These crowd pleasing antipasto skewers make an easy party appetizer or a fun addition to a charcuterie board. Make your antipasto skewers a day in advance to make party prep even simpler – they come together in just minutes!

When we first moved into our house and finally got around to hosting a housewarming party, I knew I wanted a menu of really great easy party appetizers.

That’s when these super delicious antipasto skewers were born! They might be one of my best appetizer recipes to date.

I loaded these antipasto skewers with mozzarella, roasted peppers, salami and olives, but you can alter them to suit your personal taste. They’re a no-cook appetizer recipe your crowd will love.

Easy Antipasto Skewers

We often host parties with a menu of all appetizers. It makes prepping food so much easier and also encourages everyone to mix and mingle when everyone gathers together.

It also means I’m pretty serious about having a few solid appetizer recipes up my sleeve at all times.

These easy antipasto skewers are a hearty yet crazy easy to make appetizer option that everyone goes crazy for at parties.

They’re also good for weekday lunches – just pack up a few along with a salad! They’re checking all the boxes.

What You Need to Make Antipasto Skewers

• Mini fresh mozzarella balls – Mozzarella is the perfect cheese for antipasto skewers! If you can, opt for the marinated mozzarella balls.
• Olives – I like using green olives for the brined flavor, but black olives or Greek kalamata olives would also work.
• Salami – I always use salami on antipasto skewers, but other options include prosciutto, capicola or even thinly slice pepperoni.
• Fresh basil leaves – Fresh basil adds a vibrance to the flavors that is really really yummy!
• Roasted red peppers – It’s easy to roast your own peppers, or pick some up in a jar to keep things even easier.
• Artichoke hearts – Artichokes have a great texture that really adds to these antipasto skewers. Marinated artichoke hearts are a great option here!
• Fresh tortellini – Fresh tortellini cooked and drained/dried well. Skip the tortellini for a lower carb option.
• Bamboo skewers – I use 3″ bamboo skewers with a knot on the end to keep ingredients from sliding off the end. Long toothpicks also work to make antipasto skewers if you’re not able to source bamboo skewers. Amazon has many options for appetizer picks.

How to Make Antipasto Skewers

Step 1. Whenever possible I like to use marinated mozzarella balls for these antipasto skewers.

If you aren’t able to find them at your grocery store, mix a few tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl with Italian seasoning.

Drain your mozzarella balls, then place them into the olive oil seasoning mixture and toss to coat.

Let them sit for 20 minutes or longer before assembling your antipasto skewers.

Step 2. The same process above can be used to marinate your olives if you’d like!

I generally do the same thing and look for seasoned green olives, but it’s definitely not strictly necessary.

Olives stuffed with blue cheese or pimentos or even garlic cloves are also delicious options for these appetizer picks.

Step 3. Once your ingredients are all assembled, you just start skewering each one onto a pick.

I always start with the mozzarella balls and tend to keep the same order for each little skewer so they look nice on a platter all together.

The order of how you assemble the antipasto skewers isn’t very fussy, but I find that starting with a ball of mozzarella and ending with an olive keeps things together nicely.

Step 4.  I slice each piece of salami in half and then fold it to place it on the skewer and I also generally find that it makes sense to slice up the roasted bell peppers, too.

 

Step 5. Fresh basil really brings these antipasto skewers to life so I highly suggest that you make sure to include some.

The brightness of fresh basil adds so much aroma and flavor and helps to balance out the other briny, salty notes of the other ingredients.

The bell peppers add a touch of sweetness that helps round everything out. It’s a fresh, bright, salty, briny flavor combination you can’t resist.

Can You Make Antipasto Skewers in Advance?

When I’m hosting a party I love prepping as much of the food as I can the day before.

Antipasto skewers are perfect to make in advance, which is one of the reasons I love making them!

Antipasto skewers are very simple to make but can take a little bit to assemble if you’re making a whole bunch for a big crow.

I generally make them the night before a party and store them in the fridge in an air tight container overnight.

The next day I’ll arrange them on a platter or a cutting board before serving.

Likewise, antipasto skewers will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days when properly stored in an airtight container.

If you have leftovers you can pop them back in the fridge or you could even prep a bunch at the beginning of the week to munch on as snacks throughout the week!

Can You Make Vegetarian Antipasto Skewers?

Being a vegetarian, I always make sure to make a handful of antipasto skewers without meat.

If I’m making or serving vegetarian antipasto skewers, I make sure to plate those separately from any that include meat.

For even more variety, you can absolutely play with different kinds of meats and olives, or swap out the mozzarella for burrata.

The possibilities and flavor combinations are endless! People love appetizers on a stick so either way, these are a guaranteed hit.

More Great Party Appetizers

If you’re looking for more great party appetizer recipes to pair with these antipasto skewers at your next gathering, give these appetizer recipes a try:

• Buffalo chicken meatballs with blue cheese
• Bacon and jam pinwheel appetizers
• Mac and cheese stuffed jalapeño poppers
• Zucchini veggie balls
• Crunchy veggie taco cups
• The best blue cheese dip

What Cocktails Are Good with Antipasto Skewers?

If you’re serving these skewers as a party appetizer, here are a few fun suggestions for cocktail recipes that will pair well:

• White sangria with peaches and pineapple
• Rosé spritzer
• Strawberry lemonade moscow mule
• Kiwi lime mint sangria
• Champagne mojitos

Antipasto Skewers

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

These crowd pleasing antipasto skewers make an easy party appetizer or a fun addition to a charcuterie board. Make your antipasto skewers a day in advance to make party prep even simpler – they come together in just minutes!

Print

Ingredients

• 24 mini fresh mozzarella balls
• 24 olives
• 12 slices of salami, cut in half
• 24 small basil leaves
• 2 roasted bell peppers, sliced (or 1 jar)
• 1 jar artichoke hearts
• ½ pound fresh tortellini, cooked
• Bamboo skewers

Instructions

1. Using 3″ bamboo skewers or similar, layer your ingredients starting with the mozzarella balls, then the roasted peppers (I used a mix of red, yellow and orange), tortellini, basil, artichoke heart, salami and olives.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Line a tray with your finished skewers and refrigerate until serving.
   
   
3. Make them the night or the morning before and keep chilled. (Leftovers will keep for a few days!)
   
   
4. Plan for 2 to 3 skewers per person.
   

Notes

I generally use mozzarella balls and olives that are already marinated and seasoned, but I would suggest tossing yours in a bit of olive oil with a big pinch of Italian seasoning if you can’t find those that are already pre-seasoned.

[Art direction + recipe by Cyd Converse | Photos by Alice G. Patterson.]