45 Easy Potluck Recipes

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

An all-time reader favorite, this creamy hotdish is a guaranteed hit at potlucks. (In fact, you may want to make two pans!)

Hash Brown Casserole

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

This comfort food hotdish offers a new twist on the usual hash brown casserole. Try it for everyday meals as well as potlucks!

Chicken and Corn Hash Brown Bake

Olives and feta give salty punch to this pasta salad from Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese Shop in Minneapolis.

Greek Orzo Salad

Fresh herbs season this ridiculously simple spread from BelGioioso Cheese in Wisconsin. It keeps well in the fridge and is delicious with cherry tomatoes or other vegetable dippers, as well as crackers or baguette slices.

Ricotta and Parmesan Spread

Our recipe actually makes two different kinds of tortilla spirals—one flavored with curry powder, the other with garlic and herbs.

Stuffed Party Pinwheels

Three kinds of cheese blend with artichoke hearts and spinach for a crowd-pleasing dip. Bake in batches to keep the party well-supplied.

Party Hot Pot Dip     

This taco-flavored main dish is a potluck favorite from a Fargo, North Dakota, reader. Serve it with tortilla chips so your guests can scoop and eat.

Mexican Biscuit Casserole

Think of this as a welcome update on three-bean salad, with radishes and celery adding color and crunch to wholesome garbanzo beans. It travels beautifully and is great for potlucks and picnics.

Dilly Chickpea and Radish Salad

These fantastic potluck bars come from Patrice Hurd of Bemidji, Minnesota. She won the grand prize in a Best of the Midwest® Recipe Contest. Patrice says they're a twist on her grandmother’s cracker bars. They cut beautifully and brim with salty-sweet-nutty-chocolately flavor.

Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Peanut Cracker-Stack Bars

Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, and plenty of herbs and spices add color and flavor to this bountiful pasta salad. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella

Curly noodles, almonds, sesame kernels and rice vinegar blend in this crunchy, tangy salad from a West Des Moines, Iowa, reader.

Asian-Style Chicken Salad

Ground turkey, reduced-sodium and light ingredients, and a confetti of crisp, colorful veggies make this potluck staple more nutritious than a typical layered dip—but every bit as tasty.

Light and Layered Taco Dip

Serve this old-fashioned potluck dish warm.

German Potato Salad

It's not easy satisfying everyone, but this cookie from the Midwest Living® Test Kitchen tries to meet the challenge! It's packed with oatmeal, chocolate, peanut butter and nuts.

Our Own Dream Cookies

Diced green chile peppers give this baked and cheesy potluck dish character with some hotness. We like the crunch from the saltine crackers, too. The recipe comes from Triangle Ranch Bed and Breakfast in western South Dakota, where guests enjoy hearty meals prepared by B&B owner Lyndy Ireland.

Triangle Ranch Scalloped Corn

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Oven-baking the chicken makes this recipe a breeze for any time of the year, and homemade barbecue sauce is always a hit. Serve with rolls and slaw.  

Oven-Barbecued Chicken

Try this sweet, colorful salsa—made with tomato, mango and melon—over chips, fish or chicken.

Tropical Tomato Salsa

Juicy grapes and crunchy broccoli blend sweet flavors with savory, salty bacon. The side-dish salad recipe comes from the Triangle Ranch B&B in South Dakota.

Broccoli Grape Salad

Fruit fillings complement the sweetness of other bar cookie ingredients. Blueberry-Almond Bars was a grand champion award recipe at the Marshall County Fair's annual Blueberry Bake-A-Rama in Plymouth, Indiana. Lori Van Der Weele combined blueberries, butter, white baking pieces and almonds for this winner.

Blueberry-Almond Bars

A blanket of gooey cheese and the oven-crisped pepperoni make this casserole a guaranteed kid pleaser. Of course, you can switch up the ingredients as easily as the toppings on a pizza. Classics like sweet pepper, black olives and sausage are all fair game—but we’d hold the anchovies!

Pizza Pasta Skillet Casserole

Great for a potluck or family dinner, this 12-serving casserole combines polenta with ground turkey, spices, black beans, tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese.

Mexican Polenta Pie

Beverly Gardner or Franklin, Illinois, lets her Bavarian-Austrian heritage show with added vinegar, sour cream and lots of sugar. Our heat rating: ! (Mild, Not Wild)

Potluck Pleaser Chili

Shredded chicken makes this gorgeous salad hearty enough to serve on its own for dinner.

Corn and Tomato Pasta Salad

More than 4 cups of berries make this pie extra juicy. Be sure to let it cool completely before you slice it. And don't forget the vanilla ice cream! The recipe comes from Covered Bridge Farm in Forest Lake, Minnesota. 

Very Berry Triple Fruit Pie

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

Layered salads, popular in the 1970s and 1980s, are making a comeback. Assemble this easy potluck salad in either individual jars or a clear salad bowl, dressing and all, then refrigerate.

24-Hour Tex-Mex Salad

This creamy potato salad is full of tender new potatoes, sweet pickles, crisp celery, and chopped hard-cooked eggs.

Classic Potato Salad 

Layer a tomato-bean mixture, cheese and tortillas for a casserole with south-of-the-border flavor. Let each guest top their portion with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, green onions, olives and/or sour cream.

Tortilla-Black Bean Casserole

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

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe blurs the line between baked beans and chili. It's great for feeding a crowd.

Calico Bean Bake

Nuts and fruit add crunch and color to cabbage tossed in a homemade vinaigrette. This beautiful twist on traditional coleslaw is best served right away for maximum crispness, but it will hold for up to 24 hours.

Cherry-Apple Slaw

A classic veggie mix meets potatoes in this recipe, which calls for adding fresh or frozen broccoli florets and cheddar cheese to creamy mashed potatoes.

Broccoli-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Jazz up purchased spinach-artichoke dip with just three extra ingredients.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This crowd-pleaser takes only 15 minutes of prep time—purchased frozen meatballs and condensed soup make the recipe a snap. 

Creamy Meatball Casserole

Spicy poblano chile pepper and tequila pack a punch. Serve as a party dip with tortilla chips, or create upscale quesadillas with a warmed tortilla and chorizo.

Tequila-Spiked Queso Fundido

Combine kidney beans, garbanzo beans and frozen sweet soybeans (edamame) with red onion, cilantro and lime juice for a fresh twist on three-bean salad.

Zesty Three-Bean Salad

Swirl a mixture of cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla into rich brownie batter for this classic twist on a chocolate treat.

Marbled Cream-Cheese Brownies

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

Add to your potluck buffet with this neat-to-eat chicken breast variation of chicken wings. Dunk them in bottled blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo-Style Chicken Fingers

Filled with flaked coconut and dried fruit, these cookies can be ready in just over 30 minutes. 

Ranger Cookies

Blend chopped fresh spinach with cream cheese, sour cream, canned artichoke hearts and three kinds of cheeses for this hot-and-hearty dip. Serve with toasted pita chips, thinly sliced French bread or crackers.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Make this thick and chunky salsa with fresh tomatoes from your garden. Add more jalapeno peppers if you prefer more heat.

Best Salsa

Bacon and brown sugar punch up the salty-sweet flavors in this canned pork and beans fix-up from Triangle Ranch Bed and Breakfast in South Dakota. For a candied top, leave Baked Beans 'n' Bacon uncovered in the oven.

Baked Beans 'n' Bacon

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