the ultimate potluck guide
40+ show-stopping recipes, plus my top tips!
We’re less than a week away from Memorial Day, which means summer — AKA prime potluck season — is nearly upon us. The perfect potluck dish can feel like an enigma. It has to travel well, please a range of different palates, and, most importantly, require zero (or close to zero!) prep on site (don’t you DARE ask to use the host’s oven or cutting board when you get to their house).
But I’m here to tell you that potluck-perfect recipes do exist — and you already have access to many show-stoppers through What to Cook! Below you’ll find 40+ recipes that will absolutely blow people’s minds this potluck season, and make you look like the easy breezy perfect guest (or host!) that we all want to be!
If you need to tweak a recipe to make it more potluck friendly or easier to transport/serve, we’ve noted that. And at the bottom of this email, I’m so excited to share a special treat: the recipe for my friend Casey Elsass’s Lemon Bar Cake! It’s a sneak peek from his beautiful, fun, and practical cookbook What Can I Bring?, which is out TODAY and includes 75 recipes absolutely perfect for potlucks.
But before we get to the recipes, I have some tips!
First off, I want to point out that a “potluck” is different from a “dinner party.” If you’ve invited friends over for a “dinner party,” you — the host — are expected to cook the whole meal. If someone asks you what they can bring, you can task them with a bottle of wine, a light app, or something sweet, but you should think of those as supplemental elements rather than a substantial part of the meal. (You can also say the coolest host line — “just yourself!”)
If you’re hosting — or have been invited to — a “potluck,” everyone’s expected to come with a dish in hand. It’s a communal dining experience that’s less formal, less polished. My friends and I pretty much only hang out potluck-style at this phase in our lives, but we never actually call it a potluck. Whoever is hosting just says, “everyone come over on Friday — we’ll grill a tri-tip and make a big salad” (or whatever), and everyone else says, “sounds great, I’ll bring ____ (dessert, booze, a side, etc.)!”
Here are my top potluck tips!
