Best party food and drink recipes

Party food is only good with everyone sharing it. There are many easy recipes on the internet that could fill your guests’ bellies. You can modify them and add your special touch to make these even more special. It might even make a good family recipe in the future.

Some of the best food party recipes are so easy that all you need are ready-to-throw-in ingredients, and you’re done. From dip recipes to finger foods to cocktail recipes, there should be enough to go around for everyone to keep the party going. If you don’t have the time, store-bought is also fine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t amp that up as well. Read on below for some of the best party food and drink recipes.

6 Best Party Food and Drink Recipes to Try

Although bringing a bucket of takeout fried chicken, some fried potato skins, and a bunch of soda water as your party food potluck may sound tempting, you don’t always have to. Food and drink recipes are easy to make and will surely make your hungry companions ask for seconds and thirds. Try any of these recipes listed below and see how they fare at your dinner party.

Cheesy Bacon and Spinach Dip

Dips are a sure party hit, even if you need to modify how to give them to guests nowadays because of the pandemic. Baked cheesy spinach dip is a classic, but if you take it up a notch with cheese and bacon, you just might fancy yourself a new comfort party food.

Ingredients

• Ten slices of bacon
• 1 8-oz. block of softened cream cheese
• ⅓ cup of mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup of sour cream
• One teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• One lb. of chopped spinach
• 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• One baguette, sliced and toasted or other food for dipping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C. In a large, nonstick skillet, cook the bacon until crispy over medium heat. Drain the excess oil, then chop and place in a large bowl.
2. Stir together in a separate bowl the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, and paprika—season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the chopped spinach, bacon, Parmesan, and ¾ cup of shredded mozzarella.
3. Transfer the mixed dip to a baking dish and top with the remaining ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella. Bake until the mixture is golden and bubbly, an estimated time of 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with the baguette slices or other food you want to dip.

Toasted Ravioli

Ravioli is one of those decadent dishes you can never have enough of. Unfortunately, you only get a limited number of pieces when dining out.

Fortunately, you can make your own. And not just good ‘ol ravioli pasta either. You can make breaded ravioli as a fun party food appetizer.

Ingredients

• Two large eggs
• ½ cup of milk
• 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
• ¼ cup of. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 lb. of frozen ravioli
• Marinara sauce warmed (for serving)
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Marinara, sauce for serving
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. In another medium-sized bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Season the crumbs with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Working one at a time, dip each ravioli in the egg mixture, then in bread crumbs, pressing carefully to coat—Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place the coated ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze until solid for around 30 minutes.
3. Over medium heat, place about 2-inches of frying oil and wait until it is hot enough for deep frying, about 365°F or 185°C. Fry the ravioli in batches until golden and the pasta is cooked through. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes; flip them as necessary.
4. Remove from oil and drain by placing them on a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle with more Parmesan. Serve warm with marinara for dipping.

For air frying:

1. Working in batches, place the ravioli in the air fryer‘s basket—Cook at 400°F or 204°C for more or less 7 minutes.
2. Remove from the basket when cooked and top with Parmesan. Serve warm with a marinara sauce for dipping.

Pigs in a Blanket

Another American classic for parties is pigs in a blanket. They are delicious and so easy to make. Most ingredients can be store-brought and thrown together to make one yummy food party appetizer. Best of all, they don’t take long to make and will save you time and energy.

Ingredients

• 1 8-oz. tube of crescent rolls
• 1 12-oz. package of mini cocktail weiners or sausages
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter
• Coarse salt for spinkling and to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF or 190ºC. Cut each triangle into three smaller triangles, big enough to wrap around one Weiner. Sprinkle a clean surface with some flour and unroll the crescent rolls. Tear each part where they are perforated.
2. Place one cocktail weiner on the thick side of each triangle, then gently roll to the thinner side. Be sure the dough is securely wrapped around the sausage.
3. Transfer each pig in a blanket to a medium baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of coarse salt.
4. Bake until they are golden. This will take about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot and with your favorite dipping sauce.

Chicken Satay

Satay is considered a national dish of Indonesia. It is a popular street food usually consists of skewered marinated meat, grilled, and dipped in delicious dips like peanut sauce. Depending on the region in South Asia, satay may vary in the meat, spices, and sauces used. Try this party food and share it with everyone.

