Table of Contents
Introduction
Spring has arrived. Easter is coming. So, I decided to help you with some inspiration for easy finger food to make ahead.
Whether you’re hosting a family meal or a get-together with friends, these finger food ideas will definitely help you.
So, let’s discover together a selection of cold appetizer recipes that can be successfully used for holidays meals or simple get-togethers with your loved ones.
Why to choose easy finger food to make ahead?
Considering the fact that I like to use homemade meals made from scratch, the possibility of preparing easy finger food to make ahead definitely helps me a lot.
Thus, I can take care of most of the preparation of these cold appetizer recipes 1-2 days before the reunion, so that on that day I will just arrange them on the table.
In addition, by always trying to offer you macro-friendly meals suitable for the whole family, you will notice that these are healthy appetizer recipes. In addition, the fact that we are talking about finger food ideas reinforces the fact of making them easier for the little ones to handle while eating.
15 budget friendly easy finger foods to make ahead
So, whether you’re looking for a holiday appetizer recipe or simply searching for inspiration for a simple family meal, I recommend you try my cold appetizer recipes, detailed below:
- Eggplant with mayonnaise recipe
- Cauliflower appetizer recipe
- Zucchini spread
- Green beans appetizer
- Beetroot salad with mayonnaise
- Healthy meatball appetizer recipe
- Tomato focaccia
- Salmon/ tuna spread recipe
- French Savory Cake
- Cheese and leek tart
- Stuffed cabbage pie
- Milk and yogurt cheese pies
- Spinach roll with cream cheese
- Zucchini pinwheel appetizer recipe
- Healthy deviled eggs
As you can see, the first cold appetizer recipes mentioned above can be served as a spread next to a freshly baked bread or as a appetizer salad, in most cases made with homemade kid-friendly mayo.
Eggplant with mayonnaise recipe
I’m starting this list of easy finger food to make ahead with roasted eggplant spread with mayo because it’s an extremely popular starter in Romanian cuisine.
For a kid-friendly healthy appetizer recipe, I highly recommend using homemade kid-friendly mayo, which you can make in a short time and without any effort. You can use soft-boiled eggs or hard-boiled eggs, from which you will only use the yolks.
However, if you choose to use the yolks from hard-boiled eggs, I suggest you don’t throw away the boiled egg whites. You can use them successfully in another healthy appetizer recipe, such as the salmon spread recipe. If you’d rather use them for a recipe for a side dish or a main course, the boiled egg whites can be used for French potatoes au gratin or for the Cowboy Potatoes recipe.
This eggplant appetizer recipe consists of preparing a spread or appetizer salad that can be enjoyed on bread, with fresh tomatoes, cheese cubes, or served on a table with other cold appetizers.
Cauliflower appetizer recipe
This cauliflower appetizer is also presented as a spread. The difference between cauliflower with mayo spread and roasted eggplant spread is that in addition to the star veggie and homemade mayonnaise, in the case of cauliflower we will use crushed garlic, while eggplant spread is mixed with onion.
Again, I recommend serving this cauliflower appetizer spread on a slice of bread or on crackers. Along with it, you can choose tomatoes, radishes, cheese, prosciutto or any other goodies that can be served with your hand.
Thus, you can prepare this delicious cauliflower appetizer 1-2 days in advance, and on the day of the reunion you will only have to deal with the plating.
I recommend you go for simple plating, in bowls that can then be closed with a lid and stored in the refrigerator. In the following days you can enjoy a portion of cauliflower with mayo salad for breakfast or dinner.
Zucchini spread
So, it’s another spread 🙂 I’m sorry if I’m boring but I love these spreads, which are diverse, easy to prepare and extremely easy to serve.
And best of all, kids love them too. Also, the little ones are delighted with the ease with which they can enjoy these appetizer spreads on a slice of fresh bread or crackers.
So, this time we’re talking about zucchini spread. This zucchini appetizer recipe is similar to the cauliflower spread.
I recommend using zucchini in their season, because then they are extremely tasty.
Also, if you are a fan of zucchini, I recommend you to prepare Zucchini Roll Appetizer, which combines different textures and flavors in a simple and easy to enjoy dish.
