Olive Garden Appetizers Menu

Olive Garden Appetizers Menu Overview

Olive Garden keeps the appetizer list short and built around dipping: fried mozzarella, calamari, stuffed ziti fritta, toasted ravioli and shrimp fritto misto all come with marinara, and most add a second sauce such as spicy ranch or alfredo. The two oven items, meatballs parmigiana and spinach artichoke dip, eat more like small entrées and feed a table of four.

Prices run from $4.79 for breadsticks and $4.49 for the dipping sauce bundle up to $13.49 for the shrimp fritto misto. The middle of the list, fried mozzarella at $9.29 and toasted ravioli at $10.29, is where most tables land.

Fried Starters at Olive Garden

Six of the ten appetizers are fried in the shared soy oil fryer: fried mozzarella (800 calories), calamari (670), stuffed ziti fritta (760), toasted ravioli (680), lasagna fritta (1130) and shrimp fritto misto (1560). The lasagna fritta is the richest, served over alfredo with meat sauce on top; the toasted ravioli is the lightest of the fried plates.

Fried items lose their crunch within ten minutes in a takeout box, so order them for the table when dining in and pick the meatballs or the dip for ToGo.

Shareable Appetizers for Groups

For a table of four the cheapest spread is dipping sauces with breadsticks plus fried mozzarella, which together cost less than one entrée and give two dips. Meatballs parmigiana adds five meatballs and 51 g of protein for $11.49, and the spinach artichoke dip covers the table with flatbread crisps for $11.29.

Six or more people should order two different fried plates plus the dip; the kitchen fires appetizers together, so everything lands at once.

Olive Garden Appetizers Menu with Prices

Typical US prices for every appetizers item, sorted from cheapest to most expensive, with the lowest and highest price we found across 49 states.

Typical US price = the most common price across our state sample. Prices are higher in California, New York and Alaska. Verify with your local restaurant before ordering.

Olive Garden Appetizers Nutrition Facts

Calories and macros per serving as listed in the official Olive Garden nutrition guide. Use the calculator to add items together.

Source: Olive Garden nutrition guide (US restaurants). Values are for the standard dinner portion unless the item is a lunch or kids dish. Open the nutrition calculator to total a meal.

Healthier Ordering Tips for Appetizers

• Dip in marinara instead of alfredo or ranch; the marinara side is 70 calories against 440 for alfredo.
• Toasted ravioli at 680 calories and calamari at 670 are the lightest fried plates; split either four ways for about 170 calories a person.
• Skip the appetizer entirely and use the free breadsticks with a side of marinara for the cheapest starter on the menu.
• Meatballs parmigiana has 2,800 mg of sodium, more than a full day's limit, so share it or order it as your main.

Best Appetizers for Different Customers

Allergy and Ingredient Note

Every fried appetizer contains wheat and gluten and shares a fryer with shellfish, so none of them appear on the gluten sensitive menu. Calamari contains mollusk shellfish and shrimp fritto misto contains crustacean shellfish and sulfites. The Olive Garden allergen menu lists the full matrix for each starter.

Final Thoughts

The Olive Garden appetizers menu is small, fried heavy and priced for sharing. Order one plate per two people, dip in marinara, and let the unlimited breadsticks cover the rest. If a starter is the meal, the meatballs parmigiana with a soup is the best value on the list.