This easy greek appetizer platter is one of my go-to snacking spreads for entertaining. There's a little something for everyone on one of these mediterranean mezze spreads and I love how colorful, vibrant, and fresh the flavors are!
What is a Mediterranean Mezze Platter?
Mezze can be thought of as a collection of small Greek appetizers that are often served at room temperature. Something you can pick up with your hands and munch on while relaxing or sipping greek wines.
In my greek inspired appetizer platter, I like using a mix of my favorite store-bought ingredients and some of my own easy recipes to make my life easier.
The method is easy! I start building the board by adding small bowls of various dips like tzatziki sauce, store bought or homemade hummus, and baba ganoush (eggplant dip). Then I add the cooked protiens like meatballs and falafel. Then to balance it all out, I also add crunchy, fresh vegetables (like red peppers and cucumbers ), some briny items (like olives) and of course, feta cheese!
Why You'll Love it
The best part about this kind of greek appetizer spread is that you can try a little bit of everything!
There are so many different elements that make this he perfect appetizer for a dinner party. But for me, I love that I can choose my own intensity level. Whether you want to make everything from scratch or get most of it from the grocery store. It's a great way to please your guests!
And just like an italian antipasto platter, you can serve everything on this Greek Appetizer Platter on small plates directly on your countertop, on a large plate, on a large serving platter or even on a wooden board.
And if this isn't obvious, I want to clarify that although I grew up super close to Tarpon Springs, a Greek diaspora in Florida,and have visited Greece, my recipes are all inspired by my favorite greek food focused chefs and bloggers. If you want the legit, authentic recipe for a greek feast, be sure to check out my friends Alekka's Get-Together or Food by Maria!
Ingredients & Substitutions:
Feel free to add whatever greek-inspired recipes you like to this greek meze platter! And if you want guidance, just check out my additional add-ons inspiration section below!
- Mediterranean Inspired Chicken Meatballs: My chicken-based greek meatballs are inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean. They're always one of my most popular recipes so I knew I would have to add them to this greek platter!
- Falafel: I love adding some store-bought ingredients to make my life easier. And Falafel is one that I don't often try to make from scratch. To be honest, I never remember to soak my chickpeas and I'm rarely feeling ambitious enough to get my food processor out if I've got a ton of other things happening. I found this Afia brand at Publix and I think they're pretty dang good in the air fryer! If you wanted to swap it out for another vegetarian dish, I got you! Try a colorful greek salad, some spinach pie, or vegetarian grape leaves.
- Fresh Pita: In my opinion, fresh, warm pita bread is one of the best things in the world. But where I live, it's hard to find it unless it's prepackaged from the store. If you can't find fresh pita either, I recommend turning them into pita chips or my go-to crispy pita fries! They're both super easy to make especially if you have lots of pita bread on hand that is about to go bad.
- Hummus: I use store-bought hummus and just add an extra drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. You could absolutely make your own or check out this authentic hummus recipe from my friend the Lemon Bowl.
- Tzatziki: Tzatziki is a greek yogurt based delicious dip is one of my favorites! I could literally smear it on everything! It's super easy to make and even better with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top. This is also a delicious dip that you can find at your local grocery store!
- Baba Ganoush: Also sometimes spelled baba ghanoush or baba ghanouj, this is a delicious eggpalnt dip that's slightly smoky. If eggplant dip isn't really your thing, try olive tapenade!
- Roasted Feta Veggies: These are totally optional but I love roasting whatever random veggies I have (like this Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad) with feta cheese. I roughly chop them. Then add them a large bowl and tossing with extra virgin olive oil and some greek seasoning. I either air fry it at 400F for 10 minutes or so or throw it in the oven. Once they're almost done, I add some feta cheese on top to make it even more delicious!
- Fresh Veggies: I always use whatever raw vegetables I have on hand when building my Greek Appetizer Platter. Some of my go-tos are cherry tomatoes, red peppers, persian cucumbers, baby carrots, and red onion.
- Brined & Pickled Ingredients: Kalamata olives are always my go-to, but if I had a Whole Foods aroud me, I'd hit the olive bar and get a mix of some really exciting stuff! You can also add marinated artichoke hearts, pickled red onions, marinated peppers and even marinated beans and mushrooms.
