Mini Hummus Phyllo Cup Appetizers

These easy and delicious Hummus Phyllo Cups Appetizers are perfect for entertaining or healthy snacking. They can be made in a matter of minutes and will disappear from the appetizer table just as quickly!

Hummus phyllo cup appetizers have been gracing our appetizer table for years. And for good reason! They’re easy, delicious and a favorite with our friends and family.

I have a love-hate thing going on with the appetizer table at any given holiday party. There are so many tasty bits and bites in one small geographic area and I want to eat all of them! Stuffed mushrooms, shrimp, Brie phyllo turnovers (ahh, Brie), meatballs and healthy dips galore. Bring it on!

How the heck is one person supposed to come out the other side of that without gaining 20 pounds!?

Because of my love for all things little and edible, necessity dictated that I come up with a list of healthy appetizers and hors d’oeuvres that keep me satisfied, but don’t force me to undo the top button on my pants.

I love a vegetable platter with a bowl of good hummus as much as the next calorie-watching gal, but I wanted to shake things up a little.

Why not fit the flavor of my favorite Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip into one compact and tasty bite?

What are phyllo cups?

Phyllo, also spelled filo or fillo, is a very thin pastry dough traditionally used in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s made of flour, water and a little bit of butter or oil. Phyllo dough has a lovely flaky, delicate texture. If you’ve ever tried baklava or spanakopita, you’ve had phyllo dough!

Phyllo cups are made with layers of phyllo dough that are formed into a cup by pressing them into a mini tart pan and baking.

There are always (ALWAYS!) several boxes of mini fillo shells in my freezer. They are the ultimate ingredient to have on hand for last-minute, easy hors d’oeuvres and desserts. There’s no need to bake them in the oven, unless you are serving a hot appetizer, such as these Mini Mushroom & Gorgonzola Bites.

Just pull the mini fillo shells out of the freezer about 10 minutes before using them and they’ll be ready to serve by the time you finish filling the shells. Easy, right?

Ingredients for hummus phyllo cup appetizers:

• PHYLLO CUPS: Mini phyllo cups can be found in the frozen food section of many supermarkets. Look near the frozen puff pastry.
• HUMMUS: Use your favorite hummus for this recipe. Both store-bought and homemade work equally well.
• ROASTED PEPPERS: You can buy roasted red peppers in the jar at the grocery store, but they are really easy to make at home if you’d prefer. Look in the pickle/olive section of your local grocery store. Follow my tutorial, How to: Roast a Bell Pepper for the homemade version.
• CHEESE: Use crumbled feta cheese.
• CUCUMBER: Dice an English cucumber. No need to peel it.
• PARSLEY: Mince some flat-leaf parsley for a garnish.

See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.

How to make phyllo cup appetizers:

The instructions for making these phyllo cups are very simple – defrost the cups, fill and serve!! Let’s talk details…

THE CUPS: Pull the frozen phyllo cups out of the freezer up to 24 hours in advance. If you’re not using them right away, store the package in the refrigerator. Otherwise, let them defrost at room temperature. That should take about 15 minutes.

FILL WITH HUMMUS: Fill each phyllo shell with about 1 ½ teaspoons of the hummus. Use a small spoon to spread it into the bottom of the shell. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip to pipe the hummus into the cups.

ADD OTHER FILLINGS: Top the hummus with the other fillings. In this recipe, I used roasted red peppers (store-bought or homemade), diced cucumber, crumbled feta cheese and minced parsley.

SERVE: Arrange the filled phyllo appetizers on a platter. Serve them up and watch them disappear!

Make ahead and serving tips:

These fillo appetizers are because they can be made ahead of time. Simply fill the phyllo cups with hummus and the other toppings, cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them. I recommend serving them within 3 hours so that the phyllo doesn’t become soggy.

When you’re ready to serve the appetizers, place them on a tray or platter. If you like, you can also sprinkle a little extra topped herbs or toasted nuts on top before serving for added color, crunch and flavor.

This was first posted on December 3, 2014. Updated on December 27, 2022.

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