13 Trader Joe's Appetizers That Are Perfect For The Air Fryer

There are plenty of tasty appetizers to choose from at Trader Joe's. The store has an entire freezer case dedicated to these tasty options, as well as plenty of small bites in other sections of the store. When making apps to share, the air fryer is a fantastic kitchen tool that can cut down on the time required. It also eliminates the need for grease and oil, and keeps your food crispy and hot. 

A stop by the Trader Joe's appetizer section is the perfect way to get your shared dish ready in a hurry. You can select from plenty of options from savory to sweet that will suit everyone's taste buds. While most are smaller portions than you'd find in a large warehouse store like Costco, you can easily choose a few apps to make, then whip them up in the air fryer. Here are the best ones that we like to keep hungry guests happy without spending a ton of time in the kitchen.

What's better than mac and cheese? Making it bite size, breading it with panko, and popping it in the air fryer — that's what! For friends of Trader Joe's diner style mac and cheese, these bites may taste familiar. Like the stovetop version, these bites use cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, and Gouda to give plenty of cheesy flavor to the appetizer. They add cream cheese, Monterey jack, and pecorino Romano cheeses for extra goodness and a bit of extra salty bite. The exterior breading is light and crispy without overwhelming the gooey cheese inside.

The bites come frozen, so all you need to do is add them to your air fryer basket and cook for between 10 and 15 minutes. Oil isn't needed, keeping these a light and refreshing appetizer that still strikes a savory note, thanks to the tasty cheese. These are perfect as a shared app or a snack. Add them as an option to a mac and cheese bar alongside toppings and the traditional side for something different. You can even put them on a plate with dipping sauces or serve them to young kids who love their mac and cheese. They end up at the top of our shopping list because of their versatility and almost universal appeal.

For fans of Trader Joe's Indian cuisine, the mini vegetables samosas are the perfect appetizer. These little bites are loaded with delicious flavor from peas, carrots, potatoes, lentils, onions, and plenty of spices. They're sized just right for an app as well, although it's hard for us to stick to just one when they taste so good. The phyllo dough on the outside of the samosa is just the right amount of flaky, maintaining a light consistency over the savory filling. It's the plentiful filling that makes these a go-to on our appetizer list. We also like to serve them alongside some of the Indian food entrees also found at Trader Joe's.

We love the combination of vegetables and curry, but with such a strong flavor, it might be a little bit jarring alongside other styles of cuisine. Featuring them with similar flavors works well, or you can have these apps represent this region of the world in a party with an international theme.

The Parmesan pastry pups are a convenient version of pigs in a blanket that you can make in your air fryer. The Parmesan gives them extra salty flavor with a bite that pairs well with the weenie inside. The mini dogs are nitrite-free and put the appetizer on the savory list. Each app is wrapped in puff pastry dough then baked to get a buttery, flaky finish. Compared to some other similar pre-made appetizers, the puff pastry blanket is sized just right to envelope the entire mini hot dog. It also looks much more impressive than simply cutting a corn dog or hot dog into smaller pieces, another pigs in a blanket hack to save time.

All you need to do to get them ready is put them in your air fryer basket. Just make sure to leave enough space around each pup to let the air circulate — this ensures that they can get the flaky exterior that makes them so delicious.

It's a fun appetizer to serve on a buffet bar. Set out your favorite condiments, such as ketchup and mustard, or switch things up with hotter dipping sauces. Guests can dress their pups to suit their preferences, enjoying each bite with different toppings. 

Need a filling appetizer in a flash? The Italian style meatballs in the Trader Joe's freezer section are the answer. The beef meatballs come pre-cooked and include breadcrumbs in the mixture to keep the meatball intact. They have plenty of seasoning to give them flavor that works well with marinara sauce, barbecue, and other sauces. 

Getting these ready in an air fryer creates a deliciously crispy exterior while keeping the inside moist. Because they are already cooked, all you need to do is keep them in the air fryer long enough to heat throughout. After they are done heating, you can add your favorite sauce to complete the appetizer or leave them as-is. Serve them with fun toothpicks to fit your party theme. 

