Celebrate with over 50+ high school and college graduation party food ideas. Throw an awesome 2023 grad party full of delicious food and drinks!
Toss those graduation caps, and mark the occasion with friends and family. You did it, cherish every moment of all that hard work. Cheers, and enjoy your grad party as high school and as college graduates...
First, Choose A Graduation Party Style
Decide what kind of party are you hosting. Will this be an outdoor graduation party? A huge party? Open houses? Or a smaller party with close friends or a family at a sit-down dinner?
Whether you are party planning for a large crowd or a small gathering, grad parties are easy with a good plan. Consider how many people you are gathering for your high school graduation party or college graduation parties.
With a large amount of guests, a buffet style party is always the best option. Guests can fill their plates, and it is so easy to set the food out in a nice display.
Also, it's a good idea to plan how close to the graduation ceremony you are having your party. Open houses are also a great choice, with food that can stay at room temperature for several hours. Think through how to keep food hot or cold throughout the party.
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Electric heating trays and ice serving platters are a best option and the perfect way to control food temperatures and keep them hot or cold.
Next, Decide On A Graduation Party Menu
You can make all the food at home, buy a few things, or splash out and hire a catering company or private chefs! But let's keep it real, most of us want to keep it simple with graduation party menu ideas. Let's get your planning started...
Fun Graduation Party Food Ideas
You can create cute photo banners of your grad on burlap string banners and make signs for your custom food bar. And celebrate with your own unique graduation party idea. One of the most important things, is to balance buying a few things with making homemade delicious graduation party foods. The best part, is
Consider going with one of these fun themed food bars. An easy graduation party food idea that expresses your personality with the favorite foods of the college student or high school graduate! A great addition is colorful food. Pick some special graduation recipes. Use paper cups and plates around a theme. The best part is coming up with the graduation party ideas!
- Graduation Food Ideas: Create a food bar idea on a large tray of the grads snacks, munchies, & favorite things! This is so fun to create and will make everyone smile.
- Serve Platters: It's ok to buy platters of graduation party appetizers, trays of roll up sandwiches and pinwheels. Or try my Italian Pressed Sandwiches, or Small Finger Sandwiches. Add a custom touch, and stick graduation picks into the appetizers, or wrap sandwiches in parchment paper. Hit your local party store and see what you can find!
- School Colors: Have school color themed decorations, accents on Charcuterie Boards like little graduation caps or diplomas, and wrap burgers and sandwiches in colorful paper with string.
- Baked Party Rings: Bake up little smokies, pizza, or ham and cheese on a large sheet pan in a large pull apart ring. Everyone loves these!
- Crowd Pleasers: Have a huge batches of Potato Salads, Macaroni Salads, or Easy Pasta Salads as a side dishes to feed large parties. And these taste even better made ahead.
- Main Dish Ideas: Have the whole party revolve are a main dish theme like tacos, pizza, or pasta. What does your grad love?
- Snack Bar ~ Arrange your grad's favorite snack foods in pretty baskets like chips, bags of mini chocolate chip cookies, pretzels, popcorn, candy, gumballs, licorice, crackers, gummy bears, and more.
Graduation Party Food Bar Ideas
Hot Dog Bar ~ make easy Hot Dog Chili and all the best toppings!
Burger Bar ~ grill the best Cheeseburgers and serve them with In-N-Out Burger sauce (such a delicious sauce!) and top with Homemade Pickle Relish.
Cookout Bar ~ hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings is always a crowd pleaser!
Candy Bar ~ Fill mason jars with favorite candies and sweet treats like peanut butter cups and top with chocolate bar pieces to look like graduation caps. Order M&Ms in the school colors and name of your high school or college graduate! And have little scoops and cups for people to serve themselves little candies. And treat bags to go. Or place quality chocolates and caramels on a platter with cute graduation picks...
Pasta Bar ~ have hot pasta with 2-3 white, red, or pink sauces, cooked crumbled sausage or Diced Chicken, and real parmesan cheese to go on top.
Pizza Bar ~ bake or grill pizzas with people's favorite toppings! Or try my super easy Pita Pizzas with tons of creative flavors. You can also bake off a platter of pizza rolls to keep it super easy peasy.
Crostini Bar ~ put out crostini bread with all kinds of toppings, and let graduation party guests build their own amazing flavor combinations...isn't it gorgeous? And have a drink station nearby for people to serve themselves.
