The best of our canapé recipes (2024)

The best of our canapé recipes (1)

Whatever you call them – canapés, appetisers, picky tea, or finger food – there's one thing we can all agree on: no coronation, street party, Christmas or New Year's celebration is quite complete without a selection of tasty morsels and Champagne to get the party started!

That's exactly why we've collected all of our favourite Good Housekeeping canapé recipes for every special occasion, as well as our top tips for serving, too.

How to serve canapés:

Size: Make sure your canapés are easy for your guests to eat by serving in mouth-sized portions.

Taste: Since it's only a mouthful, it needs to be full of flavour and well-seasoned. Many of our recipes are served with an accompanying dipping sauce for extra hosting points.

Base: Make sure your canapé is on a sturdy base in order to make it easy for your guests to eat (serve messier canapés with co*cktail sticks and ensure there's a good supply of napkins for your guests).

Appearance: Canapés should be visually pleasing. A herb garnish, edible flower, or even a sprinkle of cracked black pepper goes a long way!

Preparation: Aim to prepare the elements of your canapés in advance so that you can assemble them quickly and enjoy the company of your guests.

Celebrate in style with our crowd-pleasing canapé ideas. We have every occasion covered – from summer gatherings to Christmas parties – with plenty of tasty choices for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and meat eaters, too.

It's time to get the champagne on ice, get a playlist sorted and plan the ultimate party menu...

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1

Pea and Mint Fritters

The best of our canapé recipes (3)

We’ve used petit* pois here as they’re smaller, more tender and have a lovely flavour. But you can use garden peas, if you prefer.

Recipe: Pea and Mint Fritters

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2

Crispy gnocchi, olive and chorizo skewers

The best of our canapé recipes (4)

We're obsessed with crispy fried gnocchi so we decided to pop them onto a skewer with salty chorizo and briny olive for an addictive snack in every bite.

Recipe: Crispy gnocchi, olive and chorizo skewers

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3

Hot honey halloumi fingers

The best of our canapé recipes (5)

These oven baked halloumi fingers are served with an addictive chilli-infused honey to drizzle on top. Perfect with a refreshing co*cktail.

Recipe: Hot honey halloumi fingers

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4

Ploughman’s Nibbles

The best of our canapé recipes (6)

An easy assembly job that can be adapted to use your favourite cheese and chutney.

Recipe: Ploughman’s Nibbles

5

Hoisin duck cucumber bites

The best of our canapé recipes (7)

These hoisin duck bites couldn't be easier to make, only needing five ingredients and 15 mins to put together but you wouldn't think it as they're incredibly delicious.

Recipe: Hoisin duck cucumber bites

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6

Venison and Black Pudding Scotch Quail Eggs

The best of our canapé recipes (8)

These take a little patience, but are well worth it. You can buy cooked and peeled quail’s eggs if you want to cut out the first step. Venison mince is becoming more widely available, with larger Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Ocado stocking it.

Recipe: Venison and Black Pudding Scotch Quail Eggs

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7

Chicken Katsu Bites with Tangy Mayo Dip

The best of our canapé recipes (9)

These chicken bites get an extra flavour dimension from a Japanese seasoning called shichimi, which contains chilli, citrus and sesame. You could also use togarashi – also sold as Japanese 7 Spice. Both are available in Waitrose, Ocado, or online. If you can’t get them, use mild chilli powder instead.

Recipe: Chicken Katsu Bites with Tangy Mayo Dip

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8

Crispy Sushi Rice ‘Cakes’ with Seared Tuna

The best of our canapé recipes (10)

When preparing sushi, you would normally wash the rice multiple times to remove starch, however for these cakes you want to retain most of it, as it’s the ‘glue’ that binds them together.

Recipe: Crispy Sushi Rice ‘Cakes’ with Seared Tuna

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9

Teriyaki Mushroom Maki Roll

The best of our canapé recipes (11)

Be sure to use teriyaki sauce (the thickened kind) here, rather than teriyaki marinade (both are sold in supermarkets). We used Blue Dragon.

Recipe: Teriyaki Mushroom Maki Roll

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10

Chicken Shawarma Pastries

The best of our canapé recipes (12)

Full of flavour and easier than they look as we’ve used ready-rolled shortcrust pastry rather than making an authentic Levantine dough.

Recipe: Chicken Shawarma Pastries

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11

Halloumi and Pistachio Baklava

The best of our canapé recipes (13)

These sweet and salty savoury baklava bites are sure to intrigue and wow.

Recipe: Halloumi and Pistachio Baklava

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12

Baba Ghanoush with Za’atar Flatbreads

The best of our canapé recipes (14)

This super easy version of baba ghanoush is sure to become a favourite, especially when served with these impressive, but easy flatbreads.

Recipe: Baba Ghanoush with Za’atar Flatbreads

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13

Hot Smoked Salmon Rye Breads

The best of our canapé recipes (15)

Use plain or honey roast hot smoked salmon, or swap for hot smoked mackerel, if you like. If rye bread isn’t your thing, slices of seeded or sourdough bread would be just as nice.

Recipe: Hot Smoked Salmon Rye Breads

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14

Rye and Danish Blue Cracker Bites

The best of our canapé recipes (16)

We’ve served our cracker bites with whipped Danish blue cheese and pear, but feel free swap out for your favourite fruit and cheese combination - apple and cream cheese, or goat’s cheese and grape would work well.

Recipe: Rye and Danish Blue Cracker Bites

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15

Pea and Ham Hock Croustades

The best of our canapé recipes (17)

If cooking for vegetarians, simply leave out the ham hock and replace with a little suitable goat’s cheese.

