Our favorite POTLUCK RECIPES all in one place! Includes our popular recipes for Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad, Lemon Cake Drops, Chocolate Chip Banana Bars, Orange Cream Fruit Salad and more. Perfect recipes for planning your next potluck dinner.
I love potluck recipes! We’ve attended a potluck dinner twice a month for the last 15+ years, so our family knows a thing or two about recipes that are perfect for potlucks. Here are a few of my tips, plus a great list of PERFECT POTLUCK RECIPES. Enjoy!
What makes a recipe a good potluck recipe?
Not every amazing recipe is going to be a good fit for a potluck dinner. Here are my tips on how to choose the best potluck recipes.
- Make sure it serves a crowd. Potluck recipes generally serve at least 12-15 people, often more. Potlucks are great because everyone seems to bring their best crowd-pleasing dishes, so naturally, everyone wants to try a little of everything! So make sure your recipe has enough servings. Bundt cakes are fantastic because you can slice thin pieces if needed to serve 25+.
- Make sure your recipe is easy to serve. I like to go for one-pot dishes- pastas or salads, or any type of finger food. You don’t want a dish that has several parts or something that doesn’t serve easily. Perfect potluck recipes dish out one handed and can be served on a plate without running into other foods.
- Make sure it doesn’t need to be kept super cold or super hot. Of course, everyone will do their best to keep mayo-based salads as cool as possible before serving, but try your best to bring something that doesn’t require extra attention. Low maintenance dishes are the best!
- Make sure it doesn’t have strange flavor combinations. Potlucks are literally catering to a crowd, so this probably isn’t the best time to try out that gastronomical wonder you’ve been imagining. Stick to classics or minor variation on a classic.
CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BARS
Ingredients
- 5 very ripe bananas about 1 2/3 cup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup oil any type- I use coconut
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15×10.5? pan with non-stick spray.
- Peel bananas and mash well. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares.
- Yields 24 bars.
Nutrition
Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are a simple & delicious banana bar recipe that’s even better than banana bread! They’re the perfect recipe to use that bunch of over-ripe bananas. Great for breakfast, lunch and snacks in between. Check out all the 5 star reviews- everyone raves about these Chocolate Chip Banana Bars!
This recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bars is my favorite banana recipe ever. Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack! They are delicious, filling, and your whole family will love them. I love that they have a ton of bananas in them. I like to bake a batch, cut them into squares and freeze them individually for when we’re on-the-go!
See the Chocolate Chip Banana Bars recipe here!
Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is full of fresh southwestern flavors with black beans, corn, cheese and tomatoes. This hearty chicken pasta salad recipe topped with Fritos is perfect as a main dish or a side dish for potlucks and parties!
Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is one of my favorite summertime meals because it doesn’t require the oven and it makes a huge batch which usually leaves us with enough leftovers to give me another night off from making dinner! Gotta love those no-bake/no-oven dinners! Especially when you live in a home with no air-conditioning.
See the Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad recipe here!
Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad
Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make and it is perfect as a side dish or even a dessert. This recipe only requires 4 ingredients and 5 minutes to make and then it is immediately ready to serve!
Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad is simply amazing! I just recently found this jello salad recipe and LOVE it! It only has 4 ingredients and it literally takes just a couple of minutes to make. It’s absolutely the easiest (and fastest!) jello salad recipe you will ever make! Not only that, but it can be eaten immediately after preparing (or saved for later!)…and it’s delicious too! As a matter of fact, the recipe tastes wonderful minutes after making it, but I actually prefer to eat this the next day because the raspberry flavor gets to be a bit stronger and mixed in with the rest of the salad better.
See the Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad recipe here!
Peanut Butter Fudge Cups
Peanut Butter Fudge Cups are peanut butter cookies filled with a simple chocolate fudge! Delicious flavor combination in these amazing treats.
Peanut Butter Fudge Cups are a treat I decided to bring to a big family dinner last time, and boy were they a hit! Everyone loved them. The good thing is too, they were super easy to make, so the recipe is a keeper. The recipe has 2 parts- a peanut butter cookie base, then a fudge filling. I separated the ingredients below to make it easier to follow.
