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    Home » Party Food

    Game Night Snacks & Dinner Ideas

    Published: Feb 17, 2025 · Modified: Feb 17, 2025 by Jessica Fisher

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    Hosting a crowd for fun and games? Don’t let your guests go hungry. Choose from any of these budget-friendly game night snacks and dinner ideas.

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    Table of Contents
    • Game Night Snacks or Game Night Dinner?
    • Tips for Success
    • Themes for Game Night Food
    • Game Night Snacks Recipes
    • Game Night Desserts

    Our family hosts a monthly Open Game Night for our kids’ high school, college, and young adult friends. The ages range from 16 to late 20s and it’s always a fun night.

    As the hostess and mom, I’ve really enjoyed the chance to get to know my kids’ friends and to extend hospitality to the younger generation. If you’ve only heard bad stuff about “kids today,” then it’s time to rethink some things. It’s been such a pleasure to host these young people on a regular basis.

    For over a year now, hosting a game night each month has been a highlight. At first we served game night snacks, but quickly decided that serving a game night dinner was better for our guests.

    The basic steps include:

    • I create a Canva graphic with the details of game night as well as a menu.
    • The kids issue invitations via text.
    • I spend the coming weeks tracking sales and clearance to match my menu’s theme.
    • The week of game night, the kids check in with their friends and give me a rough headcount of RSVPs.
    • The day of, we clean the house and prep the food.
    • We set up tables and chairs and open our home.

    You can get more of the details of Hosting a Game Night over on Life as Mom. We’re here for the food.

    game night graphic of invitation.

    Game Night Snacks or Game Night Dinner?

    Choosing between game night snacks or game night dinner is a personal choice.

    We ended up deciding on dinner because it fit better into the time frame we wanted to host and turned out to be a better option for our guests, many of whom are busy students and/or living on tight budgets.

    Tips for Success

    We’ve been doing this for close to 18 months now. With trial and error, I’m figuring out what works best for game night snacks and dinners.

    1. Plan ahead so you can scan sales and clearance for good deals.
    2. Make freezer-friendly foods if you can.
    3. Check your paper goods in advance so you’re not running out at the last minute for cups and napkins.
    4. Lay out sharpies next to the cups so that folks can keep track of their drinks. (This is Hostessing for Kids 101)
    5. Purchase a big water dispenser so that you’re not fussing with drinks or long lines at the fridge. You’ll be surprised how much water kids will drink! We go through three gallons of water easily.
    6. Many of these kitchen tools have come in handy.
    7. Be mindful of food allergies. My daughter has a severe nut allergy as do some of our regular guests. Since I’m vigilant about nut safety, I do all the cooking and vet foods that folks bring to contribute. (I know it seems uptight, but I’d rather not call 911 on Game Night.)
    8. Offer an easy dessert such as cookies or cupcakes so that there’s little mess and no need for plates, etc.
    overhead shot of monopoly travel with plates of food.

    Themes for Game Night Food

    Each month I choose a theme. Some of the game night dinner themes we’ve used before include:

    Quesadilla Bar

    I laid out lots of tortillas and bowls of cheese as well as fillings and toppings. I loved this idea, but it took way too long for everyone to assemble and cook his quesadillas.

    It could work for a smaller crowd, but it’s not conducive to a game night with a lot of people when you want to get playing.

    Taco Bar

    I made several different taco fillings and laid out an assortment of toppings and bases. I recommend keeping things simple by limiting yourself to 1-2 proteins and 1-2 bases. It’s easy to go overboard with a taco bar.

    Soup Night

    I served a couple of different soups, plus bread and butter. Unfortunately, we had a smaller crowd that month and lots of leftover soup.

    One of the lessons I learned was to make sure I make foods that you don’t mind having for days later or that can freeze well.

    Grilled Cheese Bar

    Similar to the quesadilla bar, a grilled cheese was a good concept in theory but broke down when it came time to cook everyone’s sandwich. I was basically cooking to order which can become excessive for 30-40 people.

    Again, make this for a smaller crowd.

    meat platter with forked tongs on side.

    Snacky Dinner

    A snacky dinner is delicious and fun to prep, but it can be hard to gauge how much you will need of each item. Have some backup items in the fridge in case you run out and replenish as needed.

    Pasta Bar

    This is by far the easiest and actually the most popular of the options I have served, and one I will have on repeat from now on. I make a number of pasta-based casseroles, like lasagna or Chicken Florentine Casserole, plus salad and bread.

    Casseroles for Days

    I plan to repeat the casserole theme for future Game Nights. We’ll be making and freezing Shepherd’s Pie for St Patrick’s Day and I’m counting on several pans of enchiladas in May.

