What baby shower appetizers are easy and fun to make but inexpensive if you have a limited budget? Try these 12 appetizer recipes that will wow your guests but won’t cost you too much time and money to prepare.
You’ll also know below how to present baby shower appetizers and snacks that people might think you’ve hired a caterer with an impressive table arrangement and set-up. But if you’re planning on serving a full-course meal for the occasion, check these baby shower food ideas for other recipes besides appetizers.
12 Crowd-Pleasing Baby Shower Appetizers That Are Easy And Affordable To Make
Easy Baby Shower Appetizers When You Have No Time To Prepare
There are many duties for the baby shower host, so the last thing you want is time-consuming baby shower appetizers. Try this mini-explosion of flavors that are also fun to make but will have guests talking about the baby shower food table days after the party.
Mini quiche bites
Ingredients:
- Storebought phyllo cups
- 4 Eggs
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- One and a half teaspoons of flour
- Chopped crispy bacon
- Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
- Chives
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Put the phyllo cups on the baking sheet
- Mix eggs and cream
- Add the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, bacon, cheese, and chives
- Pour the mixture into the phyllo cups
- Bake in the oven for 12 minutes
- Garnish with more chopped chives
Tea sandwiches
Ingredients:
- Mixed bread slices
- Sliced cooked chicken breasts
- Sliced prosciutto
- Softened cream cheese
- Butter
- Guacamole
- Mayonnaise
- Sliced cucumber
- Peeled and sliced cantaloupe
- Chopped chives
Directions:
- Cut the bread slices with a round cookie cutter or cut them into small squares without the crusts
- Make different spreads for the tea sandwiches
- Spread guacamole on one bread slice and mayonnaise on the other, and put a chicken in the middle of the sandwich
- Another baby shower tea sandwich that guests will love is a mix of cream cheese and chives with some slices of cucumber
- You can also spread butter on the bread slices and layer them with prosciutto and cantaloupe
Stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
- Large different colors of bell peppers
- Ground beef
- Cooked rice
- Chopped onion
- Tomato sauce
- Garlic
- Salt
- Shredded mozzarella
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Remove the top and insides of the bell peppers
- Boil enough water to cover the peppers in a Dutch oven
- Once boiling, add the peppers and cook for two minutes
- Remove the water and set aside
- Make the filling with ground beef, onion, rice, garlic, salt, and tomato sauce
- Stuff the bell peppers and put them in a baking dish
- Pour more tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers and cover with foil
- Bake for 10 minutes and top with shredded mozzarella
Pigs in a blanket
Ingredients:
- Crescent roll dough
- Hotdogs
- Egg
- Caraway seeds
- Some water
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Deconstruct the crescent dough into triangles
- Position a hotdog at the broadest edge of the triangle
- Roll the dough up to cover the hot dog
- Set the pigs in a blanket on an ungreased baking sheet
- Brush them with egg and water
- Sprinkle with caraway seeds and bake for 15 minutes
Simple But Delicious Baby Shower Appetizers Under $10
You only need inexpensive ingredients to impress baby shower guests with these delectable appetizers. What’s great with these food ideas is they’re inexpensive even when making enough for a crowd, as everyone will surely want more than one piece.
Ham and cheese puffs
Ingredients:
- Puff pastry
- Ham
- Mustard
- Cheddar cheese
- Egg yolks
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the baking trays
- Cut the puff pastry into small squares
- Spread mustard diagonally on each square
- Arrange ham and cheese over the puff pastry
- Brush one corner with egg yolk and fold the opposite corner over it, covering the ham and cheese
- Brush the top with egg
- Bake until golden brown
Taco cups
Ingredients:
- One pound of ground beef
- Diced tomatoes
- Wonton wrappers
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Olive oil
- Taco seasoning
- Salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a muffin tin
- Place one wonton wrapper on each muffin cup
- Cook beef with taco seasoning and salt and mix in the tomatoes
- Scoop the cooked meat on each muffin cup and sprinkle with cheese
- Put another wonton wrapper over the cup and put more meat and cheese
- Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese melts
- Top each taco cup with some chopped onions, tomatoes, and some sour cream
Deviled eggs
Ingredients:
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- White sugar
- White vinegar
- Onion
- Celery
- Salt
- Paprika
Directions:
- Carefully slice the eggs lengthwise
- Remove the yolks and mash them in a bowl
- Mix in mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery into the yolk
- Scoop the yolk filling into the empty egg whites
- Top with paprika and refrigerate to set
Nachos with chili cheese dip
Ingredients:
- Storebought nacho chips
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- Canned chili
- 2 cups shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese
- ¼ cup of salsa
- Cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low to medium heat
- Stir occasionally until the sauce is combined nicely
- Serve on a platter with chips
Fun And Impressive Baby Shower Appetizers To Wow Your Guests
Do you want a memorable baby shower appetizer food table? Instead of the usual meatballs and vegetable skewers, consider these baby shower appetizers that will impress everyone at the party.