See the Peanut Butter Fudge Cups recipe here!
Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip
Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip is the perfect appetizer for parties! This cream cheese dip recipe is made with chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing – that’s it!
Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip comes together in just a few short minutes, making it perfect for last-minute parties and potlucks! You only need four ingredients to whip up this delicious cream cheese dip recipe. The ingredients are all ones that I keep on hand regularly so if I get asked to make something last minute, this is a perfect option!
See the Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip recipe here!
Little Lemon Drops
Little Lemon Drop Glazed Mini Cupcakes are delicious bite-sized treats that start with a lemon cake mix! The easy lemon glaze soaks into the inverted mini cupcakes and is a simple, incredibly delicious lemon cake mix recipe!
Little Lemon Drops are absolutely amazing and everyone will love you for making and sharing them! I took these to a barbecue and they were devoured in about 5 minutes….long before the meat even started cooking! Everyone was exclaiming about how amazing they were and I was thrilled because this recipe is so easy and it makes about 75 little cupcakes so it’s perfect for large gatherings. Although, my husband ate about a dozen himself before we even left the house so 75 of them doesn’t actually go as far as you’d think!
Greek Pasta Salad
Greek Pasta Salad is fresh, flavorful and simple to put together. It’s the perfect side dish! Loaded with vegetables and drizzled with a homemade lemon greek vinaigrette, it’s easy to make and everyone enjoys it. Perfect topped with crumbled feta cheese and a few additional olives.
My husband and I both adore Greek food. I adapted this recipe from an older salad recipe on our site that uses quinoa in place of pasta. I love both, but there’s something about a good pasta salad that I just love in the summertime. This Greek Pasta Salad fits the bill! I also added a bit of lemon juice to the vinaigrette, which tastes just wonderful. Enjoy!
See the Greek Pasta Salad recipe here!
Berries and Cream Salad
Berries and Cream Salad made using just 4 ingredients! Raspberries & Blueberries combine with Greek Yogurt, pudding mix and whipped topping to create a lovely berries and cream salad.
Berries and Cream Salad is a wonderful recipe perfect for a picnic, Sunday dinner, or anytime you just want to add something special to your meal. The Greek yogurt, pudding mix and whipped topping come together and create a light and creamy base for showcasing the bright, sweet berries. In the recipe I use frozen berries but you’re welcome to use fresh. I used raspberries and blueberries, but I think it’d be wonderful with blackberries, cut up strawberries- or a mix of all of them!
See the Berries and Cream Salad recipe here!
Caramel S’more Pops
These s’more pops are SO GOOD and bonus- they’re easy to make as well! The addition of caramel is a winner- hello, why haven’t we always put caramel in s’mores?!
Caramel S’more pops are best served the day they’re made but they will keep for a few days if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge preferably. Just let them come to room temperature prior to serving, as they’re easier to eat!
See the Caramel S’more Pops recipe here!
Cheesy Potatoes
My favorite recipe for cheesy potatoes – aka funeral potatoes or cheesy potato casserole. This dish is so comforting, always a crowd pleaser and perfect for any holiday dinner or potluck. You’ll love these delicious cheese potatoes!
If you’re looking for a recipe for cheesy potatoes for your holiday dinners and potlucks this year…I’ve got your back! These cheesy potatoes (also known as funeral potatoes or cheesy potato casserole) are to die for! We have them at every holiday meal and they’re always a HUGE hit!
See The Recipe for Cheesy Potatoes here!
Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake
Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake is made with soda, buttermilk and marshmallow creme! This chocolate cake is moist, delicious and turns out perfectly every time!
Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake is one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever had! The consistency is perfect and the cake has just the right amount of chocolaty flavor. I used Cherry Coca-Cola this time around because I love the chocolate and cherry combination, but the taste of the soda is so subtle that I really couldn’t tell that it wasn’t regular coca-cola. I really don’t even like soda, especially Coca-Cola, but there is barely a hint of the soda flavor in the cake so I promise you’ll love this recipe even if you aren’t a Coca-Cola fan.
See the Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake recipe here!
