What’s the best part of any dinner party? Dessert! But instead of the usual pie and cake recipes, I want to share recipes for something I adore: finger food mini desserts. Bite-sized treats that everyone will love – without having to fight for the best slice. These 25+ recipes are some of my favorites.
25+ Mouthwatering Finger Food Mini Desserts to WOW Your Guests
1. Mini Cannoli Cups
I love cannoli, but sometimes, eating a whole one is just too much. These cannoli cups are perfect bite-sized variations of this classic dessert treat. And believe it or not, they’re easy to make. You’ll need phyllo baskets for the shell. The filling is just ricotta and goat cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Top with chocolate chips and enjoy!
2. Mini Cheesecakes
These mini cheesecakes are individually portioned and made in a muffin tin, which makes them less intimidating than baking a whole cheesecake (no need to worry about cracking!).
You’ll need some graham crackers and butter for the crust. The filling is just cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs. I recommend topping them with a few slices of fresh fruit.
3. Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
Here’s another variation of a mini cheesecake that everyone will love. You’ll need all of the same ingredients we used for the mini cheesecakes above, but this time, you’ll be topping each bite with caramel sauce, chocolate ganache and chopped nuts. I prefer pecan, but you can use whichever variety you like.
4. Lemon Tartlets
These lemon tartlets are one of the best finger food mini desserts to serve to guests because they’re so light and fresh. To save time, use a refrigerated pie crust.
There’s something about a lemon dessert that I find hard to resist. I recommend topping each tartlet with a fresh raspberry and a dash of powdered sugar.
Related: 20 Delicious Finger Food Appetizers for Your Next Party
5. Mini Triple Chocolate Cheesecakes
Can you tell that I love cheesecake? But this recipe is for bite-sized triple chocolate cheesecake. And it’s everything you could want in a chocolate cheesecake: an Oreo cookie crust, a rich chocolate filling, chocolate ganache and chocolate whipped cream.
6. Strawberry, Cardamom and Pistachio Pavlova Bites
This dessert is a little more complicated, but the unique flavor combination makes it worth the effort. You’ll need ground cardamom, fresh strawberries, pistachios, heavy cream, vanilla, egg white and a few other ingredients. This is certainly a dessert that will WOW your guests.
7. Mini Raspberry Almond Tarts
These delightful raspberry almond tarts are irresistible and surprisingly easy to make. You’ll need all of the usual baking ingredients, along with raspberry jam and almond extract. The recipe also calls for almond flour, which is readily available in most grocery stores.
8. Apple Crisp Mini Cheesecakes
These mini cheesecakes will be gone before you know it and devoured by your guests. These three-layer bites are baked in a muffin tin to perfection. This recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, but trust me, it will be worth it. The apple pie filling is to die for.
9. Mini Pavlova
Pavlova is always a dessert that impresses guests because it can be tricky to make. But this recipe simplifies the process and walks you through each step. I love the blueberry and pistachio topping. Make sure that you get the freshest blueberries you can get your hands on to maximize the flavor.
10. Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Bites
Snickerdoodles and apple pie? This has to top the list of the best finger food mini desserts ever. These bite-sized treats have a Snickerdoodle cookie cup base that you stuff with a delicious and rich apple pie filling. The recipe calls for canned apple pie filling, but I recommend making your own if you have the option.
11. No Bake Mini Cheesecakes
These mini cheesecakes are super easy to make and don’t even require any baking. The filling is super simple to make, but the best part of this dessert is the chocolate sauce topping and truffle candy. Like other mini cheesecake bites, these ones are shaped in a muffin tin. You’ll need to refrigerate these for four hours before serving, so keep this in mind.
12. Muffin Tin Mini Apple Pies
Who doesn’t love a good mini apple pie? These are one of my favorite desserts to serve because guests always love them and they’re surprisingly easy to make. All you need is a good pie crust and a trusted recipe for apple pie filling (super simple). The latticework crust takes the cake for presentation here.
13. Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
How adorable are these mini bundt cakes? The rose petals, pistachios and lemon zest really take the presentation to the next level. While they look fancy, these mini cakes have simple ingredients. The lemon and pistachios do most of the work when it comes to the flavor.
14. Mini No Bake Key Lime Pies
Key lime pie is the perfect summer dessert and a crowd favorite. It’s one of my go-to dessert recipes when I’m not sure what to serve. It has a light, refreshing filling and a tasty graham cracker crust. If you can’t find key limes, you can use regular limes for this recipe.
