How to Host a Potluck

Gathering friends and family for a potluck meal? Plan for the perfect potluck with these tips and tricks for a Successful Potluck Party! An outstanding potluck involves guests (and inviting them to bring a favorite dish!), planning, preparation, organization and a little more… but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Knock your potluck out of the park with these simple tips.

2025 Update: This post was originally shared in July 2017 after my friend, Dixya, hosted a potluck at her home for DFW bloggers. The post has been completely revamped to show the steps to hosting a potluck meal for your people and includes all my tips and tricks. I hope this helps you plan a gathering of your own!

Is it any surprise that food bloggers know how to potluck?

(The answer should be a resounding, “NO!”)

A few months ago, my friend, Dixya reached out to me and other DFW blogger to see if we’d be interested in getting together this summer. I wholeheartedly agreed… and earlier this month, she invited us to her home for the first DFW Bloggers Summer Potluck!

We had an absolute blast… and after attending that party, I wanted to share some tips I learned from Dixya and the other ladies for your next potluck.

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Hint: It’s all about the food and preparation. 😉

Why you should host a potluck:

Potlucks are a blast and a great way to bring people together with lower stress on you, the host.

You can decide upon a theme for the potluck, decide what you plan to provide and let your guests hop in to assist and fill out the rest of the table.

No matter what you decide to cook, hosting a potluck is a lovely idea to bring people you like together.

The best part is that it’s all about connection, not perfection. 

Also, it’s an easier way to enjoy a dinner party with the people you enjoy without being on the hook for all the food.

What are some occasions that you could throw a potluck party for?

If you need an excuse to throw one of these parties, here are a few easy potluck ideas for you…

• Graduation party
• Housewarming party
• Goodbye party
• At work
• Holiday, like a Friendsgiving potluck, Christmas potluck or a Valentine’s potluck
• A baby shower or a bridal shower
• Football or sports-themed party
• Special occasions or Sunday dinners with the people you love
• Just because

I’ve listed out some potluck recipes for various themes below, but this is more of a guide of HOW to host a potluck, so keep that in mind as you read. 🙂

More events to host: Date Night at Home | How to Host a Cookie Decorating Party | How to Host Brunch at Home | How to Host Thanksgiving | How to Host Christmas Dinner

1. Choose your potluck date and put together your guest list.

Hosting a potluck is about gathering the people you love in one place for a communal meal! The first thing you need to do in order to host a potluck dinner is to choose your date and then invite your people.

Obviously, you need to do what works best for you here, so…

Choose your date. I suggest picking a day where you and your guests have plenty of time to cook. For me and my people, this tends to be a weekend.

Write out your guest list and who you’d like to include.

2. Plan a menu or a theme.

This is something you should have an idea about before you invite your guests because you need your food to feel cohesive. Right?

You’re not the only person cooking for this event, but you ARE planning and hosting it, which means you are coordinating.

Here’s what you should do:

• Choose a theme. (Some common ones might be BBQ, brunch, soup, etc. Choose something that’s broad enough so lots of people can bring dishes within the theme.)
• Decide what you’re going to cook. I recommend finding simple recipes that pack in a ton of flavor to make it as easy as possible on yourself. I’ve got a great list below with some ideas.
• Open communications with guests about what is being brought. Share with them what you are providing to give inspiration and guidance. Encourage them to bring a different side dish/appetizer/drink/dessert.

After all, one of the reasons to host a pot luck is to share delicious food!

How to communicate the recipes and who is bringing what beforehand:

Share how you want guests to reach out to you about what they plan to bring.

Some options include:

• Have guests message you individually about their recipe.
• Create a group text thread if everyone knows everyone already.
• Create a digital sign up sheet or spreadsheet for everyone to fill in what they plan to bring.

I realize this might sound a little controlling, but it’s best to do this so you don’t have three No Mayo Potato Salad recipes at your BBQ-themed potluck and no coleslaw, pulled pork or dessert.

