• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home

    Easy Party Food

    Planning a party menu for a special event? These easy appetizers and tasty desserts will make any occasion more delicious. From casual dinner parties to family holidays, all the best party food is right here.

    A dinner plate with sample appetizer photos below.

    When it comes to entertaining and planning a party menu, I believe that make-ahead recipes and simple dishes are always the most popular with my guests.

    Planning a cocktail party, book club party, birthday dinner, or neighborhood potluck? You'll find all the best appetizers and snacks to serve or bring wherever you're celebrating.

    Hosting your family for a special occasion? Learn my Christmas dinner secrets or plan an elegant and easy Easter brunch.

    Just feel like making movie night or game night feel more special for your own family? There's never a bad time for serving these delicious party snacks.

    Jump to:
    • Most Popular Party Foods
    • Savory Party Appetizers
    • Easy Party Dips
    • Snack Mixes
    • Brunch
    • Special Desserts
    • Holiday Meal Planning

    Most Popular Party Foods

    These easy party food recipes are the most popular dishes among Peanut Blossom readers!

    • A platter of cheesy crab melts have green onions sprinkled over the top.
      Easy Cheesy Crab Melts
    • A platter of spicy firecracker pinwheels appetizers shows the meat and veggies rolled up in the tortilla.
      Firecracker Cream Cheese Pinwheels
    • A blue plate with roasted shrimp next to lime wedges. Fresh parsley is sprinkled over the top. A blue napkin is under the plate.
      How to Cook Frozen Shrimp
    • A tray of sausage rolls shows the golden brown puff pastry wrap and savory sausage filling.
      Easy Spiced Sausage Rolls

    Savory Party Appetizers

    Need a savory snack to serve for cocktail hour or family game night?

    Whether you're looking for a hot dip or a cold dip for parties, you'll find lots of options from elegant to easy right here:

    • A platter of cooked shrimp next to a dipping cup of sauce for dunking.
      Frozen Shrimp in Air Fryer: Cooking Tips
    • The bang bang sauce is in a dipping cup on a plate, surrounded by chicken nuggets.
      Bang Bang Sauce for Shrimp or Chicken
    • A dinner plate with two pizza buns and caesar salad.
      Homemade Pizza Buns Stuffed with Pepperoni
    • The remoulade sauce is on a plate with mini crab cakes and a spoon. Lemon wedges are scattered around and green onions sprinkled on top.
      Spicy Remoulade Sauce for Crab Cakes
    • A photo collage shows several cold dips for parties.
      Cold Dips for Parties to Make Ahead
    • A blue bowl filled with chicken enchilada dip.
      Chicken Enchilada Dip
    • A big bowl of red and yellow cherry tomatoes have been sliced in half and marinated in an Italian dressing.
      Marinated Tomatoes
    • Bite-sized taco phyllo dough cups with melted cheese on top.
      Easiest Taco Bites Ever

    See more appetizers →

    Easy Party Dips

    Dips are always a hit with both grown-ups and kids. Mix and match one of these easy recipes with a platter of pretzels, or fresh fruit and veggies:

    • A platter of chicken nuggets has a cup of copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce for dunking.
      Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce
    • A mason jar filled with homemade buttermilk dressing sits next to a bunch of green onions and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.
      Easy Buttermilk Herb Dressing
    • A tomato pizza sauce is being mixed in a bowl.
      Marinara Pizza Sauce
    • A bowl of homemade pimento cheese is served on a plate with butter crackers.
      Homemade Pimento Cheese Spread
    • A serving of pineapple salsa has been spooned over a shredded chicken taco.
      Pineapple Salsa
    • Homemade sour cream horseradish sauce in a mason jar on a plate next to roast beef and cherry tomatoes for dipping.
      Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce
    • A super easy homemade buffalo sauce sits in a mason jar with a spoon.
      Easy Homemade Buffalo Sauce
    • A mason jar filled with homemade blue cheese dressing sits in front of a bowl full of lettuce.
      Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing

    See more party dips →

    Snack Mixes

    Perfectly pop-able snack mixes are great for nibbling during a party. You could also serve these in single-serving snack cups for easy distrubution.

