Start any party with these flavorful Asian Appetizers. This compilation of our favorites are good enough to be the star of any food line up!
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Best Asian Starters
Asian Appetizers are the perfect starters to ANY Asian dish. It’s rare that we make Sweet and Sour Chicken or General Tso’s Chicken without whipping up some Wontons or Egg Drop Soup as well!
These Asian appetizer recipes also make a really good addition to any Hors d’oeuvre party. Serve an all Asian spread or pair them with appetizers from other places around the world.
What are the most popular Chinese appetizers?
Egg rolls have got to be at the top of my list. Lettuce Wraps, Wontons, pan-fried gyoza, dumplings, potstickers, steamed buns, and Rangoons also make the cut.
Not only are these a favorite, but the ingredients can also easily be changed up.
- Pair the cabbage in egg rolls with chicken, pork, tuna, or even mushrooms for a vegetarian version. Rangoons are also famously made with crab meat. Wontons are great filled with pork or shrimp.
- Added spices can add a bit of a kick. Aside from the traditional black pepper and salt, try using ginger, curry, cumin, chili, cinnamon, star anise, turmeric, and even saffron.
- Dip your egg rolls in sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki sauce, sweet chili sauce, or even fish sauce.
A good mix of appetizers
Balance flavors. When planning out what appetizers to serve at an event, I typically try to provide a balance of warm and cold as well as sweet and savory.
It’s no different with Asian appetizers. This balance will also vary the flavors.
Providing different dipping sauces will help one appetizer taste different depending on the sauce they dip it in. Some favorite Asian dipping sauces include chili sauce, oyster sauce, chutney, sesame sauce, soy sauce, and peanut sauce.
Adding color to the dishes is another easy way to mix up the different appetizers. A simple way to add color is to use vegetables.
Many dishes already utilize vegetables and make it easy to incorporate more color and flavors. Some favorite vegetables that pair easily with Asian dishes include carrots, celery, peas, and potatoes.
How Many to Serve
These Asian Appetizers are great snacks to serve before an Asian meal to help whet your appetite for the delicious dishes ahead.
Whether serving these appetizers before a meal or as a party spread, will depend on how many you serve.
Before a meal, plan to serve 3-5 pieces per guest.
When serving only appetizers, plan for guests to have 10-12 pieces during a two-hour party and add 5 more pieces per hour after.
- For fewer than 10 guests, offer 2-3 different types of appetizers.
- For more than 10 guests, add another dish for every 5-8 more people.
What should I bring to an Asian party?
When bringing a dish to an Asian party you can’t go wrong with a delicious appetizer. Salads, soup, and Lettuce Wraps are great to serve as sit-down appetizers.
For appetizers to eat while mingling, then go with recipes that don’t need utensils like Wings, Rangoons, or Meatballs.
- Use a variety of appetizers. If you choose to serve appetizers from different cuisines make sure that the flavors are complementary.
- Be sure to mix and match the warm & cool and sweet & savory.
- Not every dish needs to be homemade. Order your favorite appetizers from a local restaurant and combine them with some of your favorite homemade ones.
- Appetizers are an easy way for guests to contribute.
Easy Asian Appetizers
We have so many favorites, but appetizers that are also finger foods are the easiest and so yummy. Here are our go-to easy Asian apps.
Teriyaki Chicken Wings – Homemade Teriyaki Wings – one of the best recipes you’ll ever try! Lots of flavors make these chicken wings a great appetizer for any get together!
Cream Cheese Wontons – Crispy fried Cream Cheese Wontons are filled with cream cheese, lemon and garlic pepper, paprika & fried to golden perfection!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps – This PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps recipe is a copycat of a restaurant favorite. A mixture of ground chicken, minced mushrooms, and onions, seasoned and cooked in oriental sauces and wrapped in fresh lettuce. Best of all, they take just 20 minutes to make!!
Avocado Egg Rolls – These Cheesecake Factory Avocado Egg Rolls Are A Delicious Copycat Recipe Of This Yummy Restaurant Appetizer That Everyone Loves!
Baked Cream Cheese Rangoon – These delicious Cream Cheese Rangoons are filled with cream cheese, garlic, and green onions, then baked to crisp perfection!
More Options
These are more fabulous favorites and some of our go-to’s!
Egg Drop Soup – This delicious and easy Egg Drop Soup recipe tastes just like the restaurant version. Now you can make and enjoy one of your favorite Asian recipes at home with this tasty soup.
Asian Noodle Salad – Asian Noodle Salad – coleslaw, linguine, chicken, and fried wonton strips covered in a delicious homemade Asian dressing!
Sweet And Sour Meatballs – These Sweet and Sour Meatballs are made with frozen meatballs and pineapple chunks and are covered in a DELICIOUS homemade sweet and sour sauce!!
Asian Ramen Salad – Fresh & lightly dressed Asian Ramen Salad is filled with cabbage and bits of almonds and ramen, giving it bright color and crunchy texture!
Asian Meatballs – Easy and delicious Crock Pot Asian meatballs take minutes to prep, are perfect for parties and have that Asian flavor we all know and love.
My Kids Favorite!
One appetizer/side that we have with almost every Asian meal is Egg Rolls. They’re delicious and so simple that even the kids can make them.
I also love that they are easy to customize. We prefer ours with a coleslaw mix and chicken, but change it up with your favorite protein and veggies.
10+ Asian Appetizers – Easy Egg Roll + MORE
Ingredients
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
- 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1 package cole slaw mix
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Sautee cole slaw in a pan with a little olive oil until it is limp.
- Add shredded chicken breast for a few minutes until all mixed. Season with salt & pepper.
- Add slaw and chicken mixture to the middle of your egg roll wrapper. Fold up the sides one at a time and for the last fold add a little water (or an egg wash along the edges) so it sticks.
- Fry your egg rolls until golden brown. Place on wire rack once fried. Serve warm and with dipping sauce like Sweet and Sour sauce.
Video
THE COMPLETE LIST
Here are the picture cards of ALL the Asian Appetizers listed above.
If you are a big fan of Asian food like me, you will want to try everything on this list! Hopefully it will come in handy whether you are planning a special dinner, weeknight meal, or celebration of the Chinese New Year!
More Collections: Healthy Appetizers, Crock Pot Appetizers, Easy Appetizers