What should I make as the host?

That depends on you, your taste buds and what you want to share. It goes without saying that everyone wants to bring a crowd-pleasing dish.

You might consider making more than one dish since you are the host.

Also, you might consider providing the main dish and leave the the rest of. the potluck dishes, like finger foods, side dishes, desserts and drinks, to guests.

Consider your options as you plan out your theme. Since you’re the host, you get first dibs on what to make and share, so choose something that makes you happy and something that will be easy to prepare!

Potluck Food Ideas:

That depends on your theme and what you like to eat and share. Some gatherings might feel good to serve cheese and crackers or snacks while others feel like a more traditional meal. No matter what you choose, there are SO many easy recipes to make for it!

I recommend making and sharing YOUR favorite recipes for occasions like this.

If you’re going with a seasonal menu, I love doing Crock Pot and slow cooker recipes for BBQ in the summertime. (So within this, you could serve Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, Spicy Baked Beans with Bacon, No Mayo Coleslaw with Honey Mustard Dressing, ground beef Taco Pasta Salad, homemade BBQ sauce, etc.)

If it’s the wintertime, consider a soup-themed party or comfort food. Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup is comforting as all get out. Pair it with some homemade bread or cornbread muffins. Texas Chili is another fantastic and meaty dish to serve and share.

Make it a TexMex-inspired potluck, with Skirt Steak Tacos, Charred Corn Salsa, Caramelized Onion Guacamole and more!

Have a grilling-based potluck with grilled sausage, vegetables and more.

Perhaps you’d like to host an appetizer-themed potluck for a sports-related gathering. Cheese Dip for Pretzels is always a winner, as is Homemade Loaded Queso. (You can keep them warm in a small slow cooker, too!) Winston’s Garlic Hummus is a crowd-pleasing dip served with Homemade Pita Chips. Serve up Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for anyone with a sweet tooth.

For the blogger summer potluck I attended, I brought Ricotta Crostini with Grilled Peaches as an easy finger food to share. Friends brought a mixture of classics and more unique items, like Chicken Taco Rings, Baked Parmesan Tomatoes, Southwestern Macaroni and Cheese Bacon Cups, Golden Quinoa Roasted Veggie Salad with “Peanut” Ginger Dressing, lamb meatballs with eggplant and yogurt dip, dulce de leche apple pie and dulce de leche mousse. We sipped two different types of sangria, too!

Obviously, you need to take into account the number of guests that you’re hosting to ensure there is enough food. And since every guest is going to be bringing a food or drink item, you can ensure you’re going to have enough.

3. Invite friends.

You can send out a digital invite with the details or a printed out design… you do you!

Be sure to include all the information about your potluck that your guests might need in the invitation. So if you want guests to message you about what they plan to bring, state it clearly on the invite. If you want to create a Google document where they can write their preferred dish, do that. If you want them to bring their dish(es) ready on a serving platter and with serving utensils, state it here.

Here are some thoughts on invitations and how to invite your people.

Potluck Invitation Ideas

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You can invite your people however you like to your event. If you want to send an invite, great. If you’d rather invite via text or a simple email, have at it! The key here is making it easy on yourself.

If you’re looking for something to make your potluck to feel a little more special, here are a few ideas of how to step up your invite game:

• Design a Potluck invitation in a free program like Canva and send it via email or text.
• Design a virtual invitation in a program like Evite.
• Purchase and print out an invitation from a company like Zazzle or Amazon, then send. (This option will take more time, so be mindful of that when planning.) I really dig this simple but effective potluck party invite. These greenery invites are plain, but you can fill in all the details and send.
• Purchase a digital invitation to message to your guests. This buffalo check picnic one is beautifully drawn. This BBQ potluck invite would be cute for any summer-themed potluck.

4. Plan your cooking timeline.

Every event I host, I write a timeline for the cooking so I know when I need to start cooking and can ensure that my dishes are ready at the time I want to serve them.