    • A serving bowl of square pretzels that have been baked and seasoned.
      Easy Seasoned Pretzels: 15 Fun Flavors!
    • A batch of birthday cake popcorn has pastel M&Ms and rainbow sprinkles with a white candy coating.
      Birthday Cake Popcorn
    • A dish of candied nuts has a red heart decoration. The nuts are coated in a thick sugar crust.
      Easy Candied Nuts {New York Style!}
    • A red polka dot container has Christmas Chex Mix with red and green sprinkles over the top.
      Buddy the Elf's Chex Mix for Christmas
    • A pan of apple pie chex mix has yogurt covered raisins mixed in with a wooden spoon next to a green striped towel.
      Hot Apple Pie Chex Mix
    • Pretzel nuggets have drizzled chocolate over them and orange and yellow candies.
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Snack Mix
    • A bowl of powdered sugar coated Chex cereal next to a napkin with lemons on it.
      Blueberry Lemon Muddy Buddies
    • Several snack bags of homemade trail mix are lined up before a road trip.
      How to Make Trail Mix for Road Trips

    See more snack mixes →

    Brunch

    From Easter to Mother's Day to baby or bridal showers, planning a brunch is a great way to spoil your party guests:

    • A big blue bowl is filled with a creamy grape salad with cream cheese, covered in brown sugar and pecans.
      Chicken Salad Chick Grape Salad {Copycat Recipe}
    • A white ruffled platter has large squares of homemade buttermilk cornbread.
      Grandma's Buttermilk Cornbread
    • A white plate has a pile of fresh baked buttermilk drop biscuits.
      Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits {4 Flavor Variations}
    • Two waffles on a blue plate have a dollop of whipped cream and pastel sprinkles.
      Birthday Cake Waffles
    • A baking pan filled with finished orange rolls sits on a blue towel.
      Bread Machine Orange Rolls
    • A baking pan filled with the finished cinnamon pull apart bread sits on a cooling rack.
      Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
    • A blue plate has 3 pumpkin waffles sprinkled with butterscotch chips and pecans.
      Pumpkin Pecan Waffles
    • Crispy french toast slices on a platter sprinkled with powdered sugar and a cup of maple syrup on the side.
      Fluffy French Toast

    See more brunch recipes →

    Special Desserts

    Top off your special event with these show stopping party desserts. Don't be fooled -- most of them are make-ahead desserts you can prep the day before!

    • A round white-frosted layer cake has Oreo cookies for eyes to look like Baymax from Disney-Pixar's Big Hero 6.
      Baymax Cake for a Big Hero 6 Birthday Party
    • A cake pan is wrapped in a purple fabric cake strip and has a perfect level cake layer baked inside.
      How to Use Cake Strips for Perfect Layers
    • A square piece of apple pie has a fork taking a bite.
      Make-Ahead Apple Slab Pie
    • A bowl of strawberry dip with graham crumbled over the top.
      Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
    • Red, white, and blue firecracker popsicles are stacked on a plate. They have a green plastic handle.
      Sweet Firecracker Popsicles
    • A chocolate glazed bundt cake sits on a white cake plate with a blue robins egg decoration to the left.
      Orange Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
    • Cheesy Egg and Ham Slab Pie
    • A green frosted cupcake with a white polka dot wrapper.
      Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

    See more dessert recipes →

    Holiday Meal Planning

    There's always a great time to celebrate with friends and family, here are some of our favorite holidays to enjoy:

    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco De Mayo
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July Recipes
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Party Time
    • Party Themes
    • Football Party

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    What's Trending Now

    • A photo collage shows the variety of recipes that can be made in a bread maker.
      50 Best Bread Machine Recipes
    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
    • An airfryer basket has 7 seasoned chicken tenderloins golden brown and cooked.
      Healthy Chicken Tenderloins in the Air Fryer
    • Two salmon filets are surrounded by fresh green beans in an air fryer basket.
      How to Cook Salmon in Air Fryer

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A young kid's hand is holding a homemade pizza lunchable.
      30 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer

    Favorites

    Bread Recipes
    Soup Recipes
    Quick Dinner Recipes
    Harry Potter Fan Club
    Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    Easter Recipes
    4th of July Recipes
    Catholic Celebrations
    Thanksgiving Recipes
    Christmas Recipes

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023