Beverage Bar ~ serve hot and cold iced tea, lemonade, and punch. Or chilled champagne, iced beer, wine, sodas, and signature cocktails for guests over 21.
Baked Potato Bar ~ Bake potatoes and put out toppings like grated cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, chives, and more.
DIY Popcorn Bar ~ have paper bags, melted butter, and seasonings with a popcorn machine.
Deli Subs Bar ~ let people make their own subs with deli meat, cheeses, pickles, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and delicious spreads.
Finger Food & Sandwich Bar ~ Make an assortment of different sandwiches and cut them into small shapes for people. Try my Egg Salad Sandwiches or Roast Beef Sandwiches with a creamy balsamic spread!
Nacho Bar ~ have warm corn tortilla chips, melted queso or nacho cheese dip, and pickled jalapenos for guests to eat out of paper cups.
Taco Bar ~ Put out all your favorite taco toppings with Salsa, Guacamole, grated cheeses, olives, lettuce, and Mexican Pickled Red Onions.
Walking Taco Bar ~ Have bags of Fritos with warm taco meat and all the topping for tacos, served with forks and lots of napkins!
Coffee Bar ~ Place out a coffee maker, espresso machine, or pod coffee maker with creamers and toppings. Try my Baileys Irish Coffee for good luck!
Chocolate Fountain Bar ~ Dip fruit, chocolate cookies, marshmallows, donut holes, and fortune cookies of course.
Fruit Bar ~ Cut up and arrange a sliced fruit tray or toss your best fruit salad recipe for the party. Put out a melted chocolate fountain to dip in. Have some cold fruit juices or even smoothies for a healthy option.
Dessert Bar ~ Lay an assortment of different kinds of cookies, Lemon Bars, pies, and a graduation cake of course, try my Ice Cream Cake or large Sheet Cake with Bakery Style Frosting! Have lots of small plates, spoons, and forks on the dessert table. Guests love to take food home, have some to go boxes or take out containers.
50+ Easy Graduation Party Food Ideas
With graduation season in full swing, there are all types of food to choose from. Go with classic popular options like burgers and hot dogs, and a few modern trendy great ideas. The good thing is, these graduation party food ideas all go together. The ingredients and food items are easy to find in any grocery store too. Have fun planning a wonderful party...
Easy Layered Cheese Appetizers
Gorgeous layered cheese appetizers with deli-style sliced cheeses and a creamy filling loaded with chopped nuts and dried fruit. Eat them as a snack or fancy finger food hors d'oeuvres! Keep the simple ingredients on hand for any potluck or holiday party, and assemble up to a day ahead. People will be fascinated by the elegant stacks, and they are so pretty on charcuterie or cheese boards.
Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Everyone loves cheese appetizers, and there is nothing easier than Marinated Mozzarella Balls on a gorgeous Charcuterie Board with some crackers, crusty bread, and drinks to get the party going.
Brie and Bacon Palmiers
Brie and Bacon Palmiers baked in 15 minutes with 3 ingredients. You will need store-bought puff pastry (the key ingredient), crisp crumbled bacon, and some brie. An easy last-minute appetizer packed with bacony goodness, golden puff pastry, and that classic brie taste...
7 Layer Salad
7 Layer Salad (aka Overnight Salad) is one of the most popular potluck dishes and a great option for picnics, a BBQ side for cookouts, or a summer side dish.
Watermelon Salad
Watermelon Salad recipe with a light citrus dressing, fresh mint, and topped with crumbled feta cheese. Serve this side dish for picnics, potlucks, and BBQ cookouts in a carved-out watermelon for the salad bowl!
The Best Cheeseburger
What is more American than hamburgers or classic cheeseburgers? These are topped with a copycat In-N-Out Burger sauce spread and seasoning.To make the best burger recipe, you have got to have so secrets up your sleeve. Today we will cover everything you need. Plus cookout grilling tips and 20+ burger topping ideas.
Beef Wellington Appetizers
Bake delicious hors d'oeuvres of individual servings of beef wellington appetizers, they are so fancy to pass around at a party. These beef wellington appetizers are a modern take on the classic English dish made easy with golden brown edges of flaky puff pastry, juicy filet mignon, and a creamy mushroom filling.
Shish Kabobs
Grilling season is perfect for these Shish Kabobs with a beef marinade made with pineapple and dark rum. The rum is totally optional of course! Plus take a look at dozens of ideas to make these colorful grilled skewers your way with all the best shish kebob side dish ideas.
