17 Memorial Day Appetizers That Keep the Cookout Budget Friendly

Keeping appetizer costs down on Memorial Day is harder when you’re feeding a crowd, and most party food lists lean heavily on expensive ingredients or takeout price tags. These 17 recipes pull from across the network specifically because they deliver serious flavor without requiring premium spending. From no-cook dips you can assemble in 15 minutes to grilled skewers that work for any backyard setup, this collection covers the full spread a Memorial Day cookout actually needs.

A clear glass bowl with 7 Layer Dip featuring beans, white cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, lettuce, and black olives. — 7 Layer Dip. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Antipasto Skewers

Twenty minutes of threading, and Antipasto Skewers land on the table looking like something that took real effort. Each skewer carries prosciutto, salami, mozzarella balls, artichoke hearts, green and black olives, and grape tomatoes, all finished with a pesto drizzle. The recipe makes 16 skewers, and they can be assembled hours ahead and chilled; one less thing to manage when the grill is going. Serve them as the table appetizer guests reach for first, while everything else is still cooking.
Get the Recipe: Antipasto Skewers

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A hand dips a tortilla chip into a cheesy baked dish topped with sliced green onions. — Buffalo Chicken Dip. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Ready in about 17 minutes and built to serve 8, Buffalo Chicken Dip is the classic that shows up at every gathering for a reason. Shredded cooked chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, and blue cheese crumbles bake into a spicy, creamy dip that works with chips, celery, or a sliced baguette. Using rotisserie chicken cuts prep almost entirely, and the whole thing bakes in one dish. Set it out warm and let guests keep dipping.
Get the Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites

A bowl of golden-brown, crispy fried arancini served in a white dish on a plain background. — Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Crispy-fried pockets of Pepper Jack cheese and jalapeños, Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites serve 6 and land somewhere between a mozzarella stick and a jalapeño popper. The process includes a one-hour freezer step to keep the cheese from escaping during frying, then a seasoned breadcrumb coating with cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder. Make them ahead and freeze them raw; fry straight from frozen at the cookout and serve while hot. Ranch or blue cheese dressing alongside cools the heat.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites

Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings

Close-up of grilled chicken wings with a crispy texture, next to a red bowl of creamy dipping sauce. — Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

A homemade Cajun dry rub on 16 baked chicken wings, Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings serve 4 in 25 minutes without a single drop of frying oil. Smoked paprika, dried oregano, cumin, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt coat the wings before they go into a 428°F oven to crisp up. Skip the wing spot, skip the wing spot prices, and skip the wait.
Get the Recipe: Wingstop Louisiana Rub Wings

Cowboy Queso Dip

A tortilla chip is dipped into a skillet of cheesy ground beef and tomato dip, with melted cheese stretching between the chip and the dip. — Cowboy Queso Dip. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Ground beef, cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies make Cowboy Queso Dip a stovetop project that feeds 8 in 35 minutes. The beef adds staying power that most queso skips, and the whole thing comes together in one skillet. Keep it on a low burner or transfer to a slow cooker to stay warm through the afternoon. Serve with tortilla chips.
Get the Recipe: Cowboy Queso Dip

Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers

Thai chicken skewers topped with a creamy sauce and garnished with chopped herbs and peanuts, served over a bed of white rice. — Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Marinated in red curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, lime, sesame oil, and fish sauce, then grilled to golden, Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers serve 4 with a creamy peanut sauce for dipping. Chicken thighs do better than breasts on a hot grill since the fat keeps them from drying out. The recipe includes a 15-minute minimum marinating time, though overnight in the fridge deepens the flavor. These skewers pull double duty as a starter and the reason people hang around the grill.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Close-up of a blue corn chip dipped in a creamy cheese and vegetable mixture, garnished with cilantro and sliced jalapeños. — Mexican Street Corn Dip. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

All the bold flavor of elote in a scoopable form, Mexican Street Corn Dip is built on a creamy base of cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo, with charred corn, jalapeño, Cotija cheese, lime, cilantro, and smoky spices stirred through. It comes together in 30 minutes and pairs directly with tortilla chips. Char a small portion of corn separately to add a few caramelized pieces on top as garnish.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Street Corn Dip

Lemon Pepper Wings

Close-up of seasoned baked chicken wings garnished with chopped fresh parsley on a white plate. — Lemon Pepper Wings. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Baking powder is the move here. Tossed with baking powder and salt, two pounds of chicken wings bake at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes until the skin crisps without any frying. Lemon Pepper Wings serve 4 and finish with a brush of melted butter and lemon pepper seasoning straight out of the oven. The result is tangy, peppery, and genuinely crispy. Make a double batch; they go fast.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Pepper Wings

Spinach Artichoke Dip

A bowl of creamy spinach dip garnished with herbs, surrounded by slices of crusty bread on a blue patterned cloth. — Spinach Artichoke Dip. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Real spinach sautéed with onion, garlic, and butter, combined with cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Parmesan, mozzarella, and canned artichoke hearts, baked 30 minutes until bubbling. Spinach Artichoke Dip makes a 3-quart batch, enough to anchor a table of 10 or more. A splash of chicken or vegetable broth keeps it from becoming too dense. This is the dip people scrape the dish for. Serve with toasted baguette slices, tortilla chips, or crackers.
Get the Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip

