Catering events like house parties, games nights, barbecues and children’s birthday parties can be a real headache. It’s hard to find simple, affordable party food that will actually please the majority of your guests. With so much to organise, you don’t want to be stressing over long and complicated recipes, but you also want to give your guests something delicious. As a result, we often end up serving a lot of unhealthy and unsatisfying foods to our friends and family. Fortunately, there are some very easy recipes out there for genuinely tasty and healthy party foods. With just a little bit of research, you can make healthy, delicious, crowd-pleasing party food that will have everyone at your event feeling satisfied.
Try These Great, Tasty Healthy Party Snacks!
No party is complete without snacks. For a house party or games night, you need something simple and easy for your guests to munch on without making a mess. Chips are often a go-to choice — they’re light, tasty and easy to refill at a moment’s notice. But, for a healthier option, why not try sweet potato, beetroot or zucchini chips? These snacks are still light, but have a higher nutritional value to keep up your guests’ energy levels.
To make these healthy appetisers, all you have to do is slice the vegetables up thinly, add some seasoning, and bake them in an oven or air fryer.
Speaking of air fryers — air-fried blooming onions are another great crispy snack to add to your spread! Simply batter onion slices with egg, water, breadcrumbs and spices, before drizzling with oil and frying until crispy. Serve with dipping sauce for a delicious savoury treat.
In terms of sweeter options, you could always try a trail mix. Put nuts, dried fruits and dark chocolate chips in separate bowls and let your guests choose their favourite combinations. This way, they’re getting their sugar fix while also enjoying the health benefits of fruits and nuts. Fruit is a vital source of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, while nuts provide protein and unsaturated fats.
Delicious Dips
A colourful platter of cut up vegetables always goes down a treat. When you’re trying to keep your party food healthy, however, it can be hard to find a good dip that does the trick. If you want something healthy to serve with your veggies, try making your own veggie dip by combining greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder. Avocado hummus is another highly-rated dip for dinner parties and barbecues. This recipe combines avocados with chickpeas, tahini, lime juice, garlic, olive oil and cumin. You could also make a loaded hummus, which is essentially a hummus with additional ingredients like cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and feta. These dips go great with pita or could even be tried with the veggie chips!
Refreshingly Healthy Beverages
In order to spruce up an event, a lot of people will whip up fun, fancy and colourful cocktails. This brings some variety to the beverages on offer and usually goes down a treat. However, we don’t always want our parties to be boozey, and it’s important to offer some non-alcoholic alternatives. Blood orange slushies, for example, are just as vibrant and flavourful as slushie cocktails, but far healthier. To make these drinks, all you have to do is blend blood oranges, carrot, ginger and raspberries together with water. You can mix this concoction with mineral water for some bubbles or, if you do want a bit of alcohol, champagne. Even water can be exciting if you add some fresh, fragrant ingredients like berries, mint leaves, melon cubes and lime wedges. These look fantastic in water jugs and make a simple beverage so much more refreshing.
Something Substantial
If you’re planning to have friends and family over for a few hours, you’ll need something filling to keep them happy. Fortunately, organising larger meals doesn’t have to be a huge effort. Chicken skewers, for example, are pretty easy to make and can be dipped in natural yoghurt for some added calcium, vitamins and probiotics. Another great option is to put together a platter of sun-dried tomatoes, rocket, roasted capsicum, roasted eggplant, sauteed mushrooms and other vegetables to add to fresh, thinly-sliced bread and cheese. You could also make cheese and herb pikelets and serve them with guacamole or hummus.
If you want healthy food options for kid’s parties, vegetarian nuggets and cauliflower cheese balls are perfect. These nuggets in particular are full of nutritious vegetables such as sweet potato, broccoli, peas and corn, which are simply boiled and mashed together with cheddar cheese before being coated in breadcrumbs and cooked. You can also make healthy chicken tenders with a coconut crumb, mini pizzas or vegetarian nachos. As long as you add lots of vegetables to the mix and keep cheese to a minimum, these recipes are great options for healthy party food.
Don’t Skip Dessert!
Just because you want to host a party that’s a bit healthier, doesn’t mean you have to skip dessert! Your guests deserve something sweet to round out their wonderful evening. For a dessert that doesn’t leave your guests feeling sluggish, consider summer fruits served with cream. You can also put colourful fruit skewers together, which is super easy and has very tasty results.
For kids, make up some mini pikelets with jam, or coat some popcorn in white chocolate and cover with sprinkles. You can also add sprinkles to your rice cakes, or goji berries to your chocolate crackles. By doing this, you get to keep the party snacks healthy without taking away any of your guests’ favourite sweets.
Make Your Next Event Healthy!
Parties are a great time to treat ourselves and celebrate events with some delicious food. But when there aren’t any healthy options, it can be difficult for people to find food that meets their dietary requirements. Additionally, foods that lack nutrition can cause us to burn out quickly or feel sluggish by the end of the night. If you’re planning to host an event, providing your guests with healthy options will make a world of difference. For a party spread that’ll have everyone excited, cook up some nutritious snacks and put a healthy spin on classic recipes. Your guests will thank you for it!
