I love a grazing party. Good conversation, good music, maybe some games, and a spread of food I can return to again and again whenever I need a little bite. Dairy-free party appetizers are harder to come by, because of course, we all love cheese. But this little number is bursting with flavor, comes together really quickly, and leaves out the dairy, gluten, grain, eggs, soy, peanuts – lots of things.
For this appetizer, it’s good to start by making the pickled pepper rings. You can also just opt for buying pickled pepper rings, but they’re so easy and fast to make, I just do it myself. If you do buy something, make sure it’s a sweet one – a brine with sugar in it.
Party food for food restrictions doesn’t have to feel restricted. This cheese-less filling is creamy and soft, while being friendly to so many. And of course, the crispy bacon is the hero of the bite and pulls it all together.
So at your next party, give these a try if you have restrictions, or make them for guests who might. Even if you’re not sure, these are good to serve to the general crowd because nobody will be the wiser. Would love to know what you think once you try them.
Cucumber & Bacon Bites (Dairy Free Party Appetizer)
Ingredients:
Pickled pepper rings
- 10 mini red bell peppers sliced 1/8in thick
- 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1-3 tsp red chili flake depending on how spicy you want it
Cheese-less filling
- 8 oz Miyokos cashew mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz Miyokos cashew cream cheese
- 1/2 cup vegenaise soy-free
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fresh dill finely chopped – 1/3 tsp if using dried
- 1 tbsp fresh chives finely chopped – 2 tsp if using dried
- pinch each of salt and pepper
Other ingredients
- 8 strips bacon baked in the oven at 375 until crispy
- 1 hot house cucumber sliced 1/8-1/4in thick
Directions:
Pickle the peppers
- Place the pepper rings into a canning jar. Add the vinegar, sugar, water, and chili flakes to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, then pour the hot liquid into the canning jar with the pepper rings. Let sit at room temperature until cool, then store in fridge up to 7 days before use.
Make the filling
- combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and whip together until smooth, using an electric hand mixer. Place in a piping bag or a zip top bag and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour, up to 4 days.
Assemble cucumber bites
- Arrange the bites layer by layer, starting with a slice of cucumber, topped with a pickled pepper ring. Snip the corner from the zip top bag of filling and pipe a small amount into the pepper ring – about 1-2 tsp. Top with a 1in square piece of bacon, then another small dollop of filling. Serve chilled.
This looks delish! I’m not opposed to real cheese so when I make this I’ll use a tiny spot of Boursin.