Tachos Tater Tot Nachos
Tachos are a delicious modern twist on the classic nachos appetizer! Tater tot nachos have layers of golden crispy tater tots in place of tortilla chips loaded with juicy pulled pork or rotisserie chicken, creamy tomatillo sauce, lots of melted cheese, and other scrumptious favorite nacho toppings. Tater Tatchos are an easy comfort food dish that can be put together quickly for snacks, cozy game day football food, or heck why can't this be dinner...
White Wine Sangria
This White Sangria Recipe is light and refreshing. This is the best sangria for July 4th celebrations, picnics, BBQ, and cookouts.
Easy Pasta Salad
An easy Pasta Salad with fresh herbs, bell pepper, and cheese. This is a mayo-less salad, perfect to serve at outdoor picnics or cookouts.
Graduation Cake Mix Cookies
Cake Mix Cookies are a simple recipe baked in 11 minutes and with just 4 ingredients. Top with candies, sprinkles, or chocolate chips. And for graduation parties, use your school colors!
Roast Beef Sandwiches
Roast Beef Sandwiches with a homemade deli meat (and a secret ingredient), creamy balsamic horseradish sauce, shaved parmesan, and lettuce on crusty baguettes!
Easy Vinegar Coleslaw (No Mayo)
This Easy Coleslaw Recipe has a clean vinegar-based dressing and has no-mayo. It goes great with pulled pork sandwiches, or as a classic side dish at potluck summer picnics and BBQ cookouts.
Shrimp Cocktail
The best Shrimp Cocktail (prawn cocktail) is made by oven-roasting, then dipping them in homemade shrimp cocktail sauce! The shrimp cooks in just 15 minutes and is such an easy appetizer for the holiday season, New Year's Eve, or party food for special occasions and celebrations. Roasting is a great way to go versus dealing with a large pot of boiling water, a sheet pan is so much easier with less cleanup, and the roasting adds deep rich, delicious shrimpy flavor.
Graduation M&M Cookies
These Patriotic Sugar Cookies are made with red, white, and blue M&Ms, frosting stripes, and star sprinkles. Great for picnics, parties, and the 4th of July!
Caramel Apple Dip
Make a Caramel Apple Dip with crisp green apples, salted caramel sauce, and crushed Health bars. A beloved recipe for potlucks, graduation, holiday parties, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and all through the Autumn apple season.
The Best Burger Seasoning
Mix up the best burger seasoning recipe for delicious, juicy hamburgers everyone will rave over at your next backyard barbecue cookout. Add amazing flavor with just a few insider secrets like what beef to buy, how to make the burger patties, and pro grilling tips. This seasoning mix is made with simple ingredients you might already have on hand. Grill restaurant-quality hamburgers in your backyard this summer...
Charcuterie Boards
Create a gorgeous easy charcuterie board filled with your favorite sliced meats, an assortment of cheeses, crackers, fruit, nuts, and a few and sugary treats. A Fall cheeseboard is so easy to put together for parites and gatherings. Make for an after-school snack board for kids, or to host a happy hour for friends with simple appetizers and drinks.
Buffalo Chicken Appetizer
Buffalo Chicken Appetizer made with tortilla chips, buffalo wings sauce, blue cheese, and crisp celery made in 20 minutes with 6 ingredients.
Pizza Salad
A colorful Pizza Salad loaded with popular favorite pizza toppings like mini pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, tangy pepperoncinis, tiny ripe tomatoes, and little balls of mozzarella cheese. This Italian salad pizza inspired recipe is healthy, low carb, drizzled with a creamy sun-dried tomato dressing with all the flavors of pizza we crave.
Cowboy Beans
Cowboy Baked Beans (aka Calico Beans) are loaded with ground beef and applewood smoked bacon. A great party food recipe for large groups.
BLT Lobster Sandwich
A BLT Lobster Sandwich recipe with succulent lobster, thick crispy applewood smoked bacon, golden grilled sourdough bread, and slathered with an easy dill-caper aioli sauce. Oh, and it won a 1rst Place Blue Ribbon at the Orange County Fair during a live cooking competition!
Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders
Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders are brushed with butter dijon sauce, baked until golden brown with melted Swiss cheese, pulled pork and ham, and pickles. Serve a tray of these slider sandwiches for main meals, dinner parties, and are great to feed a large crowd!
