If you enjoy cooking but prefer easy recipes, you’ll appreciate the cold finger food appetisers we have today. They’re ideal if you’re holding a party or going to a dish party and want to create something tasty but also easy.
Have you ever wondered why many appetisers are served cold? Some claim that in formal settings, they are served cold to stimulate guests’ appetites, prompting them to eat more and socialise more, and this results in everyone having a good time. If you’re throwing a party, cold appetisers are also much easier to prepare because they can be made a day ahead of time, but hot appetisers must be made on the same day to stay warm and delicious.
So, let’s see the top 10 mouthwatering cold finger food appetisers we have today that will make your party dishes top-notch. You will pass on the recipes after the party since everyone will compliment your appetisers and want to know the recipe for every dish.
10 Easy Cold Finger Food Appetisers
The first rule for hosting a party is to always have more food than you think you’ll need so that your guests don’t end up hungry. So, easy cold finger food appetisers are the best dish to create in large amounts without feeling overwhelmed that you won’t be able to complete anything in time for the party. Let’s start and discover which ten dishes we’ll reveal today.
1. Cheese, Ham, and Olive Bites
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 25 Bites
Sometimes, the simplest things taste the best, and if you want something easy to create, minimum, and everyone will enjoy, the cheese, ham, and olive bites are the ideal cold finger food appetisers for any occasion. It’s a three-recipe bite-size dish that you can prepare as many of it as you like, and your guests will enjoy it. If you know any of your guests will have issues with the ham, smoked turkey is always a good alternative.
25-30 Castelvetrano olives or a variety of your preference
25-30 small toothpicks
Directions
It’s a two-step process that begins with cutting the cheese into 1/2″ x 1/2″ cubes. If you want to go the extra mile, you can cut it into various shapes. Then, cut the ham, prosciutto, or smoked turkey—whatever you are using—into beautiful thin pieces and fold them over into themselves.
Stack everything, beginning with the cheese cubes, then the ham, and finally the olives. Repeat until all of the ingredients are used up. You have the freedom to make as many as you like.
2. Smoked Salmon Tartare Bites
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 10 to 12
This next cold finger food appetiser is the Smoked Salmon Tartare Bites. It is delicious, fresh, and light that everyone will like, and it is, without a doubt, an appetiser that will fly off the plates. Another advantage of this bite-sized dish is that it is gluten-free, which is ideal for any of your guests with a gluten allergy.
Ingredients
1 or 2 pinches white pepper or freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon shallot, finely minced
8 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest of one lemon
For Servings
1 hothouse cucumber, cut into ¼-inch rounds
Toppings
1 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped
½ cup sour cream
Directions
To make this delicious cold finger food appetiser, we will mix shallot, lemon zest, pepper, and chopped salmon in a big bowl.
To serve, take a cucumber round and top it with one teaspoon of salmon tartare, followed by a small amount of sour cream. Then, add your final touches of fresh chives on the top. Present the dish with the rest of the salmon tartare.
3. Charcuterie Cups
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 12
Charcuterie boards are popular nowadays, but how can you turn them into an appetiser that you can pass around and ensure all your guests have tasted? Well, a brilliant idea is to make Charcuterie Cups. It is a delicious cold finger food appetiser everyone will love because any food made in a cup is incredibly easy to prepare and tastes ten times better.
Ingredients
½ lb red grapes
12 Mozzarella sticks
12 olives
12 slices Proscuitto
48 crackers
8 oz chorizo, sliced
8 oz salami, sliced
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
For Servings
12 disposable cups
12 toothpicks
Directions
Charcuterie Cups is a really simple appetiser to create. You will begin by placing a handful of grapes in each empty cup.
Then, fold the salami and arrange it nicely next to the grapes.
This step requires two ingredients; you will get the prosciutto and wrap it around a mozzarella stick. Once you are done, place it in the cup next to the other ingredients. Do the same in all the cups to make them have the same components.
A fun stacking step is to use a toothpick to skewer a cube of Monterey jack cheese, a slice of chorizo, and the olive and then place one in each cup.
Finally, add crackers to each cup. Just like that, the cups are ready for the party.