Green beans appetizer
Although I use yellow beans most of the time, because that’s what I usually have, green beans appetizer is also presented in the form of a spread. It is based on green or yellow beans, which together with homemade mayonnaise and garlic, create this healthy appetizer recipe.
This beans appetizer is similar to the one with cauliflower or zucchini, but differs in both texture and taste.
Because I always like to present you easy but delicious recipes, using simple, natural ingredients, I recommend you try the Yellow Beans Stews recipe, which is a great idea both for lunch or dinner.
If you don’t have fresh beans, you can use canned or frozen beans. You can learn more about preserving beans for the cold season by reading the article dedicated to Food Preservation methods.
Beetroot salad with mayonnaise
We have reached the last vegetable and mayonnaise spread in this list of easy finger food to make ahead. It is the beets appetizer with mayo, a spread based on roasted or boiled beets, grated and mixed with homemade mayo and caraway seeds.
This beetroot appetizer is extremely healthy, has an intense taste and a fine texture, and can be enjoyed spread on a slice of bread or crackers.
Thus, using a few simple and natural ingredients, we can obtain a healthy appetizer recipe that can be served by hand at a family reunion or a holiday meal.
Don’t complicate cooking. Simple food is extremely tasty, especially if you use natural ingredients.
You can learn more about how to preserve beets over the winter to enjoy them as pickles by going through the Pickled Beetroot recipe.
Healthy meatball appetizer recipe
Meatballs represent an extremely versatile dish. Meatballs can be prepared using chicken, turkey, pork, beef or a mixture of 2 or more of these types of meat.
Moreover, for fish lovers, you can even prepare fish meatballs or fish burgers.
And for vegetarians, vegetable meatballs are the ideal choice for a healthy, delicious and satisfying lunch or dinner.
But meatballs are also versatile in terms of how they are cooked. So, in addition to the well-known fried meatballs, we can use the less oil versions, such as oven baked meatballs, crockpot meatballs or air-fried meatballs.
Regardless of what composition we choose to prepare them from or how we choose to cook them, meatballs can be successfully served as an appetizer. In addition, for the meatball appetizer recipe, you can use leftover meatballs, which were cooked the previous days for lunch or dinner.
So, I highly recommend using meatballs for easy finger food inspiration. They are great served with cheese, fresh vegetables or appetizer salads, like the ones presented above.
Tomato focaccia
Homemade focaccia is a perfect choice when it comes to easy finger food to make ahead.
Basically, by using tomato and mozzarella on focaccia, you will get a wonderful alternative to the classic bread. In addition, tomato focaccia is a healthy appetizer recipe that can be served as a stand-alone dish.
I love focaccia and serve it both plain and with other dishes, when it comes to main courses made with sauce.
So, trust me and prepare tomato focaccia for your next family reunion. Place it next to the other appetizers and you will see that it will be a great success.
Salmon/ tuna spread recipe
For fish lovers, this salmon/ tuna spread recipe is the ideal choice when it comes to easy finger foods to make ahead.
Basically, this salmon/ tuna spread can be made 1-2 days before serving, during which it will be stored in the refrigerator in a bowl closed with a lid.
When you want to place it next to the other appetizers, you just have to take the bowl out of the refrigerator and if you want, make a simple plating.
Salmon/ tuna spread is served on a slice of fresh bread or crackers, along with fresh vegetables.
Don’t forget, cook simple and tasty. This is the secret to obtaining budget friendly dishes and to ease your cooking .
French Savory Cake
French Savory Cake is the ideal option for a special appetizer, but extremely easy to cook.
Basically, using the ingredients you have on hand, or even leftovers, you can get this healthy appetizer recipe, which I guarantee will be a hit with the little ones.
Its fluffy and airy texture and the enjoyable taste due to the mixture of eggs, cheese and vegetables, will pleasantly surprise all the guests at the table.
Also, this French savory cake is a great choice for easy finger food to make ahead because it can be cooked 1-2 days before serving. On the day of serving, you just have to slice it or cut it into pieces, according to your preferences, and place it on the table, next to the other appetizers.
In addition, you can add meat, whether we are talking about pieces of ham, or leftover schnitzel or leftover roast.
Cheese and leek tart
Cheese and leek tart is a fabulous choice for easy finger food to make ahead. Basically, this leek pie can be both an appetizer and a main course, if we are talking about a lighter dinner, for example.