Cheeseburger Sliders
Cheeseburger Sliders are mini burgers stuffed with cheese, spread with burger sauce, and oven-baked. The perfect party food for summer, and one of the easiest main dishes for cookouts and backyard parties.
Peach Cheesecake Pie (No-Bake)
Peach Cheesecake Pie is a 30-minute no-bake recipe with a crisp graham cracker crust, sweet whipped filling, and juicy summer peaches!
Homemade Fruit Popsicles
Homemade real fresh Fruit Popsicles are one of the healthy dessert options. Made with coconut water, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. These are refreshing low-sugar treats for hot summer days. But you can certainly mix it up and make these creamy, sweeter, or to your tastes. With an inexpensive popsicle mold and 10 minutes of time, you can have popsicles waiting in your freezer in about 3 hours.
S'more Cookie Dough Truffles
S'more Cookie Dough Truffles are an easy no-bake dessert candy with chocolate chips, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows just like a campfire s'mores!
French Onion Dip
French onion dip is an easy appetizer with rich flavor from caramelized onions and fresh simple ingredients. This perfect party appetizer tastes even better if you make it a day or so ahead! This an easy dip recipe for parties, and holidays, and a classic to serve on exciting big game days with a big bag of potato chips. Whip up this homemade onion dip, and take a look at all the creative ways to use up the leftovers of this creamy dip if there are any!
Pretzels With Beer Cheese Dip
Bake warm soft pretzels and scoop them into an easy beer cheese dip. Every bite has a chewy, golden crust with soft, fluffy centers. Homemade pretzels are the perfect appetizer for relaxed weekends at home or big game-day football parties! And they just take about an hour. You can shape the pretzel dough like footballs, small soft pretzel nuggets, knots, or the classic pretzel shape...
Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatillo salsa has a fresh taste you will never get out of a jar from any store. The fire-grilled flavor and medium heat in this homemade salsa will have people loving each and every bite with tacos, nachos, and taquitos. Grab a bowl, and a bag of tortilla chips, and wait for lots of compliments, crunching, and munching, as people dip chips into this roasted tomatillo salsa recipe.
Mini Tacos
Crunchy Mini Tacos are loaded with your favorite toppings! Tucked inside are layers of juicy taco meat, refried beans, cheeses, black olives, pickled jalapeños and more drizzled with a quick Mexican crema sauce. Serve these mini beef tacos as a delicious appetizer for a Cinco de Mayo party, family taco night dinner, birthday parties, or perfect party food for the big game.
Crispy Chicken Wings
The secret to make Crispy Dry Rub Chicken Wings, the ultimate bar snack and big game appetizer! When it comes to party wings, we want tons of flavor, tender juicy meat, a crispy coating, and a deep-fried texture without going through the trouble of frying. Perfectly cooked wings are totally possible with a super crisp exterior that looks and tastes deep-fried. Gather your party guests and throw a legendary football party with spectacular, delicious Super Bowl foods for the biggest game day of the year. Spicy chicken wings are an easy appetizer and winning party food.
Bacon-Ranch Cheese Ball
Dip into a Bacon Cheddar Ranch Cheese Ball with a cracker or pretzel, and enjoy every bite of this easy delicious appetizer dip made with simple ingredients and quick prep time. Roll it in crispy bacon crumbles or assorted cheeses. Get creative and add your twist to this bacon ranch cheese ball flavor with one of the dozens of ideas.
Boursin Cheese
Boursin Cheese whips together in just minutes for an easy appetizer. The best way to eat it is simply with toasted warm bread or crackers. What makes this herb cream cheese spread so good? The creamy texture from the whipping process, a grate of real parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. And if you are a goat cheese lover, you can add that in this recipe.
Caramel Apple Brie Appetizers
Need a fast easy appetizer for Halloween or Thanksgiving? Caramel Apple Brie Appetizers come together in minutes, and they are always wildly popular at Fall parties! If you like caramel apples, then you will love this scrumptious combination with creamy brie, the crunch of macadamia nuts, and tart-sweet dried cranberries. It is addictive.
Burger Sauce
Make one of the best burger sauces just like the In-N-Out spread from the west coast drive-through chain that started in Southern California. When you crave the real thing, here is the best way to make a copycat recipe of the real In-N-Out burger spread special sauce.
Blueberry Lemonade
Ice cold Blueberry Lemonade captures Summer in every sip, it is made in minutes with homemade blueberry syrup, fresh lemon juice, and honey.
