10 tips for great festive party snacks that won’t break the bank

It’s the festive season and it’s time to have some fun! Whether you’re hosting a party or making a few snacks to take a long to your friend’s shindig, you want cute and fresh ideas for canapés, starters, tapas, snacks and nibbles that are not going to mean you might be short on rent this month.

So here are some cute ideas for party food that are cheap and cheerful.

Toast bar with sweet and savoury toppings

Get a lovely sourdough, ciabatta, brioche or challah bread (we recommend it be a day or two old) and toast it up. Then create a little toast bar where your guests can choose from different toppings that they’ll add to the top of some yummy toast. From some nice camembert and honey to some salami and mozzarella, it’s up to you what range of toppings you’ll supply and what your budget allows.

Here’s how to make your own sourdough

Chip and dip board

Make a few homemade dips with a variety of store-bought chips from your boring ol’ crinkle-cut chips to tortilla chips to vegetable chips in a variety of flavours (you could even purposely buy all the flavours you’ve been scared to try before) and make a variety of amazing dips to go with it.

Try this beetroot dip, or this green chilli and avocado dip or this chakalaka dip

If you’re not keen on making dip or sauce, try these 17 lekker local dips and sauces to stock up on

Mini pizzas with fun toppings

You could go the whole tutti fruity and make (or buy) pizza dough, and make something like these mushroom and tomato mini pizzas. Or get small pita breads and make these biltong and goat’s milk cheese mini pizzas. But, if you’re really pressed for time or just don’t want to make *too* much of a hassle for yourself, simply get some frozen mini pizzas and add extra cheese and sauce or other toppings, bake them until the cheese is melt in your mouth gooey, and serve.

Sangria ice lollies

Cheap wine + fruit salad mix + fruit juice = the perfect summer party snack! Get a bottle of cheap white wine or rose, add some fruit juice or make your own syrup, sprinkle some in the fruit of your choice and freeze. Moulds are pretty cheap to buy or you could use plastic cups like we did when we were kids for a bit of nostalgia.

Here’s a sangria popsicle recipe and try these vegan chocolate and pistachio pops

Apple tart bites

A healthy-ish but delicious snack without having to bake an entire tart. Chop up some apples and them to a pot with sugar and some water to make some soft, syrupy apples. Then, take marie biscuits or any cracker of your preference as the base and add a healthy dollop of Greek yoghurt. Top with the apple mixture and drizzle of honey and cinnamon. Alternatively, you could just use fresh apple slices as well.

You could also try these quick ‘n easy apple pie bites

Chicken and waffle cones

Make some delicious chicken strips (these crushed cornflake chicken strips are a delight), get some waffle cones (or make your own savoury waffles), drizzle with some maple syrup and serve.

Peanut butter and dark chocolate protein balls

These treats are healthy, delicious and vegan! They’re super easy to make as it takes about 10 minutes to make 12 of them and you can make them a day or two in advance and just keep them in the fridge.

Here’s the recipe

Vegan BBQ “Wings”

For another vegan/vegetarian option, something healthy, or just something different, try cauliflower wings. They’re super easy to make, really delicious and packed with flavour. Find the recipe for Tandoori BBQ cauliflower wings here

Melon, mozzarella and prosciutto skewers

It’s basically a charcuterie board on a stick! If you love sweet and salty combinations, then you’ll love this little snack. Use a melon baller to scoop out delicious little balls of watermelon, spanspek, or honeydew and thread them onto skewer sticks alternating with mozzarella and salty prosciutto slices. You can of course substitute the meat or cheese for any others you like.

French fry shot glasses

Whether you no longer have the kind of parties where your shot glasses are filled with tequila, or you just have extra shot glasses, this recipe is a fun snack. Fill the bottom of the shot glass with your favourite sauces (you could even spike some of them) and serve them with crispy fries sticking out of the glass.

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