potluck dinner

20+ Easy Potluck Ideas

Best Of..., Southern Potlucks & Parties

These tasty and easy potluck ideas will make you the hit of the party. From deviled eggs to pound cakes, these potluck recipes will give you plenty of delicious options.


The Potluck Gathering

In the South, we love a good potluck. Family, friends, and neighbors come together, and everyone brings their specialty dish. It’s a great way to get to know people a little better, and it’s always fun to see what everyone brings.

Typical foods brought to summer potlucks include chicken salad, corn salad, potato salad, fruit salad, pasta salad… Wow, that’s a lot of salads. Well, we have many other options for you, plus a couple of our own salads too! We also have dishes that are great for any time of year, including for holiday potlucks.

Our list of foods includes some potluck classics and also some unique dishes. And whether you’re a Southerner or not, these recipes just might make your next potluck even more fun!

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a traditional potluck dish because they’re such a crowd-pleaser. They’re an easy appetizer to make in large quantities to feed a big crowd, and they’re delicious.

Our deviled egg recipe can be made with or without paprika and it also has substitutions for those who are keeping it more healthy.

Southern Deviled Egg Recipe – They’ll Fly Off The Potluck Table

deviled eggs

Oven Baked Meatballs

What’s more fun than a cocktail meatball? These goodies are an easy potluck recipe and these bite-sized treats are as healthy as they are tasty.

While traditional potluck recipes for meatballs often involve a slow cooker and red sauce, we change things up with an oven baked version using ground turkey. You don’t need to lug your crock pot to the party for these treats.

And a creamy parmesan cheese dipping sauce on the side makes these the perfect appetizer.

Bang Up Oven Baked Turkey Meatballs

baked meatballs

Potluck Spareribs

These spareribs make a great potluck main dish. Team up with friends to make sure there is a baked potato dish and baked beans to go with these ribs’ delicious flavor of homemade BBQ sauce.

Potluck Spareribs Recipe: How to Make It | Taste of Home

spareribs on plate

Collard Greens

We need a veggie dish on this list, right? Some Southern greens are the perfect food for any potluck.

These instant pot collard greens are so flavorful and lovely. When collards are in season, you’ll want to make this potluck side dish for any party you attend because it’s so easy.

Instant Pot Collard Greens You’ll Want To Dip Your Corn Bread Into

collard greens

The Classic Casserole

So you need easy potluck recipes for a main dish? Oh have we got you covered here. Five recipes, and each is a unique and delicious casserole dish.

Check out our recipes for sausage & grits, ham & cheddar cheese, pinto bean, bacon cheeseburger tater tot, and chicken pot pie casseroles! They each make a great potluck dinner.

All the Casseroles are here!

Fried Chicken Wings

What’s a potluck without chicken wings or fried chicken? It’s a must, and is always a popular dish that goes fast!

Our fried chicken recipe will give you all the tips you need to get the crunchiest, juiciest, and most flavorful fried chicken.

Southern Crispy Fried Chicken for your next potluck

fried chicken

Brussels Sprouts and Cherry Tomato Salad

This perfect potluck salad is not only beautiful to look at, but it’s healthful and delicious as well! If you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, think again. This recipe will turn you into a fan of this versatile veggie.

These brussels sprouts are lightly sautéed in shallot-garlic infused olive oil, mixed with cherry tomatoes, topped with parmesan, and glazed with balsamic reduction. Adding fresh herbs to salads is a wonderful touch, and I love adding basil to this dish.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Cherry Tomato Salad Recipe | Cooking LSL

brussel sprout and cherry tomato salad

Potluck Taco Casserole

Another casserole dish that everyone is sure to enjoy is this Tex-Mex ground beef taco casserole. I serve this with tortilla chips and a side of guacamole, black bean dip, salsa, and extra sour cream.

My family loves this dish, and I think you’re going to love this potluck idea for your next gathering!

Potluck Taco Casserole Recipe: How to Make It | Taste of Home

taco salad potluck casserole

The Slab Pie

Okay, now those dishes we just listed are all great ones, but let’s get to the desserts already! Slab pies are perfect for potlucks.

What’s a slab pie, you ask? Well imagine a regular pie, and then make it into a rectangle big enough to feed your whole crew! Check out how to make one:

These slab pies are yummy and great for gatherings when you need more than a 9″. They’re sweet and tasty and will fly off the table. The peach or key lime pie are perfect summer potluck recipes while the sweet potato or apple pie are an excellent dessert for a Thanksgiving potluck party.

Don’t forget the whipped cream!

Pound Cake

Forget your banana bread recipe. I don’t know about you, but when it’s time for dessert, I need some cake.

Here are some of the best pound cake recipes you’ll ever come across. They use ingredients like cream cheese, brown sugar, and sour cream to make the most moist, delicious, and dense cakes that will fly off the table!

Pound Cake Recipes for Everyone

Watch how amazing this apple pound cake looks…and not too hard to make, right?!

Southern Bread Pudding

Here’s another good-size dessert for your potluck crowd — Bread Pudding.

Try yours with some simple stale white bread or get fancy with Brioche or French bread. I’ve even seen bread pudding dishes made from stale doughnuts or cinnamon rolls!

Southern Bread Pudding for all your guests!

bread pudding potluck recipe

Cookies!

Every potluck needs a big ole pile of cookies. Why? Because there are people like me who will snack on them during the entire party. Cookies are a great munchie that can sit out all day.

These cookies aren’t your basic chocolate chip. They also include peanut butter, oatmeal, and raisins for a delectable treat!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin All Star Cookies

cookies

Ambrosia Salad

Another great summer potluck recipe for a easy sweet treat is ambrosia fruit salad. This traditional dish is a Southern favorite, and it’s a nice and cool dessert for a hot day.

Our version of this tasty treat uses a non-traditional set of ingredients – blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. You’ll love this twist on the classic. Of all our easy potluck ideas, this one may be the simplest — you can’t go wrong.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Strawberries and Blueberries

ambrosia fruit salad

Pink Salad

Speaking of cool treats, this pink salad recipe is unique, delicious, and its beautiful pink color just says springtime!

So if you like easy potluck ideas and want to make a nice fluffy sweet pink salad, this will do it. It has fruit and just the right amount of fluff to make it super tasty.

Easy Pink Salad With Cool Whip And Jello

pink salad

Don’t Forget the Drinks…

Are you in charge of the beverages? Here you’ll find some Super Celebratory champagne cocktail recipes complete with all the fixings.

Southerners LOVE a good party, a good tradition, a good celebration, and a good drink. Serve these great champagne cocktails at your next potluck.

25+ Champagne Cocktails For Your Festive Holiday Bash

cocktail potluck ideas

Want more easy potluck ideas?

If we didn’t include the perfect potluck recipe idea for you, we have more! Check out our Index and enjoy our full selection of delicious recipes!

If you’re looking for Thanksgiving potluck ideas, we have some special recipes for that day as well. We’ve also got you covered for your Christmas potluck.


Here’s your handy list of all our favorite easy potluck recipes. Enjoy!

potluck dinner

20+ Potluck Recipes Everyone Will Love

These tasty and easy potluck ideas will make you the hit of the party. From deviled eggs to pound cakes, these potluck recipes will give you plenty of delicious options.
5 from 1 vote
Course potluck dish
Cuisine American, Southern

Instructions
 

  • Select your favorite potluck dish from the list above.
  • Follow the link for the recipe.
  • Prepare and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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