Easy Tropical Appetizers Recipes

There are a lot of international influences at work, with Japanese and Chinese flavors coming through in a lot of these traditional dishes.

This amazing recipe takes the classic app to another level, mixing it up with mozzarella cheese, salty bacon, ham, and fresh pineapple.

They’re easy to make, too! Just roll seasoned ground beef into mini-meatballs, bake until brown, then smother them with the soy, honey, and pineapple sauce.

Easy Hawaiian Appetizers

If you went to a dinner party in the 70s, you were probably served a cheese ball. Now’s the time to bring back this delicious classic.

If you’re serving this at Christmas or Thanksgiving, use a mix of red and green bell pepper to make things both fancy and festive.

Spam musubi is a flavorful fusion of Japanese and Hawaiian cuisines, made from pantry staples that you’ve probably already got in the house.

Hawaiian Appetizers You Have To Try At Least Once

This unusual sushi-like app is a thick slice of sticky rice topped with fried spam and wrapped with a strip of nori seaweed.

Made with savory ham and juicy chunks of fresh pineapple, they’re classic Hawaiian pizza in miniature form. They may be tiny, but they’re very, very tasty!

Chunks of sweet, syrupy pineapple and thick slices of ham are skewered and grilled to roasted perfection, deepening their sweet and salty flavor.

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Marinating the ham beforehand in a soy sauce, ginger, and brown sugar glaze gives it an even more tangy taste, so don’t skip this all-important step!

It’s an explosion of tempting tastes, with tangy, sweet, and salty notes. Serve warm and with a sprinkling of chopped green onion.

Add a chunk of fresh pineapple just before serving (securing with a toothpick or small skewer) and these are sure to vanish.

Easy Hawaiian Luau Appetizer Recipes

Just wrap a strip of bacon around a pineapple chunk, roll it in brown sugar, and add a dash of hot sauce.

In this recipe, the chicken stays true to both with a tangy marinade made from soy sauce, honey, ginger, dark rum, wasabi, and orange.

Soak your chicken thighs or breasts in this flavorful sauce for a few hours (or overnight if you’re particularly organized), and it’ll soak up all those piquant and vibrant flavors.

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Then all you’ll have to do is fire up the grill for a moist, mouthwatering appetizer that’ll get people talking (in a good way).

These Hawaiian appetizers are bright, vibrant, and fun! From onion dip to meatballs to pineapple bites, get a taste of the islands with these tasty bites.

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Hey there! I'm Kim. I love running, cooking, and curling up with a good book! I share recipes for people who LOVE good food, but want to keep things simple :)

I’m Kim. I love running, cooking, and curling up with a good book! Here you’ll find simple and delicious recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less.These easy Hawaiian Pizza Skewers whip up in just minutes, are super cute, and tasty! What's NOT to love about this fun appetizer?

The holiday seasons - especially when New Year’s Eve was still looming - made me all too aware of the fact that I didn’t have much of the way in easy party appetizer recipes - or finger food options - on my sites.

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So here we re with a delicious appetizer that’s a great addition to the party food menu for all kinds of special occasions and get togethers.

Most of the work - the marinating - is done beforehand, so these appetizer skewers are a good choice for a make-ahead appetizer.

They’re simple, but also kind of elegant, with a pretty color contrast coming from the varied ingredients. This quick appetizer would be equally at home served at baby showers, wedding showers, and engagement parties, as it would be for the big game, game night, or a casual backyard BBQ.

Ono Hawaiian Appetizers (pūpūs)

Anyway, enough raving about this easy summer appetizer - let me show you how we make these amped up ham and pineapple skewers!

At it’s most basic, this recipe is in two main parts - the marinated fresh mozzarella balls, and the rest of the ingredients to skewer with them.

There are also all kinds of fun ways you can customize this recipe - just as there are all kinds of ways to customize a base Hawaiian pizza.

Easy Seafood Appetizer Recipes

As-is, they don’t have a ton of flavour, so a bit of marinade can really help them out. You can marinate the cheese an hour or so ahead of time, or - for the best result - a day or two ahead of time.

If you want to try making your own, I have a recipe up at How to Make Peameal and Back Bacon - it’s even better than store bought!

Whether it’s already cooked all the way through or not, you’ll want to heat the meat slices up in order to fold/roll them, without tearing.

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As shown, I used fresh pineapple. I like the flavour better, and I like having the control over the thickness / size of the pineapple chunks I use for threading the skewers.

I tend to default to marinara sauce as a dip for these skewers, but you can use whatever you’d use on your Hawaiian pizza.

Personally, I like a Hawaiian pizza made with BBQ sauce or Pesto, depending on my mood. Both would work well as alternative dips for these ham and pineapple skewers.

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I also love a spicy Hawaiian pizza - and will often drizzle sriracha over a slice. If you’re the same, you can either drizzle a bit of sriracha over a small bowl of marinara dip, or mix it right in.

1 - Bring the tomato flavour to the skewers themselves, ad add some cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes right on the skewers.

2. Like peppers on your pizza? Cut up some squares of red peppers or green bell peppers and add them to the skewers - raw or grilled!

Best Hawaiian Appetizers Recipes

3. If you tend to request olives on your Hawaiian pizza, thread an olive on each skewer! Black olives, green olives, kalamata olives - whatever you’d put on the pizza will work on a skewer!

4. Want some fresh herb goodness? Thread a fresh basil leaf on each skewer, for a pretty - and tasty - addition.

I like to use wooden skewers / wooden sticks, rather than metal skewers for appetizer skewers. They look better and are more comfortable to eat with, IMHO.

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These don’t make it to the final product, but will hold your cooked ham in place as it cools, so it keeps the right shape for skewering.

Note: You can let the cheese marinate for several days if you like. If the olive oil solidifies, let it come up to room temperature before preparing the other ingredients.

As you remove the slices from the pan, fold / roll each into a bite sized parcel, and secure with a toothpick - this will hold the shape as it cools.

No Cook Appetizers That Make Entertaining Quick And Easy

Using a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, then cut the rind / skin off. Cut into strips or slices, then into chunks.

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork for social media! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @ - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Sweet And Sour Meatballs

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and a comment, or sharing the link on social media!

These easy Hawaiian Pizza Skewers whip up in just minutes, are super cute, and tasty! What's NOT to love about this fun appetizer?

Calories: 193 kcal | Carbohydrates: 3 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 14 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 33 mg | Sodium: 366 mg | Potassium: 136 mg | Fiber: 0.3 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 119 IU | Vitamin C: 8 mg | Calcium: 199 mg | Iron: 0.4 mg

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