Crunchy, delicious Thanksgiving appetizers made with real pumpkin and no pumpkin pie spice! Our pumpkin triangles with creamy dipping sauce are the ultimate pre-meal snack when your guests are hangry and the turkey isn't ready. Need more classic finger food ideas? We have a great list of appetizer dishes for you at the end of this post.
Why You Should Make This Thanksgiving Appetizer
It's fast. Savory and simple, our easy thanksgiving appetizers can be ready in thirty minutes or less, with just a third of that requiring the oven. You can even add these to your Thanksgiving menu feast as a side dish!
It's light. When you want something for your family and friends to enjoy before Thanksgiving dinner on turkey day, you definitely don't want to fill them up unless its part of your evil plan to keep all the leftovers for yourself.
It's flexible. Use sweet potato puree or butternut squash instead of pumpkin. Dip in cranberry sauce instead of our homemade honey mustard dipping sauce. Add goat cheese or cream cheese to the puree. You might even enjoy adding caramelized onion or garlic. If you can't find spring roll wrappers, try store-bought puff pastry. You have so many options without changing the basic recipe and approach for easy Thanksgiving appetizers that don't add to your stress.
Ingredients for Thanksgiving Appetizers
- Medium Onion. This is diced and sautéed.
- Maple Syrup. Adds just the right sweetness and flavor.
- Balsamic Vinegar. The secret ingredient that makes it all worthwhile, this is a fantastic acidic balance to cut through the fat and sweetness and make this a mostly savory dish.
- Can of Pumpkin Puree. You want the 100% pumpkin, not the pie filling.
- Spices. You will need turmeric, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cumin.
- Aleppo Pepper. Or Hot Red pepper flakes. This is an optional ingredient that adds heat.
- Spring Roll Wrappers. Do not get egg roll wrappers.
- Avocado Oil. You may also use sunflower oil, or another vegetable oil.
Ingredients for Homemade Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Plain Fat-Free Greek Yogurt. Or plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt.
- Fresh Herbs. Chopped Cilantro and Parsley. These herbs add freshness and flavor.
- Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice. Or lemon juice.
- Honey Mustard. If you don't have this, you can make it.
- Dijon Mustard. A good quality Dijon does make a difference.
How to Make these Thanksgiving Appetizers
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large skillet, sauté the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil at medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Add maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent the onions from burning. Next, add pumpkin puree and spices, stir well so all the ingredients are well incorporated, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
In the meantime, cut each wrapper in 2 even rectangles. Brush each one on both sides with oil. Fold each rectangle in half to form a square. Place about a teaspoon of pumpkin filling in the center and fold the corner diagonally to meet the opposite corner and form a triangle.
Pinch the edges together (don’t worry if they’re not completely sealed) and gently press the filling towards the edges so it’s evenly spread on the triangle. Arrange the triangles on the baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 10-12 minutes until golden and crunchy.
Making the Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce
Combine cilantro, parsley, lime juice, olive oil, and both mustards in a blender and blend until smooth. In a large bowl, season greek yogurt with salt and pepper. Add herb mixture and mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.
Tips for Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers
- These pumpkin appetizers are best eaten fresh right out of the oven!
- To make ahead, make the appetizers, but do not bake them. Freeze them flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once Frozen transfer to a freezer bag. Bake right before serving. When baked frozen they may require a couple more minutes in the oven. Just check them carefully, so they don't burn.
- Using spring roll wrappers as the dough makes these super fast and convenient. Keep a couple extra packages of these in your refrigerator to use throughout the holidays.
- The filling mixture is also great on crackers.
The Story Behind this Recipe
There are mainly 2 words in my husband’s culinary vocabulary: moist and crunchy. He’ll eat pretty much anything, as long as it’s not dry or soggy. And even though he’s an extremely picky and detail-oriented person in general, when it comes to food, that's pretty much all he needs.
So I’ve realized by now that there is absolutely no need for me to drive myself crazy in the kitchen in order to make him happy. Basically, all I have to do is wrap something in some kind of wrapper (crunchy), fry it, or bake it and make a sauce for it (moist). Easy enough!
