5 Easy Party Food Ideas

Kristin Stepp
by Kristin Stepp

I'm going to be sharing some easy party food ideas. I am always on the hunt for new and different finger food recipes instead of just the same few obvious ones. These are all fantastic for gatherings of any size.


Fiesta corn dip

1. Fiesta corn dip

I've got three cans of some Fiesta-style corn. Those are 11 ounces each, and I did drain them off and just tossed them in a large mixing bowl. To that, I'm adding one cup of sour cream, and you'll need one cup of your favorite mayo. We're using Duke's. I'm also going to shred up this 8-ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese.


I also chopped up some fresh cilantro and added in a big handful, and then I decided to add in a few chopped pickled jalapenos.


For the seasonings, you're going to need a tablespoon of cumin and Trader Joe's everything seasoning.


Top it with some more of that Trader Joe's seasoning and a little bit of cilantro in the middle. I put it on top of a wooden charcuterie board, and it pairs so well with these Frito scoops.

Bacon crackers

2. Bacon crackers

I have a large cookie sheet, and I have placed my wire cooling rack over the top, and I'm just lining up my club crackers. I am fitting as many on here as I can. I was able to do rows of four, and I ended up being able to fit 44 club crackers on here.


So once I get that line, I'm going to grab my package of bacon. You don't want to use a thick cut.


I'm just taking a sharp knife, and I am cutting this package into three sections now.

Bacon crackers

Next, I'm just taking some brown sugar and adding a good amount to each piece of bacon.


Then, I'm taking some cayenne pepper, and I'm just pinching the tiniest amount onto each piece of bacon.


Lastly, I'm just hitting it with some black pepper. My oven is preheated to 300 degrees, and I let it cook for 40 minutes.


I let it completely cool down so that it could harden correctly before I transferred it over to my serving tray.

Buffalo chicken meatballs

3. Buffalo chicken meatballs

To a small mixing bowl, I've just added a pound of ground chicken, a clove of minced garlic, and a couple of tablespoons of some minced celery and onion powder; you'll also need a third cup of plain breadcrumbs.


I'm cracking in one egg, and you'll need a tablespoon of hot sauce. I'm also going to add some kosher salt and some black pepper to taste. Then I'm just going to mix all that until it is just combined. You don't want to over-mix it.

Buffalo chicken meatballs

After I get that mix to my liking, I'm just going to take a small cookie scoop, and I'm going to start scooping those onto my lined cookie sheet.


You can use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.


I bake those at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. I checked them with a meat thermometer just to be safe, and they were cooked perfectly.


In a large skillet, I've melted down half a stick of salted butter. Add three-quarters of a cup of hot sauce.


I have this on a medium-high heat. I'm just stirring those two ingredients together, then waiting for that to come up to a low simmer. Once it reached this point, I went ahead and cut off the heat, and it was ready.


So now I'm just going to add in all of my cooked meatballs, and then I will take that spatula and toss everything to coat in the sauce.

Buffalo chicken sliders

4. Buffalo chicken sliders

You will be using the buffalo chicken meatballs in this recipe.


In a small saucepan, I am melting down a stick of butter. I have minced a few cloves of fresh garlic. I'm gonna add that in with the butter and sauté it for a couple of minutes just until it starts to smell nice and fragrant, and then I'm going to take it off of the heat and set it to the side to cool down.


Now, you're going to need a package of dinner rolls. I'm using the King's Hawaiian savory butter rolls.


I'm just going to take a sharp knife, and I'm going to cut out the middle of each roll. Then I'm just going to kind of hollow out the inside. You don't want to go all the way to the bottom. You don't want to poke through the bottom because you want to be able to pick it up.


After I get all of that cut out, I'm going to grab my 9x13 casserole dish and spray it with some Pam, and I'm just going to transfer the rolls to my dish. So now that my butter has cooled down, I'm going to finish it off.


You'll need a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. I'm going to add in some dried parsley, dried oregano, and some black pepper. And then I'm just going to mix all of that, and now you have the best garlic butter.


With my silicone spatula, I'm just gonna slather my rolls in that garlic butter, making sure to really get down in the middle and on the inside of that bread. Now I can start taking those Buffalo chicken meatballs and stuffing them inside of these rolls.

Buffalo chicken sliders

I am going to be using some pepper jack cheese that I shredded myself.


Lastly, I sprinkled a little bit of dried oregano on it. I have my oven preheated to 350. I cooked these for 12 minutes.

Cherry cheesecake brownie cups

5. Cherry cheesecake brownie cups

I'm making little cherry cheesecake mini brownie cups. I'm starting with a boxed brownie mix. I'm just using what I already had in my pantry, and I'm following the instructions on the back. So I've added my water, eggs, and vegetable oil. I like to start with a whisk to really break up the eggs.


Then, when it starts to get too thick, I go ahead and switch over to a spoon, making sure to really get those dry ingredients incorporated.


Now, I'm going to grab my little mini muffin pan, and I'm going to spray it really well with some nonstick cooking spray.


Next, I'm just going to start spooning it into the little sections.

Cherry cheesecake brownie cups

I baked the mini brownies at 350 for 15 minutes, and as soon as they came out, I took a little shot glass and just pressed down in the center of these little brownies firmly to create a cup.


So I just took a butter knife, popped them out, and moved them on over to this beautiful wooden tray.


You'll need Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake, which is usually right next to cream cheese in most grocery stores.


I have a piping bag and a tip, and I'm just getting that ready. You can use a Ziploc bag and just cut off the corner. I'm going to take a few good spoonfuls of that cheesecake mixture and stuff it down in there.


And then I fold the sides back up. I'm going to push all of that mixture down into that metal tip, and then I will twist the top.

Cherry cheesecake brownie cups

Next, I'm going to grab a can of cherry pie filling, and I'm just going to use my small little spoon.


I'm going to take one cherry and put it onto each little brownie cup, as well as some of the cherry pie filling.


I have them in the fridge right now in a covered dish until it's time to serve them.


Easy party food ideas

I hope these easy party ideas help you when you're hosting your next party. What party food is your go-to for get-togethers? Share your recipes in the comments below.


Next, check out these 4 Delicious and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes.

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