Trader Joe's also has a similar mini version, if you want something bite-sized. You can use them for a quick Swedish meatball dupe when paired with savory gravy. We prefer keeping the full-sized meatballs in the freezer because they are more versatile, but both options make delicious apps. 

From the outside, these little bites look like heavenly morsels of sweet and tender brioche bread. When you bite into them, you discover that they are even more delicious than expected, thanks to the apricot jam and brie stuffing. They only come in one variety, but boy is it tasty. These are on the sweeter side of the appetizers on our list, giving a little bit of variety when served alongside savory options. You can also make these brioche bites for a breakfast or brunch app.

They only take between six and eight minutes to heat in the air fryer. Each box comes with 16 one-bite apps, so you may want to pick up a few boxes if you're planning to serve them to large group of guests. It can be helpful to label these appetizers on a buffet because it's hard to know that they have a sweet and creamy filling just by looking at them.

The brioche bites are made in France for super authentic flavor, but if you see them, make sure to stock up — the brioche bites are a limited time offering at Trader Joe's. You can find them near the frozen breakfast items, like waffles and chia seed bowls, rather than with the apps.

For a slightly more substantial appetizer, consider the Panzerotti pizza bites, found in the Trader Joe's appetizer case. Shaped like mini calzones, a stuffed pocket of pizza dough with traditional pizza flavor, each one can be eaten in around three bites, but be ready for some gooey cheese and plenty of filling. The tomato sauce is bright and tasty, creating a hearty interior that complements the chewy pizza dough exterior. These little pockets are also heavy on the mozzarella, which melts just right when put in the air fryer or oven. You can make them in the microwave, but they won't have the same texture on the outside.

They only take around eight to 10 minutes in the air fryer. Like other similar apps, they need air circulation to heat evenly and get a delicious leave crispy exterior crust.

These mini pizzas create a perfect handheld with all the best pizza flavor. If you want to avoid appetizers that require utensils, these are a fantastic choice. They also make a good accompaniment to an Italian-themed dinner or party, pairing well with pastas, salads, and olives. Keep in mind that they are best served hot, so pop them into the air fryer just before you plan to put them out.

For a sweeter take on apps, try the Trader Joe's maple poffertjes. These little pancake puffs are a traditional dish of The Netherlands, but you can find them in the freezer section at your store. Whipping them up from scratch requires making a specific dough, using a special pan, and frying them in just the right way. When you go with the Trader Joe's version, it just takes a few minutes in the air fryer.

The traditional topping for poffertjes is melted butter and powdered sugar, but these have a hint of maple flavoring that works well with maple syrup. You can also dip them in fruit jam or even chocolate for an ultra decadent treat.

They do double duty as a delicious breakfast item that you can eat on-the-go. Each small morsel is done in one bite, so pack a few if you're planning to make a meal out of these poffertjes. We love them for a no-cook brunch that only requires heating these little bites in the air fryer to create a sweet, hot dish.

The buffalo style chicken poppers are an air fryer-friendly version of a buffalo chicken wing that doesn't need nearly as many napkins on hand to enjoy. This app is a buffalo version of a wonton, stuffed with chicken, cheese, and just the right amount of spice. The inside is super creamy thanks to cream cheese, fontina, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses — but it's the addition of the hot cayenne pepper sauce that really makes people sit up and take notice. It brings the heat, while the cheese keeps things calm enough to enjoy all the flavors together. Chicken provides a nice base, plus some texture and protein in this savory app.

They come in small two-bite versions that make the perfect light bite. They require a few minutes in the air fryer and come out crispy and delicious. Serve them with the dipping sauce like ranch if you want some extra creaminess or hot sauce to turn up the heat even more. Make sure to let the air circulate in the air fryer basket around each popper so that they stay crispy.

