If you’re looking for baby shower food ideas on a budget, you don’t need to sacrifice the taste and aesthetic of your menu with these recipes! You’ll know a sample menu for appetizers, finger foods, brunch, desserts, drinks, and tea party baby shower.
We’ve also listed some party recipes for cheap baby shower food ideas and easy-to-make foods for hosts on a budget and those who hate tedious cooking for an event. And to complete this baby shower food guide, we’ve included guaranteed crowd-pleasing meals served at baby showers.
10 Easy And Delicious Baby Shower Food Ideas To Wow Your Guests On A Budget
Best Baby Shower Appetizers Your Guests Will Love
Appetizers are the most common food items seen on any baby shower menu. You want to start your party on a high note, and these recipes are guaranteed to make your guests enjoy a second bite:
- Chip and guacamole bites: very easy to make since you only need to buy tortilla chips shaped like a scoop and fill them with delicious guacamole
- Jalapeno poppers: jumpstart your guests’ cravings for good food with jalapeno poppers, which are essentially a way to eat cheese, bacon, and onions with a kick
- Shrimp skewers: no one will be able to resist these good-looking skewers of coconut shrimp and pineapple chunks; make sure to offer a non-seafood appetizer if some of your guests are allergic to seafood
Fun Finger Foods For The Baby Shower
Finger foods don’t have to be boring because anyone can turn simple ingredients into creative finger food ideas for the party. Make your baby shower food table more tempting to everyone at the event with this menu:
- Mac and cheese balls: a variation to the classic recipe we all love is to fill jumbo pasta shells with mac and cheese and then coat them with parmesan and breadcrumbs for a crispy and hearty bite
- Pork dumplings with a spicy dip: no baby shower finger food menu is complete without dips and snacks, so why not whip up dumplings from pork, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms with a spicy dipping sauce made from red chili, oyster sauce, and soy sauce?
- Pull-apart bread: a fun finger food idea for the baby shower is a pull-apart bread where every pull reveals stretchy garlicky cheese
Insanely Good Brunch Baby Shower Food Ideas
Try these recipes for the party if you need a filling menu for your brunch baby shower. These hearty meals are irresistible, and you may need to share a recipe or two once someone asks.
- Mini quiches: you can use store-bought pie crust and fill them with different flavors like Mexican from chorizo, cheddar cheese, and bell peppers or Greek with feta cheese, dill, spinach, and roasted peppers
- Savory scones: make your baby shower brunch menu aromatic and flavorful with scones made from ham, parmesan, and rosemary
- French toast: if you don’t want to serve sandwiches, but you want to offer bread in your brunch menu, you can never go wrong with a classic French toast made from brioche
Cute And Easy Desserts For Baby Showers
To whip up fantastic baby shower desserts, you don’t need to be a pastry chef. What’s excellent with this dessert menu is there’s something for everyone, sweet tooth or not.
- French macarons: these pastel-colored treats will suit any baby shower theme and make a fantastic alternative to the typical sugar cookies frosted with royal icing at baby showers
- Chocolate-covered bacon: if you want a memorable baby shower dessert table, a unique recipe you can serve is bacon strips covered in chocolate and topped with pistachios and candied fruits
- Fresh fruits and dip: guests who don’t like heavy or very sweet desserts will love a fruit platter of grapes and berries with a dip made from caramel apple dip and cream cheese
To make your foods more eye-catching for the party, here’s how to make a candy table for a baby shower.
Easy Alcoholic And Non-Alcoholic Baby Shower Drinks
You can serve only juice, tea, and coffee for a dry baby shower. However, light alcoholic drinks are welcome at any baby shower, and these delicious recipes are surprisingly easy to make.
We’ve provided two alcoholic baby shower drinks and two non-alcoholic but never-boring beverages for the event.
- Boozy lemonade: mix lemonade, vanilla vodka, and honey liquor for refreshing booze with just the right kick
- Coffee cocktail: serve your guests a “good morning” with coffee, cinnamon schnapps, vanilla vodka, and Irish cream
- Fruit coolers: a refreshing and colorful drink perfect for a hot baby shower is possible with lemonade, sparkling water, limeade, fruit juice like peach or cranberry, and lime slices
- Mint tea: a hot drink option you can serve at the baby shower is fresh mint tea made from fresh mint leaves and sweetened with honey
Another typical baby shower drink you might see often is the blue punch, sometimes decorated with whipped cream and ducks. If you’re interested in the recipe, read how to make a blue punch for the baby shower.
The Best Tea Party Baby Shower Food Favorites
Tea party baby showers are trendy nowadays as guests enjoy a selection of tea and delicious light meals. Here are some things you can serve for this type of baby shower:
- Mini sandwiches: delicious and colorful bite-sized sandwiches made from different fillings like cheese, ham, beef, cucumber, or even crab
- Salad bites: guests will love the freshness, and one piece is not enough with these salad bites from cherry tomatoes, basil, cheese, and balsamic vinegar
- Chocolate-dipped strawberries: simple but delicious desserts that match any tea
- Tartlets: a tea party dessert idea if you’re tired of cupcakes, cookies, and cake pops: you can fill them with vanilla cream, fruits, meringue, custard, or chocolate
- Tea selection: give each table a beautiful tea set with options from Earl Grey, English Breakfast, chamomile, lemon, and rose tea, to name a few
Cheap Baby Shower Food Ideas To Serve A Hungry Crowd
Budgeting for baby shower food can be tricky, but these recipes prove that you can transform cheap ingredients into filling foods and delicious flavors. You can make them in large portions to feed a hungry crowd.
