55 Graduation Party Food Ideas That'll Get An A+

If there is one copycat recipe I wanted to get absolutely perfect, it’s this one. Cane’s juicy, fried chicken strips dunked in tangy, peppery sauce is the kind of fast food meal I dream about. Plus, this recipe is so easy to scale-up for a large party.

Get the Copycat Raising Cane’s Chicken & Sauce.

Before you put out the festive napkins or greet guests, you should make these quick, easy, totally no-bake candy graduation caps. They come together in 30 minutes with 5 ingredients, making them extremely easy to whip up in a pinch.

Get the Graduation Caps recipe.

If Caesar salad took a vacation to the Midwest, she would become this broccoli Caesar pasta salad. Bright green crisp-tender broccoli is tossed with cavatappi, shredded parm, and shards of crispy croutons in a silky homemade Caesar dressing for an unforgettable spin on the classic cookout staple.

Get the Broccoli Caesar Pasta Salad recipe.

The Cheesecake Factory has nothing on our version of their beloved lemon raspberry cream cheesecake. This cheesecake is nothing short of decadent. The crust is a simple vanilla sponge cake that’s topped with a layer of tart raspberry-dipped ladyfingers, then a lemon cheesecake, and finally a lemon white chocolate mousse.

Get the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Factory Copycat recipe.

This mini version of the Italian-American classic is perfect as an appetizer, game-day snack, or a fun twist on dinner. I kept things super-easy and convenient by using frozen breaded chicken tenders, jarred marinara, and shredded mozzarella—all tucked into soft, fluffy slider buns.

Get the Chicken Parm Sliders recipe.

These mozzarella-stuffed pretzel bites are the perfect bite-sized appetizers. The best part is that they’re made with just three ingredients: store-bought pizza dough, mozzarella cheese sticks, and flaky salt.

Get the Mozzarella-Stuffed Pizza Bites.

NO booze, no problem is the name of the game with our NO-jito! This mojito-inspired mocktail is light and refreshing and has all of the flavor and none of the alcohol. You can have as many as you want without worrying about the headache the next day.

Get the NOjito! recipe.

Step aside, strawberry shortcake—this strawberries & cream tiramisu is taking over. In family-sized 13" x 9" tiramisu fashion, this easy dessert is perfect to make for all your summer potlucks. Instead of coffee-dipped ladyfingers, I’m using heavy cream and our Food Team secret ingredient: triple sec.

Get the Strawberries & Cream Tiramisu lead.

By cooking low and slow, you can make tender, fall-of-the-bone ribs in the comfort of your own kitchen. Paired with our signature homemade BBQ sauce, these tender ribs are the meal to make to celebrate your grad.

Get the Oven-Baked Ribs recipe.

Whether you’re meal prepping lunch for the week, joining a summer potluck, or just want to enjoy an easy meal, you can’t go wrong with a pasta salad. It can come in so many different forms, but this pasta salad draws inspiration from one of Texas’s most iconic dishes: cowboy caviar.

Get the Cowboy Caviar Couscous Salad recipe.

This easy no-bake dessert is filled with layers of lemon Oreos, blueberry cheesecake, and lemon whipped cream, celebrating the classic spring dessert combination: lemon and blueberry. This tart, tangy sweet is the perfect way to follow up a spring dinner or a summer potluck.

Get the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Lasagna.

There's something very classic about the crescent roll dough flavor, so we tend to gravitate toward it, but puff pastry or even biscuit dough should work here too.

Get the Pigs In A Blanket recipe.

If you’re craving an easy creamy, tangy dessert you can serve to a crowd, look no further. Taking inspiration from our all-star strawberry cheesecake bars and our cranberry crumble cheesecake bars, I developed this extra-springy version that showcases jammy blueberries and a lemony crumble topping.

Get the Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars recipe.

Overlapping the bread slices means you can fit more onto the sheet pan, and don’t worry—the melty Provolone and pressing these down (sort of like a massive DIY panini press) makes sure they still hold together.

Get the Sheet-Pan Italian Subs recipe.

Need an easy summer dessert? Enter this easy no-bake piña colada lasagna. It's got a base of coconut and graham cracker, layered with a coconut cream cheese, shortbread cookies, and pineapple Jell-O, echoing its namesake frozen drink.

Get the Piña Colada Lasagna recipe.

California Pizza Kitchen may be famous for BBQ Chicken Pizza, but the Italian Chopped Salad is the unsung hero on their menu. An exuberant jumble of lettuce, chickpeas, turkey, salami, tomatoes, and cheese, all tossed in an Italian mustard-herb vinaigrette, this is one salad that might actually tempt us to put down the pizza in favor of the greens.

Get the CPK Italian Chopped Salad recipe.

We know what you’re thinking, “... grilled celery?” We were doubtful too. But it tastes even better than it sounds. Glaze the kebabs with more Buffalo sauce, grill until the cauliflower is tender, then drizzle with blue cheese dressing.

Get the Buffalo Cauliflower Kebabs recipe.

In the heat of summer, nothing satisfies quite like a fruit popsicle. This classic strawberry version is big on fruit flavor and not too sweet.

Get the Fruit Popsicles recipe.

Made with store-bought buttery puff pastry and layered with corned beef, gooey Swiss cheese, creamy thousand island dressing, and crunchy sauerkraut, these bites have everything you love about the classic Reuben sandwich in a party-ready shape.

Get the Reuben Pinwheels recipe.

This time around, pasta salad gets a Mediterranean twist, showcasing some of my favorite flavors from that corner of the globe. And the best part—although pasta salad is usually thought of as a side, the added protein from the chickpeas will make this easy to turn into a main.

Get the Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe.