40+ of the Best Potluck Dishes

9/27/18

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The best potluck dishes are simple, delicious, and easy to make enough to feed a crowd. From appetizers to snacks, side dishes to desserts, you’ll find plenty of ideas for what to bring to a potluck in this collection. Some of these easy potluck recipes are traditional, others are new and creative, but they will have everyone begging you for the recipes. And I have over 30 of the Best Dishes to Take to a Potluck for you!

40+ of the Best Potluck Recipes

Spring and summer are the seasons for backyard barbecues, impromptu picnics, and all sorts of occasions where food is the centerpiece. This doesn’t change in the fall, when people are gathering to watch games and snack on the best tailgating recipes. And come winter, it’s the holiday season, when there is always a reason to get together with friends.

So you always need some easy recipes on standby that will impress and feed plenty of people. Make sure you save this collection to come back to any time you are invited to a party and asked to bring a dish to share.

What is a potluck?

A potluck is any kind of dinner party or another gathering where everyone attending brings a dish to share. Sometimes it is called a covered dish party because many people bring something cooked in a casserole dish. This makes party planning easier and shares the costs amongst the group.

In theory, by everyone bringing a dish you have a full menu and a number of different things to try. However, it’s very easy to end up with an imbalance, maybe having too many desserts and not enough side dishes. One way to manage this is to have people sign up or assign a category to each person or family attending so that you have an even distribution. Another option is for the host to provide the main dish, and everyone else brings appetizers, sides, and desserts.

What to bring to a potluck? And how to serve food at a potluck?

The best potluck food ideas, of course, have to be crowd-pleasing, but there are also practical things to keep in mind.

Depending on the size of the crowd, you might want to find recipes that are easy to double or triple.
Since the food may get left out for awhile, depending on how hot it is, recipes that can stand at room temperature might be a good thing to consider. There are some great serving platters on ice if this is a concern for you.
Also, think about how to keep food hot at a potluck. Maybe you’ll want to keep it warm in a crockpot, and a slow cooker with a locking lid is helpful for transporting food without spilling. Or perhaps the host will have warming racks, in which case you’ll want to have your dish in foil pans to set on the rack.
It’s also helpful to bring your own serving utensils, perhaps even disposable serving utensils so you don’t have to worry about getting it back.