Mozzarella sticks are a classic appetizer that is perfect for the air fryer. The Trader Joe's version is light on breading, with just enough panko to give the app the crunchy exterior that makes it so tasty. The inside cheese is made with part-skim mozzarella from Wisconsin that is rich and perfectly melted once you heat them up in the air fryer. They have a hint of garlic, thanks to the garlic butter used in the breading.

It's important to keep space between the mozzarella sticks in the air fryer basket and resist the temptation to overload it. Without proper air circulation around the food, the sticks can get soggy, but keeping it to one layer will result in restaurant-quality mozzarella sticks every time. You may need to cook them in batches, but we promise it's worth the extra time. Serve them with marinara sauce to recreate your favorite restaurant apps at home for a fraction of the cost.

The vegetable bird's nests have been around on Trader Joe's shelves since 2003 and earned their spot as a fan favorite appetizer over the years. Julienned onions and carrots, plus kale, all combine to form nests that are fried in light tempura batter. The vegetables are woven together before they go in the fryer, then frozen and packaged. All need to do is stick them in the air fryer for a few minutes in a single layer, then enjoy the crispy and delicious result. 

The breading on these appetizers is a little bit lighter than some of the others on our list. They're also one of the few to come with dipping sauce included. The box of nests has a soy-based sauce that works well with other Asian cuisine. If you want to change things up, you can use any dipping sauce that you want to try. Drizzle a little bit of your favorite dressing over the top of a few nests on a plate to create a crunchy, savory, vegetable-rich salad.

The filling is the star of the show when it comes to Trader Joe's chicken spring rolls appetizer. Chicken, cabbage, carrots, and green onion form the base, but ingredients like garlic, basil, ginger, sesame oil, chili paste, and soy sauce come together for plenty of umami flavor. The wrapper is made with wheat flour, and then fried to make a crispy shell. You can find them in the appetizer case at Trader Joe's pre-cooked.

The air fryer is the perfect way to keep these appetizers crispy, which is key when it comes to heating up spring rolls — the last thing that you want is a soggy wrapper that falls apart. Each box only contains five spring rolls, so you may need to pick up a few for a shared app. They are on the larger side compared to some of the one-bite or two-bite options, and cutting them in half might be a good way to go.

Trader Joe's also offers a vegetable version that is made with similar ingredients, minus the chicken. It adds mushroom, kale, tofu, and edamame to the mix. If you serve both varieties side-by-side, make sure to label your plates since they look the same until you take a bite.

If you can't decide between creamy and crispy or sweet and spicy, the Trader Joe's jalapeño and cream cheese crispy wontons is the appetizer you need. It hits a perfect balance of flavors and textures, thanks to the combination of the interior filling and exterior shell. This delicious appetizer is stuffed with creamy cheese and diced jalapeño. With plenty of cheesy goodness, plus a generous amount of spice thanks to the peppers, you'll find yourself enjoying each bite. The outside wrapper, made with a wonton and fried, is crisp and crunchy.

In addition to the full range of flavors and textures included in this bite-sized app, each wonton is super crispy and ready in just five minutes in the air fryer. Each box has 12 little wontons, which makes a good shared appetizer for dinner or a small round of snacks. Serve with dipping sauce, such as a sweet and sour or chili sauce for some extra flavor or heat. The crispy wonton shell won't get soggy even when doused in your favorite sauce.

If you want a couple of appetizer options in the same package, go with the mini quiche duo. Each package has 12 individual quiches that are just as tasty as they are adorable. The crust is made with flaky, buttery pastry that serves as a nice backdrop for the filling. On the one hand, the mushroom and Swiss quiche has savory mushroom flavor with a salty bite of cheese. It's also very herby, which gives extra depth. The other option is an uncured bacon and onion version, which hits a sweeter note overall thanks to the caramelization of the onion jam. It still has enough salty, savory taste thanks to the bacon to be balanced, however.

The only downside of this app is that it's not available year-round. The mini quiche duo package is a seasonal item that comes out during the winter holidays, so stock up if you want to enjoy them at other times of the year.