Selecting the right New Year’s Eve party food largely depends on the type of event you are hosting.
New Year’s Eve is the last holiday party of the season and deciding what food to serve will depend upon many factors.
An intimate party for ringing in the new year may be a perfect time to have an elegant sit-down dinner.
Maybe you will invite a few couples and celebrate by having a beautiful meal before toasting the New Year.
Choosing the ideal New Year’s Eve party food for dinner
For an elegant sit down New Year’s Eve dinner you could serve a beef tenderloin with herb seasoned baby potatoes.
You could have a delicious variety of desserts including chocolate covered strawberries, mini cheesecakes, and a chocolate mocha cake.
This could be followed up with cocktails and finally a champagne toast at midnight.
If beef tenderloin is too pricey a meal for your budget, a more economical option would be Orange and Rosemary Roasted Cornish Hens.
If you want to invite many friends and their guests, perhaps a hot and cold buffet would be in order.
Having a buffet is a no-fuss way to offer easy to serve foods for your guests.
You can have a variety of hot and cold foods that are self-serve so that you can enjoy your party.
Our Southwestern Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers are always a hit on a hot buffet.
If you’re hosting a casual event, you may enjoy some of the recipes we’ve suggested in our post about how to host a tailgating party.
Once the items are set up, all you will need to do is replenish them as needed.
You can set a festive holiday buffet table with foods that can be prepared ahead of time.
Serving hors d’oeuvres for your New Year’s Eve party
Another option for feeding a crowd when entertaining for New Year’s Eve is to have hors d’oeuvres.
You can complement any hot hors d’oeuvres with cold appetizers such as chips and dip, cheese and crackers, stuffed tomatoes, and pretzels and dipping mustard.
Another great idea is to prepare a charcuterie board.
Depending on how many guests you are expecting, you can plan on putting out hot foods for a short time so that it will be easier on you as a hostess.
Having bowls and platters set around the party area before your guests arrive will keep them occupied until you serve the hot foods.
Bring Your Own Bottle or Snack
There is nothing wrong with asking guests to bring a bag of chips or other snacking food to have at your New Year’s Eve party.
You can go through a lot of snacks if you have many guests who will be staying to ring in the New Year.
Consider the costs involved before you decide what kind of foods you will be serving at your New Year’s Eve party.
Don’t forget the drinks!
You’ll want to treat your guests to some festive beverages.
While champagne (or prosecco or other sparkling wine) is a fantastic choice for New Year’s Eve parties, serving a fun cocktail is also a great idea.
You’ll also want to consider offering non-alcoholic options for those who don’t drink or will be the designated drivers that evening.
You may enjoy some of these cocktail recipes that are perfect for a NYE party:
- Chocolate Covered Raspberry Martinis
- Sparkling Apple Martini with Prosecco
- Blood Orange Punch
- Strawberry Sparkling Party Shots
- Spiced Rum Milk Shots
- Frosted Cranberry Cocktail
- Starry Night Cocktail
- French Rose Champagne Punch
- The Best Cranberry Mimosas
- A Sunrise Mimosa is the Perfect Brunch Cocktail
NYE Party Preparation
Preparation is also something to consider.
You want to enjoy the party as well and not be stuck preparing food in your kitchen while your guests are having a good time.
There are several different options for foods to serve at a New Year’s Eve party.
First decide on how formal or casual you would like the party to be and then the choices will be easier.
Most of all, have fun, and please drink responsibly.
Hi, I’m Jennifer. I love to cook and entertain. I have a lot of fun sharing traditional food and drink recipes as well as putting a new spin on the classics. I strive to provide easy to make recipes that are perfect for the home cook, bartender and entertainer.