Like last night for example. I made him our Middle Eastern Style Grilled Cheese, and made it extra crunchy. He was in heaven.
When Ruth and I came up with these appetizers, I served them for dinner and they were a total hit. Between Lee and the kids, they were gone within minutes. The whole thing!
I'm not surprised though. They really are delicious. Slightly sweet and spicy, easy to eat... And, of course, crunchy.
Just make sure to brush the wrappers well with oil. That way you'll get the crunch without having to fry them!
And the sauce is also key. The acidity of the vinegar, lime, and mustard balances the sweetness of the pumpkin perfectly and the creaminess of the greek yogurt and the freshness of the herbs make it cooling and satisfying.
Hope you enjoy it!
More Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes
- Pumpkin Apple Turnovers
- Baked Brie with Cranberries and Pecans
- Sweet Onion and Apple Chutney
- Sweet potato Veggie Meatballs
- Seitan Vol au Vents
- Vegan Mac and Cheese Bites
- Spinach and Nut Spread
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
PrintThanksgiving Appetizers With Creamy Dipping Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 36 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crunchy, delicious Thanksgiving appetizers made with real pumpkin and no pumpkin pie spice! Need more ideas? Keep reading and you'll find a list of Thanksgiving appetizers.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced small or 3 scallions, sliced
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1-15oz can pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp Aleppo Pepper or Hot Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 18 spring roll wrappers ( not eggroll wrappers)
- ¼ cup avocado oil, or olive oil
Dipping sauce (makes 2 ¼ cups)
- 1 ½ cups plain fat-free Greek yogurt or plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- ¾ cup chopped parsley
- 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp honey mustard
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
To make the Pumpkin Triangles:
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large skillet, sauté the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil at medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Add maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent the onions from burning.
- Add pumpkin puree and spices, stir well so all the ingredients are well incorporated, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the meantime, cut each wrapper into 2 even rectangles. Brush each one on both sides with oil. Fold each rectangle in half to form a square. Place about a teaspoon of pumpkin filling in the center and fold the corner diagonally to meet the opposite corner and form a triangle. Pinch the edges together (don’t worry if they’re not completely sealed) and gently press the filling towards the edges so it’s evenly spread on the triangle.
- Arrange the triangles on the baking sheet and bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes until golden and crunchy.
To make the sauce
- Combine cilantro, parsley, lime juice, olive oil, and both mustards in a blender and blend until smooth
- In a large bowl, season Greek yogurt with salt and pepper. Add herb mixture and mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.
Notes
- These pumpkin appetizers are best eaten fresh right out of the oven!
- To make ahead, make the appetizers and freeze them flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once Frozen transfer to a freezer bag. Bake right before serving. When baked frozen they may require a couple more minutes in the oven. Just check them carefully, so they don't burn.
This post was originally published on October 12, 2012 - it has been updated with new information and images
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 Thanksgiving Appetizers without dipping sauce
- Calories: 123
- Sugar: 2.8
- Sodium: 363
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: .9
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15.2
- Fiber: .9
- Protein: .4
- Cholesterol: 0
Our Kitchen Inventions says
Those look really really good!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Thanks! And you can use your favorite filling also! Glad you like them 🙂
vanessa says
do you think that these could be frozen? and if so, would i bake and freeze? or freeze unbaked?
Vicky & Ruth says
Yes you can freeze these appetizers unbaked. When you are ready to use them bake them frozen and remember to brush the outside with oil.
vanessa says
Thanks. Also, have you ever added goat cheese?
Vicky & Ruth says
They would be delicious with goat cheese. If you add goat cheese let us know how they come out. We love when our readers do variations on our recipes.
Madison says
I made these and though they were delicious they looked nothing like your picture. I have never worked with spring roll wrappers but mine were paper thin and translucent. The only part that got crispy were the edges and it took about 25 minutes in the oven. Are you sure you didn't mean wonton or egg roll wrap?
Next time I make them I am going to put the filling into wonton cups and then dollop on the sauce.
Thank you for a truly unique recipe!
Vicky and Ruth says
We are sorry about that. It is one of our original recipes and we may have to make some adjustments.