Canapé Recipe and 11 Types of Canapés to Try

A canapé is a small open-faced sandwich (or cracker) topped with complementary flavors and textures. Like mini tartines or toasts, they are an effortless vehicle for your favorite nibbles: cheeses, meats, vegetables—anything that you can slice up small and assemble quickly for a crowd. Their name comes from the French word for “elegant sofa”—a fitting reference to the relaxed, lounging atmosphere these tempting morsels inspire.

Here are some ideas for easy canapés that make elegant yet impressive-looking party food.

1. 1. Avocado toast, canapé-style: Smashed avocado—with plenty of fresh lemon juice to prevent the avocado from oxidizing—translates into the perfect finger food when spread on seeded crackers.
2. 2. Baked canapé: Use a cookie cutter to form small, even pieces of puff pastry. Bake the pastry rounds and top them with ricotta cheese and cranberry preserves.
3. 3. Brunch crostini: Crostini are slices of grilled or toasted bread brushed with olive oil. For brunch, try a breakfast sandwich–style canapé, like a crostini topped with a slather of goat’s cheese, a sliver of bacon, and a fried quail egg. (Use kitchen shears to slice the bacon strips, so they don’t crumble.)
4. 4. Bruschetta, with a twist: Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and finished with a drizzle of olive oil. (In Italy, “bruschetta” refers to the grilled bread, but in other parts of the world, it refers to the topping on the grilled bread.) Mix sun-dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes, red onions, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar for a twist on the classic. Place the mozzarella slices onto crostini, and spoon the tomato mixture over them. Top each one with a crispy fried caper.
5. 5. Canapés fit for an omnivore: Thinly slice a baguette on the bias to maximize the surface area. Add lemon aioli or Dijon mustard, a slice of roast beef, and fresh herbs.
6. 6. Decadent caviar: Top a salty potato chip with a swipe of yogurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche and a dollop of caviar for a celebratory canapé. (If you’re unsure of which fish eggs to get, learn the difference between roe vs. caviar.)
7. 7. Ham and cheese canapé: For a savory treat, simply slice Gruyère and ham, and drape them over onion jam–topped bread slices or crackers. Learn more about Gruyère cheese.
8. 8. Prawn toast canapé: Originating in Hong Kong, prawn toasts are a dim sum delicacy that is great for parties. Slice sandwich bread into small triangles, coat them in shrimp paste, then deep-fry or bake them.
9. 9. Salmon canapé: This canapé works just as well at a fancy brunch as at a cocktail party. Spread cream cheese on pumpernickel toasts, then top with smoked salmon, a squeeze of lemon juice, and chives.
10. 10. Vegan canapé: Top your favorite crackers with hummus, shaved raw vegetables, and toasted sunflower seeds for a satisfying vegan canapé.
11. 11. Vegetarian canapé: Feta, beetroot, and pickled shallot on slices of sourdough make for a tangy and flavorful combination.

“Hors d’oeuvre” generally refers to any premeal nibbles enjoyed while entertaining or before a meal begins. “Canapé” often gets used interchangeably with hors d’oeuvre. A canapé, though, is a type of hors d’oeuvre—one that, more specifically, involves a starchy base (bread, cracker, et cetera) and a topping.