32+ Graduation Party Food Ideas to Celebrate

Are you looking for the best graduation party food ideas that are both delicious and affordable? These suggested recipes use simple yet delectable ingredients prepared in novel ways.

Planning to celebrate your graduation at home is always a great idea since you can share your good time with your loved ones, family members, and friends.

Preparing them some finger-licking-good dishes and devouring those pleasant delights together are perfect ways to make your happiness flourish. Let’s see the recommendations below and decide which ones you want to try first!

What Foods Should You Include In Your Graduation Party?

Most parties serve appetizers, light meals, or desserts. They can arrange these recipes like a buffet with different bars, such as do-it-yourself burgers or sandwich bars. However, these easy party food ideas might also help you create ready-to-eat delicacies. Take a look now!

1. Chili Lime Baked Shrimp Cups

Total time: About 45 minutes (for 12 cups).

People might prefer something handy and easy to carry around when it’s a party; therefore, this tasty recipe of Baked Shrimp Cups with a whole flavorsome shrimp is perfectly convenient. The exteriors for this delight are the thin wonton wrappers.

To form the wonton wrappers into the cup-like shape, use the mini muffin pan/mold and press your wrappers into it. Cook the exteriors and your flavored shrimps separately before finally combining them to serve.

Don’t forget a lime-flavored sour cream to serve on the side of your treat. The bright, citrusy note and the lovely sourness of the cream make your guests cannot stop devouring them.

It’s time to look closer at the proper way to make Chili Lime Baked Shrimp.

2. Graduation Tassel Cake

Total time: About 3 days.

Any celebration party should include a cake, and this special Graduation Tassel Cake is a great option to go for. I know not everyone is a baker or can create their own cakes at home, yet, you can take your time and try it once. I’m sure it’s not that hard!

Using store-bought cake can decrease the percentage of making the failed cake base, which is also the most challenging part. Other components like fondant and gum paste are also available at the bakery shop, so you won’t need to worry much about them.

The only thing you need to notice is you might need to follow all the steps strictly and the first period should start 3 days before the party.

3. Grad Cap Cupcakes

Total time: Around 35 minutes (more or less).

The Grad Cap Cupcakes are undoubtedly meaningful and eye-catching when you serve them at your party’s sweet bars. With these cupcakes, simply have the store-bought cake mix and follow the instructions to make the base.

After that, you can move to the decorating step and put on some blue frosting and star sprinkles. The chocolate squares (act as the mortarboards) while chewy caramel pieces will become the toppings for the tiny grad caps.

Once you bite into the cupcakes, you can taste the lovely chocolate with a favorable chewy texture from the caramel. How exciting!

4. White Castle Hamburgers / Sliders

Total time: About 30 minutes.

Have you ever thought of serving something filling for your graduation party? A burger might be too much, but a mini-sized White Castle Hamburgers with minimal accompaniments can never go wrong. This authentic American recipe packed with flavors tastes great anywhere.

Dill pickles and ground beef patties with dinner rolls to replace burger buns are everything you need for this perfect party food. What can you serve alongside your burgers? Some simple salads or sweet potato fries might make sense here.

This is genuinely the best White Castle Hamburgers/Sliders guide you can find!

5. Pretzels

Total time: About 40 minutes.

Everyone loves Pretzel, including me. Instead of making the regular swirled/twisted Pretzels, how about forming them into a grad cap-like shape with a square top? To shorten the time for preparing the dough from scratch, you can opt for your favorite ready-to-use Pizza dough.

However, the Pizza dough doesn’t offer the same sweet and flavorful base, so you need to add other ingredients like poppy/sesame seeds, cayenne pepper, chopped nuts, etc. Before shaping and baking, boil the dough strips in steaming hot water.

It would be best to make these Pretzels and use them within the day, but you can still freeze them and reheat them when serving. This American-inspired food can easily make your guests wow with its creative look. Don’t believe me, test it yourself!

6. Chocolate Strawberry Bouquet

Total time: Approximate 1 hour.

