What to bring to a potluck: 50 easy ideas by category
The best potluck dishes travel well, taste good at room temperature and serve 8 to 10 people: think baked pasta, slow-cooker pulled pork, roasted vegetables, grain salads, brownies and big-batch iced tea. Below are 50 ideas by category, including no-cook options for busy people.
Main dishes that feed a crowd
Pick something that holds in a slow cooker or a covered dish for an hour.
- Baked ziti or lasagna
- Slow-cooker pulled pork with buns
- Chicken enchiladas
- Meatballs in sauce
- Chili with toppings bar
- Shepherd's pie
- Teriyaki chicken and rice
- Vegetable curry
- Mac and cheese (the grown-up kind)
- Sliders tray
Side dishes
- Roasted vegetables
- Garlic green beans
- Scalloped potatoes
- Cornbread
- Baked beans
- Rice pilaf
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Deviled eggs
- Garlic bread
- Glazed carrots
Salads that hold up
Grain and pasta salads beat leafy greens, which wilt on a buffet table.
- Pasta salad
- Quinoa salad with feta
- Greek salad
- Coleslaw
- Caprese skewers
- Bean salad
- Potato salad
- Fruit salad
- Broccoli salad
- Couscous salad
Desserts
- Brownies
- Cookies (two dozen)
- Lemon bars
- Fruit crumble
- Cupcakes
- Rice Krispie treats
- Banana bread
- Cheesecake bars
- Mini pies
- Chocolate-dipped strawberries
No-cook ideas for busy people
Perfectly good contributions that take five minutes at the store.
- Drinks and a bag of ice
- A cheese and cracker board
- Veggie tray with dip
- Rotisserie chickens
- Bakery bread and butter
- Plates, cups and napkins
- A watermelon, pre-cut
- Chips and two kinds of salsa
- A big bakery cake
- Hummus and pita
Questions people ask
What is the easiest thing to bring to a potluck?
Drinks and ice, a veggie tray, or plates and napkins. They are always needed and take minutes to buy.
How much food should I bring to a potluck?
Enough to serve 8 to 10 people is a safe default for most potlucks.
How do you stop everyone bringing the same thing?
Use a sign-up sheet with categories and a set number of spots in each. When a category is full, people choose another.