Wingstop Louisiana Rub

A wooden spoon rests in a bowl filled with a colorful spice mixture, including herbs like cilantro or parsley, with visible red and green flakes. — Wingstop Louisiana Rub. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

The spice mix behind the wings in item 4, Wingstop Louisiana Rub, takes 5 minutes to blend from scratch: smoked paprika, dried oregano, cayenne, cumin, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Batch it in quantity and store it in a jar; one blend goes on chicken wings, sprinkled over roasted potatoes alongside the meal, or stirred into popcorn for snacking before the grill is even hot. Having the rub prepped keeps the cookout prep faster and the wings from needing any store-bought seasoning.
Get the Recipe: Wingstop Louisiana Rub

BBQ Wings

A platter of glazed chicken wings topped with chopped green onions and drizzled with white sauce, served with a small bowl of dipping sauce and a spoon. — BBQ Wings. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Tossed in a seasoned flour coating (flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper), baked 40 minutes until golden, then brushed with BBQ sauce and returned to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until sticky and caramelized. BBQ Wings serve 4 from around 20 wings in 55 minutes total. The flour coating gives them a crunch you don’t usually get from sauce-only wings; the BBQ glaze on top locks it in. Classic game day, classic cookout.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Wings

Beer Cheese Dip

A hand dips a tortilla chip into creamy cheese dip sprinkled with paprika and black pepper. — Beer Cheese Dip. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

A quick roux, a splash of lager beer, and 3 cups of freshly grated sharp cheddar, and Beer Cheese Dip is ready to serve in 11 minutes. The recipe makes about 2 cups of smooth, pub-style dip; scale up easily for a crowd. Serve warm with soft pretzel bites, tortilla chips, or crusty bread. The alcohol cooks off during heating, leaving just a malty depth that cuts through the richness of the cheese. Make it ahead and reheat gently with a splash of milk to loosen it back up.
Get the Recipe: Beer Cheese Dip

Buffalo Wings

A tray of sauced chicken wings garnished with chopped green onions, served with celery and carrot sticks, and a cup of creamy dipping sauce in the center. — Buffalo Wings. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Baking powder on the skin, a 450°F oven, 50 minutes of cook time split between a plain crisp bake and a final sauce toss. Buffalo Wings serve 4 from about 20 wings and finish with a honey buffalo butter sauce (hot sauce, butter, and honey combined) and a homemade blue cheese dip made from crumbled blue cheese, sour cream, mayo, and garlic. The honey rounds out the heat and gives the sauce a glossy, sticky finish. Celery and carrot sticks alongside is the correct move.
Get the Recipe: Buffalo Wings

Greek Feta Dip (Tirokafteri)

Spicy Greek feta dip in a bowl with pita bread by the side. — Greek Feta Dip. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Two cups of feta, two roasted red peppers, a fresh red chili, garlic, red wine vinegar, and olive oil, blended until smooth. Greek Feta Dip (Tirokafteri) takes 5 minutes and serves 8, and the heat level is adjustable by how much chili goes in. It belongs on a mezze spread alongside pita bread and olives, but it’s equally good as a dip station option at a backyard cookout. The tang cuts through all the richer items on the table.
Get the Recipe: Greek Feta Dip

Caprese Appetizer Bites

Image shows an overhead shot of Caprese Bites on a wooden board. — Caprese Appetizer Bites. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Toasted baguette slices brushed with olive oil and Italian seasoning, topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil, finished with a balsamic glaze drizzle. Caprese Appetizer Bites serve 20 in 15 minutes and are the lightest, most refreshing option on the table. Assemble right before serving so the bread stays crispy; wait to drizzle the balsamic until the last minute for the same reason. A platter of these next to all the wings and dips gives guests something bright and clean to reach for.
Get the Recipe: Caprese Appetizer Bites

Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites

One can of refrigerated biscuits cut into quarters, baked 8 to 10 minutes, dipped in melted butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar, then broiled 1 to 2 minutes until caramelized. Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites make 32 pieces in 15 minutes and cost almost nothing. These are for the sweet-tooth crowd at the cookout; the kids and the adults who want one more thing after the main spread. Serve them warm; they go fast.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Biscuit Bites

7 Layer Dip

Refried beans, a cream cheese and sour cream mixture seasoned with taco seasoning and lime, mashed avocado with red onion, chunky tomato salsa, shredded lettuce, quartered grape tomatoes, shredded Monterey Jack, and sliced black olives. 7 Layer Dip serves 8 in 15 minutes flat with no cooking required. Layer it in a clear dish so the layers show, chill it in advance, and set it out with a big bowl of tortilla chips. The most hands-off option on the table; assemble it the night before and carry it straight to the party.
Get the Recipe: 7 Layer Dip