23 Of The Easiest Canape Recipes For Your Next Party

Canapes are seen by many as being one of the heights of luxury when it comes to party food.

These tasty little treats can be enjoyed by your guests without the need for plates or cutlery and they won’t even need to put down their drinks!

However, canapes can also be pretty technically challenging for the person who has to make them, especially if they want to deliver the fanciest party food possible.

That’s why we’ve compiled this handy list of 23 of the easiest canape recipes you can make to give off a sophisticated aura for your next shindig.

1. Bruschetta With Tomato And Basil

A classic Italian starter, bruschetta is a fairly simple dish that can be absolutely delicious when done right.

These miniature bruschetta slices make for a great canape that doesn’t require any difficult cooking skills but still delivers massively on flavor.

The key to getting this recipe right is to make sure you use the best possible ingredients you can find.

2. Cucumber Canapes

Cucumber is a very popular canape ingredient because it’s so light and it works with a vast combination of different ingredients.

This particular recipe is for an open-face sandwich that uses a neatly arranged slice of cucumber as the eye-catching centerpiece.

The best part is that you can easily substitute the cucumber for all kinds of other vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini.

3. Pancetta Crisps With Goat Cheese And Figs

Again, you don’t need to be massively talented in the kitchen to produce these gorgeous canapes, despite how complicated they may sound to make.

This is another case of the ingredients being the key to success. Don’t skimp out and make sure you get the highest quality you can find in local stores.

If you do, your guests will be treated to a wonderful balance of salty, creamy, and fruity flavors from these canapes!

4. Cucumber And Feta Rolls

Here, we see another cucumber-based canape delight. This time, though, you can use a neat trick to pull off a dazzling culinary display.

With nothing more than a simple vegetable peeler, you can cut beautiful ribbons of cucumber to wrap around feta cheese and sundried tomatoes.

This canape is great on its own but you could also serve it with a sauce to give your guests an even more diverse range of flavors.

5. Sweet Potato And Avocado Bites

Every vegan and vegetarian knows just how delicious sweet potato can be and how versatile an ingredient it is. That’s why it makes the perfect basis for a vegan canape recipe.

The recipe calls for the combination of avocado and tomato as the core flavor-building ingredients.

Then, the wonderful seasonings and spices develop the main ingredients to be even more delectable.

Seriously, this recipe is going to be the highlight of the party for any of your vegan guests!

6. Beet Bruschetta With Goat Cheese And Basil

Sticking with a vegetarian theme, this recipe manages to make great use of the smooth flavors of goat cheese and basil, while combining them with the zing of beets.

Not only is this recipe incredibly tasty, but it also provides your guests with a treat for the eyes. The bright purple beets stand out starkly against the white backdrop provided by the goat cheese.

Then, the little sprinkle of green from the basil leaves tops off the whole affair. What’s not to love?

7. Fresh Apricots With Goat Cheese And Lavender Honey

This might sound like a fancy and complicated recipe because of the high-end ingredients but it will actually only take you 15 minutes to make from start to finish!

The recipe is all about combining exquisite raw ingredients (with the exception of some lightly toasted walnuts and lavender-infused honey) so make sure you get the highest quality ingredients you can find.

Once it’s finished, your guests won’t be able to stop talking about this delightful little treat!

8. Salted Chocolate Dipped Mandarin Slices

Canapes don’t always have to be savory and this recipe is the perfect example of a sweet treat to be enjoyed towards the end of an evening.

The fact that this particular dessert canape is based around fruit keeps it light and at least gives the impression of health (even if it isn’t the most healthy recipe!).

Ultimately, what makes this dish stand out at parties is the combination of zingy fruit, smooth chocolate, and crisp sea salt.

9. Cranberry Brie Bites

Brie is one of everybody’s favorite indulgent savory treats and it pairs excellently with cranberry to work against its smoothness.

The recipe only requires five ingredients and takes around 20 minutes to make so you can easily have it ready before your guests arrive for the party.

This one is sure to be a favorite all night!

10. Cranberry, Brie, And Prosciutto Crostini With Balsamic Glaze

Sticking to the theme of cranberry and brie pairings, this recipe takes things even further with flavor dimension.

If your meat-lover guests need something to satisfy their hunger, adding prosciutto to this dish is perfect for them.

Serving the whole thing on a crunchy slice of bread keeps it bite-sized and easy for your guests to eat.

11. Mini Meringue Sandwiches

Everyone knows that meringues are one of the classiest dessert foods so making them as canapes will make your party look more sophisticated than ever.

These dessert sandwiches employ meringues in place of bread with chocolate and sprinkle filling.

If the sprinkles are a little too low-brow for your tastiest you can always exclude them but they certainly liven up these canapes!

12. Goat Cheese And Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini

If you couldn’t tell already, crostinis are a great food to use as canapes for parties because of how easy they are to eat and how delicious they can be.

This particular recipe uses the ever-popular goat cheese in combination with some classic sun-dried tomatoes to create a rustic Italian snack.