If you’re hosting a potluck, you don’t want to have a lot of dishes to make, but being the host and coordinator might leave you with a little more to do than your guests.

Whether you’re making a single dish or doing one food recipe and a drink recipe or a food, drink and dessert, creating a cooking timeline is really helpful.

I’ve written a detailed post on how to create a cooking timeline, but here is the general idea:

How do I do this?

• First and foremost, print out any recipes. Open up the cookbook(s) you are using, too.
• Take out a pen and a sheet of paper. Alternately, you could do this digitally.
• Write down how long every recipe takes to cook, INCLUDING times for brining, chilling, etc.
• Make notes of anything that needs to be made the day of vs. dishes (or parts of dishes) that can be made in advance.
• Decide on your food serving time (which should be about 45 minutes to an hour after guests arrive) and work backwards to know when everything needs to start cooking.
• Build in wiggle room. I like to leave 30-45 minutes of this for myself before serving, so I start a little earlier just in case something takes longer.

Once you know your start time, write out a detailed list of what goes into the oven (or on the stovetop/slow cooker/etc.) and when so you can stay on top of it on your potluck day.

Keep this list on your refrigerator or somewhere in your kitchen that is very obvious so you can check it as you prepare.

5. Grocery shop.

This is an important step to gather the ingredients for the recipe(s) that you are preparing, but also to get other things you might need for the gathering. Visit your local grocery stores up to a week in advance.

Get everything you could possibly need when you’re at the store, too.

This means grabbing paper plates, cups and cutlery if you don’t want to use your actual plates, cups and silverware at the event. (Which, let’s be real, makes cleanup a lot easier. Also, if you’re hosting more than 4/6/8/10 guests, do you really have enough plates for everyone? Probably not.)

Will you send friends home with to-go containers of leftovers? If so, grab a package of those containers while at the store.

We are big fans of these compostable compostable plates, compostable and plant-based clear cups and biodegradable cutlery* (affiliate links) for parties, but you can use plastic or melamine reusable plates, cups and cutlery, too.

Need beverages: beer, wine and spirits? Add that store to your list (if your state requires you to go to a specialty store), and purchase what you need in advance so you don’t have to run out the day-of. Alternately, you can assign 1-2 friends this job and let them have fun with it!

Some friends might bring a bottle of wine with them, so prepare for that, too.

6. Know what you’re going to serve your dishes on/in.

The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.

Once you know what you are cooking, you should decide what you’re going to serve your dish(es) in.

I will write each dish out on sticky notes, then label the platters according to recipe.

In addition to the labeling, I will put the serving pieces on/in the dish after placing them where I want the food to be served.

(You can label your serving dishes and put them back in the cabinets until the day of.)

Here are some of my favorite dishes to use while entertaining:

• Long Porcelain Serving Platter
• Rectangular Platter in White
• White Medium-Sized Serving Bowl
• Large Bowl in any color of your choosing
• Pottery serving bowls

That said, feel free to use whatever you have on hand and get creative! Your dishes don’t have to all be the same shape or pattern. Mix and match patterns to add some color and fun.

Also, remind your guests bring their own serving platters for their dishes — and remember to tell them to bring tongs and servingware, too! This comes in handy if you don’t have a ton of serving items at your house.

You can learn about My Favorite Easy Entertaining Tools and Products, too!

7. Make anything you can in advance.

This step obviously depends on what you’re cooking. It also depends on what you can prep in advance, but not cook.

Whenever I host a gathering, be it a potluck, a holiday brunch or even Friendsgiving, I like to choose recipes that I can make in advance, either partially or all the way, because it makes my life a lot easier and less stressful.

Obviously, this doesn’t work for every recipe, but getting out ahead of the cooking is a great way to be less stressed when hosting.

