Easy Christmas canapé recipes (2024)

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (1)

Starting to plan your own Christmas party celebrations? Top of the list should be some delicious Christmas canapés to keep hunger at bay.

For Christmas is a time to spend with loved ones, to exchange gifts, get in the merry spirit and most of all, to put on a delicious festive spread, have a drinks party and embrace ingredients that make this time of year so darn great. Cheeses, spices, meats, need we say more?

And when it comes to catering for Christmas parties, we've long been fans of mini food: toad in the holes, Yorkshire puddings, fish and chips.

But the one problem with the Christmas party season (other than our diamond shoes perhaps being half a size too tight) is that it can be difficult to get a proper meal. That by the time you've hovered by the kitchen, hoping to be first at the canapé tray, but then realised that it's only fair to give other guests a chance, you can often leave with a pang of hunger, the thought of a bowl of cereal on the sofa when you get home.

So when you're hosting a party, have a think about what it is you'd like to eat. The sort of Christmas canapés that are filling and satisfying, but also easy for you to make. Simple party recipes that won't keep you in the kitchen for hours.

Whether for dinner parties or as a pre-meal taster, these canapés recipes range from the traditional and warming to vegetarian and worldly. We've also included some winners from the titans of Christmas cooking Mary Berry and Gordon Ramsey, and a couple of other familiar names in there as well.

There's something to satisfy every taste and every time frame so, tuck in.

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1

Cranberry Christmas Crackers

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (3)

A whimsical and sweet Christmas canape, filo pastry encasing cranberries and goat's cheese. Simple to make, and so fun to look at.

Trt this Cranberry Christmas Crackers recipe here

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2

Moroccan Chicken Puffs

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (5)

Inject some north African flavour into your Christmas day feasting, with these delectable little pastry bites. The mixture of chicken, preserved lemon with soothing spices like cinnamon, ginger and coriander - is to die for.

Try this Morrocan chicken puffs recipe

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3

Parmigiano Reggiano And Rosemary Shortbread

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (7)

A savoury twist on the classic sweet shortbread, these parmesan and salt-sprinkled biscuits are the perfect Christmas party food. They look beautiful on a wooden serving board, especially washed down with some mulled wine.

Try this rosemary shortbread recipe

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4

Goat's Cheese, Beetroot And Papaya Chutney Tartlets

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (9)

Vegetarians will love this canape. Salty goat's cheese marries perfectly with sweet beetroot and papaya chutney. For even more of a festive flavour, replace goat's cheese with creamy brie and sprinkle with walnuts.

Try this goat's cheese tartlets recipe

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5

Artichoke Tartlets

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (11)

Earthy, salty and bursting with flavour, artichokes seem to be the perfect accompanyment to soft and buttery pastry. Just bigger then bite-size, guests will love these and being very quick to make? You will too.

Try the recipe

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6

Mediterranean Vegetable Crostini

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (13)

A flavour-packed Mediterranean take on the crostini, we love this idea as a pre-meal nibble.

Try this Mediterranean vegetable crostini recipe

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7

Pip McCormac's Sausage Pinwheels

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (15)

These are a very modern version of that old party food classic, the sausage roll. They look a lot prettier, and the apple and chutney make them taste a lot fruitier, but there is a certain comfort in their warmth and buttery meatiness, and in the familiarity of this Christmas recipe. Serve them warm and they’ll be gone in seconds.

Try Pip McCormac's sausage pinwheels recipe

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8

Mini banana cream pancakes

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (17)

Pudding canapés are the best canapés. Try this little cream and caramalised banana-stuffed pancakes.

Try this mini banana cream pancakes recipe

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9

Parma Ham and Parmesan Palmiersom

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (19)

These tasty crisp little puff pastry canapés are a savoury version of the French sweet pastries of the same name. They are also good as an accompaniment to vegetable soups.

Try these parma ham and Parmesan palmiers

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10

Lisa Faulkner's Smoked Salmon Pate

This super quick and easy salmon paté makes a great canapé for a drinks party. Serve up with melba toasts for a charming retro feel.

Try Lisa Faulkner’s smoked salmon pate recipe

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11

Soft Boiled Quails Eggs with a Smoked Dipper

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (23)

These quails eggs will be sure to delight your guests, especially with an added drizzle of rich truffle oil. The dipper is just a delicious salty mix in which to roll the eggs – a simple yet very satisfying canapé.

Try the soft boiled quails eggs recipe

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12

Pigs in Blankets with Sage

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (25)

Christmas isn’t complete without some classic pigs in blankets. These juicy, bite-size sausages wrapped in bacon will get the party going.

Try this pigs in blankets with sage recipe

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13

Toasted Herby Nuts

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (27)

A great way to get through any lingering Christmas nuts, this simple recipe transforms them into a real treat.

Try this toasted herby nuts recipe

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14

Blueberry and Stilton Blinis

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (29)

Put your Christmas cheese platter classics to good use with this light starter. The salsa that tops these blinis not only tastes good with Stilton but with cheeses including Brie, Camembert and Leicester.