- Feta Cheese: You can't have a one of these appetizer spreads without feta cheese! Feel free to add large chunks of feta or try my Cava inspired spicy feta dip! If feta cheese isn't your thing, you can find a Kefalotyri which is a mediterranean Goat Cheese that's hard and firm.
How to Build it:
Building this easy mediterranean appetizers spread is a total breeze! You can use this guide as a starting point to assemble some of the most delicious foods on the planet!
- Prep the Cooked Ingredients: I always start by mixing up my mediterranean inspired chicken meatballs and my frozen falafel. I also do the roasted veggies if I'm adding those, too!
- Prep Sauces: As those are cooking, I whip up my homemade sauces. Once the from-scratch sauces are done, I add them (along with my store-bought sauces) to small bowls and set them aside.
- Prep Veggies: Next, I wash and cut up the fresh vegetables.
- Built the Board: I always use the largest wooden board I can find. But this is optional - you can add all the ingredients to this mediterranean mezze platter directly to a plate, large serving platter or a collection of small dishes. Then it's time to start by adding the small bowls of dip to the middle of the board. After that, add the remaining ingredients to the empty spaces. And make sure that each area has a pop of color. Once all the different dishes are added to the
More Inspiration & Add-ons
The thing I love most about this Greek Appetizer Platter is that you can totally make it your own! Think of this as a guide to inspire you!
If you've got another favorite greek appetizer or some go-to greek tapas - definitely add it to the board!
You could also add fresh fruits, fresh herbs, greek desserts -- honestly there's no wrong way to build one!
Here are a few of my other things to add to the boards:
- Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Marinated Sweet Red Pepper
- Roasted Garlic Cloves
- Any Greek Yogurt Dips
- Tyrokafteri
- Skordalia
- Olive Tapenade
- Greek Goat Cheese
- Spinach Pie
- Baby Carrots
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Pickled Red Onion
- Fresh Fruit - especially pomegranate seeds
- Lemon Wedges
- Fresh Herbs like Fresh Parsley
How far in advance can I prep it?
If you want to make this in advance, that's totally doable! Add all the dips to the serving bowls and prep the fresh veggies. Wrap everything in plastic wrap or in reusable ziplock bags or an airtight container.
About an hour before you serve, you can start to cook the cooked ingredients. I recommend doing mediterranean chicken meatballs, pita fries and falafel.
As it's cooking, you can add all the dips then add the cooked ingredients right before serving.
What goes with it?
If you want a mini version of this Greek Appetizer Platter, check out my Mediterranean Rice Bowl!
It's also delicious with my Honey Harissa Chicken, this Creamy Garlic Dressing, and of course Cava's Crazy Feta Dip.
It's also delicious with this Chicken Florentine Soup which is kind of similar to greek Avgolemono!
Recipe
Easy Greek Inspired Appetizer Platter (Mediterranean Mezze Spread)
Ingredients
- Mediterranean Inspired Chicken Meatballs
- Falafel
- Pita Fries
- Roasted Veggies with Feta Cheese
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Beet Hummus
- Babaganoush
- Fresh Veggies & Brined Veggies
Instructions
- Prep the Cooked Ingredients: I always start by mixing up my mediterranean inspired chicken meatballs and my frozen falafel. I also do the roasted veggies if I'm adding those, too! Pop everything in the oven or air fryer and start the next step while they're all cooking.
- Prep Sauces: As those are cooking, it's time to make the sauces unless you're buying them from the store. Once the from-scratch sauces are done, I add them (along with my store-bought sauces) to small bowls and set them aside.
- Prep Veggies: Next, wash and dry the fresh vegetables and cut them into bite sized pieces. Set them aside.
- Choose the Base: Choose a large wooden board, a large serving platter, or just grab a ton of small bowls to serve everything on.
- Build the Grazing Board: Start by adding the small bowls of dip to the middle of the board. After that, I add the cooked ingredients around the dips. Then add the remaining fresh and brined ingredients to fill up the empty spaces and make sure that each area has a pop of color. Feel free to garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately.
