One of my favorite things to serve at parties and gatherings is cold appetizers finger food. They’re so easy to make and almost everyone loves them. There are endless variations of different recipes and creative spins on classic recipes that you’ll never run out of ideas. Today, I want to share 25+ of my favorite recipes for cold finger foods that I’m sure you’ll adore.
Top 25+ Cold Appetizers Finger Food Ideas That Are Easy to Make
1. Cheesy Bruschetta Bites
Bruschetta is one of my favorite cold appetizer dishes because it’s foolproof. You can’t go wrong with toasted bread, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and a little balsamic glaze.
2. Prosciutto, Pear, And Blue Cheese
I absolutely love this appetizer recipe because it’s unique and the flavor combination is out of this world. For this dish, you’ll need fresh pears (I recommend Bartlett or Green Anjou), blue cheese, prosciutto, lemon juice and some fresh arugula. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can swap in Brie or even goat cheese.
3. Cold Veggie Pizza
Here’s a fun recipe that tastes great and is on the healthier side (I say that lightly). For this veggie pizza, you’ll need crescent dough sheets, chive and onion cream cheese spread, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, green onions, etc.).
The entire recipe comes together in just 20 minutes.
4. BLT Bites
I adore this recipe for cold appetizers finger food because it’s so easy to make and it’s the perfect bite-sized appetizer. For this recipe, you’ll need thin white bread, bacon, cocktail tomatoes, butter lettuce and some Japanese mayonnaise. Stack your ingredients to make mini-BLTs and keep each sandwich together with a skewer.
5. Cucumber Tuna Salad Bites
Here’s a finger food that’s so simple but looks so fancy and is easy to make. Slice up a cucumber and top with tuna salad, half a grape tomato and a sprig of fresh dill. I love serving these on a cute wooden cutting board.
6. Everything Bagel Stuffed Mini Peppers
These stuffed mini peppers won’t last long. And you won’t have to spend hours preparing them either. The filling is super simple yet so delicious. You’ll need cream cheese, Greek yogurt and everything bagel seasoning. Grab two dozen mini peppers, slice them in half (remove the seeds) and add the filling to each half. In no time, you have a delicious cold appetizer that’s ready to serve.
Related: 27 Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipes That Will Make Lunch Your Favorite Meal
7. Smoked Salmon Bites
These little smoked salmon bites will impress your guests and they’re ready to eat in 15 minutes or less. The spread is easy to make and calls for sour cream, cream cheese, garlic powder, lemon, dill and salt. Instead of bread, you’ll use tortillas for this dish. Keep each bite together with a toothpick and serve.
8. Everything Bagel Cucumber Bites
Another one of my favorite simple cold appetizers. These cucumber bites are refreshing and a real crowd-pleaser. If you use a piping bag for the cream cheese, they look fancy, too. It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe. Just slice up a cucumber and top each slice with a mix of cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning. They’re ready to serve in 10 minutes or less.
9. Mini Caprese Cups
These mini caprese cups are so cute and SO delicious. You’ll need some mini phyllo shells, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella balls, fresh basil and some balsamic glaze. This recipe comes together in 15 minutes or less.
10. Honey Ricotta Peach Crostini
Looking for cold appetizers finger food that’s a little more substantial? These crostini are perfect. Top slices of grilled bread with ricotta and honey, crispy pancetta, and sliced peaches. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top and add a few sprigs of fresh basil.
11. Easy Caramel Apple Grapes
If you want to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, this appetizer is ideal. Use a toothpick to skewer your seedless grapes and dip them in caramel. Dredge them in crushed nuts and serve. It doesn’t get much easier than this appetizer, and your guests will love them.
12. Antipasto Skewers
These antipasti skewers have all of your favorite antipasto ingredients on a stick: fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, kalamata olives, salami, pepperoncini and cherry peppers. Feel free to swap or add ingredients as needed.
13. Watermelon Feta Skewers
Here’s a fun dessert finger food idea that I love serving in the summer. Watermelon and feta are such a great combination, and a sprig of fresh mint takes these bite-sized treats over the top. You’ll need a block of fresh feta for this dish – not feta crumbles.
14. Mini Cubano Sandwich Skewers
I love this appetizer because it’s so delicious but insanely easy to make. Grab some mini wooden skewers and add slices of ham, Swiss cheese cubes and baby dill pickles. Serve with a dish of mustard sauce that people can dip their skewers into.