Its crispy texture on the outside and soft on the inside, along with the intense leek flavor, will satisfy the tastes of the most demanding guests.
This cheese and leek tart can be enjoyed after baking, allowing it to cool for a few minutes before serving, but it is also delicious the next day. Basically, you can cut it into the right pieces to allow serving by hand and I guarantee you will get the admiration of those present at the table.
Stuffed cabbage pie
Stuffed cabbage pie, which can be adapted and transformed into stuffed cheese pie, is a wonderful choice when it comes to easy finger food to make ahead.
This is prepared using a pizza crust, preferably homemade dough.
The easiest way to fill the inside of this pie with cabbage or cheese is as follows:
- after letting the dough rise, divide it into two equal pieces
- roll out the first piece of dough with a rolling pin until you obtain a thin dough sheet
- place the cabbage or cheese mixture on top of the dough
- roll out the second piece of dough with a rolling pin and place the top layer over the composition
- close the edges of the two dough sheets with a fork
- grease the surface of the pie with a mixture of egg yolk and a little milk
All that remains to be done is to bake the stuffed cabbage pie in the preheated oven. Obviously, the stuffed cabbage pie can be served the day it is baked, as a warm snack or a light dinner.
But it can also be used the next day, again in pieces or slices, along with other appetizers that can be served with your hand.
Milk and yogurt cheese pies
Milk and yogurt pies, cooked in a pan, are another great idea when it comes to easy finger food to make ahead.
Basically, using a few simple ingredients, you can get delicious milk and yogurt cheese filled pies that you can enjoy the day you cook them, while they are still warm, or put them on the table the next day with other appetizers.
If served as easy finger food, they can successfully represent an alternative to classic bread. So, any of the appetizer salads presented above can be spread on pieces of these delicious milk and yogurt pies.
Spinach roll with cream cheese
Spinach roll with cream cheese is another great idea when it comes to easy finger food to make ahead.
This spinach roll consists of a spinach dough, over which you will spread cream cheese. Vegetables can be added and then rolled carefully to obtain this roll shape.
Spinach roll is a delicious appetizer and looks very interesting. In addition, this healthy appetizer presents two different textures: a spongy dough and a fine cream inside.
So, for an interesting idea of holiday appetizer recipe or for a cold appetizer recipe used at a family reunion, try this spinach roll with confidence.
Zucchini pinwheel appetizer recipe
Zucchini pinwheel appetizer recipe is similar to the spinach roll with cream cheese. Basically, the dough for the zucchini roll is prepared the same as for the spinach roll, replacing the spinach with zucchini.
As with the spinach roll, I recommend filling the zucchini pinwheel appetizer with cream cheese, vegetables and even smoked salmon.
You will get in a short time and without effort, an appetizer that you can cook in advance, and on the day of serving you just have to slice it and place it on the table.
It’s pretty simple, right? 🙂
Healthy deviled eggs
Deviled eggs are the last easy finger food to make ahead option that I propose to you today.
I like to prepare deviled eggs using leftover eggs. So, I often prepare this dish after Easter, when there are a few unused boiled and colored eggs left.
But you can prepare a portion of healthy deviled eggs whenever you want. I refer to healthy deviled eggs because I use only natural and kid-friendly ingredients when I prepare them, namely:
- first of all, I use eggs from free-range chickens, which I have the opportunity to purchase from farmers
- the composition for stuffing the eggs is a mixture between liver pate that I prepare at home and the yolks of the eggs that I am going to fill. I also like to add veggies, such as onions or red bell pepper
- – if I choose to decorate them with a little mayonnaise, I always use homemade kid-friendly mayo
Hope you will enjoy them
So, this is the list of 15 budget friendly finger food ideas that I propose to you. I hope you will be inspired and use some of these healthy appetizer recipes for the next reunion you will host.
Don’t forget to share your opinions, reviews or any other thoughts, in the comments section.
I can’t wait to find out your ideas for easy finger food to make ahead.
Until the next simple and delicious recipe, I wish you to spend your time as you enjoy, with your loved ones.
And don’t forget that here, on easeyourcooking.com, you will always find healthy and delicious recipes, made from scratch.