Garden Vegetable Caprese Salad
I found some incredible heirloom tomatoes at my local Farmer’s Market one day and to be honest, I planned this entire recipe around that tomato. It was perfectly ripe and juicy- yum! This salad is a variation on the traditional Caprese Salad- because I love vegetables and wanted to add more. So I did. And it was amazing! One of the best things about this salad is that it stores well. It might actually even be better the 2nd day, when the vegetables and fresh mozzarella have had a chance to absorb the deliciousness of the vinaigrette. Try it- you’ll love it.
See the Garden Vegetable Caprese Salad recipe here!
Creamy Jello Fruit Dip
Creamy Jello Fruit Dip is made with jello, cream cheese and milk – that’s it! You can use any flavor of jello that you want in this delicious fruit dip recipe!
Creamy Jello Fruit Dip is amazing! At my house we LOVE fruit, and we eat a lot of it! If only I liked veggies as much! If I had the option between normal “dessert” (sweets) and a big bowl of fresh fruit, I would gladly take the bowl of fruit! My kids love fruit too, but even more, they love dipping fruit (or any food) – so this tasty and colorful fruit dip recipe is always a big hit.
See the Creamy Jello Fruit Dip recipe here!
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is a classic pound cake recipe with the addition of fresh lemon! Buttermilk gives this Lemon Pound Cake a wonderful texture and everyone loves the bright flavor of the lemon glaze. It’s the perfect buttermilk pound cake recipe!
Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake is one of the most incredible lemon cakes I have ever tried! I served it with sliced sweetened strawberries on top and everyone raved – even my husband who doesn’t quite share my fondness for lemon desserts. It is gorgeous too, especially if you make it in a bundt pan as shown in the pictures.
See the Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake recipe here!
Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake
Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake is the perfect light and refreshing dessert for any gathering with family and friends – it is delicious and so pretty!
Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake is a dessert that I knew my daughter would love – she loves strawberries! I served it for dessert at a family gathering and everyone raved about it. I love how easy it is to make as well. Enjoy!
See the Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake recipe here!
Orange Cream Fruit Salad
Orange Cream Fruit Salad is a lovely fruit salad filled with oranges, pineapple and bananas with a sweet orange cream mixed in! Perfect to go alongside a Summer dinner!
Orange Cream Fruit Salad has been a family favorite recipe for years. I love fruit, and while fresh fruit is my favorite, this is a great recipe to make in the winter when good produce is hard to find (and expensive!), and it has also come in handy many times when I need to make a side dish and don’t have time to run to the store since many of the ingredients are ones that I keep on hand regularly.
See the Orange Cream Fruit Salad recipe here!
Buttermilk Banana Cake
I had some very ripe bananas to use up but instead of traditional banana bread, I opted to make this delicious banana cake. It smelled amazing while baking but tasted even better after topping it with cream cheese frosting! Enjoy.
See the Buttermilk Banana Cake recipe here!
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies are teeny tiny chocolate chip cookies about the size of a quarter! Soft, chewy poppable cookies that are perfect for parties.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies are so fun! I’ve had the idea for these cookies for months now and I finally got around to recipe testing and baking. I have to say- they turned out amazing! And they were so much easier to make than I thought they’d be. I worried it’d take forever to roll 85 teeny tiny cookies, but I recruited a couple of my kids to help and we were done in 15 minutes! So grab some helpers and save this recipe. Everyone loved the poppable nature of them too- they are perfect for parties or casual get togethers.
See the Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe here!
Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Frosting
Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Frosting is so light and refreshing and is the perfect cake for summer (or any other time too)! The recipe begins with a cake mix and then only requires 6 more ingredients for the cake and the frosting combined!
Mandarin Orange Cake is so easy to make and the “frosting” is much lighter than traditional frosting which I love! I also love that this cake starts with a boxed cake mix and only requires a handful of simple ingredients – there are only three ingredients in the frosting!
See the Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Frosting recipe here!
Strawberries and Cream Bites
Mini Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes are delicious bite-sized treats that start with a strawberry cake mix. These mini cupcakes are dipped in a simple creamy glaze to create a strawberries and cream flavor in an easy strawberry cake mix recipe!
