Canapés are great for appetizers, but that’s not all they’re good for. You can serve canapés for nearly every meal. They make an excellent light breakfast or brunch. And there’s nothing better than tiny sandwiches for lunch. We’ve even seen people make little pizza canapés, so you can see how versatile this idea can be
What are canapes? Canapés are usually decorative, and they consist of a small bread slice or rye bread toast, a cracker, or a puffed pastry. Traditionally, the bread is topped with savory or salty ingredients.
Best of all, a canape can be made with whatever ingredients you already have in your pantry or fridge. For example, the classic canape is simply a bread slice with caviar.
Canapés are the ultimate party food, perfect for entertaining guests and creating fancy, bite-sized treats that are both delicious and visually appealing. These small appetizers, often spread on a piece of bread or a cracker, have endless flavor possibilities and can be tailored to suit any occasion. The elegant presentation and creative combination of ingredients make canapé recipes highly sought after by those looking to host memorable events.
Preparing canapés may seem daunting, but with a few essential tips and a selection of tried-and-tested recipes, they can be a truly enjoyable addition to your culinary repertoire. By focusing on fresh, high-quality ingredients and balancing complementary flavors and textures, it’s possible to elevate simple ingredients into stunning appetizer masterpieces.
Because it is traditionally served during happy hour or before a meal, the canape is usually salty or savory.
But what if you want something sweet? Well, we have included a few sweet canape recipes (one with chocolate!) as well.
Want to impress your guests (or get your kids excited about healthy finger foods!)? Just whip up a platter full of canapés.
Below, we have compiled a list of our favorite 21 canapes recipes. Above all, remember that you can customize any of these recipes to suit your own taste or whatever you have on hand.
We love the intense flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, and when you pair this up with goat cheese, garlic powder, and fresh basil, you have an appetizer that your guests will love.
The secret ingredient in these canapes is the balsamic glaze. You can make a homemade balsamic glaze or buy some already made at the store.
To make these canapes, you’re going to drizzle your Italian bread with olive oil and sprinkle the bread lightly with garlic powder.
You can spread your bread with a dab of butter for more flavor. Just imagine how your kitchen will smell with this bread toasting.
Sometimes, it’s nice to have finger food like canapes for dessert. When you’re craving some sweetness, try these decadent goat cheese canapes with honey and walnuts.
These goat cheese canapes are made with olive oil and heavy whipping cream, so they’re extremely rich.
Whole walnuts are cut in half, or you can use chopped walnuts. Also, you can substitute pecans in this recipe if you have those.
The star of the show in these canapes is the honey, which is drizzled over all of the cheesy goodness.
We love the idea of using crisp fruit as the base for canapes. Why not try apricots?
The apricot flavor is incredible in this sweet little appetizer and the goat cheese offers the perfect amount of creaminess.
These sweet canapes give you the wonderful flavors of Provence, right from your own kitchen.
The ingredient that makes this canape recipe so special is lavender-infused honey. It just brings such a delightful flavor to these cute little appetizers.
You can make your own lavender honey with local honey and dried lavender buds.
Remember the beets our grandmothers fed us when we were growing up?
Well, beets have grown up a lot, too, and these antioxidant-rich beets are nothing like those that were served to frowns all around the table back in the day.
Beets are a superfood, and when they’re used to make canapes or bruschetta, you serve up something super special.
This recipe uses goat cheese, which is divine, of course. And the balsamic vinegar, balsamic reduction, garlic, and basil give these canapes a delightful flavoring.
This delicate little cucumber canape recipe is easy to make and only has five simple ingredients that you probably already have.
This recipe calls for cream cheese, but you can substitute Neufchatel cheese or any other creamy cheese.
These canapes would also be excellent with one of our favorite cheeses: Laughing Cow cheese. It’s super creamy and lighter in fat and calories than some other cheeses.
To make these canapes, slice your cucumbers very thin and sprinkle them with sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
If not, you may want to rush out and buy some because garlic mayo is the secret ingredient in these savory little egg and chives canapes.
You can use any kind of creamy cheese, but the recipe calls for one of our favorite brands: Laughing Cow cheese. This cheese is lower in fat and comes in cute and convenient little wedges.
You’re essentially making a quick and easy egg salad with this recipe. The chives on top are a must for the gorgeous punch of flavor.
Want to make these canapes even heartier? Toss in some diced ham or grated cheese.
It’s so easy to take some salami and roll it up with creamy cheese and herbs.
When you do this, you have the perfect little appetizer that is chock-full of flavor.
The umami is unbelievably perfect.
To make these salami bites, you can use herbed cheese spread and cream cheese as the recipe directs, but you can also use any kind of creamy spreadable cheese. Cheeses like Laughing Cow and even lower-fat Neufchatel cheese offer all sorts of flavor options.
The best part about these appetizers is that they are made in advance for easy serving.
With only five ingredients, you can enjoy a high-protein snack or appetizer that is heaven on a plate (or cracker).
These smoked salmon canapes can be whipped up in minutes and they’re the perfect appetizer for small group gatherings with family and friends.
This recipe calls for the smoked salmon and cream cheese to be served on a Triscuit cracker, an idea we love. However, you can just as easily use traditional French baguette bread.
The fresh dill adds loads of flavor.
We do love Triscuits for our smoked salmon canape because Triscuits are verified as non-GMO and they’re also 100% whole wheat. What’s not to love?
Are you cutting carbs? Then these crunchy Parmesan cheese crisps are going to win you over.
You can use these crispy little snacks as a base for your canapes. These crisps are as solid as a piece of toast and you get to benefit from all of the wonderful protein that Parmesan cheese brings to the table.
Having some of these Parmesan crisps in your kitchen is handy because you can use them as salad crumbles or in soup for delicious flavor.
To keep Parmesan crisps nice and crispy, store them away from moisture and humidity in a tightly sealed container.
Sometimes we want a super light canape, and that’s where these filling shrimp or prawn canapes come in.
These canapes are made with a cucumber slice as the base instead of French bread. With shrimp as the main ingredient, this is a naturally low-fat food.
The lime juice, garlic, and cilantro in these canapes send the flavor over the top.
For the creamy layer, you can use herbed cream cheese that comes pre-mixed, or you can keep things light by using lower-fat Neufchatel cheese.
The combination of those three ingredients is insanely delicious and these tasty little bites are super simple to make.
You can use day-old French bread that is a little harder than fresh bread to make these. Alternatively, grab some French baguette slices and you’re ready to go.
Sautee the mushrooms in olive oil and season them with garlic powder.
To make these a hearty canape, feel free to add some ham or sauteed spinach.
This is a universal canapes recipe that allows you to use whatever ingredients you already have in your fridge.
These canapes are also some of the canapes that have a sweetness to them.
A par-baked baguette or French bread is perfect for these easy canapes.
You can use any type of eggs for this canape recipe. The recipe calls for quail eggs, but you can use plain old chicken eggs without much taste difference.
The recipe calls for ricotta cheese, but you can use any type of creamy cheese, including cream cheese, Neufchatel cheese, brie, or mascarpone cheese.
Here’s a pro tip: be sure to let the toasted bread cool before you spread the ricotta cheese on top.
Check out the video below for more great canape recipes and tips.
Our 25+ BEST Easy Canapés Recipes (+Goat Cheese Canape)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
