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27 Best Graduation Party Food Ideas for 2024
This post is all about the best graduation party food ideas.
Graduation is a huge achievement and all that hard work deserves a great celebration!
But party planning can be really hard! Especially when trying to decide what food to serve at your graduation party. There will be a lot of guests coming and going and you’ll need to choose something that both you and your guests will love!
Related: 35 Awesome Graduation Party Ideas That You’ll Love
But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Here are 27 easy graduation party food ideas, from appetizers to desserts, for you to plan the best grad party ever and have your guests raving about it!
1. Beverage Bar
When planning graduation party food ideas, be sure to include a variety of drink options for your guests, like lemonade, fruit punch, mojitos etc.!
Make it more creative by using beverage dispensers! They are super cute and also allows you to add a bigger variety of drinks at your party.
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2. Taco Bar
A walking taco bar is a perfect idea for a grad party and is guaranteed to be a hit! You can also fill paper bags with chips to allow guests to make nachos if they want instead. Make sure you offer some taco shells, tortilla chips, and plenty of toppings like meat, guacamole, onions and tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, etc.
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3. DIY Popcorn Bar
A Popcorn Bar is a fun, easy and budget friendly graduation party food idea! Everybody loves popcorn, so why not set up your very own?
All you need is a large batch of regular popcorn and different kinds of both sweet (mini choco chips, caramel, sprinkles etc.) and savory toppings (parmesan, ranch, taco etc) so that your guests can create their own delicious flavor combination! Just get these mason jar shakers for the savory toppings, some regular mason jars for the sweet ones, and label them with little chalkboard signs to set up this adorable Popcorn Bar!
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4. Build Your Own Hot Dog Bar
Hot dogs are such a delicious party food idea and always a hit at graduation parties! It’s so fun and easy to set up too! Have a few hot dogs and set some delicious toppings on the side like chilli, coleslaw, mustard, ketchup, cheese or any other toppings you like so that your guests can customize them to their own liking!
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5. Waffle Bar
Breakfast is something we can enjoy at any time of the day. And a Waffle Bar is the perfect brunch option to offer at graduation parties and your guests will rave about this! They can just grab a waffle, then add their favorite syrup and toppings, like fresh fruit, honey, maple syrup, whipped cream etc.!
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6. Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapeno poppers make for the perfect appetizer for your graduation party. They can be a spicy addition to your main course. And this is a super easy recipe to make too!
7. Pizza Bar
Pizza Bar is such a super fun and easy graduation party food idea! You can never go wrong with a pizza bar because who doesn’t like pizzas?! Set out some homemade pizza crusts or some store bought ones and a variety of sauces, toppings, and cheeses on the side, so that all your guests can make their own personal pizzas.
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Related: 35 Awesome Graduation Party Ideas That You’ll Love
8. Make-Your-Own Pasta Bar
Hosting a pasta bar at your graduation party is a fantastic idea! It’s such a delicious and hearty food option for your grad party and is also really affordable!
Just cook a few kinds of pasta like spaghetti and penne, make a couple of different sauces like marinara and alfredo, and prepare some fun toppings that your family and friends can choose from to create their very own unique dish! Have a salad and some rolls on the side and your guest will be in pasta heaven!
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9. The Ultimate Salad Bar
A salad bar is a perfect option if you’re looking for a healthy buffet idea! This colorful, quick-and-easy salad bar includes everything your guests would need to customize their own classic salads!
10. Burger Bar
A burger bar is a great crowd-pleasing food idea for a graduation party! Provide your guests a variety of different burger choices along with cheeses, sauces, veggies, and other toppings, and an assortment of buns so your guests can create their ideal burger.
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11. One Smart Cookie Bar
A “One Smart Cookie Bar” dessert theme is very easy to set up and is guaranteed to be a hit! Order your favorite cookies from your local bakery (chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin etc) and lace them on some rustic cake trays, get a chalkboard with a “One Smart Cookie Bar” sign and you’re good to go.
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12. Ice cream Sundae Bar
Take dessert to a whole new level with an ice cream sundae bar party! This is such a simple and fun dessert idea for your graduation party!
