18 Potato Appetizers To Elevate The Humble Potato From Simple To Incredible!

You’ve got potatoes, and we’ve got answers. Check out this list of incredible 18 Potato Appetizers made from the humble potato to inspire your next meal-planning sesh!

The ever popular potato. 

Whether it needs a fork or is simply finger food, the potato is very versatile. 

Potatoes can be stand alone entrees, side dishes galore or for today’s discussion, appetizers. 

Potatoes, best kept in a dark and cool area, last quite a while so they are easy to keep on hand. 

They have a very neutral taste so they can be flavored in pretty much any way the chef needs. 

They can be boiled, baked, blended, grilled, sauteed, pan-fried or deep fried. 

Appetizers are light and tasty and potatoes are just the thing to satisfy that need to nibble while visiting. 

Since potatoes for easy potato appetizers can be sliced or mashed, the ways to serve them are endless. 

I have collected thirteen appetizers with potatoes that I would make in a heartbeat for a gathering of my own. 

Some are quick to make, some take a bit of time and effort. 

How about these underrated oven-baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges, or Irish-Inspired Potato Nachos or our tried-and-true Air Fryer Potato Chips, you’ll find a fun potato appetizer here that will cook up nice and make mouths happy! 

Made ahead potato appetizers often come in handy when juggling an entree and desert preparation as well. 

If potatoes are part of the appetizer portion of the meal, I recommend not serving them again at the meal. 

Variety is the spice of life! 

Whether fancy or casual, there is bound to be something on this list to intrigue you! 

Capitalize on more bacon with #18!

1. Twice Baked Potato Bites

A double stuffed potato appetizer recipe with bacon and cheese starts off our list with a bang! 

These delicious bites can be made up to three days in advance, brought to room temperature and baked when needed. 

Start with small red or white potatoes roasted, slightly cooled and carve out the middle keeping the skins intact. 

Mix together until smooth, the scooped out potato with cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, bacon and chives. 

Then, refill the shells with the mixture and bake! Delicious!

2. Loaded Baked Potato Rounds

Quick appetizers with potatoes are amazing and crowd (or kid) pleasing! 

This recipe is great in that all the work that is necessary is to cut the potatoes in uniform slices, or if you are using a mandoline, it is no work at all. 

Boil them up and then place on a baking pan with butter garlic salt, multiple cheese and bacon pieces. 

Bake and serve with sour cream or a dressing for dipping. 

Lots of flexibility here to add preferred spices. 

3. Baked Potato Skins

Baked potato skins make an easy potato appetizer. 

Crispy is absolutely the best! 

Topped with all the yummies! 

Of course it all begins with baking the potatoes. 

After cooling, cut them in half and scoop out the potatoes and set them aside for another dish, leaving the skin in tack. 

Brush the insides of the skins with seasoned butter and bake. 

Add cheese and bake AGAIN till melted.  

Sprinkle on some scallions and they’re ready! 

The wow to these skins is how creativity is easily embraced with various additional toppings from ham and pineapple to beef and pico do gallo!

4. Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges

Seasonings can make or break potato appetizers. 

Here the potatoes are washed and cut into wedges (great instructions on how to do so).

Then they are coated in olive oil, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and coated with a seasoning of salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. 

Next into the oven they go for baking with skin sides down. 

Sprinkle on fresh parsley and prep dressing for dipping! 

Fanciest French fry you ever did see!

5. Mashed Potato Balls

If you are wondering what to do with those potatoes you scooped out when making potato skin appetizers or if you simply have mashed potatoes leftover from a meal, these mashed potato balls make excellent potato appetizers. 

Mix together mashed potatoes, an egg, bacon bits, cheddar cheese and parsley until well combined. 

Shape into balls, and roll in bread crumbs until they are well coated. 

Place back into the fridge until ready to fry. 

Beautiful and savory!

Add a side: Here’s our list of what else you can do with leftover mashed potatoes!

6. Loaded Tater Tot Skewers

When tater tots are more your speed, this potato appetizer recipe is going to make you smile! 

I mean, how can you go wrong when the recipe says put six tater tots on a skewer?

Ultimate comfort food with a fun creative presentation! 

Start by baking a batch of tater tots, cool a bit and put on skewers. 

Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and follow up with bacon bits. 

Maybe even onions if you like, and bake a bit more. 

Serve as they are or with sour cream or ranch dressing for dipping.

7. Baked Mashed Potato Bites Recipe

Mini muffin pans make the best appetizers with potatoes. 

These adorable bites are tasty and seriously tempting! 

Mashed potatoes are at the center of this recipe so whether you bake some or you have leftovers, mash ’em up! 

Add in all these amazing ingredients: prosciutto, green onions, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. 

