40 Adorable Baby Shower Food Ideas to Make in 30 Minutes or Less
As anyone who's ever thrown a baby shower knows, these festive gatherings are especially fun to plan. Between the decorations and party games, pretty much everything about baby showers falls into the category of "Awww, how cute!" Still, they're also a lot of work, especially when it comes to the food. Naturally, the menu has to be just as adorable as everything else -- but nobody wants to spend days stressing over what to serve at their shindig. Luckily, there are lots of darling and delightful baby shower food ideas that don't take tons of time or special skills to make.
Of course, "mini" versions of almost anything are always a hit at baby showers. Foods that can be tinted pink, blue, or both are essential, too -- guests love colorful treats!
Since most baby showers tend to be daytime affairs, brunch favorites can serve as buffet inspiration. Who doesn't love brunch? Especially since brunch = mimosas! But breakfast-y foods aren't the only appropriate type of snack to serve. From sliders to parfaits to tiny tarts, there are so many options. (And yes, lots of them involve toothpicks!) Many baby shower foods can be made ahead of time, so the day of the event doesn't have to be crazy hectic. The most important thing? All of these baby shower-suitable dishes look and taste amazing. Flip through and see which are most enticing!
Mmm ... is anyone else getting hungry, or is it just us?
Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cones
These carnival-inspired treats are ridiculously fun to look at, and they couldn't be easier to assemble. No cooking required; just put some pastel candy-covered chocolates in a shot glass, fill an ice cream cone with packaged cotton candy, and put it all together.
Pastel Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows
Can't go wrong with marshmallows on a stick, especially when they're dipped in white chocolate (tinted pink, blue, or both) and rolled in sprinkles. Check out this easy-to-follow tutorial at Frog Prince Paperie.
Themed Sliders
The thing about sliders is, no matter how they're prepared (and there are about a zillion different ways to make sliders), they're always pretty cute. They get even cuter, though, with the addition of illustrated cards on a toothpick!
'It's a Boy' (or Girl) Snack Mix
There just aren't enough excuses to eat sweet snack mix in life (except, maybe waking up in the morning), especially the criminally delicious kind made from scratch. Customize this mix by melting candy that matches the colors of the baby shower (find directions here).
Drizzled Pretzel Sticks
Drizzled pretzel sticks might look super fancy, but odds are even the average preschooler could pull off these sweet/savory snacks in a pinch. Learn how to make them here.
Rice Krispie Treat Muffins
Are they muffins? Are they Rice Krispie Treats? In truth, they're neither -- but they're delicious, and as cute as can be (thanks to the addition of novelty muffin tin liners). Check out the recipe here.
Dipped Oreos
Perfect for party favors, dipped Oreos (like dipped desserts in general, for some reason) look like they take way more effort to make than they really do! Find inspiration here.
Raw Coconut Chocolate Bites
A surefire hit with vegan and/or raw guests, these no-bake chocolate coconut bites are bound to be just as popular with pals who have zero dietary restrictions. And did we mention they only take 10 minutes to make?
Rainbow S'mores Dip
Add tons of color (and tons of fun) to the baby shower with rainbow s'mores dip. No need to find rainbow-colored marshmallows -- colored sugar will do the trick (as this recipe demonstrates).
Rainbow Popcorn
Rainbows aren't just for s'mores, of course -- plenty of ways can be a way to "taste the rainbow," and popcorn is one of them. Bowls of this stuff practically double as a decoration for a baby shower! (Watch a tutorial here.)
Unicorn Toast Triangles
Since we're on the topic of rainbow-colored foods, we can't forget one of the trendiest brunch items in recent times: unicorn toast. Made with cream cheese, natural food colorings and a variety of other fruits and toppings, the presence of unicorn toast on a brunch buffet table will inspire many an Instagram post.
Tea Sandwiches
Classic and classy, too, tea sandwiches are just mini sandwiches with the crusts cut off (usually), and there are endless options when it comes to fillings. From timeless standards like cucumber and watercress to prosciutto and fig, there are so many combinations to choose from (check out 50 different ideas on the Food Network website!).
Mini Quiches
Making quiches in muffin tins isn't just easier than regular quiche (no crust!), it's fun -- and the size of each individual quiche is perfect for a baby shower brunch buffet. Check out a great recipe here.
Pancake Pops
Pancakes are basically perfect as is, but pancake pops are way easier to dip than the average silver dollar stack. And they're darling, making the perfect baby shower food. Find instructions here.
Watermelon Bassinet
A watermelon bassinet is a great excuse to get creative. The cutting and hollowing out of the watermelon is the hardest part of this project (and it's really not hard at all). Love that cantaloupe baby!
Salted Caramel Cheesecakes
Okay, so technically these mini salted caramel cheesecakes need to be refrigerated for a couple of hours, but the actual work only takes about 20 minutes ... and the results are so worth that extra refrigeration time! Find the recipe and a video here.
Seven Layer Dip Cups
Everybody loves seven-layer dip, but it always ends up looking like a mess once people actually start eating it. Not so with these ingenious cups, which show off the beans, guac, sour cream, meat, cheese, salsa, and olives right through the plastic! (No recipe required -- use packaged ingredients to save time!)
Peanut Butter Parfaits
There are multiple (easy) recipes for peanut butter parfaits out there (like this one at Epicurious), and they're all quick and basically impossible to mess up. It's pretty tough to make peanut butter and chocolate taste bad!
Ricotta Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
These mini chocolate chip muffins are exceptionally fluffy and light thanks to an unexpected ingredient: ricotta cheese! Find out how to make them here.
Babies in Blankets & Colored Eggs
The kitschy-at-heart will adore these "babies" in blankets and pink/blue-hued eggs (see how to dye the whites here, and learn how to devil them, too!).
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate-covered strawberries are a classic for a few reasons: They're easy to make, and they look beautiful. Not to mention, they're delicious! Add crushed nuts (or don't!). Find basic instructions here.