I would appreciate it if anyone gave me a bouquet of chocolate-coated strawberries at my graduation party. The mildly sweet bitterness from chocolate combined with the juiciness and mellow-tart flavors from strawberries is genuinely divine, making this a widely loved combination.

While you create the strawberry sticks, the most time-consuming step is dipping the fruits into the melted chocolate wafer mixture and allowing for them to dry. You can use both white and black melting wafers in this recipe to give your treat more color.

Chocolate Strawberry Bouquet, and the best way to accomplish it is here!

7. Peanut Butter Cake Pop

Total time: About 2 hours 30 minutes (including 2 hours for the treat to chill).

A no-bake cake recipe? Is it possible? Of course yes. Your peanut butter cakes consist of cream cheese, butter, peanut, and some vanilla extract for an extra lovely scent. After mixing the mentioned ingredients, you need to put in powdered sugar before forming the balls.

The sugar powder now acts as “flour” and helps you create a non-stick dough. The following steps of coating the “cake” with melted chocolate and skewing them into the sucker sticks are extremely easy, so you can make it with your young siblings or else.

Don’t forget to let your sweet chill for a while since these decadent sweets taste better when they are cool.

8. Graduation Cap-Shaped Cocoa Krispies

Total time: About 32 minutes.

Not skillful enough to make a whole cake for your graduation party? Try this suggestion of graduation cap-shaped Cocoa Krispies, then. Krispies, or crisped rice, are a famous American sweet treat as well as light breakfast options that you can find in any grocery store.

Some other components you will need here are butter, marshmallows (to stick), chocolate chips, etc. These things are also easy to find, and your young guests definitely adore them.

You should remember to follow every step strictly, especially when trying to form the mortarboard, because Krispies can quickly soften whenever exposed to heat. Moreover, you can store your “graduation cake” in the fridge for a week after making it. Nice!

9. Strawberry Brownies

Total time: Around 4 hours 50 minutes (including 4 hours of chilling inside the fridge).

This sweet treat is a classic American dessert that appeared in the 19th century, and it has been loved from then on. Initially, Brownies, considered a cookie bar, included only layers of chocolate. Then, what can you expect from these Strawberry Brownies?

It somehow resembles the previous chocolate-coated strawberries with more chocolate and a lovely, dense Brownie base harmonizing with a layer of refreshing strawberries. Compared to other baked goods, Brownies are easier to make, so don’t worry.

After assembling the Brownies and strawberries, notice to toss your sweet delicacy into the fridge to rest. When serving Strawberry Brownies at a party, simply cut this confection into smaller, square pieces, and your beloved appetizer is ready to serve.

I promise you won’t have any problems making Strawberry Brownies following this guide.

10. Graduation Cap Cookies

Total time: About 1 hour.

Even the beginner to baking can create these exciting cookies in a snap. You should prepare the cookies from the ready-to-use chocolate-covered peanut butter cups and Graham crackers cookies to shorten the time to make them.

Here, your work is to assemble the peanut butter cups (as the hats’ bodies) and chocolate-covered crackers (as the hats’ tops). Stack these things and glue them together with some frosting.

Now, use the pull-apart red string licorice (or other colors you love) to decorate your “grad caps” as a tassel, and your mini sweet treat + (mini desserts) is ready to serve. Trust me; your guests will be amazed by this idea.

11. Strawberry Cream Puffs

Total time: About 1 hour 45 minutes.

Preparing a cream puff bar for people to enjoy a mouthful of richness at once is a great way to go ạnd this strawberries-filled cream puffs can be a recommendation for that. As its name says, there will be mini cream puffs, strawberries, and other components in the dish.

Softened cream cheese, heavy cream, and condensed milk might offer too much milkiness to your treat’s filling; therefore, strawberries’ light, fruity, sweet-tart flavors are vital to maintaining the balance.

Making the Pate a Choux dough for the exterior of the dish needs a bit of skill, so be mindful and follow the suggested ratio carefully.