Recipe: Pea and Ham Hock Croustades

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16

Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

The best of our canapé recipes (18)

If you can’t get hold of lingonberry jam (we used Felix Rarorda Lingon from Ocado), swap for cranberry sauce instead.

Recipe: Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

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17

Pastrami Bagel Quarters

The best of our canapé recipes (19)

Quick to assemble and packed with flavour. If you don’t like Jarlsberg, you can use any sliced hard cheese.

Recipe: Pastrami Bagel Quarters

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18

Potato croquettes with ham hock

The best of our canapé recipes (20)

This croquette recipe is a fuss free canapé. Leave out the ham if you want these to be vegetarian.

Recipe: Potato croquettes with ham hock

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19

Green gazpacho

The best of our canapé recipes (21)

This zingy and refreshing chilled soup is a great entrée and can be made ahead to free up time on the day of serving.

Recipe: Green gazpacho

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20

Quails Eggs with Asparagus & Hollandaise

The best of our canapé recipes (22)

These delicious and elegant quails egg morsels will be a huge hit at your next party.

Recipe:

The best of our canapé recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the tip to making the best canapés? ›

How to make and serve perfect canapés
  • Always serve your canapés at room temperature.
  • Don't ever leave a single canapé on a tray. Ensure your trays look bountiful.
  • There is elegance in simplicity. ...
  • Odd numbers always look best on a tray.
  • Get creative with your canapés, from beautiful toppings to chic and seasonal trays.
Nov 24, 2022

What makes a successful canapé? ›

Balancing colour, flavour, and texture

These three elements are paramount to creating canapés that are memorable and look inviting. Texture is an important one to think about – a successful canapé is one that contrasts several different textures to create an enjoyable eating experience.

What's the difference between canapés and hors d'oeuvres? ›

Canapés are typically made with an edible base – crackers, blinis, bread or pastry, and served cold. Hors d'oeuvres are small bites of something tasty and can be both savoury or sweet, and served hot or cold. For example, if you pick up a piece of smoked salmon on a blini from a platter, you have a canapé.

What are the 4 parts of a canapés? ›

There are 4 distinctive elements of a canapé – the base, spread, a topping & a garnish. Canape base ingredients are usually bread, puff pastry or crackers, allowing a solid foundation for the rest of the canapé. Then there is spread followed by the topping.

What are the 7 guidelines for assembling canapés? ›

The 7 basic guidelines for assembling canapés are:
  • Choose a base: Select a base such as crackers, bread, or puff pastry.
  • Spread the base: Add a spread like cream cheese, hummus, or butter.
  • Add protein: Top the spread with protein options like smoked salmon, ham, or chicken.
Dec 20, 2023

How to stop canapés from going soggy? ›

Spread something on the bases to protect them from a topping if it is on the 'damp' side. A pretty obvious thing anyway - we all spread butter or marg (or cream cheese, or mayo) on our bread to prevent it getting soggy from a damp filling. So the same approach works just as well with canape-toast bases.

What adds moisture and flavor to the canapés? ›

A flavorful spread such as butter, flavored cream cheese or mayonnaise. The spread adds moisture and flavor while also forming a barrier so that the bread underneath doesn't become soggy. It also serves as a sort of glue, so that the toppings are less likely to slide off the base.

What is a gourmet canapé? ›

A canapé (French: [kanape]) is a type of starter, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread (sometimes toasted) or cracker, wrapped or topped with some savoury food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. Canapé Tray of canapés. Course. Hors d'Oeuvres.

How many canapés per person for 1 hour? ›

For a one-hour drinks reception, order four to six canapés per person. If it's before a grand dinner, four should be plenty. For longer events, add another two to four pieces per hour. Savoury canapés are always more popular; if you're serving savoury and sweet, aim for a ratio of around 4:1.

What is the basic ingredient of canape? ›

What Are the Main Ingredients of Canapés? Canapés are hors d'oeuvres featuring a base of bread, toast, pastry or crackers with various savory toppings, served either hot or cold.

What is a one bite appetizer called? ›

myz. ɡœl]) is a single, bite-sized hors d'œuvre. Amuse-bouches are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons but are served free and according to the chef's selection alone. These are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse of the chef's style.

What is the difference between an amuse-bouche and a canape? ›

Well an Amuse Bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d'œuvre. They are different to Canapés and other hors d'oeuvres in that they are not ordered from a menu but are served free and according to the chef's selection alone.

How many canapés per person should you make? ›

We would normally recommend around 4-5 canapés per person for the first hour followed by 2-3 canapés per person for each subsequent hour. Therefore a private party at home where no other food is being served we would suggest a minimum 10 canapés per person for a standard 4 hour party.

What is a canape buffet? ›

A canapé buffet presents an impressive array of canapés arranged beautifully on serving platters or trays. This dining style allows guests to mingle freely while sampling different canapés at their own pace.

What is a canape slang? ›

While canape is almost always used to mean "bite-sized party food," it also means "couch." So you could actually sit on a canape and nibble on a canape!

What is the step in making the canapés? ›

How to make canapes two ways
  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Spray mini muffin pans with olive oil spray to lightly grease. ...
  2. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. ...
  3. Spoon homemade or bought dip among the canapé cups.

Why do you spread the best of your bread when you make canapés? ›

​ Answer: The spread adds moisture and flavor while also forming a barrier so that the spread underneath doesn't become soggy. It also server as a sort of glue, so that the toppings are less likely to slide off the base...

How many canapés do I need for 50 guests? ›

How many canapés should I order? For a one-hour drinks reception, order four to six canapés per person. If it's before a grand dinner, four should be plenty. For longer events, add another two to four pieces per hour.

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