatoes.
When shopping for this recipe, look for mozzarella in a log shape rather than balls so that you have an easier time while cutting it up to make your hearts.
Any variety of tomatoes works for this but cherry tomatoes are especially delicious!
A garnish of basil or Italian seasoning ties all of the flavors together perfectly!
17. Heart Shaped Quesadillas
If you decide to go for these quesadillas to fit in with your heart shaped appetizers, be sure to make them small enough so your guests can avoid filling up on them before the main meal.
They taste so good, you can’t blame anyone for wanting to make these appetizers their entire meal!
Whatever you like with your regular quesadillas will taste great with these, too!
18. Mini Cheesy Heart Calzones
Calzones are a nice change to pizzas and when they are beautifully shaped and bite-sized like this, they are a great appetizer.
Try to use thin crust pizza dough for this and grab both a medium and small cookie cutter to get the right shape.
With your extra dough and cheese, you can make a traditionally shaped calzone so nothing goes to waste!
The bottom line
No matter the event or emotion you are facing that calls for heart-shaped appetizers, these 18 pre-meal snacks or party finger foods are easy to make, beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat!
Make heart-shaped waffles and cookies with THIS. And CookingChew tip: When cooking eggs in this heart-shaped egg maker, don’t move it from the heat until the edges of the egg are set.
These 32 Romantic Dinner Ideas are sure to please as well!
Top 18 Cutest Heart-Shaped Appetizers
These 18 heart-shaped appetizers are equal parts tasty and beautiful! Celebrate an anniversary, bridal shower, a loving thank-you, or just a romantic moment!
Ingredients
- Vegetable Pizza
- Buttered Pretzels
- Bruschetta Hearts
- Mozzarella Cheese Filled Hearts
- Taco Heart Ring
- ”Hearty” Caprese Skewers
- Tea Party Sandwiches
- Heart Shaped Bacon
- Show The Love Salad
- Roasted Potatoes
- Heart Shaped Polenta Crostini
- Parmesan Garlic Knot Hearts
- Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips
- Queen Of Tomato Tarts
- Flaky Cheese Hearts
- Valentine’s Day Appetizer: Caprese Cups
- Heart Shaped Quesadillas
- Mini Cheesy Heart Calzones
Instructions
- Plan your party and pick these heart-shaped appetizers!
- Grab your apron and start cookin’.
- Steal your guests’ hearts when they start chewin’.
- Share your fun on our Facebook!