Whether you’re having a regular house party, a birthday party, or even a wedding, you’ll want to treat your guests to a wonderful meal.
And one of the best ways to serve food at parties is to have a buffet.
Who doesn’t love buffets? Your guests can serve themselves freely whenever they want and can eat to their hearts’ content! Another great thing about buffets is the variety of dishes you can offer, and this is where you need to start planning the menu.
When you’re having a buffet, you’ll want to offer your guests a hot or cold buffet menu that will suit any palate. In this blog post, we’ll cover some great hot buffet food ideas you can try for your next big party.
A Selection of Tasty Skewers
Skewers are a simple yet delicious addition to any party buffet, and there are so many types of skewers you can present to your guests. For example, you can opt for chicken skewers bathed in all kinds of sauces or go with breaded braised beef covered in chilli.
For vegetarians, you can have a selection of BBQ vegetable skewers with veggies such as bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
A DIY Taco Bar
You can serve some delicious tacos with a selection of toppings and meats so that your guests can make their tacos however they want. Tacos are a very light dish, so it’s a good choice for guests who aren’t big eaters.
But why stop at tacos? Try putting together a DIY nacho bar as well, with a selection of sauces and toppings such as beans, olives and green onions.
A Few Curries with Rice
Rice and curries are a delicious and exotic addition to any hot buffet. Include some steamed rice and a variety of Indian or Thai curries, such as butter chicken masala or green chicken curry.
Along with rice, you could also add a choice of flatbreads as accompaniments for the curries for those who wouldn’t want to opt for rice.
An Assortment of Meatballs
Meatballs may sound like an overly simple dish, but they’re a great choice for a party buffet. Most of the time, your guests will want to mingle with each other, so meatballs can be a quick and tasty snack they can have while walking around.
To make things more interesting, try to have an assortment of meatballs. This can include the iconic Italian meatballs, Turkish meatballs, and Swedish meatballs. Also, try adding a selection of dipping sauces, such as marinara sauce and honey garlic meatball sauce.
A Choice of Pasta Dishes
Pasta is a popular choice for buffets. Pasta brings a lot of variety and it can be very filling. Some great pasta dishes to include are fajita-style pasta, vegetable pasta for vegetarians, beef bolognese, and maybe even traditional macaroni and cheese for some of your younger guests.
Some baked ziti or some rigatoni marinara will go well with the rest of the dishes as well, offering guests more variety.
A Variety of Gourmet Sliders
Sliders are a popular food item at many events. These tiny burgers are perfect for buffets as they’re small and easy for your guests to enjoy while mingling.
Sliders are normally stuffed with what you’d see in regular burgers; beef and sometimes chicken. But why not make them a bit more sophisticated to wow your guests? You can try making sliders stuffed with smoked salmon, topped with sesame oil, or mushrooms and veggies.
A Mix of Mini Pies
Everyone loves pie, and that makes them a tasty addition to your party buffet. Also, there’s a huge variety of pies out there that you can include in your menu, such as beef pies with cheddar cheese, chicken pot pies, and savory veggie pies.
You can even serve up some sweet pies like apple pie. Your guests will love a slice of some warm, comfort food.
A Soup Bar
If you’re having your party on a chilly night, your guests might appreciate having something that can warm them up. This calls for a soup bar!
At the soup bar, you can offer your guests a variety of warm and delicious soups they can have before the main course. Some great soups to include in the bar are the ever-popular chicken and mushroom soup, tom yum soup, and miso soup.
Try out these great hot buffet food ideas for your party
With a great buffet, you can make your next big party one to remember. When you give your guests a selection of delicious foods, your party will be the talk of the town long after it’s ended.
Get in touch with a good catering company in Pittsburgh to explore some more amazing hot buffet food ideas today and get their help to prepare the food for your event.