Green Jello Shots & Jigglers
Slurp emerald green Jello Shots or Jell-O jigglers and have some shenanigans with a wee bit of mischief at your college graduation party!
Cheese Truffles (Mini Cheese Ball Appetizers)
Cheese Truffles are loaded with delicious flavors and toppings. Serve with crackers or pretzels for an easy appetizer and fun party food! Scooped in small bites, these mini cheese balls are rolled in fine herbs, toasted nuts, cheese cracker crumbs, seasoning mixes, or assorted grated cheeses. We all want appetizer ideas that look super impressive, can be prepped ahead, are very tasty, and everyone keeps reaching for during the party. These check every box.
Graduation Ice Cream Cake
Ice Cream Cakes are sooooo good for graduations! This dreamy frozen dessert has an incredible red velvet Oreo cookie crust, layers of ice cream, pound cake, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, cool whip topping, and colorful fun sprinkles and be sure to use your schools colors! Assemble this easy Oreo cake recipe in a standard 9 x 11 glass dish or in a springform pan for the classic round shape. Everyone loves this scrumptious dessert any time of year, it makes the party one to remember.
Egg Salad
The best egg salad recipe starts with perfectly cooked eggs and fresh, quality, simple ingredients. It's mixed together into a rich creamy texture and loaded onto Rye or Pumpernickel sandwich bread with a pickle on top! There are endless different ways to enjoy a traditional egg salad. It's a great way to use up leftover Easter eggs and works for family lunches, picnics, bridal, and baby showers, or afternoon tea in the best egg salad sandwich ever.
Easy Limeade Margaritas
Limeade Margaritas have three simple ingredients mixed in a pitcher on ice. And there is no blender or cocktail shaker for these easy drinks! You won't believe how good these pitcher margaritas taste for summertime picnics or cookouts, Cinco de mayo, tailgating, or pour a big batch on game day and serve with delicious Mexican food.
Jalapeno Popper Dip
Jalapeno Popper Dip is always a hit! Make this melty hot appetizer for parties with simple pantry ingredients and scoop up with large corn chips. Double this recipe for large groups, it goes fast! It's so easy, and all the ingredients combine into utter flavor deliciousness!
Easy Taco Salad
Taco Salad with 25+ topping ideas plus a delicious taco meat recipe. Works as lunch, family dinner, or party food for a large gathering.
American Flag Cake
Bake a patriotic American Flag Cake with red, white, and blue marbled cake inside and "bakery-style" frosting. Always a party crowd pleaser for July 4th and one of the most celebratory cakes!
S'more Pizookie Skillet Cookies
S'more chocolate chip skillet cookies also called pizookies, are baked into the ultimate cookie dessert, loaded with milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini peanut butter cups, graham cracker shards, and toasted marshmallows all melted together into a gooey cookie.
Sour Cream Onion Dip
Onion Dip aka California or Sour Cream Dip is the easiest recipe ever, with only 2 ingredients! Made in minutes, serve with a large bowl of your favorite potato chips and assorted fresh-cut veggies. This is a classic iconic American party food and delicious dip that has earned a respected place in many people's hearts with its savory onion flavor.
Bacon Potato Salad
Bacon potato salad is loaded with crispy bacon and blue cheese. A perfect side for summer potluck cookouts and BBQs. Since there are no eggs and no mayonnaise, this is a great picnic food idea. Make a double batch, and it disappears quickly!
BBQ Potato Salad
A BBQ Potato Salad recipe with yummy flavors from your favorite bbq sauce, crumbled bacon, buttermilk ranch, crunchy celery, and cheddar cheese. Made with secret ingredients in place of mayo, this super creamy potato salad is inspired by one of America's favorite recipes, a loaded baked potato! A great recipe that uses any kind of potatoes, and is a fresh new twist on a classic. Mix up a double batch, and watch people gobble it up at your next cookout.
Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
A classic macaroni salad recipe has chopped eggs, dill pickles, pickle juice, and crunchy celery. This is a cherished old fashioned family recipe and a great way to feed a crowd with a main course like grilled hot dogs or hamburgers!
Hot Dog Chili
Hot dog chili sauce is a "go-to" football food on game days, Superbowl parties, tailgating, or summer cookouts. And the best thing, this great recipe is ready in just 20 minutes or can simmer away in a slow cooker all during the big game! Salsa and beer add great unique flavor to this delicious recipe. Adding a can of refried beans is an easy way to make chili nice and thick, perfect for piling on top of chili dogs.
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