40 Crowd-Pleasing Potluck Recipes - Garden Ideas & Outdoor Decor

Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks

Luxuriously silky leeks—slow-cooked in butter and seasoned with lemon juice and thyme—ripple through sweet potatoes. Feel free to substitute ordinary potatoes if you prefer.

Mashed Sweet Potato with Melted Leeks
Parsley-Herb Rice with Cranberries

This colorful rice makes the perfect side dish for any meal. Stir in fresh basil and parsley just before serving.

Parsley-Herb Rice with Cranberries
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

This easy-to-make layered cheesy potato dish pairs well with pork chops or ham.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
Apple, Bacon and Onion Stuffing Muffins

These easy-to-transport muffins are a fun, creative twist on traditional Thanksgiving stuffing.

Apple, Bacon and Onion Stuffing Muffins
Cherry Crumble Pie Bars

Zesty lemon peel adds zing to this fruit bar cookie; almond extract and brown sugar give it extra sweetness.

Cherry Crumble Pie Bars
Cranberry Chutney

Cranberries and apple simmer with red onion, ginger and mustard seeds for a spiced variation on traditional sauce. Try it on a sandwich with leftover turkey.

Cranberry Chutney
Lemony Green Beans

Garlic, shallots and lemon brighten crisp-tender beans. Save time by parboiling the green beans a day early.

Lemony Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans

Toasted pecans and melty marshmallows top whipped sweet potatoes in this classic special-occasion side dish.

Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans
Gingered Fruit Compote

Prep time is just 15 minutes for this colorful salad; make it in the morning and store in the fridge for a holiday potluck dinner.

Gingered Fruit Compote
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

A whipped-cream-based spiced filling creates a lighter-tasting version of traditional pumpkin pie; the gingersnap crust adds more kick than classic crusts. “This is a fantastic recipe,” writes one of our website reviewers. “You get the wonderful pumpkin in a light chiffon pie! A holiday must!”

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Lemon-Nut Rice Stuffing

Mix crumbled bacon, nuts and fresh veggies with long grain rice for this stuffing, which can be chilled up to 24 hours before baking.

Lemon-Nut Rice Stuffing
Caramel Heavenlies

Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. “I’ve made these cookies each Christmas since 1984,” says Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan. “They’re one of my family’s favorites.”

Caramel Heavenlies
Maple-Butternut Puree

Roasting brings out squash’s natural sugars. Blending with maple syrup, butter and nutmeg makes it utterly addictive. Bonus: This dish reheats beautifully.

Maple-Butternut Puree
Fresh Citrus and Cranberry Salad

Mint and ginger add kick to an arugula salad topped with chopped fresh cranberries.

Fresh Citrus and Cranberry Salad
Cauliflower Gratin

Tossing cauliflower with bread crumbs, Dijon, cheddar, herbs and almonds makes this humble veg holiday-special.

Cauliflower Gratin
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Cranberry relish, dried cranberries and walnut pieces add zest to a holiday favorite.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Pepper Jack Corn Casserole

This dead-simple and totally delicious casserole is a homey addition to any weekend meal, potluck or even a holiday spread.

Pepper Jack Corn Casserole
Pappa’s Pear Stuffing

You can serve this hearty, fruit-studded dressing with roasted or grilled pork, poultry or ham. The recipe comes from the historical Story Inn in Nashville, Indiana.

Pappa’s Pear Stuffing
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Coconut Pie

This classic pie recipe comes from Miss Aimee B’s Tea Room in St. Charles, Missouri.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Coconut Pie
Sunny Broccoli Salad

A Cleveland reader makes this potluck salad the day ahead and refrigerates the dressing and vegetables separately. When it’s time to serve it, she tosses everything together. Bacon, sunflower kernels and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish.

Sunny Broccoli Salad
Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes

Mix pantry ingredients—canned apple pie filling, canned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, apricot preserves, orange marmalade and chopped pecans—for a quick and easy side dish with a crunchy nut topping.

Cranberry-Apple Sweet Potatoes
Butternut Squash Bake

This creamy squash casserole calls for mascarpone—a mild, soft, butterlike cheese—as well as Parmesan. You can substitute softened cream cheese for the mascarpone if you prefer. Time-saver: Look for precut squash in your supermarket. (You can also bake the squash in your oven first to make it easier to peel and cut.)

Butternut Squash Bake
Holiday Seven-Layer Bars

Chocolate, nuts, coconut and more fill our easy-to-make bar cookies. Mixed dried fruit bits and candy-coated milk chocolate pieces are among the layers that make this bar cookie distinctive.

