Search
Login
Foodies Only in your inbox
By clicking "Subscribe", you agree to ourPrivacy Policy and to receive marketing emails from Foodies Only
ITC Portal
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
26/12/2025
Some dishes don’t just get eaten – they get shared, saved, and screenshotted. Bite-sized appetisers are the hot nibbles of the year and have officially taken over feeds, and it’s easy to see why. They’re crunchy, colourful, and perfectly portioned for dramatic cheese pulls and ASMR-worthy bites. Whether it’s a desi spin on bruschetta or a crispy rice hack straight out of Nobu, these small plates pack major main-character energy.
There’s a reason bite-sized appetisers dominate party tables and timelines – they’re low commitment and high reward (instant dopamine boost), a lot like modern dating. These snacks are made for maximum impact on your taste buds: impactful textures, pops of flavours, and just enough indulgence to make people reach for ‘just one more’ bite. From global viral snacks to local comfort-food remixes, these viral appetisers are all about what gets devoured first and talked about longest. If your goal is to keep guests hovering around the snack table, you’re in the right place.
Originally from the Japanese restaurant Nobu, these recently became social media famous. It’s made by pressing seasoned sushi rice (mixed with rice vinegar and sugar) into a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap, creating a 1/2-inch thick block. It is refrigerated to firm up, then sliced into rectangles. The rice blocks are pan-fried, per side, until golden and crackling. The spicy tuna mixture is made with tuna, mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. Then top each crispy rectangle with the tuna mixture and add thin avocado slices.
This bruschetta takes the classic Italian toasted bread appetiser and gives it a desi twist by adding green chillies, coriander, red onions, garlic and classic spices. Some recipes add burrata to the top of the bruschetta with a crunchy base. It’s a quick, colourful starter that’s perfect for parties or tea-time bites. Balsamic vinegar is commonplace in the Italian version, but it can be costly and can be swapped with lemon juice, mixed with a bit of chaat masala. Serve as usual with drinks and other appetisers.
This is a fun twist to nachos that went viral, where traditional nachos are swapped for potato chips (or even smashed roasted potatoes), replacing tortilla chips as the crunchy base. Creators on social media and food blogs load them with classic nacho toppings – cheese, sour cream, onions, tomatoes, bacon, jalapeños, and more, creating a comfort-food mashup that’s perfect for night-ins or parties. The idea has spawned multiple variations, including smashed potato nachos with meat or other toppings.
These capture everything beloved about bagels, minus the carbs. It’s made with sliced English cucumbers with a hollow cavity in their centres. The cucumbers are patted dry, and then the filling is added to them. The filling is usually made with cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced fresh dill, garlic, and sea salt. Then it's piped into the cucumber ‘cup’ and topped with small pieces of cold-smoked salmon (Nova lox works particularly well). Garnish with olives and extra dill.
Popularised by social media, this is a Greek recipe which involves baking a block of feta cheese until it's soft and golden, then drizzling it with honey and herbs. The feat block is baked with a drizzle of olive oil at 200°C for 20 minutes until the edges turn golden and the centre softens. Once removed from the oven, it’s drizzled with quality honey and sprinkled with red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, and cracked black pepper. It is usually served with warm pita chips, crusty bread, or sliced vegetables to scoop the baked cheese block.
Jalapeno poppers with spicy cheese remain crowd favourites, and continue to be recycled on social media. There are variations like cheddar bacon cheese with chicken or mac and cheese bites. It’s made with halved jalapeños without the seeds, with a filling of cream cheese mixed with shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Then the jalapenos are wrapped with a half-slice of bacon, secured with a toothpick and air fried. You get the crispy texture, with less oil and get a crispy yet cheesy treat.
This recipe went viral on Instagram because of its bite-sized nature, intense crispy texture, and cheesy crust. Baby potatoes are cut, tossed with olive oil and seasonings, then pressed into loads of grated Parmesan and butter before roasting. The result is crunchy, golden potatoes with a crackly cheese outer layer and soft interior—perfect as a snack, side dish, or party food. The simplicity of ingredients and visual appeal contributed to its widespread popularity online.
As part of the giant rice paper hack trend, kimchi joins the brigade by adding itself to dumplings. In here, the rice paper sheets are soaked briefly, wrapped around fillings like kimchi, tofu or veggies, and then pan-fried or air-fried until ultra-crispy on the outside with a spicy, tangy centre, often served with bold dipping sauces like gochujang or soy-sesame blends. Their ease of prep, gluten-free appeal and satisfying crunch have made them one of the most re-created viral food hacks of the year.
These appetisers don’t wait for permission – they get grabbed. Every bite is designed to deliver instant crunch, heat, or creaminess without slowing the party down. That’s why they keep going viral: they’re bold, low-effort, and impossible to eat politely. Put these out once and watch the table hover, the plates pile up, and the snacks disappear before anyone thinks about seconds.