These festive and easy Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer Bites take only minutes to prepare, but they look like you slaved for hours. Plus, they're cheap and cheerful which makes them perfect for any occasion where you want to impress, but not stress.
For all you appetizer fans out there, I have a whole bunch of delicious options that can go from fancy to casual gathering without blinking an eye. Take for example my Fig Jam and Prosciutto Crostini, French Onion Crostini, and Shrimp Rangoon Garlic Toasts - just to name a few.
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Table of Contents Found Here
- The ingredients:
- Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- The benefit of using phyllo shells:
- A little shrimp of an appetizer with a very big flavor!
- Why you'll love this recipe:
- Making your own homemade cocktail sauce is easy!
- The easy photo tutorial instructions:
- Visit my VERY BEST EASY APPETIZERS for any occasion roundup post.
- Can store-bought cocktail sauce be used?
- How to make your own puff pastry appetizer cups:
- Can they be made in advance?
- How to store these seafood appetizers:
- Additional appetizer recipes:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer Bites
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
The ingredients:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
- Phyllo Cups (found in the dessert freezer section of the market)
- Precooked Shrimp
- Cream Cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon zest
- Cocktail Sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
The benefit of using phyllo shells:
If you've never purchased the little phyllo shells in the market before, I strongly urge you to look for them.
They're especially great during the holiday season when appetizers and party foods seem to be where everyone's focus is when it comes to entertaining.
Or maybe that's just me. I LOVE a good appetizer!!
Since the phyllo shells are already baked and flaky, all you need to do is fill them with whatever your heart desires.
Within minutes you're ready to impress your guests without having spent very much time or effort!
How's that for a great holiday gift?!!
A little shrimp of an appetizer with a very big flavor!
What makes these easy shrimp cocktail appetizer recipe so enticing (besides how festive they look) is that you can pop an entire appetizer into your mouth leaving no mess behind.
That said, what makes this shrimp cocktail appetizer so dangerous is that you can pop an entire appetizer into your mouth, followed by a second, and then a third...(I'm sure you get my gist). 😉
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Why you'll love this recipe:
Another thing you'll love about these easy Shrimp Cocktail Appetizers is that they're relatively inexpensive to make.
Since there are 15 phyllo cups per box, you'll only need (approximately) 5 medium to large shrimp (chopped), and approximately ½ cup of cocktail sauce.
Of course, if you're making more than 15 you'll need to increase the amount of shrimp and sauce accordingly.
Making your own homemade cocktail sauce is easy!
For the recipe I'm sharing today, I've made a homemade cocktail sauce.
However, please feel free to use your favorite variety of store-bought cocktail sauce if that is your preference.
Having said that, there are only three ingredients in my homemade cocktail sauce;
- Ketchup
- Prepared Horseradish (add as much or as little as you like)
- Smoked Paprika
Save money and make your own at home. You'll be glad you did!
The easy photo tutorial instructions:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the room temperature cream cheese, mayonnaise, black pepper, and Old Bay seafood seasonings.
- Add in the lemon zest and set aside.
- Remove the tails from the pre-cooked shrimp and chop.
- To make the cocktail sauce stir together the ketchup, horseradish and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
- Place the phyllo cups on a tray or platter.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to a sandwich-sized zip-top bag and work the mixture into the corner.
- Use scissors to snip off the top of the bag and pipe about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each phyllo cup.
- Add a dollop of the cocktail sauce on top of each of the cream cheese mixture, and top each with a small mound of the chopped shrimp.
- Garnish each with a bit of fresh parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Relax and enjoy!
Visit my VERY BEST EASY APPETIZERS for any occasion roundup post.
Can store-bought cocktail sauce be used?
Sure. Why not? I'm all about convenience.
However, once you see how simple and fast it is to make your own cocktail sauce at home (in the recipe card), I doubt you'll ever purchase it in the store again.
How to make your own puff pastry appetizer cups:
While purchasing the pretty little ruffled pastry cups is easy and quick, I also have a relatively easy and quick way to make your own fillable puff pastry appetizer cups at home using store-bought puff pastry. Check it out and then let your imagination run wild with how to fill them!
Can they be made in advance?
If you'd like to make these in advance, I suggest only making them a few hours in advance of when you plan to serve them, or else they'll become soggy.
However, you can prepare the components (chop the shrimp, prepare the cream cheese filling, and whip up the cocktail sauce) a few days in advance, and keep those elements (separately) in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Then, when it's time to assemble and serve, you can make quick work of the entire process before placing them out for display and for their inevitable disappearing act.
How to store these seafood appetizers:
I recommend storing any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. They will become soggy, the the flavor will still be delicious!
Additional appetizer recipes:
- PUMPKIN SAGE PINWHEEL APPETIZERS (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
With a savory filling of pumpkin, cream cheese, bacon, and sage, these pumpkin crescent pinwheel appetizers are always a hit when it’s time to party.
- ARTICHOKE CHEESE WONTONS from The Fresh Cooky
- GOAT'S CHEESE CHRISTMAS WREATH WITH PISTACHIOS AND DRIED CHERRIES (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
"This Goat Cheese Christmas Wreath with Dried Cherries and Pistachios is as festive looking as it is delicious."