These cream puffs taste much better when cool; therefore, letting them sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before serving is a smart move.

12. Monte Cristo Sliders

Total time: About 40 minutes.

I have to admit that these Monte Cristo Sliders work ideally as a graduation party, tea party, or a delicious treat for dinner party for your whole family. Derived from a French delicacy called “Croque-Monsieur” or “French Sandwich,” these American Sliders have several differences.

You might find various American ways to accomplish this appetizer: by grilling, dipping it with egg-based batter, etc.; yet, feel free to apply everything you want. For this Monte Cristo Sliders recipe, you’ll need Brioche Slider Rolls, raspberry jam, honey turkey, etc.

Once you have a bite, all flavors, like the sweetness from jams and slightly salty turkey, combine beautifully and rush into your taste buds. Sounds like a fascinating taste experience!

Are you ready to make some Monte Cristo Sliders for your grad party?

13. Grad Cap Sandwich

Total time: Around 10 minutes.

Not only are these sandwiches ideal for a graduation party, but they can also be a nutritious lunchtime treat for both kids and adults or simply an afterschool snack. Back to the party food, you may make it healthier by using whole grain bread.

You will fill your sandwiches with roasted turkey slices and veggie cream. Form some tight rolls out of the mentioned items so that they can look like the body of the grad cap. Spread another layer of veggie cream on top of your sandwich rolls and put the “mortarboards” on.

Use the string cheese to fake the cap’s tassel, and that’s the last touch to create a perfect Grad Cap Sandwich.

14. Party Panini

Total time: Around 40 minutes or more.

Another idea of sandwiched food for a graduation party is this simple yet tasty Panini recipe. For this suggested Panini, you should utilize Amish white (or wholegrain) bread of choice with various ingredients (for example, cheeses, turkey slices, or sauteed peppers).

Remember to brush a thin layer of melted butter on the bottom of a baking tray before assembling the Panini. Layer everything you love onto bread and complete it with another bread slice. Brush another thin layer of butter so that they can offer you a beautiful crust later.

15. Mini Fruit And Yogurt Parfait

Total time: Around 15 minutes.

These mini Fruits And Yogurt Parfaits are an ideal crowd-pleasing dessert or snack for your graduation party. You can assemble the food beforehand or provide your guests with the ingredients for them to do their own mix and match.

Everything to prepare for your Parfaits bar is quite basic; you can consider having your favorite diced fresh fruits, Granola (mixed oats/nuts, for a particularly crunchy texture), and yogurt.

I personally love the fresh berries as they will boost the mellowy overall of this rejuvenating sweet treat. To serve the premade ones, I suggest letting them chill inside the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. The cooler, the better!

Making your mini Fruits And Yogurt Parfaits will be even easier with this guide.

16. Peanut Butter and Jelly Yogurt Parfaits

Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes.

The next idea to create Parfaits for your graduation party is to utilize peanut butter and jelly Granola instead of fresh fruits. A mouthful of crunchy Granola, rich and nutty peanut butter, as well as the sweet-tart flavors from strawberries, are what you can expect from this dessert.

The highlight of this recipe is that you can make the main part, Peanut Butter And Jelly Granola, from scratch (with old-fashioned oats, honey, etc.) and store it for later use. Don’t worry if your Granola is not crispy after baking; it will be more crunchy once it’s cooler.

Not only acts well as a dessert, but this tasty yogurt-based Parfait can also be a light breakfast. Therefore, feel free to store the leftover components inside the airtight containers and use them for your upcoming meals.

17. Fruit Kabobs

Total time: Around 25 minutes.

Nothing can be as simple as preparing a bar for your party with fresh fruits and letting the guests do their own mix-and-match. Or else, you can make the fruits into the fascinating kabobs so that your guests can pick and enjoy them right away.

Several kinds of citrus fruits like pineapple or fresh berries (such as blueberries or strawberries) are pretty easy to eat for any age group. Simply skew them into the wooden sticks and let the whole thing chill in the fridge until used.