15. Dilly Cucumber Bites
The best cold appetizers finger food ideas have just a few ingredients. That’s why I love this recipe. All you need are slices of fresh cucumber, grape tomatoes, fresh dill, cream cheese and Greek yogurt.
16. Melon and Prosciutto Skewers with Greens
How fancy are these skewers? Your guests will love the mix of sweet, savory and bitter. You’ll need just a few ingredients: cubed melon, prosciutto, chopped greens and mini skewers.
Related: 15 Luau Finger Food Ideas We Can’t Resist
17. Parmesan Cups + Ceasar Salad
Fifteen minutes is all you need to create this flavor-filled appetizer. You’ll need just Parm cheese, romaine lettuce, garlic powder and Ceasar dressing. If you want, you can also add mini crouton bites on top, too.
18. Mini Phyllo Bites
Phyllo is the perfect appetizer ingredient because it can hold anything. For this recipe, you’ll be adding humus and roasted peppers into the bite as a filling. Parsley, crumbled feta and cucumber are the only additional ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.
The best part here is that although the phyllo cups are baked, you can just get them premade – fully baked and ready to serve from Walmart here – and just fill them with your favorite filling.
It’s simple, light and easy to make! And if you want to skip the hummus, you can switch it with cheese, here is an alternative filling recipe I love too:
19. Triscuits + Cranberry, Walnut Chicken Salad
Triscuits act as the base for the walnut chicken salad, which you’ll add on top. Sweet, tangy and flavor-filled, the chicken is made with just four main ingredients: chicken, walnuts, dried cranberries and mayonnaise.
You can add any additional spices you like, or if you have a leftover rotisserie chicken, you can use that instead for the cracker topping.
20. Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
Thai-inspired, these wanton wrappers are baked in a muffin tin to create a perfect cup for all of the salad ingredients to fit inside. You can omit some of the ingredients that you may not like, such as fish sauce or cabbage, but I do recommend keeping the birds eye chili because it provides the perfect hint of spicy to this dish.
21. Crispy and Crunchy Fried Pickles
Cold appetizers finger food that includes pickles are one of my all-time favorites. Something about the crunch of pickles makes me happy. You’ll be covering your pickle slices with Panko breadcrumbs and seasoning, a tad of vegetable oil and deep frying them to golden perfection.
Serve cold or warm – they’ll stay delicious.
22. Chili Cheese Squares
Party appetizers are simple to make, and this recipe does take about an hour to prepare. The good news? You’ll have 25 servings to pass out. You’ll need quite a few ingredients:
- Green chiles
- Pimento (my favorite)
- Eggs
- Hot sauce
- Baking mix
- Salt
- Mexican-blend cheese
- Milk
You’ll want to add the ingredients, mixed up, into a square baking dish and cook for 45 minutes. You’ll be cutting them into bite-sized squares and allow them to cool before serving.
23. Caprese Salad Skewers
Skewers are something I’ve been using a lot recently, and they work perfectly for these caprese salad treats. You’ll add a slice of mozzarella, marinated to perfection, on the bottom, topped with lettuce and a tomato. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over top and serve.
Anyone who loves the taste of Italy will appreciate this appetizer.
Related: 26 Delicious Picnic Finger Food Ideas That Look Fancy
24. Veggie Pizza on Crescent Rolls
If you have crescent rolls, you’ll love how easy this recipe comes together. You’ll need shredded cheddar, sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, green onions, broccoli, carrots and red pepper.
You’re simply assembling the ingredients on the cooked crescent rolls.
And all of the flavors taste delicious together.
25. Charcuterie Cups
I never in a million years would have thought of these delightful cups on my own. But they taste amazing and are a great appetizer if you’re over the normal charcuterie board. Small drinking cups work great, and you’ll want to add in:
- Fruit
- Crackers
- Cheese
- Cured meat
You can choose any mix of ingredients that you like, such as cheddar cheese, chorizo or Monetary jack. Add your favorites to the cups and serve. It’s that easy and great for parties.
26. Roast Beef Appetizers
It doesn’t get much easier than these roast beef sliders. You’ll pile crackers with a small cut of roast beef on top with some horseradish and a pickle. Keep it all together with a toothpick. You can also nix the cracker and use small slices of bread instead.
