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100+ of the best canapé recipes - delicious party food for every occasion

From crisp parsnip rolls to mini mushroom wellingtons, these party canapés are the perfect start to any celebration.

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90 of the best canapeacute recipes

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 cocktail 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...

1

Chicken Satay Skewers

prawn lollipops
Mike English

Always popular, these will be devoured quickly.

Recipe: Chicken Satay Skewers

2

Mozzarella Dippers with Spicy Tomato Jam

best party food
Mike English

Fried cheese with a spicy, thick tomato sauce: you know these will be gone in minutes!

Recipe: Mozzarella Dippers with Spicy Tomato Jam

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3

Parisian Sausage Rolls

best party food
Mike English

A fantastically easy and substantial canapé that’s sure to have guests asking for more.

Recipe: Parisian Sausage Rolls

4

Pea and Mint Fritters

pea and mint fritters

We’ve used petits 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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5

Crispy gnocchi, olive and chorizo skewers

best party food

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

6

Hot honey halloumi fingers

christmas canapes

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

Recipe: Hot honey halloumi fingers

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7

Ploughman’s Nibbles

magazine

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

Recipe: Ploughman’s Nibbles

8

Hoisin duck cucumber bites

best party food

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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9

Venison and Black Pudding Scotch Quail Eggs

venison and black pudding scotch quail eggs

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

10

Chicken Katsu Bites with Tangy Mayo Dip

chicken katsu bites with tangy mayo dip

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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11

Crispy Sushi Rice ‘Cakes’ with Seared Tuna

crispy sushi rice lsquocakesrsquo with seared tuna

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

12

Teriyaki Mushroom Maki Roll

teriyaki mushroom maki roll

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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13

Chicken Shawarma Pastries

chicken shawarma pastries

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

14

Prawn Lollipops

prawn lollipops
Mike English

Like prawn toast? Then you'll love these!

Recipe: Prawn Lollipops

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15

Halloumi and Pistachio Baklava

halloumi and pistachio baklava

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

Recipe: Halloumi and Pistachio Baklava

16

Cheesy Truffle Popcorn

best party food
Mike English

Once you pop, you won’t be able to stop!

Recipe: Cheesy Truffle Popcorn

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17

Baba Ghanoush with Za’atar Flatbreads

baba ghanoush with zarsquoatar flatbreads

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

18

Hot Smoked Salmon Rye Breads

hot smoked salmon rye breads

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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19

Rye and Danish Blue Cracker Bites

rye and danish blue cracker canapeacute

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

20

Pea and Ham Hock Croustades

magazine

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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