- CAVIAR AND SMOKED SALMON CREAM CHEESE DIP from Just a Little Bit of Bacon
- GRINCH GUACAMOLE (pictured below) from (yours truly) Kudos Kitchen
"With a few simple ingredients and some easy instructions, you can warm the hearts of your family and friends with this gloriously easy to make realistic looking Grinch Guacamole."
- ROSEMARY AND THYME SPICED NUTS from A Farm Girl's Dabbles
- SHRIMP COCKTAIL APPETIZER BITES (pictured below) This is the place!
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
Search engines such as Google appreciate comments and ratings and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Please look for the pink star rating box within the printable recipe card. Thank you!!
Printable Recipe Card
Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer Bites
Equipment
- microplane for zesting the lemon
- piping bag optional
- large zip top bag optional
Ingredients
- 1 box phyllo cups 15 per box
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- pinch black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Old Bay seafood seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 4-5 large pre-cooked shrimp peeled, tails off, deveined, and chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the homemade cocktail sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon horseradish or according to your taste
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, black pepper, Old Bay, and lemon zest.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a corner of a sandwich size zip top bag.
- Use scissors to snip off a small corner of the plastic bag.
- Pipe approximately ½ tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each phyllo cup.
To make the cocktail sauce:
- Stir together all the cocktail sauce ingredient in a small bowl.
- Top each cream cheese stuffed phyllo cup with a dollop of cocktail sauce and some of the cooked and chopped shrimp.
- Sprinkle the chopped, fresh parsley over top and serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this recipe for easy Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer Bites as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Sheila H. says
Made these shrimp cocktail bites for my Christmas party. It was a BIG hit. Everyone enjoyed them and commented how easy it was to eat them in - one bite. They all asked for the recipe. This one is a keeper! Plus it was fun to make. Simple ingredients!
Renée says
This! This is everything!!
Thank you so much for returning to leave this wonderful review and comment, Sheila.
Please visit me again for other delicious recipes.
Fondly,
Renee
Maggie says
Renee,
Can I make these ahead of time?
Renée says
Hi, Maggie!
You can, but I wouldn't do them too early on. Maybe just a day, and then cover them well and refrigerate.
Any longer and I'd be worried that the phyllo cups would get soggy bottoms. I don't know this for a fact,
but I wouldn't want to chance it. I hope this helps.
Happy Holidays,
Renee
Nancy Tetterton says
These are delicious. I am taking them to 2 Thanksgiving celebrations. And easy!
Renée says
Wonderful to hear, Nancy!
Thanks for letting me know and also for the 5-star review!
Have a deliciously festive holiday season,
Renee
Pamela Carley says
I'm about an hour away from a grocery store and I love this idea as an appetizer... just trying to figure out how to put it together on crackers? Any suggestions?
Lori says
This was so goooood. I used the block cheese softened, we really enjoyed this. I will not only make it again I will email it to my sister, I know that they will enjoy this as well. Thanks. This is a recipe worth keeping.
Deborah A Good says
Renee I am so making these for the holidays, they look amazing, just the thing for Holiday celebrations.
Renée says
Thanks, Deborah! I know you’ll love them! Enjoy! 🙂
Renée
Allison says
Perfect for the holidays! My family loves these!
Cindy says
I'm going to try making these for Thanksgiving. Can I use light cream cheese? tysm
Renée says
You sure can, Cindy! Enjoy!!
Tracey says
This recipe is perfect for our upcoming family party. Do you have other recipes for the phyllo cups? They are great, and I will be looking for them at the store this week. I appreciate your well-written blog of this recipe!!!
Renée says
Nice talking with you on the phone today. Here's the link I was telling you about for the Lemon Meringue Tartlets; https://kudoskitchenbyrenee.com/lemon-meringue-tartlets/
You can find the phyllo cups in the frozen dessert area of any grocery store. Fill them with anything that doesn't require oven time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! xo
Dini says
I also love using phyllo cups to make appetizers, and these look so delicious and colorful! I love the addition of the cocktail sauce too - for a nice kick. Will be making these for sure, thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Renée says
It's is my pleasure, Dini. I'm glad you'll be making these delicious appetizers! You'll love them.
Chrissy says
My hubby is always asking for shrimp so these were a perfect fit! I love the combo of the shrimp with the rich cream cheese/mayo mixture.
Renée says
These will make your husband very happy! 🙂
Richa Gupta says
I love anything with Shrimp and these look amazing!
Renée says
I do too, Richa! Glad you like them!
Erin Clarkson says
Yum these look amazing!!
Renée says
They are, Erin. I hope you'll try them!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
So festive!
Renée says
🙂
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Cool appetizer anytime of the year!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Renée says
This is true. Thanks for visiting.
Hadia says
Rene, I Love the festive colors, and these are sure to be a hit on our holiday table!
Renée says
Thank you, Hadia! I'm sure you'll be a rock star with your family and friends!