12 Kid-Friendly Appetizers for a Friday “App Night” Dinner

Since I was a little kid, I’ve always felt that the appetizers were the best part of any meal. And as a discerning 8-year-old diner, I would often make my “meal” a combination of my favorite appetizers, like potato skins and mozzarella sticks. Now, as a mother of two, I’ve found that App Night, a dinner of all appetizers or finger foods and one of many dinner theme ideas kids will love, is one of my kids’ favorite dinners. I like to prepare a mix of homemade and store-bought appetizers with various dipping options such as ranch and ketchup and then let my family serve themselves so everyone gets exactly what they want. It’s the perfect easy, fun dinner for a Friday night family movie night. 

Here are some of the kid-friendly appetizers that show up on our App Night menu.

Crescent roll dough and cocktail weenies are a match made in heaven. Don’t forget a little sprinkle of sea salt before baking and plenty of ketchup and mustard for dipping.

Potatoes, bacon, cheese — what’s not to love? If you want to speed up the process a bit, “bake” the potatoes in the microwave before scooping, filling, and rebaking them.

Inspired by the trendy potato chip tower from Ernesto’s, a Basque restaurant in Manhattan, this honey butter popcorn chicken tower looks super impressive but comes together quickly with a few ingredients that kids love—popcorn chicken, peperoni, honey, and, if it’s not a deal-breaker for your little ones, a dash of hot sauce. Don’t forget the ranch dressing!

These take a little bit of time and skill to make (about an hour total), but once you’ve tried Alyse Whitney’s homemade crab rangoons, you may never want to settle for the takeout version again. No countertop fryer? No problem! These can be air-fried, too.

These wings are a great choice for kiddos who might not be down with Buffalo sauce quite yet but still appreciate a little drumette. Garlic and Parmesan provide plenty of punch in lieu of Buffalo or barbecue sauce. If your crew prefers their wings on the crispier side, leave them in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

No app night is complete without a dip, and guacamole is one of my kids’ favorites. Serve with a big bowl of your favorite tortilla chips and watch the guac disappear.

Small toasts are a hit for small folks, and this fresh tomato bruschetta is a quick and easy app that you will want to make over and over again, especially in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak.

If your kids love cheese and/or fried things, these scrumptious fried goat cheese balls will be a hit. While they might seem a little intimidating at first, this is a super simple recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes. And the sweet and tangy mango dip is so good, you’ll be scrounging around for more things to dunk in it.

A fixture of the state fair, fried pickles are pure fun. This recipe ditches the deep fryer, getting the cornmeal-breaded pickles crispy in the oven. The dip — a simple mayo-chup or ranch.

Some of the best appetizers are the old-timey ones, like these retro sausage balls. The combination of sausage, Bisquick, and cheese makes these a great choice for App Night or to take along to any party where you want to be a well-loved guest.

This is really a meal in dip form, making it a smart and substantial choice for dinner. The protein-rich dip gets its heft from white beans, and there’s also corn, bell peppers, and (optional) jalapeños, plus chicken of course, making this a filling dip to serve with tortilla chips.

My kids love these cheesy toasts that get their flavor from mild green chilies. It’s sort of like cheesy garlic bread and, thus, extremely lovable. (Some commenters took issue with the amount of butter, so if that’s a problem for you, just skip it and brush the bread with olive oil instead.)