4. Mini Greek Salad Stackers
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 12
The Mini Greek Salad Stackers is a Mediterranean-inspired cold finger food appetiser. As the name suggests, it is a Greek salad served on skewers. It considers taking a regular salad, adding a fun touch to it, and then serving it in bite-size portions. Who doesn’t like a delicious Greek salad? This appetiser can be prepared ahead of time and on the day of the party. Simply take it out of the fridge and drizzle it with olive oil, and it is ready to be served.
Ingredients
1 large cucumber, cut 12 in ¼
1 large green pepper, cut 12 in ½
12 kalamata olives
2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, cut 12 in ¼
A chunk of Feta cheese, cut 12
Dried oregano
Olive oil
Red onion, thinly sliced (about 2 to 3 slices, then separate the rings)
Salt
Directions
The order is important in this dish, so start at the bottom and work your way up: cucumber, tomato, red onion, feta, green pepper, and olive oil.
Depending on the type of party you’re throwing, you have two options to skewer the abovementioned ingredients: a large toothpick or an elegant pick.
For final touches, drizzle with olive oil before you serve to give it the authentic Greek salad taste. Then, sprinkle with oregano for a nice look. Seasoning with salt is an optional step.
5. Kalamata Olive Tapenade Crostini
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Servings: 15
Kalamata Olive Tapenade Crostini is one of the cold finger food appetisers with varied flavours in your mouth when you bite into it. From the crunch of the bread to the powerful flavour of the olives, it is a perfect mix that might be your go-to party favour. Just an important tip: while you can prepare this tasty appetiser ahead of time, it is best to add olive oil to the bread before serving because if you leave it for a long time, the bread will absorb all the oil and become soggy, which we definitely do not want.
Preheat the oven to 350o and begin by cutting the baguette into neatly circular pieces.
Put the bread pieces on baking sheets and drizzle the olive oil before placing them in the oven.
Place them in the oven for five to six minutes or until the bread turns into a wonderful golden colour. Then, remove and set aside.
Directions For The Tapenade
Combine the pitted Kalamata olives, garlic clove, anchovy paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, chopped chives, salt, and pepper in a food processor. For optimal results, use a microplane grater to grate the garlic into the food processor.
Keep a tight check on the mixture while pulsing to ensure it does not turn mushy. You can serve immediately in a small bowl. Alternatively, store in the fridge for a few hours.
For final touches, add the mixture to your crunchy crostini before serving it to your guests. If you don’t have time to toast the baguette, you can opt for any cracker of your choice, which will do the trick. Garnish with more minced chives for a lovely finishing touch.
6. Cucumber Hummus Bites
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Servings: 18 Bites
This dish is the ideal cold finger food appetiser, blending fresh, crispy cucumbers, creamy hummus, and salty feta for the final touches. The great thing about this dish is how easy it is to make. We’re sure your hummus-loving pals will ask you for the recipe because it tastes so good.
Ingredients
1 English cucumber
9 cherry tomatoes, cut in ½
Fresh parsley to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup hummus (You can use either the original or your favourite flavour)
Directions
Before anything, wash your vegetables and fruits very well. Then, slice the cucumber into a perfectly round shape of about ¼ inch. As for the tomatoes, slice them into halves.
Spread one tablespoon of hummus on each cucumber slice for the exciting step, where you will see the dish come together.
On top of each slice, place one-half of the tomato. Then, top with crumbled feta and fresh parsley.
Finally, season with salt and pepper. Some people prefer to sprinkle on za’atar, which is optional but adds an extra flavour.
7. Zucchini Roll-Ups with Guacamole
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 10 Rolls
Do you remember how fruit roll-ups were popular on TikTok for a while? We’ll show you how to make a healthier alternative, Zucchini Roll-Ups with Guacamole. This dish is a cold finger food appetiser everyone will like. It is a blend you have never thought you need in your life. The freshness of the cucumber with the richness of the guacamole makes this appetiser so delicious. Probably everyone in the room will love it when you start serving it.
Ingredients
1 ¼ medium zucchini
1 cup homemade guacamole
Chopped olives, tomatoes, or onions
A side of fresh salsa
Directions
First, we will thinly slice the zucchini using a peeler. Once you are done, spread the guacamole onto the zucchini slices.