15. Brownie Bites with Whipped Chocolate Ganache
This recipe transforms the typical, boring brownie recipe into something special. These round, bite-sized treats are topped with a delicious, whipped chocolate ganache to make them even more decadent. Make sure that you’re using high-quality chocolate for this recipe – it makes all the difference.
Related: 20 Delicious Vegan Brunch Recipes That Are Easy to Make
16. Lemon Raspberry Mini Puff Tarts
Lemon-flavored tarts are a weakness of mine. You’ll use Chex cereal (an odd addition), white chocolate candy melts, lemon cake mix and a few Ziploc bags. This is truly one of the easiest mini puff tart recipes you’ll ever find.
17. Bite-sized Carrot Cake
Carrot cake as finger food mini desserts? This is not something I thought I would have on this list, but it’s a genius recipe. You’ll use grated carrots for this recipe, along with cream cheese, whipping cream and a few additional ingredients.
If you like carrot cake, you’ll like these little mouthfuls of flavor.
18. Lemon Meringue Tarts
With Love Kitty shares a recipe for a tasty meringue tart, which I have tried, and I recommend it for a finger food dessert. You’ll enjoy the rich pastry shell and the lemon meringue top. You’ll need quite a few ingredients for these tarts, along with:
- Mini tart tins
- Tart pans
- Stand mixer
- Piping bag
19. Cherry Pie Cookies
Cherry pie is a classic dessert, but you’ve never had them like this before. Overflowing with flavor, these cookies are made with sugar cookie cups, vanilla extract, butter (naturally), sour cream, baking soda, salt, white chocolate chips and cherry pie filling.
Related: 15 Luau Finger Food Ideas We Can’t Resist
20. Chocolate Mini Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
I’m always short on time, but these mini cheesecakes are worth the 45 minutes to make. Creamy and rich are the two best words to describe this dessert, which you’ll make with Oreo cookies, unsalted butter, cream cheese, chocolate chips, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream and chocolate syrup.
You’ll need a muffin pan and foil cupcake liners for this treat.
21. Chocolate Tarts
Salted chocolate tarts are ideal for someone with a sweet tooth – like me. A spatula and the following ingredients are all you need to make these tarts: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, semisweet chocolate, heavy cream and sea salt flakes.
And these bites are much easier to make than the mini cheesecakes we listed at number 20 on our list.
22. Snickers Brownie Bites
Snickers brownie bites are sweet, rich finger food mini desserts. Fudge-filled, salty and sweet all at the same time, these brownie bites are made with:
- Caramel
- Peanut butter frosting
- Salted peanuts
- Brownies (recipe included)
- Powdered sugar icing
The best part? You can freeze them for up to a month, so if you have leftovers, nothing will go to waste.
23. Key Lime Tartlets
If you like a tangy flavor, you’ll want to give these key lime tartlets a try. You can make them (start to finish) in less than 20 minutes. You’ll need phyllo tarts, sweetened condensed milk, fresh lime juice, two lines, egg yolks, powdered sugar, whipped cream and a dozen key limes.
The custard is absolutely divine.
24. Mini Lemon Drop Cakes
Lemon is always so refreshing, isn’t it? I love these small lemon cakes with my coffee, and I’m sure you’ll find them delicious. This recipe is a perfect mix of tangy and sweet. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have 48 bite-sized cakes to eat.
You’ll need a muffin tin and a mixing bowl to get started.
25. Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Sometimes, you just want cake all to yourself, right? Strawberries add a pop of flavor to the top of these cheesecakes, which require just a few ingredients, including graham crackers, lemon juice, butter, cream cheese and yogurt.
You’ll need a small muffin tin when baking.
26. Cookies and Cream Dessert Cups
What a sinful finger food, but it’s just so good that I had to add it to the list. Chocolate cookie crumbs, cream cheesecake filling and Oreo cookies blend perfectly together to make a delight for our tastebuds.
You will need some heavy cream, chocolate sandwich cookies, cream cheese and a few other ingredients.
If you don’t have them already, you’ll want to use plastic cups and a piping bag.
Final Thoughts
Ready to dazzle your guests with irresistible sweet treats? These finger food mini desserts are guaranteed to steal the show at your next gathering! Get ready to wow with every bite and leave everyone craving for more!
