10 Best Catering Foods for Graduation Parties

Are you wondering what type of food is best for graduation parties? If YES, here are 10 best catering food for graduation parties.

Finally, your child will be graduating high school or college. It can be exciting for them to feel this sense of accomplishment. You may be ecstatic knowing that they have achieved this remarkable milestone.

Or maybe you are just happy not having to harp on them about waking up and doing homework. After all, they’ll be out of the house soon. Either way, you both want to celebrate!

Whether it is your first, middle, or last child’s school graduation, the accomplishment deserves tons of recognition and celebration.

Graduation Parties –be it college or high school – are all similar parties in many ways, but with an older age, you might expect a more “grown-up” celebration.

There is room for more flexibility, creativity, and entertainment at a graduation party; the sky is indeed the limit. Whatever your budget, have it in mind that a good deal of it should go towards your food and drink. After all, this is what your party will be remembered for.

Skimping on the food can lead to running out before the party ends. Even worse, if the food is terrible, guests won’t want to eat it. Your party will be branded as “the one with the bad food.” Nobody wants that. Note that same goes for the drinks.

This is not to say that you need to buy Fiji Water and San Pellegrino, but having a variety will be much appreciated by your guests.

Not everyone likes Sprite, so don’t make that the only option. If having alcoholic beverages, it is advisable you find a bar cart or bar caterer to take the hassle out of serving, stocking, and ensuring there is no underage drinking.

However, always remember that one of the ways to help your graduation party stand out amongst the others is by incorporating something unique, and below is a list of creative graduation party ideas that will help you create a fun, memorable graduation celebration.

Best Catering Foods for Graduation Parties

1. BBQ Pork Sliders

In terms of the best graduation party food ideas, these miniature pork sliders are indeed a hit. They are super easy to make and serve; just place two pounds of pork in your Crockpot, set the Crockpot on low for six hours, and let the pork cook.

Then, toss the pork in BBQ sauce, assemble your sandwiches and that’s that. The mini BBQ pork sliders will definitely be a crowd pleaser.

2. Charcuterie Board

The beauty of a charcuterie board is that you can add anything you would like to it! Add prosciutto, and pepperoni for an Italian flare.

Add brie cheese and rolled ham for a French feel. You can even have both or Add guacamole, olives, fruit, nuts, crackers… the list of options is endless.

3. Oriental Salad: Applebee’s Style

With this copycat version of Applebee’s Oriental salad, you’ll be presenting something unique and good in the neighborhood. The salad was created by Lil’ Luna and it looks and can easily scale to the size of your graduation party. Your guests will love chewing down on this flavourful salad.

4. Mac & Cheese Bar

This creamy goodness is a hit for all guests from age 3 to age 103. Everyone loves a good Mac & cheese, and what better way to serve it than with delicious toppings so everyone can create their own perfect Mac & cheese.

5. Baseball Themed Hotdog Bar

Is your graduate a baseball player? If so, you will love this baseball-themed hotdog bar. Try grilling up some hot dogs, and put out a variety of condiments, including relish, mustard, grilled onions, and pickles. This hotdog bar is sure to be a home run.

6. Burger Bar: In-N-Out Style

Celebrate your success animal-style with an In-N-Out burger bar. This burger bar features copycat recipes for In-N-Out’s classic burgers, including monkey-style burgers with fries on top and animal-style burgers made with secret sauce.

To learn how to make your own version of In-N-Out’s famous burgers, fries, and sauce, head over to The Seaside Baker’s blog. Graduation party food ideas like this one always go over well with a big crowd.

7. BBQ Grilled Chicken

If you are looking for graduation food ideas, consider making grilled chicken coated with a homemade BBQ sauce. Have it in mind that everyone loves a good piece of barbecued chicken, and it is easy to create a large amount for a big party. Cook the Story has the instructions for their version of grilled chicken and BBQ sauce.

8. Chicken Nuggets: Chick-Fil-A Style

If you enjoy Chick-Fil-A’s chicken nuggets, try creating your own version for your graduation party. To make Chick-Fil-A’s unique marinade, combine pickle juice and milk in a bag and soak the chicken in it. It may sound odd, but the results are tasty. As Chick-Fil-A’s cow mascots say, “Eat mor chikin.”

9. Sandwich Graduation-Cap Sliders

These unique and beautiful graduation cap sliders are a great addition to your appetizer table. You can assemble the sliders up to 24 hours ahead of your party, and then just stick them in the oven until the cheese melts. After your sliders have cooked, place a halved grape tomato button and a string cheese tassel on top.

10. Oven Baked Spicy Tacos

Also know that you can turn your graduation party into Taco Tuesday with these spicy chicken tacos. The tacos are customizable to your tastes—you can make some extra hot for your spicy food-loving guests, and you can keep some mild for everyone else.

Whether you are planning on hosting a late morning party with brunch or an afternoon bash filled with appetizers and graduation desserts, you have got plenty of ideas to pick from. If you are having your food catered, consider hiring a food truck for your graduation party.

There are many advantages with a food truck vs. standard catering, such as unique choices, wider variety, better quality, and fresher items made to order on site. You may even find out that it could be less cost.