These antipasto skewers are a variety of Italian meats, cheeses, olives and vegetables threaded onto sticks. An easy and elegant make ahead appetizer!
When I’m entertaining, I like to make sure I have plenty of appetizer recipes ready to serve to my guests. Some of my favorites include Southwestern egg rolls, smoky muhammara dip, fried mushrooms, Italian peperonata and these simple yet satisfying antipasto skewers.
Having a party? This antipasto skewer recipe is the perfect way to celebrate! These easy appetizers look fancy, but they take just minutes to prepare, require no cooking, and can be made in advance.
Table of Contents
Antipasto Skewers Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need kalamata black olives, fresh mozzarella cheese balls, salami, green olives, cherry peppers and pepperoncini peppers. Be sure to drain all the wet items from the liquid that they are packed in.
How Do You Make Antipasto Skewers?
Get a dozen wooden skewers – look for decorative ones if you can find them! Place one of each item onto each skewer. Serve immediately on a platter, or refrigerate for later use.
Tips For The Perfect Kabobs
- You want all of your antipasto items to be of a similar size, it makes for a better presentation and is easier to eat that way. I used a small log of salami which I cut into rounds, and I halved the peppers to make them bite sized.
- I love to serve something fresh along with the skewers like a veggie tray as a counterpart to the rich salami and cheese.
- I find that marinated mozzarella balls have the most flavor, so choose that variety if they are available at your local store.
- Serve the skewers as-is, or with a sauce for dipping such as pesto, Italian dressing or homemade marinara sauce. You can also add a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Quick Tip
You can prepare your skewers up to 8 hours before you plan to serve them. Store the meat and cheese kabobs in the fridge in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend using a thicker cut of salami, as the paper thin slices don’t adhere well to wood skewers. You can buy a small log of salami and slice it yourself to control the exact size and thickness of the pieces.
Antipasto is an Italian appetizer that consists of a variety of different meats, cheeses, olives, breads and veggies. It is often served on a platter or threaded onto skewers. It can also be served over greens to make an antipasto salad.
Charcuterie is mostly cured meats, with a few other ingredients such as cheese or bread. Antipasto contains more than just meats and the ingredients are Italian in nature.
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Flavor Variations
While this recipe is great as-is, you can easily customize the ingredients to suit your tastes.
- Meat: Instead of salami, try using Spanish chorizo, pepperoni, prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, or coppa.
- Cheese: Swap out the mozzarella for cubes of parmesan, fontina, truffle cheese, pecorino romano or provolone. You can also use cheese tortellini.
- Vegetables: Instead of olives and peppers, go with marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, fresh cherry tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, grilled zucchini or sun dried tomatoes.
These antipasto kabobs are sure to be a hit for any occasion, no one can resist meat and cheese on a stick!
More Great Appetizer Recipes
Sausage Cheese Balls
30 mins
Slow Cooker Chicken Wings
5 hrs 15 mins
Bacon Ranch Dip
6 mins
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
45 mins
Antipasto Skewers Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Antipasto Skewers
Ingredients
- 12 kalamata olives
- 12 small balls of fresh mozzarella get the marinated type if available
- 12 slices salami thick cut
- 12 pimento stuffed green olives
- 6 whole jarred cherry peppers halved
- 12 small pepperoncini peppers
Instructions
- Take 12 7-inch skewers and thread one of each ingredient item onto each skewer. Serve immediately or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 day.
Notes
- You want all of your antipasto items to be of a similar size, it makes for a better presentation and is easier to eat that way. I used a small log of salami which I cut into rounds, and I halved the peppers to make them bite sized.
- I find that marinated mozzarella balls have the most flavor, so choose that variety if they are available at your local store
I bought these to a potluck lunch and boy were they tasty and fun! Nice that each person can just take a skewer
How far in advance can these be made? night before? helpful instructions to keep them flavored and not dry?
You can make them one day ahead I’d brush them with a tiny bit of olive oil so they don’t dry out.
My teenagers made these and we really enjoyed them! Food is so fun on a stick!
These are scrumptious! I added black olives, pickled cauliflower and cherry tomatoes. I pickled, my cauliflower with the juice from pepperoncini, I started 6 months earlier in the fridge.
So festive and tasty! I like the way you can make them ahead of time!
These are so perfect. Marinated mozz was a little too pricey, so I just got regular and then let it sit a while in vinaigrette.
Easy and always a crowd pleaser! I make them often!
Just made a pile of these just as pictured for my club’s reception tonite….they look and smell wonderful…and I packed them up in snap on covered tray from local dollar store….thank you for nice idea!
Gave an Oscar Party last year..the ladies walked the Red Carpet (red felt, doubled sided tape to secure to side walk) then buffet table had lots of crystals and the colors were Black and White.
Found old movie reel at Thrift shop and that was on the table also…planning for the coming year already..making photo kit props and then bringing back the red carpet.
Gail that sounds so amazing! Thanks for sharing!
I love watching the awards and a party like this would be fun!
Looks like a fun time, indeed…those antipasto skewers look to die for! And who can resist those savings? #client
This is such a cute idea! I love giving little gifts to guests for parties. Such a fun way to help them remember a good time with friends! As for the antipasti, I’m in. I love these flavors and can never get enough of them!
These are such a great party appetizer. I love that they’re easy to prepare ahead of time and perfectly portioned.
Such a cute gift bag! I apparently need to go to parties at your house 😀 Though if we host one this award season, I know our neighbors will love these skewers!
What a fun party idea for New Years. Sounds like a fun way to dress up and enjoy some delicious food and friends.
I LOVE watching awards shows. It’s always so much fun looking at the dresses and listening to award speeches. Now I want to watch some awards shows and eat these little antipasto bites!