    Grilling in Summer

    Summer game nights lend themselves to grilling whatever budget proteins I can find and making big batches of summer salads, such as:

    • Potato Salad
    • Macaroni Salad
    • Pasta Salad

    Friendsgiving

    In November, we hosted Friendsgiving. I used Signup.com to coordinate the food, and the kids really came together. We had our biggest turnout over all with over 40 people in attendance.

    We’ll definitely be doing this again.

    pile of chips on a plate topped with chicken dip.

    Game Night Snacks Recipes

    If you don’t need or want to serve a full dinner, game night snacks are the way to go. Choose items that are easy to scale for your crowd and make sure you have some that can stay at room temperature for the evening.

    Also, choose foods that are easy to eat without interfering with game play.

    I recommend any and all of these game night snacks recipes:

    pile of chips on a plate topped with chicken dip.
    Spicy Chicken Dip
    This Spicy Chicken Dip is out of this world. Creamy, cheesy, spicy, and full of tender chicken pieces, this dip will please kids and adults alike.
    Learn More
    overhead shot of jalapeno cream cheese dip with sliced jalapeños on top and a spoon twirled in the cheese.
    Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
    This Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip is packed with flavor from jalapeno, bell pepper, garlic, and onion, as well as creaminess from cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar. It's perfect for dipping!
    Learn More
    jar of jalapeño salsa with sliced chiles on top and bunch of cilantro and whole on table beside.
    Easy Homemade Salsa
    Chips and salsa are always a crowd pleaser. But, what if you made your own salsa? This Super Easy Homemade Salsa will make you the hit of the party!
    Learn More
    hand dipping a potato chip into bowl of sour cream onion dip near platter of veggie dippers.
    Sour Cream Onion Dip
    This recipe will help you make Sour Cream Onion Dip easy and without any packaged soup mix. It’s perfect for snacking!
    Learn More
    veggie tray made on wooden board on a diagonal on a white counter.
    Easy Vegetable Tray
    Purchased vegetable trays are convenient, but they can be costly. Here’s all you need to create a super easy veggie tray and save money.
    Learn More
    overhead shot of the relish tray near a stack of toothpicks on a holiday table.
    Easy, Affordable Relish Tray
    A relish tray is a great dish to add to the appetizer or dinner table. It is super simple and totally affordable to make with select veggies, olives, and pickles.
    Learn More
    meat and cheese platters on buffet table.
    Meat and Cheese Platters
    Host a party or even a casual meal with friends and serve Homemade Meat and Cheese Platters can make the meal so easy and cheap!
    Learn More
    closeup of sweet and sour pulled chicken on hawaiian bun.
    Sweet and Sour Shredded Chicken Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
    Let your slow cooker do the work with an easy sweet and sour pulled chicken filling perfect for sandwiches and wraps. This simple crockpot recipe will save you time and money!
    Learn More
    side view of stack of ham and cheese sliders on foil, with melty cheese.
    Ham & Swiss Sliders
    Come home to an easy supper: hot Ham and Swiss Sliders! Not only do they taste fabulous, but they’re also freezer-friendly.
    Learn More
    A plate of rice and meatballs
    Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Meatballs
    Make takeout for cheap at home with these easy slow cooked, sweet and sour meatballs. The sauce cooks in the slow cooker and mimics the flavor of restaurant Chinese food.
    Learn More
    A tray of homemade pigs in blankets
    Pigs in Blankets
    Whip up an easy butterhorn dough for delicious pigs in blankets, a little more homemade.
    Learn More
    A plastic container with cookies and summer rolls
    Summer Rolls
    Vietnamese summer rolls are refreshing and fun to eat. Seasoned chicken, veggies, and rice noodles are tucked into rice paper rounds for a delicious appetizer or light main dish.
    Learn More
    samosa cups on a plate
    Samosa Cups
    Samosa Cups are crunchy little bundles of seasoned ground meat, onions, and African spices. They are a delicious shortcut to traditional samosa.
    Learn More
    overhead shot of open faced cucumber sandwiches.
    Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches
    This Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches recipe is super simple with just a few ingredients: sandwich bread, English cucumbers, cream cheese, chives, and Everything Seasoning.
    Learn More
    cookies stacked on white plate with fresh blueberries and a lemon round in the foreground.

    Don’t forget to include some easy desserts for game night!

    Game Night Desserts

    A plate of Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Jessika’s Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

    A plate of Snickerdoodle, with glass of milk

    Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

    stack of four cookies on plate

    Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that Don’t Need Eggs

    stack of brown sugar bars divided by parchment paper squares.

    Brown Sugar Bars with Pepitas

    white spoon and fork on a teal plate logo.

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    Comments

    1. Keli

      March 18, 2025 at 6:13 pm

      As a fellow allergy mama I love that you take that into account for food. I love the ideas for game night food.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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