Here are some examples of things you can prepare ahead of time:

• Chop fruits and veggies the day before. Obviously, some fruits and veggies will keep better than others, so use your discretion. For example, chopping an apple or a banana one day in advance is a bad idea. Strawberries are OK if you want them to have tons of juices, but otherwise, hold off.
• Purchase pre-chopped veggies at the store, like onions or even a bag of salad greens. Do what you need to do to make it easy on yourself!
• Mix the salad dressing in a mason jar. Set it aside until guests have arrived to pour on top of the salad. Alternately, just get a jar of your favorite salad dressing at the store and don’t fret about this.
• Make a casserole. Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge before baking the day-of.
• Make a drink the day before. Let it hang out in the fridge!
• Bake your dessert one to two days before your event. Many desserts can be kept on the countertop. Just be sure to wrap it in plastic wrap once it’s cooled completely!

Obviously, these are all dependent on your menu, but think it through and see what can be done.

Really sit with your menu and decide it intentionally so that you can give yourself as much wiggle room as possible.

8. Decorate (if you want to.)

I am of the mind that we do not need our homes decorated to the hilt any time we host guests.

Let it be known: You don’t have to decorate your whole house for any occasion, let alone a potluck. You can make this gathering as fancy (or non-fancy) as you’d like. So if you run out of time, no one is going to judge you on your lack of flower arrangements or cutesy decor.

That said, you can definitely consider adding the following decorations quite easily:

• Centerpiece idea: Fresh cut greenery from your yard (or your neighbor’s) in a vase.
• Candles add to the ambiance. I always like to burn unscented candles when we have guests since scents can bother some people, me included.
• Festive paper (or fabric) napkins that match your gathering can add a pop of color to the tablescape! Chances are, you’ve probably got ‘em at home already. 
• Make a bar! Turn a buffet table or another unused table in the dining room into a bar and offer up different mixers for friends and family to make their own cocktails! Or set out the ingredients for one specific drink, print out the recipe and let everyone mix up their own. Learn how to stock your bar for $100 or less.
• Add a pitcher or two of water or tea to the table. Add mint leaves, lemon slices and more things (like other citrus or even fresh herbs, like rosemary) to both water and tea, so have fun with it! This will add both height and color, as well as allow your guests to stay hydrated.

9. Take a deep breath, keep your cool and have fun!

The morning of your potluck, take a deep breath. The reason you’re hosting this event is because it’ll be fun.

Here’s how I like to fashion the start of any day I am playing host:

• Drink a cup of coffee and collect my thoughts.
• Choose what I’m wearing, if I haven’t already. (Honestly, this is great to decide days or even weeks in advance.)
• Read over my cooking timeline. Make note of when I’m going to get ready.
• Empty the dishwasher. This way, I won’t have dishes in the sink when guests arrive.
• Get started with my first task.

Hosting and entertaining can be stressful. Things can (and probably will) go awry. But you can control how you respond to things.

Some ways to combat the stress when things aren’t going as planned:

• Deep breaths. My older daughter’s teacher taught her all kinds of breathing exercises, and I like to use these to this day.
• Enlist help. There is nothing wrong in asking for assistance!
• Serve appetizers early along with drinks. This is especially nice when guests don’t know each other.
• Offer games for guests as an ice breaker. I’m partial to Apples to Apples because it reminds me of college, Boone’s Farm and my goofy newspaper friends, but Cards Against Humanity work, too, your guests have that sense of humor.
• Let guests mingle for a little longer than planned.

You can do this. Promise.

Don’t let entertaining keep you from interacting with your guests. Whenever we host, we’ve found everyone tends to gather in the kitchen as we finish whatever we are serving, and it’s a lot of fun to chat as you finish cooking.

When you’re hosting a potluck dinner, this line of thinking applies, too. Also, your friends might be in the kitchen with you finishing up their dishes, too. And if your guests offer a hand, let them help.

Make this fun for everyone — and everyone includes YOU. Your friends are celebrating with you because they like you, so spend time with them!

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