Turkey pepper jack roll-ups
Ingredients
- Crescent rolls
- Sliced turkey
- Pepper jack cheese
- Mustard
- Butter
- Poppy seeds
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper
- Separate the crescent dough into triangles
- Put a turkey slice with some cheese into the dough and roll it up
- Melt butter and mix in some mustard
- Brush the mixture into the roll-ups and sprinkle with poppy seeds
- Cook in the oven until golden brown
Crab cake bites
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces of crab meat
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Egg
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 and a half cups breadcrumbs
- Chopped parsley
- Lemon zest and juice
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Salt and pepper
- Honey
- ¼ cup dill pickles
- Hot sauce
Directions:
- Make a lemon remoulade with mustard, mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, pickles, parsley, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, and put it in the fridge
- Saute opinions and peppers and set aside
- Mix crab meat and the remaining ingredients
- Chill in the fridge for an hour, then form small balls
- Put them over a lined baking sheet and spray with canola
- Bake for 20 minutes at 375°F until brown and serve with the lemon remoulade
Carrot soup shots
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen and sliced carrots
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 and a half teaspoons of unsalted butter
- Chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons water
- Sour cream
Directions:
- Microwave carrots and water until tender
- Melt butter in a saucepan
- Cook shallots in the butter and set aside
- Blend the broth, carrots, and shallots in a blender until smooth
- Pour in shot glasses with a dollop of sour cream
Mini fruit tarts
Ingredients:
- One and ¼ cups of flour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- Softened cut butter
- Various fruit slices like berries and kiwi
- ½ cup of mascarpone
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the muffin pans
- Make the dough crust by mixing flour, sugar, and butter
- Form dough balls and flatten them
- Shape the dough into the muffin tins with some dough showing to the sides
- Bake the tart crusts for 15 minutes and cool on the rack
- Make the tart filling by beating mascarpone, cream, vanilla, and sugar
- Once your form stiff peaks, pipe the filling into the tart shells
- Refrigerate and top with fruits
How Many Appetizers Should You Have At A Baby Shower?
2 is enough
Typically, it’s enough to have two to three types of appetizers at the baby shower. But of course, this will depend on the type of course you’ll have for the party.
For example, are you only serving appetizers and finger food occasionally, or will you have a heavy meal after an hour or two? On the contrary, some baby showers are social events without a sit-down meal, and there should be enough appetizers throughout the party.
More than 3
If this is the case, you can have more than three appetizer recipes with one or two desserts at your baby shower food table. Another tip is to offer a food bar to keep the guests fed and entertained throughout the baby shower.
You can have two to three appetizers, one dessert, and a food bar throughout the party. Some ideas for the baby shower food station or bar included waffles, tacos, burgers, cupcakes, or a simple salad bar.
How Many Appetizers Do I Need For 20 Guests?
6 to 10 appetizers per person
A baby shower usually has 20 to 30 guests, and you can count a minimum of 6 appetizers per person at the event. However, when you serve the appetizers should help you decide how many baby shower appetizers are enough throughout the party.
For example, you can count up to 8 pieces of appetizers per person if you also serve a heavy meal two hours later. But you should count at most ten appetizers per guest if there is no heavy brunch, lunch, or dinner at the baby shower.
You need anywhere from 120 to 200 appetizers at the baby shower. You can also offer three different recipes, so there’s a variety and easier budget management.
And for the best table presentation at the party, please try these ideas on baby shower food decorations.
When Are Appetizers Served At A Baby Shower?
You can serve the baby shower appetizers one to two hours before the main meal. Another option is to leave the food table open and only serve appetizers and finger food throughout the event.
Food in baby showers can be served after all the games and activities. The host can also have the food during the gift opening or other presentations.
How Do You Serve Appetizers At A Baby Shower Party?
Skewers and toothpicks
A baby shower is a social event where everyone mingles and catches up with each other. You don’t want messy fingers or excessive use of cups and plates since appetizers and finger foods can be eaten in a single bite.
For different baby shower appetizers and finger foods, you can get creative with skewers and toothpicks. They will also keep meats, fruits, vegetables, sliders, and sandwiches together to avoid messes at the venue.
Creative presentation at the table
Your baby shower guests might think you hired a caterer if you presented your appetizers and finger food with effort. How you arrange and set up your baby shower food table can also reflect the baby shower theme and make the party unique from other baby showers.
For example, pour your dip in the middle of the food tray in a martini glass or have the finger food items inside mason jars instead of plates. You can also find colorful or uniquely-shaped baskets and containers that match the baby shower theme for finger food and appetizers.
Play with the heights and sizes of food containers when setting the baby shower appetizer table. Don’t also forget to label them to help the guests know the food you have.
How To Save On Baby Shower Appetizers
You don’t need to spend much to please the baby shower crowd. These money-saving tips can help you save more on your baby shower appetizers:
- Do the baby shower around 2 pm or after meal time like breakfast or lunch
- Offer a variety of appetizers and finger food and arrange them with the priciest ones at the end of the table
- Consider having a food station where guests can prepare their own recipes (e.g., a waffle station is inexpensive to pull off since waffle batter is cheap and you can offer different sauces and appetizers as well)
- Provide a big batch of drinks like a punch or selection of tea and coffee instead of alcohol
- Have the option of a potluck with creative themes like pregnancy cravings for the guests to contribute to
Conclusion
Did we help you with the baby shower menu? We hope you find the best recipes for your party in these 12 baby shower appetizers.
Typically, you can have 2 to 3 baby shower appetizers and count 6 to 10 pieces per guest. Finally, get creative with the presentation to make them more appealing to try.