These bite-sized Salami Cups are a fun and creative appetizer idea, perfect for your next party. The edible cups are made by baking sliced salami into little bowl shapes, creating a crispy base.
Each salami cup can be packed with your favorite combination of cheeses, assorted antipasto ingredients, and herbs. You can even try sweet and savory combinations like our Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates. There are so many ways to fill these salami bites. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy they are to prepare.
Salami Cups Recipe
Whether you are looking for an appetizer for your next party or a healthy, protein-packed after-school snack for your kids, you will love that these Salami Antipasto Cups are:
- SO easy to make, but they look impressive
- Make ahead friendly, use your muffin tin to safely transport them to a party
- Completely customizable – use what you like (or what you have on hand), and omit any ingredients you don’t care for
- Perfect finger food – no need for utensils, crackers, or toast since everything is conveniently contained in the edible vessel (just like our Jalapeno Poppers), making them both keto and gluten-free
Watch Natasha make these miniature Salami Antipasto Cups. You will be surprised at how easy they are to make and they are perfect hors d’oeuvres to serve at your upcoming party.
Ingredients for Salami Bites
The ingredients of these antipasti bites are so customizable, but one thing I cannot stress enough is that you must use the correct size salami (4-inch diameter). If you use a smaller piece, it will be so tiny after it shrinks down in the oven, and it will be hard to fill (speaking from experience here).
- Salami – Regular or spicy, you decide, just make sure it’s the right size. You will need 24 pieces (approximately 12-24 ounces depending on the thickness of your slices).
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – Half a cup, diced. You can use the mini mozzarella balls or a larger ball and dice it up.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Quartered
- Marinated Bell Pepper – Drain the jar well and coarsely chop
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts – Well drained, coarsely chopped
- Kalamata Olives – Pitted, chopped
- Olive Oil – I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe
- Fresh Basil Leaves – Chiffonade, or thinly sliced
Pro Tip:
You want to keep a balance of sweet, savory, and salty fillings. Remember that the salami is naturally salty so you don’t want to add too many marinated ingredients which will add more salt. This is why I don’t advise using marinated mozzarella balls (ignore the photographed marinated Mozzarella balls – that was me learning from experience).
How to Make Salami Cups
- Make – Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lay one slice of salami over each cup of a standard muffin or cupcake tin. Push the salami into the cups creating little pleats on the sides.
- Bake – Bake for 7-9 minutes or until salami is crisp at the edges and holds its shape. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Note: The cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your salami. Very thin salami can burn easily so keep an eye on it.
- Mix and Fill – In a mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients and olive oil and gently toss to combine. Divide the filling between the cups. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired and serve.
Pro Tip:
If you are struggling to keep the salami cups open like a miniature bowl, you can add 1-inch foil balls into each cup to hold the salami in cup form while it bakes.
Common Questions
If you notice oil was released while baking the salami cups, lining your wire rack with paper towels helps absorb extra grease.
You can use large pepperoni or almost any sliced deli meat (ham, capicola, prosciutto), with each one providing its own flavor variation, but I highly recommend using 4″ wide slices. I’ve tested this with smaller slices of salami in a mini muffin tin but the cups turned out so small that they were extremely difficult to fill and they looked a little silly being so small.
If you have already tried adding the 1-inch foil balls to hold them open while baking, the salami might need to bake a little bit longer. Depending on the thickness of the cut, it might take an extra couple of minutes to get the outer edges crispy enough to hold their shape. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
Other Crispy Salami Cup Variations
These antipasto cups offer limitless possibilities for customization – virtually anything that fits (or can be sliced to fit) can be used in this recipe. Try a variety of nuts and cheeses, or add additional protein or veggies. There is no wrong answer. Some variations that I like include:
- Goat Cheese, Pistachio, and Date Cups – Combines tangy, creamy goat cheese with sweet dates, and crunchy, nutty pistachios. It hits all of the textures in one cup! I learned this flavor combination from my friend Jen and it’s brilliant!
- Caprese Salami Cups – Add fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil, drizzled with Balsamic Glaze and a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Sweet and Savory Salami Cups – Fill with a combination of cream cheese, honey, and chopped nuts. Top with fresh fruit like sliced strawberries or grapes.
- Mediterranean Salami Cups – Spoon feta cheese, black olives, quartered cherry tomatoes, and cucumber into each cup and add a dollop of Tzatziki Sauce on top.
- Buffalo Chicken Salami Cups – Toss shredded cooked chicken in buffalo sauce. Fill the cups and top with blue cheese crumbles and celery.
Feel free to mix and match ingredients based on your preferences. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavors to create your own unique salami cup recipes! Share your creations in a comment below!