Strawberries and Cream Bites are the perfect tiny treat for any occasion! A couple of years ago, I made these Little Lemon Drops and they instantly became one of my favorite recipes ever! I then created an orange version and with Valentine’s Day coming up, I just couldn’t resist making a strawberry version. These are such a fun dessert to take to a party – they are easy to make and the recipe makes over 70 little bite-sized treats that are easy to serve!
See the Strawberries and Cream Bites recipe here!
Creamy Orange Fruit Salad
Creamy Orange Fruit Salad is easy to make, has the most delicious orange flavor and is the perfect side dish to take to a party or potluck! This delicious fruit salad is full of pineapple, oranges, strawberries and bananas coated with a vanilla pudding glaze.
Creamy Orange Fruit Salad is a family favorite and is one of those fruit salad recipes that I’ve made over and over again. We eat this pretty frequently and it has become a traditional Easter dinner favorite. I have been making a version of this salad for years but have recently decided to tweak it a little bit and I’m loving the results!
See the Creamy Orange Fruit Salad recipe here!
Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Cookie Cups
Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Cookie Cups combine two favorite desserts in a bite sized treat! Mini apple pies with a snickerdoodle cookie crust!
Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Cookie Cups are one of my absolute favorite fall desserts.Call them cookies, or call them pies? Either way, they are absolutely delicious and they come together so easily too!
Apple Pie is such a classic dessert but I just don’t really love pie crust so I wanted to try something different for the “crust” of these little mini apple pies. Apples and cinnamon just go together so wonderfully so I decided to use my favorite snickerdoodle cookie recipe to make the crust with. The results? AMAZING!
See the Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Cookie Cups recipe here!
Super Easy Pina Colada Pie
Easy Pina Colada Pie is the perfect summertime treat! Just a few ingredients and everyone loves the fun tropical flavors of this simple chilled pie.
Pina Colada Pie is cold and refreshing – it’s the perfect summertime treat! I couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was when I found it!
See the Super Easy Pina Colada Pie recipe here!
Rich & Creamy Grape Salad
We love grapes around here and go through them fast! I wanted to bring a different kind of fruit salad to our latest family dinner and this salad was a hit! My husband adored it. It’s got a rich, creamy cheesecake-like mixture that goes perfectly with the sweet, crisp grapes. It’s decadent but still light enough to qualify as a fruit salad. Don’t leave out the pecan-brown sugar sprinkle too- it’s the perfect addition!
See the Rich & Creamy Grape Salad recipe here!
Tropical Jello Pretzel Salad
Tropical Jello Pretzel Salad is a combination of orange, pineapple and coconut flavors all in an easy-to-make sweet jello salad recipe!
Tropical Jello Pretzel Salad is a combination of orange, pineapple and coconut flavors all in an easy-to-make sweet salad recipe! The pretzel crust ends up tasting like chopped pecans. It adds a wonderful flavor and texture to this light & sweet easy jello salad recipe.
See the Tropical Jello Pretzel Salad recipe here!
I enjoy hosting potluck dinners because it makes a meal so much less stressful when you don’t have to prepare all of it yourself! My family participates in quite a few potluck dinners throughout the year and I’m always trying to find ideas that are simple yet impressive and, most importantly, delicious enough to share! Krusteaz mixes are perfect for creating delicious dishes for potluck dinners because they make baking so quick and easy and the recipes turn out so well every single time! I’ve gathered together some amazing sweet and savory recipes that are perfect to take to your next potluck!
Ruth Massey says
January 22, 2017 at 12:41 pmI’m looking forward to the new recipes
Tom Prosise says
January 31, 2017 at 6:50 amI hope to receive your recipes cards.
Jessica says
January 31, 2017 at 1:25 pmI added you Tom- we’ll be sending out the February batch this week! 🙂
Melanie Duncan says
November 9, 2018 at 5:40 pmI’m in and my crew is have not a potluck on Friday of next week a week before thanksgiving of 2018 and I need some recipes for that day. Is there any good ones.
Jessica says
November 19, 2018 at 8:52 amWe have tons of great recipes Melanie! I’d start from the home page and use the menus at the top to find something more specific!