It can be set up easily and does not involve a lot of planning! All you need is a few tubs of high-quality vanilla ice cream (or a mix of flavors for more making it more fun), mason jars, and an assortment of ice cream toppings! Your guests will love making their own icecream sundaes!
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Related: 21 Best Backyard Graduation Party Ideas Your Guests Will Love
13. Sandwich Bar
You can’t go wrong with having sandwiches at your party. They are so simple to put together and everybody loves them! With a gourmet sandwich bar, you could go with so many options like various meats, cheeses, bread, and toppings so that guests can build the perfect sandwich for themselves however they like!
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14. Caprese Salad skewers
Caprese salad in just two bites! This healthy, colorful, no-cook appetizer is full of flavor and is perfect for graduation parties and the best way to provide your guests with a healthy option! Foods on a stick are always a huge hit with everyone.
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15. Coffee Bar
A coffee bar is a fantastic addition to your graduation party spread. To put together a coffee bar is coffee and creams, add-ins, toppings, and a variety of yummy treats. Your guests can create their own personal coffee beverages this way! Also, everyone will appreciate a coffee pick me up!
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16. Candy Bar
A candy bar is a great way to serve up sweet treats in style! For the cutest candy bar, fill some small rustic buckets with your favorite candies and add some cute “punny” labels to make it even fun!
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17. Ham and Cheese Sliders
If you’re in need of easy comfort food party ideas then ham and cheese sliders are the ultimate party snack that never goes out of style. They are an all-time crowd-pleasing party favorite that’s inexpensive and very easy to prep!
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18. 7 layer Dip in a Cup
These 7 layer dip cups are full of flavor and looks soo cute! They make for the perfect party appetizer and are really easy to assemble too!
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19. Veggies and Dip in a cup
Veggies and dips are a super healthy snack option you can have at your graduation party! They are so simple to put together and can be easily carried around. Just put a variety of veggies in cups with a delicious dip in the bottom and you’re good to go!
20. Grilled Cheese Sticks
Grilled Cheese Sticks are another fun and easy appetizer you can have at your graduation party! Pair them with some tomato soup or tomato jam for easy dipping!
Related: 35 Awesome Graduation Party Ideas That You’ll Love
21 . Fruit tray
It’s always nice to have fruit at parties! They are refreshing, healthy, and will be very well received by your guests, especially if your graduation party is on a very hot day! This fruit tray is incredibly easy to prepare and comes out very impressive too!
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22. Pretzel station
Pretzels stations are such a trendy food bar option right now! Just hang some pretzels on metal stands using hooks, add a touch of decoration to the stands and place dips in bowls for a beautiful and budget friendly food station! Your guests will love it so much that they’ll be going back for seconds!
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23. S’mores In A Jar
Everyone loves S’mores! This S’mores in A Jar looks so cute and is such a sweet dessert to have at a graduation party.
24. Donut Wall
Donuts will never go out of style and are delicious and loved by everyone! They will be a perfect option for a graduation party. You can find a donut wall in so many different sizes or you can even DIY one, it doesn’t take much to put together a pretty donut wall. It would even make for a great backdrop for your graduation cake table!
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25. Cupcake Tower
Mmm.. cupcakes!! Delicious cupcakes arranged in tiers are a really fun dessert idea for your graduation party! It’s also a great party decor for your dessert table. Create tiers so you can display layers of delicious cupcakes. To make it graduation-themed, attach a cute sticker with uplifting words or a graduation cap symbol.
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26. No bake Cheesecake Cups
These adorable no-bake cheesecake cups are extremely simple to make, yet look so fancy and elegant! It’d make for an ideal sweet treat for your graduation party!
27. Fabulous Chocolate fountain
This is a spectacular graduation party dessert idea that and is at the same time very budget friendly!
And it’s really simple to set up too! Just keep some easy dipping items close by, such as large marshmallows, pretzel sticks, cakes, etc and you’re good to go!
2 Comments
My son’s graduation this spring. Just starting to look
I love the ideas presented.