However, you can choose a specific country’s typical specialties (like Thai or native Vietnamese fruits) and create themed fruit kabobs based on your preferences. Your graduation party will become even more exciting this way.

18. Mojito Fruit Salad

Total time: About 25 minutes.

Fruit salads? Isn’t that good? Looking at the vivid color of those fruits immediately makes me think of summer, so there’s no excuse not to include them and bring some excitement to your graduation celebration.

Watermelon and berries are both affordable fruits, so you can offer this dessert to your guests without spending a fortune. The real star of any salad is its dressing, and this Mojito salad comes with a delicious, minty-lemony Rum-based one.

Simply blend the chopped mint and lime juice with some Rum (optional), then pour it over your cooled fruit mixture to make a fascinating salad.

19. Cinnamon Chips With Fruit Salsa

Total time: Approximately 20 minutes.

While you don’t need to prepare any complicated ingredients to create a big bowl of this party-compatible Fruit Salsa, this delicacy can hardly disappoint you. After having a bite into the Cinnamon Chips of flavored flour tortillas, you cannot stop devouring them.

On the other hand, this recipe can change based on the cooks’ preferences, so you can later alter the suggested fruits to the thing you love more. I use berries, apples, and kiwis as they all lend a lovely sweet-tart flavor that matches well with the sweet and fragrant Chips.

You also use lime juice to brighten this Mexican-inspired recipe with a more prominent tropical note. Lastly, never freeze your Fruit Salsa because the texture of your delight will worsen severely.

This is a step-by-step instruction you might ask for to make a successful Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips.

20. Southwest Salad With Avocado Dressing

Total time: Around 15 minutes.

The following salad option for your graduation celebration salad bars is a veggies-loaded recipe with a rich dressing. It’s best to cover a wide range of flavors for this recipe, so comprising plenty of vegetables is crucial here.

Something you can consider is the light sweetness from chopped bell peppers/fresh corn kernels, mild bitterness from romaine lettuce, and a bit of tartness from cherry tomatoes. You are free to go for other veggies if you wish.

Your graduation party salad will never go wrong as long as you employ the avocado-based dressing. So, what else should you include in your salad?

Aside from avocado, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and other spices (garlic, cumin) are vital. You’ll adore how the earthiness of cumin lends to the entire essence of the dressing.

21. Hummus Pasta Salad

Total time: Around 20 minutes.

Let’s infuse an Italian spirit into your graduation party with a failsafe and authentic Italian dish, Pasta. People may not desire the main dish at a buffet party, so I choose to make it a bit lighter with extra veggies to turn it into a pleasant salad.

This crisp salad goes well with cooked Penne (cylinder-shaped extruded Pasta), Ziti ( extruded Pasta from Campania), or Rigatoni (tube-shaped Pasta). Red onions are preferred for additional vegetables since they have a subtler and sweeter aroma than the others.

Your Hummus Pasta Salad can stay in the fridge for 4 days, so making your food a day before the party is fine.

22. Baked Mac And Cheese Bites

Total time: About 30 minutes.

Raise your hand if you love Mac N’ Cheese because this easy and cheesy dish is for you! Shaping these cupcake-like Mac N’ Cheese pieces is simple since you just need to put the egg/cheese-mixed concoction into a Muffin tray and bake them up.

For the topping of this recipe, baked, buttery breadcrumbs with a pinch of paprika would be best. Crusty top with a hint of zing and a perfect creamy base; thinking of it makes my mouth water already.

Within 4 minutes, you’ll know detailedly how to make baked Mac N’ Cheese Bites.

23. Slow Cooker Buffalo Wings

Total time: Around 2 hours 45 minutes.

Buffalo Wings might sound familiar to many people, and hardly anyone can resist these pieces of deliciousness. Since my suggested recipe is compatible with slow cookers, you only need to toss everything into the pot and let your kitchen appliance do the rest.