13. Prosecco And Maple-Glazed Pigs In Blankets

This canape recipe is perfect for breaking out at your next Christmas party, though it will easily go down a treat all throughout the year.

The sweet, sticky glaze can be a little difficult for guests to eat as finger food but it’s nothing a set of toothpicks can’t solve!

However, you choose to serve them, just make sure there is plenty to go around!

14. Bite-Sized Burgers

Miniature burgers or sliders make for very popular party food. They are super easy to eat as finger food and everybody loves this classic comfort food!

While this particular burger recipe only calls for the use of the classic burger ingredients, you could easily make this as simple or as fancy as you like. The possibilities are endless!

15. Cucumber Dill Canape

Cucumber and dill are a couple of the most popular canape and fancy food ingredients so combining them with a creamy, herby cheese filling is a delight.

They make for the perfect summer party food because they’re light and refreshing, whereas other canapes can be a little heavier and more greasy.

Not to mention, you don’t have to cook any part of this recipe so it’s super easy to get ready for your guests when they arrive.

16. Brie Bites

We’re going back to everybody’s favorite party cheese with this brie bites recipe. It’s similar to the one we previously looked at but has a couple of small twists to keep it interesting.

Primarily, it’s the cranberry sauce and pecans that keep things unique and delicious, here.

Again, this is the sort of recipe that could be considered a Christmas special but there’s nothing stopping you from serving it all through the year, and your guests are bound to love it!

17. Goats Cheesecake

We’ve already seen plenty of savory goat cheese recipes for this canape list but this recipe uses the ingredient in a much different way.

You’ll still get to enjoy the creamy flavor of goat cheese and the tang of a red onion jam but it’s combined in a cheesecake format that keeps it bite-sized and delectable.

Make sure you stick to the recommended blend of spices and seasonings for this one and you won’t regret it!

18. Prosciutto Wrapped Pears With Blue Cheese

Fruit, meat, and cheese make a great three-way partnership on any charcuterie board but they can also be used pretty cleverly in a canape recipe.

Held together by a simple toothpick, your guests will be able to enjoy these bite-sized delights without any mess or fuss.

The best part is that because this recipe uses only raw ingredients, the preparation process is quicker and easier than ever!

19. Cajun Shrimp Sweet Potato Bites

If you’re interested in providing your party guests with some healthy snacks to keep them going, a sweet potato-based canape recipe is a great way to go about doing it.

Not only is a sweet potato a healthy ingredient, but it’s also delicious when combined with shrimp and this blend of cajun spices and seasonings.

They go even better with guacamole so make your own and experiment with the flavors to get it just right.

20. Asparagus Straws With Cheat’s Hollandaise

One of the more stylish recipes on our list is this one for asparagus straws which uses the ever sophisticated hollandaise sauce as an accompaniment.

They act almost like healthier versions of breadsticks, which are themselves already a party food favorite.

The pastry that surrounds your asparagus is even covered with delicious parmesan cheese!

21. Spinach And Bacon Wheels

Another good recipe for your next canape party is spinach and bacon pinwheels. Who doesn’t like bacon?

It’s the perfect (somewhat) healthy treat to liven up any party. While spinach is often seen as a boring ingredient, bacon definitely works well to improve the flavor of this recipe.

22. Gorgonzola Grapes

Yet another cheese and fruit pairing, this one is a little different from the ones we’ve looked at so far.

Gorgonzola is a somewhat underused cheese when it comes to North American cuisine so it will make a surprising change to some of your parties throughout the US.

Not to mention, the pairing with fresh, zingy grapes keeps things funky and interesting for your guests!

23. Watermelon Radish Appetizer Bites

The final canape/appetizer we’re looking at for this list is potentially one of the most interesting.

Watermelon and radish aren’t two ingredients you’ll see at many parties or functions so it makes an exciting change from the norm.

While it might be an acquired taste, it’s super easy to make and very convenient for you, as the host.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Assemble A Simple Tray Of Canapes?

For the most straightforward array of canapes, lay all of your tasty treats out onto a tray.

Make sure you space them out far enough that they won’t be touching but also try to ensure that the tray always looks plentifully stocked.

How Many Canapes Do You Need For Dinner?

The quantities you should serve when it comes to canapes depend largely on the kinds of canapes that you’re serving. For example, if you are serving rich, indulgent canapes, around 3 per guest will be adequate.

However, if you have some lighter options as well as the more indulgent ones, it might be better for you, as a host, to provide at least 5 per guest.

How Can You Keep Canape Bases From Getting Soggy?

The best way to prevent your canape bases from getting soggy is to prepare them fresh, right before they go out to your guests.

However, if this isn’t an option for you, it might be beneficial to use an alternative recipe that uses drier ingredients to avoid this issue altogether.

Final Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our favorite canapes and gathering inspiration for your next big event.

If you go for any of the canape recipes we’ve outlined in this guide, your guests are bound to be talking about your wonderful hospitality for weeks to come!