Our experts have rounded up the best Christmas canapés for 2020.

Our experts have rounded up the best Christmas canapés for 2020. Whether you’re entertaining for one or six this year, we have found the best Christmas canapés. All you need to do is open a pack. A few tasty nibbles are a festive staple to keep you going and lift the spirits, even if parties are cancelled for this year. From savoury to sweet, our top picks of festive canapés will take the stress out of your Christmas shop this year.

How we test

Our expert taste testers tried 44 meat, fish, vegetarian and seafood canapés, and only selected the best ones to showcase below, looking for the ultimate festive indulgence without much effort.

Each product was assessed on appearance, aroma, flavour and texture, in addition to ease of preparation and serving. This year we have included a few tasty treats that may be a little too large for a one bite canapé but will satisfy your family’s need for a buffet of delicacies. Don't forget the bubbly!

Prices subject to change.

These golden, puff pastry bites are intricately decorated and contain an enticing layer of mushroom on a chunk of beef. Whilst they are a little too large for one bite, the crisp, buttery pastry and earthy, mushroom makes it totally worth two. The juicy mushroom compensates for a slightly dry beef slice.

BUY NOW Sainsbury’s, £5.50 for 340g (pack 8)

Deep golden-brown cocktail sausages with a herby, honeyed caramelised aroma. The skin is delicate and thin with a subtly flavoured, well-seasoned, moist and meaty filling.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Lidl, £2.49 for 270g (pack 18)

These crispy balls, served with cocktail sticks are something akin to a lollipop. The juicy filling is coated in a red, crispy crumb and comes with a rich and smoky aroma. The flavour is beautifully balanced with a pleasing kick of heat at the end. The meat is juicy and high quality with a note of bready richness. The crumb is crisp and peppery with a polenta-like crunch.

BUY NOW Waitrose & Partners , £6 for 300g (pack 10)

A cute little brioche toast topped with herby sweetcorn purée, pulled pork and coriander sauce and a sweet and smoky BBQ aroma. The flavour is beautifully balanced with notes of sweet, savoury and slightly spicy. The brioche is light and fluffy, the meat moist and juicy An original and well thought out canapé which looks home-made.

BUY NOW Ocado, £7 for 210g (pack 10)

These golden-brown filo straws have a delicious aroma of sweet duck and delicate spice. The crispy pastry cigars are filled with a sweet and savoury filling of smooth duck, flavoured with well-balanced five spice. The tangy sauce that accompanies them is warming with a gingery spice.

BUY NOW Morrisons, £4 for 290g (pack 10)

Miniature crab shells filled with moist crab meat. The aroma is fresh and ocean-like. The generous filling is very mild in flavour with subtle, sweet fresh crab meat. Whilst this is too big to be finger-food we felt it would make a tasty nibble with a fork and a squeeze of lemon.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, £3.99 for 140g (pack 4)

These generously filled scallop shells are packed with glossy, fresh king prawns, bite sized pieces of smoked salmon and fresh-looking, semi-dried tomatoes all topping a creamy smoked salmon pâté. The aroma is subtle and fresh with a delicate smoky note. The pâté is creamy, slightly sweet and works well with the fresh juicy prawns whilst the tangy tomatoes cut through the rich flavours. This is a superb value, indulgent buffet food.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, £2.99 for 100g (pack 4)

Crispy, crunchy looking golden balls with a peppery crumb, these canapés are delicately smoky with a subtle flavour and lingering, warming peppery finish. Whilst there is very little smoked salmon flavour to these, they are a simple and pleasing canapé - unexciting but very enjoyable.