The next step is to roll up the zucchini and secure it with a toothpick so it doesn’t open again.
Garnish with chopped olives, tomatoes, or onions for the final touch. You can also garnish with all three or make separate rolls with different garnishes.
8. Pesto Pinwheels with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Prep Time: 14 Minutes
Total Time: 14 Minutes
Servings: 14
Everyone will want more of the Italian-inspired cold finger food appetiser, Pesto Pinwheels with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. This recipe will almost certainly have everyone who tries it falling in love with it. Is it easy to make? Very easy. It is a pinwheel of strong flavours, such as cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, in one blend combined on a single platter; can you imagine how fantastic that is?
Ingredients
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
12 ounces cream cheese
2 jars tomato pesto, sun-dried
3 cups baby spinach
4 large flour tortillas
Directions
We’ll start by sautéing the spinach until it’s mushy, then chop it into slices and set it aside. We’ll then mix the cream cheese with the chopped spinach and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano to make the filling for the pinwheel.
Take a large flour tortilla and spread the spinach and cheese mixture and one-fourth of the cream cheese over it.
Spread a one-third cup of sun-dried tomato pesto on the initial spread. Spread the filling over half of the tortilla, making sure you get the edges.
Roll each flour tortilla and cut it with a strong knife. If it unrolls, use a large toothpick to keep it rolled.
Put the pinwheels in the refrigerator until the party time and serve this amazing appetiser to your friends and family.
9. Stone Fruit Crostini
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 5 Minutes
Serves: 12
This cold finger food appetiser is a blend of cheese saltiness and fruit sweetness, which results in a strong savoury combination that will have you thinking, “Where has it been all my life?” The Stone Fruit Crostini is an excellent appetiser if you want to add more fruit to the table. And, like everything else on the list, it’s really simple to make.
To begin, slice the baguette into 12 pieces and drizzle with olive oil before baking.
Place the bread oil-side down on a nonstick pan and bake until crispy and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Mix the brie rind and the Mascarpone cheese well in a mixing bowl. Our goal is for the mixture to be smooth and creamy.
Put the cheese mixture on top of the crispy baguette, also known as the crostini.
Top with the fruits as they are the main star of the dish.
Lastly, sprinkle fresh thyme leaves to round off the flavours.
10. Prosciutto Wrapped Pears with Arugula
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 8
Prosciutto Wrapped Pears with Arugula is an ideal cold finger food appetiser for your next party or get-together. The greatest part is that it is a no-cook appetiser; however, it may appear to be unusual. If you want something people will talk about all night, Prosciutto-wrapped Pears with Arugula is perfect. At first glance, you may wonder what this strange combination is, but when you take a bite of this sweet and salty mix, you will love it, and your guests will love it, too. One of the advantages of this recipe is that it is also gluten-free.
Ingredients
½ cup baby arugula
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 red pears
4 tablespoons pomegranate arils
8 slices prosciutto
black pepper
Directions
Let us begin by washing and drying our fruits. Cut the pear into six to eight wedges of approximately ½-inch thick. Don’t forget to remove the core from each slice.
In a small dish, season the arugula and the pomegranate with pepper and olive oil.
Put the slices of prosciutto flat on a cutting board before slicing them in half lengthwise.
Now comes the fun part. Place the sliced pears and the arugula mixture on top of each prosciutto slice, then wrap it all around. Make sure the wrap is tight enough so the salad doesn’t fall out, and always remember to use a toothpick as an option to hold everything together. Repeat the process with the remaining slices and ingredients.
Before serving, sprinkle with additional pepper and pomegranate arils and wait for the guests to ooh from the flavour.
Last Words on a Plate of Cold Appetisers
We hope you found this list of cold finger food appetisers useful and that it motivated you to throw a party and prepare the majority of the appetisers on the list. We’ve provided you with a variety of options, from sweet to savoury, and they’re all sure to be tasty for you and your guests. They’re also incredibly simple to create and won’t take a long time to prepare. Which one of these appetisers would you try first? If we had to choose, we’d go for the Smoked Salmon Tartare Bites since salmon holds a special place in our hearts.
Asmaa Alhashimy 