How many hors d’oeuvres per person for a cocktail party? It’s the question that plagues every party planner’s mind. In comparison, preparing for a standard dinner party is easier because, while the menu may be more involved, you are serving dinner, and that alone gives you a much better idea of how much food to serve. Cocktail or appetizer parties are an entirely different story.
Whether you’re preparing the meals yourself or leaving it up to catering, you don’t want to have too much food (too many leftovers are a hassle), and you definitely don’t want to have too little – leaving your guests a little peckish and more apt to leave the party early.
When planning how many appetizers to serve, there are a couple of important details that will help you plan the perfect amount of nibbles per person.
What Time is the Event?
Timing influences how many appetizers per person you should serve. If we’re talking about cocktail hour before a dinner party, then the number of appetizers you serve per person will be less. The idea is that the guests will be eating soon, and you don’t want to tempt them into spoiling their appetites with more appetizers than they can handle.
In this situation, offering a few varieties of amuse bouche (small, savory hors d’oeuvres served at cocktail hour before a meal) is good.
General guidelines say to plan on about four to six appetizers per person. It’s always a good idea to have a few extras if you think any of your guests have larger appetites.
If the cocktail hour party is after dinner, you can usually get away with less, and the appetizers don’t need to be as substantial. For this type of party, small bites are best. Think along the lines of an elegant charcuterie board with artichoke hearts, a dessert cheese selection, and fresh or dried fruits. Small portions of dessert can also be served.
The real challenge when it comes to how many appetizers to serve is when your cocktail and appetizer party isn’t immediately before or after dinner.
With a late afternoon or early evening party, you’re likely to find that your guests will indulge in your hors d’ oeuvres selection more than they might otherwise.
If your party is in between meal times and you know for sure that your guests will leave in time to enjoy their normal dinner time, then plan on about six to ten appetizers per person. If your party is closer to dinner, but you have no intention of offering anything that resembles a full meal, a good rule is to amp it up to at least twelve pieces per guest.
You don’t know who is skipping dinner or eating a light dinner in anticipation of the event, and at least a dozen per guest is enough to keep them nibbling happily.
Consider the Number of Guests
This is a consideration that many people don’t think of when planning their cocktail and appetizer parties. Sure, the number of guests you have determines how many appetizers you order or prepare, but did you know that for a large group, you should count on providing more appetizers per person?
With an intimate group of ten or fifteen, you can easily plan on six, eight, or ten appetizers per person, settling on an equal number for each guest. However, the larger your party, the more unpredictable the nibbling behavior becomes.
Some guests eat one appetizer and then spend their time enjoying the cocktails and mingling. Other guests might eat their portion times two. The sheer unpredictability of it means you should play it on the safe side and provide extra food.
How Long Will The Hors D’oeuvres Party Last
The typical cocktail party lasts for about two to three hours. This is usually enough time for people to mingle and enjoy the cocktails and food spread, and it also is enough time to account for guests that arrive late. When you’re searching for guidelines on how many appetizers are needed for your cocktail party, this is usually the timeframe that’s considered.
If you’re simply hosting a cocktail hour, meaning the gathering is likely to last two hours or less, then you can go a little easier on the appetizers. As a general rule, you can take the suggestions above and reduce them by one or two. A wedding cocktail hour before the reception is a perfect example of this.
For longer gatherings, where you don’t have a set time limit, and you have a feeling your guests will want to linger, you should plan on offering more items. Timing is also key with this, and you want to prepare ahead. Most appetizers are enjoyed during the first hour, but you don’t want to spend all your time filling platters for the appetizer table when you should be socializing.
Plan on more food, but make sure that your choices of appetizers hold up well over time and can be easily refilled without too much fuss.
Planning Based on the Type of Appetizers Served
The golden rule of planning food for cocktail parties is to offer a variety of food that takes all of your guests into consideration. You might not know of every dietary need or consideration, but if you are aware that you have vegan guests, then it’s important to plan accordingly to offer selections they will enjoy as well. The issue is that many guests may skip vegan appetizers for most standard appetizers that are cheese or meat-based. If you have guests with special dietary considerations, play it safe and provide a bit more food.
Plan Complementary Foods to Avoid Waste
It often seems that there are appetizers that everyone gravitates toward while others remain sad and untouched. This isn’t completely unavoidable, but you can streamline the number of appetizers you need by serving foods that go well together and encourage guests to sample a little of everything rather than eating from only one or two platters.
For example, serving smoked salmon, deviled eggs, and a selection of pickled vegetables (ok, this might not be your thing, but we have a theme going on here) allows guests to stand at the appetizer table and see how it all goes together. They’re not really deciding which one appetizer they want, but instead are focusing on how it all goes together.
Hot & Cold
It’s nice to offer a selection of hot and cold foods, but know that an appetizer dish that has just come from the oven is likely to tempt guests to google them up. Setting out individual hot appetizers on little plates can help make them more aware of portion sizes.
Serving Style
Finally, passed hors d’oeuvres usually go further than platters set out on a table. With a table, the temptation is there to stand nearby and nibble mindlessly while chatting. Plan on offering a few more options if you’re using an appetizer table rather than passed hors d’oeuvres. Appetizers that guests can serve easily tend to go more quickly as well.
Key Takeaways
- Details like time, length of the party, and types of food factor into how many appetizers you need.
- Select complementary foods to encourage guests to try a little of everything.
- Guests will often eat more of a delicious hot appetizer than they will of a cold one.
- There’s no shame in serving standard appetizers like cheese, crackers, and cold vegetables with dips.
