Discover 24 New Year’s Eve Finger Food Ideas for Your Party

There’s always a lot going on this time of year, so keep your New Year’s Eve party simple by serving a variety of finger food appetizers. Many can be made in advance and use packaged ingredients, so your prep work is minimal. 

Sweet finger foods for New Year’s Eve

No party is complete without a few sweets. Make some of these New Year’s Eve finger foods at your party. 

1. Banana split bites

Chopped peanuts are sprinkled over melted chocolate for a small single-serving appetizer with a favorite fruit serving as the base: banana, strawberry, and pineapple. 

2. Mini cheesecakes with a topping bar

Impress your guests with mini cheesecakes that they can top with whatever they want. Some ideas for toppings include crushed cookies, hot fudge sauce, cherry pie filling, freshly sliced strawberries, blueberry compote, matcha powder, crushed candy canes, caramel sauce, mint jelly, and chocolate chips.

3. Chocolate dipped cheesecake bites

Cut a premade cheesecake into bite-size pieces, freeze, and dip in melted chocolate. Use a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolate. Leave some plain and top others with festive candy decorations, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, or chopped walnuts.

4. Lemon-blueberry pancake stacks

Use boxed pancake mix to create quarter-sized pancakes. Place a small amount of lemon curd on top of a stack of four pancakes. Top with a mint leaf and a fresh blueberry, then stick a toothpick through the center to hold everything together. 

5. Chocolate hazelnut mousse cups

Use puff pastry to create small cups that you fill with a creamy mixture of Nutella and mascarpone cheese. Top with chopped hazelnuts and a chocolate drizzle for excellent finger food that will “wow” your guests. 

No-bake New Year’s Eve finger foods

Keep things super simple with some no-bake finger foods. 

6. No-bake crackers with ham, brie, and cranberries

The name says it all with this finger food recipe. Top crackers with a small slice of ham, then add a piece of brie cheese and top with some cranberry preserves. 

7. Charcuterie board

Load up on deli meats, fancy cheeses, produce, nuts, and dips to make an elegant charcuterie board. Start with any size or shape platter and fill it up one food group at a time. Start with your dips in bowls or saucers, then add meats. Next, add in fruits and veggies and finish up with dried fruits, nuts, and crackers. 

8. BLT bites

Scoop out the centers of cherry tomatoes and fill with a mixture of crisp bacon bits, mayonnaise, green onion, and shredded lettuce. 

9. Buffalo chicken pinwheels

Use canned chicken, buffalo sauce, cream cheese, and green onions to create a tangy buffalo chicken mixture. Spread this on flour tortillas, roll up, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into one-inch slices and serve with ranch dip. 

Fruit and vegetable finger foods for New Year’s Eve 

Add some color and with these fun finger foods filled with various fruits and veggies. 

10. Veggie pizza

Use refrigerated biscuit dough to create the base for this veggie-filled pizza. Top with a ranch-cream cheese spread and an assortment of broccoli florets, chopped bell peppers, shredded carrots, and green onion stems. Cut into small bite-sized pieces. 

11. Cranberry brie bites

Creamy brie, tangy cranberries, and crispy puff pastry make this a finger food that guests will come back for more than once. 

12. Bruchetta bites

Use bakery baguette and prepared bruschetta for a New Year’s Eve finger food that you can put together in just minutes. 

Meat finger foods for New Year’s Eve 

For a more filling New Year’s Eve finger food, try these meaty appetizers. 

13. Cocktail Smokies

Chili sauce, grape jelly, and sausages are all you need for this party favorite. Cooking is primarily hands-off; your crockpot does all the work while you prep other finger foods for your party. 

14. Chicken parmesan sliders

It’s your favorite pasta dish in slider form! These sliders whip up quickly and can be made a few hours in advance using chicken tenders and three types of cheese. 

15. Coconut shrimp

Use an air fryer for cooking up a coconut shrimp package and serve with mini cups of cocktail sauce.

16. Bacon-wrapped asparagus

No one can resist anything that’s wrapped in bacon, and even those who don’t like asparagus will enjoy these finger foods. Wrap a slice of bacon around a spear of asparagus and bake until bacon is crisp. 

17. Bourbon BBQ meatballs

Sweet and savory, these meatballs will be the hit of the night with the boozy barbeque sauce. Serve on a tray with toothpicks and a side of ranch and dijon mustard.

New Year’s Eve finger food appetizers

These snacky finger foods are perfect for morning, noon, or midnight!

18. Bacon-ranch cheeseball bites

Bacon bits, ranch seasoning, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese come together in this mini-cheeseballs. Make a double or triple batch and serve with a variety of crackers. 

19. Crab rangoon

These are as easy as making a trip to the frozen food section of your grocery store.  Fry the crab rangoon and serve with sweet and sour sauce. 

20. DIY bagel bar

This is a charcuterie board’s carb-filled cousin! Fill a platter with various flavors of mini bagels, cream cheese spreads, sliced onions, cucumbers, lox, strawberries, chopped green onion, sesame seeds, and whatever else you think your guests would enjoy. 

21. Chip and guac bites

Skip the mess by making up a tray of these mouth-pleasing treats. Fill a scoop-style tortilla chip with guacamole, a bit of finely shredded cheese, half of a cherry tomato, and a pinch of chopped cilantro. 

Boozy finger foods for New Year’s Eve

Some fun, alcohol-filled treats for those who won’t be driving.

22. Rum balls

Crushed biscuit cookies and desiccated coconut provide the base for these rum-infused chocolates. They can be made up to two weeks in advance and even frozen in the unlikely event that any remain by the time you ring in the new year. 

 23. Champagne gummy gems

A grownup version of a childhood favorite! Use unflavored gelatin, your favorite champagne, to make these gummies and add festive flair with edible glitter. 

24. Chocolate toffee crunch shot

Irish cream, amaretto, and Kahlua make these shots a nice dessert shot as you dance the night away.

Save time prepping for New Year’s Eve by ordering groceries online

As New Year’s Eve approaches, it’s safe to guess that you’re busy. You’ve got your usual work and family commitments, plus holiday parties and events. Add to that the fact that stores are busy, traffic is heavy, and the weather outside might be too cold for comfort. Save time by ordering your groceries through Instacart, and a personal shopper will bring them right to your door, saving you time and stress. 

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