Holiday Seven-Layer Bars
Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Orange juice concentrate brings out the sweet flavor while crumbled bacon adds a warm smokiness to this sweet potato side dish made in the slow cooker. Try it with roasted pork loin or turkey breast.

Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Roasted Pear and Clementine Salad

This beauty of a salad blends tangy Gorgonzola and balsamic dressing with sweet roasted fruit.

Roasted Pear and Clementine Salad
Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars

Dry-roasted peanuts, peanut butter-flavored pieces and peanut butter bring triple flavor to this make-ahead bar cookie.

Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars
Parmesan Cheese and Italian Sausage Stuffing

This stuffing highlights the flavors of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Italian sausage and dried currants, all mixed with seasonings, chopped vegetables and bite-size pieces of ciabatta bread.

Parmesan Cheese and Italian Sausage Stuffing
Bacon-Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Tangy blue cheese and salty bacon make traditional mashed potatoes even more indulgent.

Bacon-Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Pear-Shape Sake Cheese Ball

Cream cheese, Camembert and cheddar bring big cheese flavor to this appetizer with a hint of sake, the Japanese rice wine. Let the cheese and butter come to room temperature for easy mixing.

Pear-Shape Sake Cheese Ball
Make-Ahead Pumpkin Cornbread

Masa harina, a fine corn flour, gives this bread light texture and corn flavor. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days before your meal, then reheat just before serving.

Make-Ahead Pumpkin Cornbread
Caramel-Pecan French Silk Pie

Caramel and pecans form a gooey base for this chocolate dream pie. Make this decadent pie at least a day ahead so it has plenty of time to chill before guests arrive.

Caramel-Pecan French Silk Pie
Make-Ahead Butternut Squash Gratin

Butternut squash, spinach, cheese and crème fraiche combine for a rich side dish your guests will love.

Make-Ahead Butternut Squash Gratin
Holiday Cranberry-Orange Slices

This slice-and-bake cookie recipe brings several favorite holiday flavors to the cookie tray. Beverly Olson of Marshfield, Wisconsin, added cranberries and orange peel to her butter cookies along with pecans. Finely chop these additions so they won’t get in the way when you slice the dough.

Holiday Cranberry-Orange Slices
Oriental Coleslaw

Uncooked ramen noodles, almonds and sunflower kernels add crunch to this salad from a Dubuque, Iowa, reader. It was one of the winners in a Midwest Living® potluck recipe contest.

Oriental Coleslaw
Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake

This dazzler from Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, tastes as good as it looks. The dark chocolate cookie crust and ruby red berries add dramatic flair to the orange-flavor filling. Because the cake keeps well for two days, this is a great make-ahead dessert.

Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake
Chili Pecans

A coating of spicy and sweet turns toasted pecans into a great party snack. Make these ahead of time—just store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month.

Chili Pecans
Pumpkin Trifle

Pumpkin Trifle makes a spectacular ending to a meal. Packaged ingredients, such as canned pumpkin, frozen pound cake, canned cranberry sauce, candy bars and instant pudding mix, help speed prep time.

Pumpkin Trifle
Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

Apples, dried cranberries and grapes meet crunchy celery and wheat berries in this colorful salad tossed with apple-cinnamon dressing.

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
Bonanza Bean Dip

Lime- and jalapeño-spiced guacamole adds a kick to layers of refried beans, cheese, tomatoes and onions. Serve seasoned tortilla chips on the side.

Bonanza Bean Dip
Calico Corn Bread Dressing

Homey corn bread meets woodsy sage, thyme and shitake mushrooms. Carrots and apricots add color and sweetness.

Calico Corn Bread Dressing
Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This classic potluck dessert includes a crushed pretzel crust, a layer of sweetened cream cheese, and a top layer of strawberry gelatin and strawberries.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Hash Brown Casserole

Here’s a somewhat lightened version of a popular potato casserole recipe that’s great for brunch, dinner or a potluck.

Hash Brown Casserole

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Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta

Give Brussels sprouts a fresh taste with this colorful side dish flavored with bacon and feta. The trick to preserving the sprouts’ mild taste is to avoid overcooking.

Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Feta
Sausage-Wild Rice Casserole

Pork sausage and wild rice blend with onion, mushrooms and water chestnuts in an easy-to-make casserole. Add 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey to make it a main dish.

Sausage-Wild Rice Casserole