- Roll-ups: one tortilla wrap can make eight rolls of delicious and filling ham, cream cheese, and ranch
- Mini cheeseburgers: you can still serve beef on a budget at the baby shower with mini buns and make the patties yourself
- Crockpot chili: you can make a big portion of chili in a crockpot to keep your guests full and satisfied
- Rice crispy treats: easy and cheap dessert idea that can be decorated to suit the baby shower theme
- Waffle station: waffle mix is inexpensive, and an interactive dessert station is always a hit at any party
Easy-To-Make But Crowd-Pleasing Baby Shower Food Ideas
Do you hate cooking? Perhaps these recipes will make you change your mind when preparing the baby shower menu because they are stress-free and won’t take much time to prepare.
- Pasta salad: rotini pasta with tomatoes, peppers, olives, salami, vinaigrette, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese
- Deviled eggs: delicious appetizers that are also affordable to make
- Mini chicken pot pies: easy but filling baby shower food made from biscuits molded with a muffin tray
- Fruit kebabs: easy and colorful dessert ideas you can present inside a watermelon or pineapple
- S’more station: set up a food station where guests can make their own s’mores
We also recommend this list of baby shower food decorations for easy edible decorations for the party. You can cut on decoration costs if your baby shower foods are a feast for the eyes.
Delicious Baby Shower Buffet Menu Idea
Do you want a buffet-style baby shower food set-up? Here is a buffet menu you can do at your party where long lines are a guarantee:
- Appetizer buffet: charcuterie, crostinis, tea sandwiches, crab cakes, shrimp cocktails, and pigs in a blanket
- Entree buffet: potato bar, pasta bar, BBQ with fixings, or a taco bar
- Brunch buffet: French toasts, mini pancakes, omelets, and breakfast casseroles
- Dessert buffet: cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, fruit with dips, or popcorn
To make your foods more enticing, learn the best setups in how to decorate baby shower tables.
Common Baby Shower Foods And How To Make Them More Exciting
Are you curious about the most common baby shower food recipes? They are classic for a reason, so why not consider them for your event:
- Crockpot meatballs: check this recipe on how to make baby shower meatballs
- Veggie and fruit platters: cheaper to produce than buying store platters
- Crostinis: easy finger food idea for any baby shower
- Meat kebabs: you can serve steak cubes with grilled vegetables
- Cake pops: cheaper cake alternative made from box cake and dipped in melted chocolate
- Themed cupcakes: any basic vanilla cupcake recipe with colored buttercream frosting
What Kind Of Food Is Served At A Baby Shower?
Appetizers, finger foods, and light alcoholic drinks like spritzers and mimosas are often served at baby showers. However, some parties also do brunch, tea parties, dessert-only, or buffet stations for the baby shower.
Brunch
The classic baby shower is between breakfast and lunchtime, so it’s not surprising if the host serve the guests brunch. For this event, your menu can be composed of casseroles, waffles, quiches, pastries, and even charcuterie boards.
Tea Party
If a brunch is too heavy for the baby shower, another common food theme nowadays is the tea party. You will serve the guests mini sandwiches, savory bites, cookies, macarons, and cakes as good-looking as the tea sets and tea selection.
Desserts
The common pastel color scheme for the baby shower is the perfect inspiration for serving only desserts at the party. Your classic baby shower sweets include cookies, cupcakes, cakes, chocolates, fruit platters, and any sweet treat you can decorate to fit the baby shower theme.
Buffet
Food stations and buffets are cost-effective for a baby shower with many guests. Your guests will surely enjoy making their own sandwiches, waffles, tacos, sundaes, and cupcakes.
What Should I Serve At A 2 PM Baby Shower?
An afternoon baby shower can mean light food ideas like appetizers, finger foods, and recipes that downsize foods that are usually served in big portions. You can use shot glasses, spoons, and small bowls when arranging these meals at the baby shower table.
- Cheese board
- Vegetable and fruit platter
- Kebabs
- Chips and dips
- Mini sandwiches and sliders
- Salad bites
- Soups
- Biscuits
- Muffins
- Crepes
- Potato skins
- Pies
- Tarts
- Cheesecake
- Tea
- Champagne
- Punch
- Juice
What Are Some Ideas For Food To Avoid Serving At A Baby Shower?
There are no specific rules on what foods you should or shouldn’t serve at baby showers. However, remember these considerations to get the most out of your budget, satisfy the guests, and have a memorable party with delicious food.
- Consider the venue and season of the baby shower, as some meals might melt quickly if they’re outdoors or the temperature gets hot
- There is a suitable menu for each time of the day (e.g., serve heavier meals if it’s lunchtime, while earlier or later baby showers can have finger foods, for example)
- Include meal preferences in the baby shower invitation to know if some guests are allergic or can’t eat certain food items
- Guests don’t expect to get very drunk at baby showers
- Set a baby shower food budget and stick to it
How Many Dishes Do You Need To Prepare At A Baby Shower?
You can serve the guests 5 to 6 different kinds of foods at the baby shower. This may include two appetizers, two finger foods, and a dessert or two.
A baby shower is a social event, so guests need bite-sized meals to eat throughout the party. It’s best to offer a selection of foods and count two to three pieces per guest.
You can also have food stations where guests set up their own meals. For this, have three to five toppings, flavors, or ingredients for a fun and interactive experience.
Conclusion
Was this a worthwhile read? You just learned the best baby shower food ideas for different menus and baby shower themes.
However, the common variable among all baby showers is that the host usually serves finger foods, appetizers, and snacks over heavy meals. Light alcoholic drinks are also preferred, as getting drunk is not expected in baby showers.
And, of course, consider interactive food stations for guests to make their own food. A baby shower is a social event, and having food stations can allow more interactions among guests.