About the companions for Buffalo Wings, you should plate them with fresh vegetables (celery/carrot sticks) with a bowl of blue cheese-based dressing.

Having some flavorful Buffalo Wings with a traditional Julep cup is also a great idea to prepare for Kentucky Derby parties. These saucy, handy and tasty chicken wings can effortlessly delight your taste buds.

24. Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Pinwheels

Total time: Around more than 4 hours (including the refrigerating time).

It’s not a bad idea to apply the Buffalo Wings’s flavors into a roll dish as you can enjoy your favorite taste while still being able to save time. This Pinwheels recipe calls for tortillas as well as simply cooked, shredded chicken mixed with cheeses and hot wing sauce.

Be mindful that the tortillas you should opt for here are the flour ones because the corn tortillas will be too crispy and crumbly to become a roll’s exterior.

Once you’ve done rolling the tortillas, toss the whole thing into the fridge so that every component can settle and stick well with the others. Slice your Pinwheel slices and stick some toothpicks onto them so that your guests can easily pick and enjoy them.

25. Boneless Chicken Wings

Total time: Approximately 50 minutes.

Fried chicken has never disappointed me, no matter which occasion they are served. It’s reasonable as no one can deny a fried delight with a crispy exterior and juicy interior. The secret to quickly having your chicken meat tender lies in using baking soda and vinegar.

Let them all sit together for 10 minutes, pat dry the excess liquid, and your chicken is ready for the breading/coating step. Since there are many spices (like onion/paprika powder or black pepper) in the dry flour mix, you can ensure that your result will be full of flavor. 

About the accompanying dishes for this chicken recipe, they can be anything you want, but you shouldn’t neglect the Golden BBQ sauce. This combination is so appealing that it can easily capture your guests’ minds.

Want a recipe combining Boneless Chicken Wings and Buffalo sauce? Here you go!

26. Buffalo Chicken Pockets

Total time: About 30 minutes.

Instead of putting your beloved Buffalo Chicken inside rolls, encasing it inside the dough to form a fried turnover dish is an excellent choice for a party treat. Because the store-bought butter biscuit dough will act as the exterior in this approach, the cooking time is shorter.

The first step is to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F for a few minutes, and you will use that time for cooking the chicken and mixing it with the wing sauce.

The following steps are also simple: only shaping your ground chicken-based recipe and baking the pillows/pocket-like pieces until cooked. The whole process is undoubtedly easy to follow, even if you are a beginner. Try it as soon as possible!

27. Rosemary Fries With Ranch Aioli

What makes these rosemary-flavored fries different from the regular variants? The best thing about this dish is that it is effortless to make, and the accompanying Ranch Aioli sauce (made from ranch seasoning, mayo, and sour cream) is simply divine.

This sauce tastes better when cool so just let it stay in the fridge until use. However, serving only fries might be monotonic for a fun celebration; therefore, you’ll need more toppings. Prosciutto (Italian smoked ham) and cheeses are the best nominees for you.

When organizing the bar for your party with this treat, you should set the components separately and leave the party-goers to assemble their own portions. Otherwise, Ranch Aioli might make your fries look unattractive and soaking wet if you try to combine everything beforehand.

28. Chicken Burrito Bowl

Total time: Around 1 hour.

When it comes to graduation parties, a Burrito bar is always a prevalent pick. As a result, I’d recommend this simple chicken Burrito Bowl. Stir-fried, spiced ground chicken, Chipotle cream sauce, black beans, and corn are something you can go for.

Just like some previously mentioned recipes, you just need to pre-make all the components, serve, and your guests will decide what they want to eat. Brown rice base for a more nutritious dish is a must, so you have to include it on your party’s food bar.

29. Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Total time: About 20 minutes.

It’s totally possible to combine Muffins and sausages to make a whole new dish called Corn Dog Mini Muffins. The Muffin batter consists of only all-purpose flour, cornmeal, and baking soda with no proofing period needed, So you don’t need to spend much time to have it done.

