The best of our canapé recipes (2024)

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

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

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

Recipe: Ploughman’s Nibbles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recipe: Halloumi and Pistachio Baklava

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recipe: Pastrami Bagel Quarters

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

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

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

Recipe:

If canapés seem a little fiddly for you then this feta based dip with beetroot is more like it. Don't be fooled, the crackers are easy to make.

Recipe: Whipped Beetroot and Feta Dip with Caramelised Onion Crackers