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Recipes

15 Easy Potluck Ideas That Will Get You Through the Holidays

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Ohio U chapter.

I always need easy potluck ideas when it comes to the holiday season. Somehow I’m always in a rush and feel as though I’m running around like a turkey with my head cut off. Although Christmas is just a few weeks away, I doubt many of us have started shopping. Inevitably, lists of things to do get backed up, we get stressed out, there are too many family events, more potlucks with friends are planned, and so on. 

We’ve all been in that situation where an event slips your mind and you have maybe two hours until you have to be somewhere … with a dish. This list of easy potluck ideas should help you out. These potluck ideas have few ingredients and some of them don’t even require you to cook or bake them. You’ll have a dish that is not only easy, but that will also feed the hungry crowd that’s waiting for you.

1. Lemon Bars

catered sweet pastry
Isabella Martin

These lemon bars have a few more ingredients than most of the items on this list and they take a couple minutes longer, but they’re equally delicious. Lemon bars are usually a hit at potlucks, and this recipe uses ingredients that you already have in your pantry.

2. Lebanese Hummus

easy potluck ideas
Lauren Machalany

This Lebanese hummus recipe only needs five ingredients to make. It would be the perfect addition to your Friendsgiving or family Christmas party this year. All you need to do is whip this up and get some chips.

3. No-Bake Oreo Cake Bites 

oreo truffles recipe chocolate sweet
Anna Hirschorn

You can never go wrong with Oreos. This no-bake Oreo recipe only uses three ingredients. With the Oreos that are probably sitting on your counter right now, you can make this delicious, last minute treat.

4. Veggie Roll-Ups

These veggie roll ups are a great way to use up the vegetables in your fridge before the go bad. They’re also a fun way to get your extra veggies in for the day. These are great for a crowd, as you can make lots of appetizer-sized roll-ups with just a few large tortillas. 

5. Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

easy potluck ideas
Marina Wollmann

This butternut squash soup only has three ingredients and it’s vegan. If you have an extra butternut squash sitting around, this could be your go-to dish for your next potluck. 

6. Pumpkin Spice Muffins 

gluten-free pumpkin sweet
Katherine Carroll

It’s still pumpkin spice season and these muffins only have three ingredients. Instead of using eggs and oil, these muffins use applesauce as a healthier alternative. 

7. Pilgrim Hats 

With only four ingredients, these pilgrim hats are fun and easy to make if you have any little ones to entertain. They would make a cute addition to the dessert table for your next potluck.

8. Pumpkin Butter Pecan Gingersnap Rolls 

4-ingredient desserts pastry bread
Anthony Wan

These pumpkin rolls are practically scream ‘holidays.’ With the pumpkin, pecan, and ginger, they would be festive for any holiday party. An added bonus: they only use four ingredients.

9. Peppermint Bark 

Best Treats chocolate cake
Dylan Barth

Peppermint bark is coming “into season” with all the Christmas parties that are quickly approaching. With a little bit of chocolate and some peppermint, these will for sure be a hit at your next potluck. 

If the peppermint really isn’t your thing, try this chocolate bacon bark or this cranberry pistachio bark instead.

10. Cake Mix Cookies 

easy potluck ideas chocolate candy
Maggie Lees

These cake mix cookies are light and fluffy with only three ingredients. You can jazz them up by adding your favorite cookie mix-ins, such as nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc. 

11. Peanut Butter S’more Pizza

what are marshmallows made of sweet chocolate
Sasha Kran

Who doesn’t love a good s’more? And at this time of year I don’t think there are many people who don’t already have ingredients to make s’mores. Try this five-ingredient dessert pizza for your next potluck.

12. Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars 

easy potluck ideas
Rachel Conners

When you’re in a time crunch and need an easy potluck idea, you might not have time to bake or cook something. These chocolate peanut butter bars use five ingredients and are no-bake. Sounds like a double win to me. 

13. Oreo Bars 

easy potluck ideas chocolate cake
Kendra Valkema

These Oreo bars are also a no-bake recipe and they only have three ingredients. To make these holiday appropriate, use limited-edition holiday Oreos in place of regular ones.

14. Candy Cane Truffles

Christmas chocolate candy
Erica Coulter

Another candy cane recipe to get you into the Christmas spirit. These truffles are an easy no-bake idea and are a classic holiday treat. 

15. Baked Cauliflower with Parmesan 

easy potluck ideas meat vegetable
Kai Huang

This baked cauliflower side dish is an easy potluck idea, but it does require baking and a fresh cauliflower. But with only five ingredients, it does look pretty delicious and manageable for your next potluck.

Hopefully there’s an easy potluck idea here that you can whip up for your next event. You can wow your friends and family with any of these dishes that they are sure to love.

Applied Nutrition, environmental & E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Food. Farm. Books. Animals.