BUY NOW Asda, £3 for 240g (pack 10)

This is an assortment of colourful, miniature salmon patties. The beetroot-coloured pink bites have a smoked salmon, sweet beetroot and tangy vinegar aroma. They are well balanced with lots of dill and a delicious smoky note. The orange bites are creamy with a hint of sundried tomatoes and salmon. They are tangy, sweet, rich and packed with flavour. The white bites are creamy and rich with a hint of pepper on the finish. All three are soft and smooth with a bite to the salmon.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Co-op, £3 for 100g (pack 12)

These pale but generously filled large gyoza dumplings are served with a rich, fruity and smokey-smelling dip with a hint of sesame oil. The gyoza filling smells rich and savoury with lots of spring onion and comes packed with sweet onion and juicy prawn filling. Whilst we found the wrappers a little chewy, the sauce really cut through the dumplings. These are too large for one bite so would be perfect on a buffet.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Lidl, £2.99 for 270g

This assortment of deep, golden brown canapés look well-filled whilst still being bite sized. The crunchy, prawn toasts have a strong prawn aroma with a hint of chives and a punchy, sweet and savoury prawn toast flavour. The noodle wrapped prawn balls have a lovely delicate, aniseed aroma with a hint of red pepper. The Prawn croquettes are golden crumbed balls, filled with a colourful noodle and prawn filling.

BUY NOW M&S, £7 for 205g (pack 12)

These attractive, soft purple flower pastry cases hold a warm and creamy smoked salmon mousse souffle. The sweet beetroot pastry case is a little too soft to be crisp pastry. This is a warm and light, fluffy souffle which is well-balanced and nicely seasoned.

BUY NOW Waitrose & Partners, £6 for 150g (pack 10)

These attractive purple and ochre coloured filo-style pastry roses are filled with two deliciously flavoursome fillings. The filling of the purple roses has a wonderful aromatic ginger and lemongrass flavour and aroma which is delicate and fragrant. The ochre rose filling has a deep earthy turmeric and spicy curry aroma and flavour with a chilli heat on the finish. The texture is crisp with a soft vegetable filling and these make satisfying and tasty bites.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, £2.99 for 170g (pack 10)

Neatly wrapped crispy spring rolls with a sweet, 5 spice and hoisin aroma. The filling smells meaty and sweet. It is deliciously juicy and moist whilst being packed with an anise and 5 spice jackfruit filling that is well seasoned.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Co-op, £2.25 for 180g (pack 10)

These miniature crumpets are topped with a creamy marmite and cheese topping speckled with fresh herbs. The aroma is rich, creamy and tangy with lots of marmite and savoury cheese. The crumpets are bouncy and soft with a crunchy base whilst the mature cheddar cheese and salty marmite rarebit is packed with savoury umami flavour.

BUY NOW M&S, £7 for 205g (pack 10)

These dainty little pots hold a dense dark chocolate ganache sitting on light caramel layer that cuts through the chocolate richness. The pots are decorated with tiny golden nuggets of honeycomb and biscuit and chunky milk chocolate balls. A well-balanced, rich, indulgent dessert pot.

BUY NOW Morrisons, £4 per 6 pack

A caramel coloured, almond topped biscuit with sweet, amaretto and lightly spiced aroma. The biscuits are soft, delicately almondy and contain plenty of nutmeg and festive spice. We felt these would be a delicious accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee... or an espresso martini.

BUY NOW Asda, £1.79 per 8 pack

These sweet little vanilla sponge cupcakes are pleasantly moist and come topped with a thick layer of white glacé icing and delicate festive decorations. Whilst these aren’t an exciting or sophisticated dessert canapé, youngsters would love these.

BUY NOW Waitrose & Partners, £3.50 per pack 9

An appealing selection of miniature mince pies with assorted toppings. The gold-dusted walnut topped pies have a rich fruity and warming filling with a subtle floral note and a bittersweet finish. The buttercream topped pies with gold stars and a rose petal topping have a soft, sweet buttercream. The rose petal topped pies have a tangy citrus note and a delicate floral aroma. Whilst the pastry cases were very soft and tricky to remove from the tin foil these alternative mince pie bites were interesting and tasty.

AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, £2.49 per pack 9