Easy Holiday Potluck Recipes to Bring to a Party

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Invited to a holiday gathering and wondering what to bring? The easiest holiday potluck recipes to rely on are often familiar, shareable dishes that travel well and are simple to serve.

We’ve gathered dependable, well tested and long time loved, appetizers, salads and sides, cookies, cheesecakes, and pies from our recipe collection to help you find a good fit for the occasion. These are all well tested recipes you can trust to be well accepted as your party offering.

Most parties call for something easy and popular. If you’d like to bring a dish that feels a little more special, we have ideas for that, too. Use the quick descriptions below to choose, then follow the recipe link for the details.

This guide is for guests looking for one good dish to bring at a glance—not a full party menu.

To see all of our holiday potluck recipes, start with the quick appetizers and party food archive, browse side dishes and salads, or find more treats in our dessert collection and cookie archive. For ideas organized by celebration, visit our Holiday Recipes & Entertaining hub.

Our Standout Favorite Holiday Potluck Recipes:

Here’s a short list of some of our favorite well loved holiday potluck recipes.

• A simple appetizer: Simple Goat Cheese Appetizer
• A warm dip: Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip or Loaded Chicken Bacon Ranch dip
• A hearty side: Grandma Cash’s Hamburger Bean Casserole
• A cookie tray treat: M&M Cookie Bars
• A dessert to make ahead: Lemon Cheesecake Delight

Easy appetizers to bring

• Cranberry goat Cheese Log:-A pretty, quick-to-assemble cheese log with fig jam, honey, and pistachios. Serve it with sturdy crackers and a small spreader. It’s one of our well-loved appetizer recipes and takes about 10 minutes to put together.
• Cranberry Raspberry Brie Bites-These little pastry bites look festive on a tray and make easy finger food. You can prepare them ahead, then bake them before serving.
• Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes-A sweet-and-savory bite made with just sweet potatoes and bacon. It takes a little more hands-on prep, but readers have rated and commented on this recipe over the years.

Salads and sides that travel

A substantial salad or side can be a welcome contribution to a potluck table. These recipes are easy to portion and share. For cold salads, plan to transport them chilled.

• Broccoli Bacon Salad– A longtime reader favorite with broccoli, bacon, and a creamy dressing. It’s a make-ahead choice for potlucks and family gatherings.
• Tortellini Salad with Pepperoni-An easy pasta salad with hearty ingredients that make it feel substantial enough to bring as a side. Keep it chilled until serving.
• Funeral Potatoes (hash brown casserole)-A comforting, cheesy potato casserole for a gathering where you can bring a hot dish or warm it at the destination.

Cookies and sweets for a dessert table

Cookies and bars are among the easiest desserts to transport and set out. They don’t need serving utensils, and guests can take one as they visit.

• Pressed Spritz Cookies-A festive cookie for a holiday tray, with shapes and decorations you can adjust for the season.
• Simple Rolled Holiday Cookies-A make-ahead cookie option for sharing. Decorate them to suit the holiday or gathering.
• Almond Joy Cookies–delicious and very popular cookies for a party tray.

Cheesecakes and dessert bars

For a dessert that feels a little more special, choose a bar or bite that can be made ahead. Keep cream cheese and other perishable desserts chilled while traveling.

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
  A rich Fall Dessert cut into small pieces for sharing. The pumpkin flavor makes it especially appealing for fall and winter gatherings.
• Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
  Fresh strawberries filled with sweet cheesecake filling make a pretty, individual dessert on a tray. They’re best made the day of the party and kept chilled.
• Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake– a fresh, chilled summer dessert.

Pies to share

A pie can be a lovely contribution when you have time to make something more special.

• Sour Apple Pie– An excellent, easy to make dessert with a crumble topping.
• Caramel Apple Pie-A special autumn dessert for guests who enjoy bringing a homemade showpiece.
• Banoffee Pie-A chilled cream pie layered with banana and dulce de leche. It’s a rich, eye-catching choice when you can keep it cold during transport. And so simple to make.

A few recipes we recommend from our own kitchen

Some recipes are newer to this roundup, or haven’t had as much time to build a long history of reader shares and comments. These are recipes we’ve made, know you will enjoy and are happy to recommend.

• Mediterranean Pasta salad– lovely, delicious, party tested and doesn’t require refrigeration
• Caprese Salad Bites — fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil on party picks. This is a fabulous choice for summer parties. keep chilled while traveling.
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad-A favorite in our family and well loved party offering
• Seven Layer Bean dip-This is fun one for summer. Fresh and zippy and goes fast at a party.
• Holiday Cranberry Bliss Bars– these are a little more work but so well received. A festive dessert-bar option for a holiday tray. Keep chilled until serving.

A few things to consider before you choose

Every season comes with its own challenges when you’re transporting, making ahead or storing party food.

Think about how the food will travel and be served. Cold salads and cream-based desserts need to stay chilled. Hot dips and casseroles need a way to stay warm. If the gathering is outdoors in summer, choose a dish that can be kept at a safe temperature. For more information, follow the FDA’s safe buffet serving guidelines.

For most parties, simple and familiar is a welcome choice. Pick something you enjoy making, check whether the host has serving or reheating space, and bring a dish that’s ready to share.

For most parties, simple and familiar is a welcome choice. Pick something you enjoy making, check whether the host has serving or reheating space, and bring a dish that’s ready to share

Diane Williams

Diane Williams is co-founder of Homemade Food Junkie and the primary editor and publisher of the site. She develops from-scratch recipes, sourdough baking tutorials, and garden-to-kitchen content designed to help home cooks succeed.