Ingredients

• 1 and ½ lb. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs; sliced into 1-inch pieces
• Bamboo skewers or any kind of skewers
• One stalk of peeled lemongrass smashed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• ⅓ cup of coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• Two tablespoons of lime juice
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 chopped shallot
• One tablespoon of freshly chopped ginger
• 1 and ½ tablespoon of chili paste

Peanut Sauce:

• ½ cup of smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup of the reserved marinade
• One tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• One teaspoon of lime zest
• 1 clove of grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
• ½ cup of boiling water
• Chopped peanuts for garnish
• Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Combine the lemongrass and coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Broth them to a boil, remove them from heat, and then cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lemongrass pieces and set them aside for the marinade.
2. In a medium-sized container, toss the turmeric and chicken together to coat.
3. In a food processor, combine the cooled coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and zest, garlic, shallot, ginger, and chili paste. Blend until everything is smooth. Set aside ¼ cup of marinade for the peanut sauce.
4. Pour the marinade and reserved lemongrass into the chicken bowl and toss to coat. Marinade for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator for two hours or more.
5. To make the peanut sauce, whisk all the sauce ingredients in a bowl until everything is smooth and well combined.
6. Preheat the grill to medium to high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and spear three to five pieces onto each skewer. Grill each side until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred.
7. This is optional, but you can baste the chicken while grilling to remain juicy if you have leftover marinade.
8. This dish is best partnered with hot rice. Sprinkle the cooked chicken satay with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve with peanut sauce.

Bloody Mary

If you’re having a party, you can’t forget about the drinks. You don’t need to put the martini glass down, but you can fill it up to your heart’s delight with this Bloody Mary recipe. You don’t even need to do the shortcut version; making this classic cocktail from scratch is super easy.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of tomato juice
• ¾ cups of vodka
• ½ cup of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, squeezed of excess moisture
• Two teaspoons of Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon of celery seeds
• 8 small pepperoncini peppers plus 1 tablespoon of brine
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 seedless cucumber, cut into sticks
• Celery salt for rims
• Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher. Taste the lemon juice, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepperoncini brine, celery seeds, and salt and pepper.
2. Stir in the tomato juice and vodka. Mix everything until well-blended.
3. Rub rims of your drinking glasses with the lemon wedge and dip in celery salt. Serve over ice with cucumber sticks, pepperoncini, and lemon wedges.

Vanilla Citrus Honey Sangria

What’s a party food menu without some wine? Give your brunch, late lunch, or fun dinner a little kick with this two-in-one fruit punch and sangria. This refreshing beverage is alcoholic, so drink at your own pace. This drink will be perfect for the weekend.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• Two medium or large peeled and sliced oranges
• 1 cup of apple juice
• 2 medium to large apples, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons of honey; add more to taste
• 1 vanilla bean, cut horizontally in half
• 1 750 mL bottle of your favorite wine

Directions:

1. Whisk together the orange juice, apple juice, and honey. Scrape in the pulp from the vanilla bean and add to the citrus-honey mixture. Add in the sliced oranges, apples, and scraped vanilla bean.
2. Add in your favorite wine. Give it a good stir and place it in the refrigerator to cool. This drink is best served cold to be even more refreshing.
3. Optional: If you want to make sangria for a good number of people, multiply your serving of ingredients. Place in a punch bowl and let your guests have their fill.

What are some fun dinner ideas?

There are so many unique and fun dinner ideas you can come up with for your next gathering with family and friends. How about breakfast food for dinner? Maybe a cocktail party, different dishes you can make with cheese or cheese sauces, or a dinner party wherein you only bring finger food like deviled eggs, cheese balls, spinach artichoke dip, sausage rolls, and many more others.

You can go with a theme. A winter-themed party would be appropriate now, but other seasons are also good. If it’s a potluck, ask your guests to bring in party food that is popular during that season. Summer food might be the easiest — just be sure to serve refreshing beverages.

How much party food can be appropriate for dinner?

When it comes to dinner ideas, you can let your imagination run wild. If it’s a small family dinner, four to five platters of different party food and dishes should satisfy everyone, yourself included. If you have an all-adult party, wine, beer, fruit punch, orange liqueur, or whatever else you fancy can grace the table. Add in a good cocktail recipe for the adults, and you’re good to go.

The number of dishes will depend on how many you can pull off. If you’re planning to cook for more people, perhaps a party for a dozen or more, finger food would be easier to cook and serve. Just be creative and make sure all the food is delicious and everyone has fun.

The Bottom Line

Party food is not easy to come up with, especially if you cook for so many people. Depending on your available time, you might not have the energy or time to make complicated recipes. Don’t despair too much because there are plenty of party food and drink recipes that are super easy to make. Try one in this list and see how the crowd loves it.