Fill in the mini muffin tin with the mixture and bake. 

These bite size morels are fabulous with a dollop of yogurt on top!

8. Duchess Potatoes

Fancy potato appetizers would most definitely include these garlic parmesan Duchess potatoes! 

Fantastic flavor with a presentation that will wow even your hard to please folks! 

So pull out some piping supplies with a star tip and let’s get to baking! 

There are lots of steps like baking and melting and mixing and blending and piping and baking, yet again! 

The results are amazing!

9. Mini Baked Parmesan Potato Rounds

Little bitty potatoes are all the rage and I agree they do make this easy potato appetizer delicious and bite friendly! 

First, they are washed and sliced and covered with oil.  

Then coated in a mix of parmesan cheese, garlic salt and pepper. 

Next, place in a single layer on a baking sheet for cooking in the oven. 

As with many on this list, serve with ranch or dip of your choice. 

10. Mashed Potato Cakes

Another excellent way to create potato appetizers with leftover mashed potatoes is by making these mashed potato cakes.  

The ingredient list should be looking somewhat familiar as they all draw from a similar list! 

Mashed potatoes, egg, garlic, flour, parmesan cheese, and chives. 

Form into pancakes, dredge through flour and fry them up in a skillet till golden brown.

Serve with, you guessed it, a dip of your choosing.

11. Irish-Inspired Potato Nachos

Ever been to an Irish pub in North America? 

Me, neither. 

Apparently, these potato nachos are quite the going potato appetizer recipe when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

So let’s replicate it at home for all the fun because these are amazing! 

Wash, dry and slice the potatoes into rounds and season with oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and oil. 

Bake in a single layer! 

Then here comes the nacho part! 

Arrange the slices in slightly overlapping circles in an oven safe dish. 

Sprinkle shredded cheese generously on the top baking till melted. 

Lastly, add bacon with tomatoes and red onions. 

No one will be able to keep their hands off these. 

12. Potato Stacks

Appetizers with potatoes that are cut in circle shapes are by far the most common. 

Here the slices are thin. 

Coating them in a lovely sauce made from olive oil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, dill, basil, chili powder and lemon juice is how the flavor permeates every single bite! 

Stack them up and secure with toothpicks for baking. 

The longer they are in the oven, the crispier they will be. 

Who is on Team Crispy?

13. Vegan Deviled Potatoes

Always appreciate good make ahead potato appetizers! 

Move over deviled eggs there’s a new appetizer in town, deviled potatoes! 

Choose potatoes that are approximately the size of eggs. 

Boil, cool, cut lengthwise, take a scoop of potato out  of each half with a melon baller. 
Make a mix with the scooped out potato, mayo, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, black salt and turmeric. 

Refill the potatoes with a pastry bag or by the spoonful. 

Paprika on top is a must!

14. Air Fryer Potato Chips

The secret to making our tried-and-true potato chips into actual chips and not just thin sliced potatoes is to rinse them very well and then dry them really well. 

It removes the sticky starch that causes that gummy potato quality. 

Use a mandolin to slice these super thin, but once your prep is done, you’ll barely get to the next batch before the first ones are gone. 

So good! And even better with any of these dips on the side.

15. Smashed Red Potatoes

Eat them with your hands or with a fork, but these cute and easy potato appetizers are fast to make and even faster to disappear. 

Add whatever toppings you’d usually use on loaded baked potatoes to make these extra good. 

Include a dab of our thick and clingy blue cheese dip if ya wanna. (And you’ll wanna!)

16. Potato Latkes

These differ from potato pancakes in that these are not started with mashed potatoes but with shredded potatoes.

Fried super crisp, they are often served with green onion toppers and sour cream and can be eaten as appetizers, sides, snacks or anytime.

Get these going real good with some chili cheese dip. Yum!

17. Homemade Potato Skin Chips

I mean, they start out super thin after all, which is half the battle to making a really good, crispy chip.

Most of us are eating the skin these days anyway, so waste not, want not.

See if these tasty potato skin chips will make the crowd happy.

18. Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites

I think the world should be eating more sweet potatoes. 

You get that complex carb hit, some vitamin A, and a filling potato appetizer without all the same ol’, same ol’.

Plus, bacon. 

I always think we need to eat more bacon. 

Here’s some food on a stick from Taste of Home to make a cute and tasty sweet potato presentation.

Add this list of sweet potato recipes to your meal rotation!

The bottom line

No matter how you like your appetizers with potatoes, there are a lot to choose from! 

I do hope that one of these becomes a regular potato appetizer recipe in your home. 

Plus I think we are always familiar with how mashed potatoes are a comfort food nonpareil so add any or all of our easy recipes to your list of potato appetizers next time!