About the corn dog or sausages in the center of your Muffins, you can make your own choice here by utilizing any brands you like. This sweet-savory dish goes well with both ketchup and mustard so that you can prepare these two sides in your food bar.

Don’t hesitate to put the leftovers into the airtight containers after the party and freeze them for the upcoming meals. These favorable Muffins are safe inside the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months. How impressive!

It’ll be fun making Corn Dog Mini Muffins with this instruction!

30. Hot Dog Nuggets / Mini Dogs

Total time: Approximately 18 minutes.

It would be much more convenient if you could prepare your party treats with the help of cooking appliances, and this Hot Dog Nugget is one of them. You can make this specialty with your ninja air fryer (or other machine brands) and still receive a satisfying result.

Canned (or homemade) crescent rolls will provide the exterior for these gorgeous mini dogs. In case you want to cook this delight with an oven, you need to preheat it to 400 degrees F (or 200 degrees C) while you don’t have to do so with an air fryer.

Various condiments can pair with your air-fried Hot Dog Nuggets so you can set everything on the bar. Mustard, chili/BBQ sauce, or ketchup can perfectly complement your Nuggets.

31. Cheesy Crescent Pizza Bites

Total time: Approximately 24 minutes.

A Pizza may be too heavy for a buffet party, but a delicious Crescent Pizza Bite is perfectly appropriate. Using the same idea as the Hot Dog Nuggets previously mentioned, you should employ premade crescent dough to save processing time.

Simply fill your Pizza Bites with stringy Mozzarella cheese and Pepperoni (spicy Italian dry sausages). The treat tastes wonderful when it’s hot and complemented by some Marinara sauce (a spicy, tomato-based sauce) for dipping.

Mozzarella’s neutral cheesy richness matches the dip’s subtle pungency from garlic and other seasonings. Anyway, you can keep the leftovers (covered) in the fridge for 2 days and put them in the toaster if you want to have some later.

32. Walking Tacos / Frito Pies / Frito Boats

Total time: About 30 minutes.

This recipe is called Walking Taco (or Frito Pies) because it’s convenient to munch on the go, making it suitable for your graduation celebration’s buffet party.

Walking Tacos are an ideal ground beef-included recipe for beef-lovers, and you should saute the meat with tomato sauce.

Instead of having crispy corn tortillas like the traditional recipe, these Walking Tacos call for any kinds of chips you love. However, the corn-based ones might offer you the most Taco-reminiscent flavors afterward.

Since it’s a Taco recipe, you should never miss the fresh toppings like chopped avocados, cooked beans, sour cream, etc. You can set those things on the bar, and your guests can choose their own favorite later.

Have 4 minutes to spare? Leave these Walking Tacos (Frito Pies) guidance a go!

33. Tiramisu Donuts / Filled Yeast Donuts

Total time: Approximately 3 hours 17 minutes (including 2 hours 20 minutes for the rising period).

Whenever it comes to Tiramisu, you might immediately think of a famous Italian dessert; however, these Donuts are a hybrid between these two. Their exteriors are crispy, and the interiors are loads of the signature mascarpone whipped cream of Tiramisu.

To create the perfectly puffed, hollow Donuts, remember to bloom the yeast in warm water (around 105 degrees F or 40 degrees C) for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough needs 1 to 3 hours to double in size (divided into two smaller periods).

Lastly, the chocolate glaze adds a beautiful finale to the whole party’s sweet treat. The espresso, butter, and light corn syrup can enhance the distinguishment inside this finger-licking-good delight.

These Foolproof Foods Will Never Screw Up Your Graduation Party

The graduation celebration seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime party, so it’s important not to make it turn out wrong. All of my recommended recipes above are effortless to follow and extremely easy to eat for almost everyone.

Remember to tell me which ones you prefer and what else you want to suggest to me? I hope that my suggestions today are helpful to you and your loved ones. Share my article with your friends, or else if you see my article can benefit them as well. Loving is sharing!