Try this blueberry and stilton blinis recipe

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15

Beef, red onion and horseradish crème fraîche crostini

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (31)

Serve this crostini hot or cold, although the beef needs to be slightly rare to truly enjoy it at its tender, succulent best.

Try this beef, red onion and horseradish crème fraîche crostini recipe

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16

Mark Hix's Vegetable Crisps

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (33)

Even crisps can be festive and a little bit special. These homemade parsnip, celery and beetroot crisps have an amazing flavour that beats any you can buy from the shops.

Try Mark Hix’s vegetable crisps recipe

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17

Mary Berry's Asparagus Goat's Cheese and Parma Ham Filo Rolls

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (35)

Impress your Christmas party guests with these quick and easy canapes from Mary Berry. Our top tips are to buy the goat’s cheese in a tub (not a roll) and use vacuum-packed Parma ham, as you need evenly cut slices.

Try Mary Berry’s asparagus goat’s cheese and parma ham filo rolls recipe

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18

Emmental Goujeres

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (37)

Light and cheesy, these tasty French goujeres make a perfect pre-dinner snack or will fill a party platter for the Christmas work do.

Try this emmental goujeres recipe

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19

Gordon Ramsay's Chilli Beef Lettuce Wraps

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (39)

Swapping a tortilla wrap for a large lettuce leaf transforms this spicy beef wrap from Gordon Ramsay into a light snack or Christmas party appetiser.

Try Gordon Ramsay's chilli beef lettuce wraps recipe

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20

Pork scratchings

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (41)

Pork scratchings are a British staple and this simple recipe will keep you crunching throughout the festive season.

Try this pork scratching recipe

Easy Christmas canapé recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the tip to making the best canapés? ›

Nine TIPS FOR CREATING THE PERFECT CANAPÉ
  • Think of a theme to inspire your canapé menu - try occasions like Thanksgiving or regional flavors such as Italian.
  • Think no bigger than bite-sized morsels for easy eating.
  • Although bites are small, pack them with flavor using spices, sauces and garnishes.

What are the two types of canapés? ›

A base of a small piece of bread, pastry or crackers. Crostini and bruschetta are classic examples of canapés. Modern canapés may use a cracker, a small pancake (called blini) or even a pastry shell as the base.

What is the base of a canapé? ›

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. The canapé is finished off with garnish and sometimes a glaze for the full impact.

What is finger food canapés? ›

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.

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.

How do you keep canapés from getting soggy? ›

Lay them out on mirrors, glass or wooden boards. Have a little dish or a shot glass by the canapes for used skewers. Keep them fresh A simple pumpernickel bread with a cream cheese and piece of smoked salmon for example will keep fresh and won't go soggy for at least two hours in the fridge.

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

What is the main difference between canapés and appetizers? ›

A canape is a type of appetizer. Canapes are typically a small cracker or slice of bread topped with a spread and a garnish. Canapes are served when no meal is to follow, such as at a co*cktail party. I would say that a canape is the type food and appetizer is the name of the course in a meal.

How many canapés do you serve before dinner? ›

Lunch or dinner event

When catering a meal time event, where finger food will constitute the entire meal, we recommend serving 8-12 savoury canapés per person. Ideally this selection will include 2-4 of the larger finger food options - such as bao buns, roast beef dinner rolls or fish tacos.

What are the 5 ingredients of canapé base? ›

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. Canapés typically consist of a base, a spread, a primary topping and a garnish.

What adds moisture and flavor to the canapés? ›

Spread–placed on top of the base so the garnish sticks to it without falling off. Adds moisture and flavour to canapés. It holds the main body and provides a fat barrier which prevents the base from getting soggy.

What are the guidelines in making a canapé? ›

9 TIPS FOR CREATING THE PERFECT CANAPÉ
  • Think of a theme to create your canapé menu, occasions such as Christmas or regional flavours such as Japanese.
  • Size as mouthful morsels.
  • Although bites are small, pack it with flavour! ...
  • Combine flavours, sweet, salty, bitter, mellow and salty for a taste sensation.

What's a finger buffet? ›

a meal, often on a special occasion, in which the food is eaten with the fingers, often by guests who are standing.

What is the step in making the canapés? ›

Using 2 inch (5 cm) circle cookie or biscuit cutter, cut rounds out of toast to make 12 circles. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, herbs, hot sauce and pepper. To assemble: Top toast with 1 egg slice, ¼ tsp (1.25 mL) dollop of mayonnaise, a piece of bacon and garnish with fresh herbs.

What are the steps in preparing 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? ›

The spread of a canapé helps add moisture and flavour while also preventing the base from going soggy. It also helps 'glue' the toppings onto the bread and prevents them from slipping off. Popular spreads for canapés include butter, mayonnaise, or cream cheese. The topping of a canapé is the main attraction.

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