Phyllo Dough Appetizers

Using store-bought phyllo cups and a 5-ingredient filling with cheese, apples and bacon, these phyllo cup appetizers are ready in less than 30 minutes.

Phyllo Dough Cups

My favorite shortcut to the easiest appetizers that also seem the fanciest are store-bought phyllo cups.

You can find these in the freezer section of the grocery store (although sometimes they are sold at room temperature around the holidays), and all you do is open the box up and fill the cups to your liking.

But because they are so dainty and pretty looking with their fluted edges, any appetizer made with these cups automatically ends up feeling super fancy.

These Phyllo Cup Appetizers have a filling made with salty bacon, sweet apple, tangy goat cheese and melty Gouda cheese. They’re so good that a batch will disappear quickly, so you might want to make a double batch!

What are Phyllo Shells? Why make Phyllo Appetizers?

Phyllo shells are small edible cups made with layers of phyllo dough, which is a light and flaky unleavened dough used in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines.

People are most often familiar with phyllo dough in baklava and flaky spinach pie.

Phyllo shells are a favorite of mine for appetizer cups because they are SO adaptable. They can be filled with any variety of filling to make phyllo cup appetizers, from sweet to savory or somewhere in between.

I use them to make my mini baklava bites phyllo cup recipe, and just about every flavor of appetizer under the sun. Food Network has a roundup of Phyllo Shells 15 Ways that has a ton more great ideas.

The savory little bites I’ve made here are also terrific as part of a brunch food buffet. Don’t forget to make a round of caramel iced coffee using my homemade caramel syrup recipe for your brunch, too!

What you’ll need for Phyllo Cup Appetizers

• phyllo shells – 1 box of phyllo shells (15 pieces) will provide the delicate, flaky base for these appetizers.
• bacon – you’ll need 2 slices of cooked bacon for this recipe. See my How to Cook Bacon In The Oven post to make sure it’s perfectly cooked.
• apple – you’ll need 1/2 of a small Gala apple, so you can eat the other half for a snack while you prepare these phyllo cup appetizers.
• goat cheese – a bit of softened goat cheese will help bind the filling and give it a tangy taste.
• Gouda cheese – adds a nutty flavor, and melts like a dream.
• hot sauce – just a dash will elevate the flavor complexity.
• chives – adds a pop of color as a garnish.

Where do you find phyllo cups in the grocery store?

These little edible cups that I use for phyllo cup appetizers (usually called “phyllo shells” or “mini fillo shells” on their box) are most often found in the freezer section of any grocery store (look near the puff pastry and other frozen pastry items).

I’ve also occasionally seen stores keep them at room temperature during the holiday season when they sell quickly, since phyllo cup recipes are popular that time of year.

If you can’t find them at your store, be sure to ask, because some stores keep them in truly oddball locations.

How to Store Phyllo Shells for Phyllo Cup Appetizers

You can store unfilled phyllo cups at room temperature for a few days once you bring them home, or freeze them for longer freshness if you’re not ready to make a phyllo cup recipe yet.

If you’ve stored your phyllo cups in the freezer after purchasing them, simply put them on your counter as you are cooking bacon in the oven (or turkey bacon in the oven or turkey bacon in an air fryer) and prepping your filling for these appetizer cups, and they’ll be at room temperature and ready to eat by the time you’re ready to fill them.

Phyllo cups can be served straight from the box, or baked if you want. Like I said, SO easy. You can practically make these phyllo cup appetizers with an apple cider bourbon drink in one hand.

How to Make Phyllo Appetizers

These cheese, apple and bacon phyllo cup appetizer cups are my modern take on a cheeseball and crackers. In fact, all of the elements of a really fancy cheeseball are included – bacon, goat cheese, and gouda cheese. And the crunchy phyllo shells mimic crackers.

1. To make these phyllo cup appetizers, grab a bowl and simply stir together some cooked and crumbled bacon, goat cheese, gouda cheese (also my fav cheese for vegetarian quiche and mushroom tacos), a dash of hot sauce, and some chopped Gala apple (also my apple of choice for baked apples in the oven and Instant Pot apple butter).
2. Scoop the mixture into phyllo cups, and if you’re really in a time crunch, you CAN serve these bites at room temperature. But, I like to pop them into the oven so the cheese gets all golden brown and melty.

The warm, gooey cheese is a big payoff for just 15 minutes in the oven for these phyllo shell appetizers.

Phyllo Dough Appetizers FAQs