Are you searching for party food for a crowd on a budget? Look no further!

There are a variety of cheap options for party food based on what type of snacks you want to include.

Hopefully, you have figured out any conditions or restraints like time or allergies that you need to be aware of, but if you need more time, this post will help you figure out what options will work best.

If you have absolutely no idea whether you want to make something from home or buy from the store, I suggest making a checklist either on paper or in your mind of your goals.

Depending on the amount of effort you want to put into the party food, you can easily eliminate what you do and do not need to spend time on.

This post is all about party food for a crowd on a budget.

First off, you need to figure out what type of food you are planning to prepare for your party. This would be the step where you ask yourself these questions:

How much time are you willing to spend on making food for your party? This will affect the amount of options you have.

Do you want the party food to be homemade or store-bought? Fancy or simple? Healthy or unhealthy?

What about the temperature of the food? Do you prefer to have the party food be hot, cold, or room temperature?

If the weather is leaning towards super warm or cool this may influence your answer.

NOW, if you are feeling overwhelmed by all of these questions, take a deep breath and just think about how much time you want to spend.

These questions are just there to help you organize your goals and keep you on track. They will also help narrow down your options if you find yourself indecisive.

If you are indifferent, and none of your answers will ultimately help you find the best choice, then disregard them and continue down to the party food for a crowd on a budget ideas.

(RELATED POST: Easy Recipes That You Need To Try)

There are party food options for any occasion and alternatives to make sure anyone with allergies is included so everyone gets to enjoy the food you make!

Bean Dip-

This specific snack can be bought pre-made from the store or whipped up in just a couple of minutes at home.

There are tons of different ingredients you can add if you make it yourself so you may want to consider that if you need to accommodate for picky eaters or those with allergies.

Additionally, you can make other types of dip like salsa or guacamole.

Whether you buy it from a store or make it yourself, the dip will need to be refrigerated. If you don’t plan on having leftovers, you won’t need to worry about keeping it cool for another day.

Bean dip is a great side dish to bring to picnics and potlucks, or just any get-together where there is an assigned area for people to get food whenever they want it.

Not sure what to include? Here are some basics:

Refried Beans

Diced tomatoes

Onions

Cheese

Sour Cream

Hopefully, this gives you some ideas!

Chips-

You can’t talk about any kind of dip without also talking about chips! depending on what dip you choose, you may want different kinds of chips.

Chips are easy because you can store them at room temperature and you can buy them from the store.

Plain tortilla chips are always a good option because they won’t take away from the flavors in the dip but instead complement them.

Some Doritos also go really well with bean dip, but sticking to chips that have a simpler taste will let the dip shine.

Rice crackers are another option that may be a little healthier or an alternative for anyone with gluten allergies.

Pigs In A Blanket-

These cute little bite-sized snacks are super easy to make, as long as you have a bit of time.

Although they tend to taste the best when they’re fresh, you can put them back into the fridge and reheat them later on.

Pigs in a blanket are the perfect easy party food to whip up if you don’t have enough time to make something from scratch.

But what if you like the idea, and want to make it yourself?

That’s okay too! The dough can be made to your liking.

Cheese Tray-

Some cheeses can be quite expensive, but if you can choose one cheese with crackers and other fruits, you can make a small version of a charcuterie board.

Cheese and pigs in a blanket also go really well together! If you have the time to spend on both, you can make the tray while the other is cooking.

This party food for a crowd on a budget needs to be kept cold before setting out and when putting it away afterward.

There may also be a difference in taste between cold and room-temperature cheese, so if you’re picky or think anyone will mind, it will be helpful to keep the cheese cool.

You can do this by only putting the cheese tray out for a short amount of time, or you can put the tray on top of a pan of ice.

Or you can choose to completely ignore this idea and opt for a different party food in order to avoid the trouble of keeping it cold.

Crackers-

These were mentioned with the cheese, but crackers also make a delicious snack.

Crackers are also pretty cheap, and they make a good alternative to pair with dip because many crackers are pretty plain or don’t have an intense flavor.

And even better, you can use the cheese to make little sandwiches out of them!

Although not the first thing you may think of, the combination is actually quite delectable.

Crackers don’t require any special preparation, and you can open them up and keep them in the box or pour them out on a tray for easy access.

Sliced Fruit-

Keeping on track with the other foods on the cheese tray, sliced fruit is a healthy and sweet party food that is super cheap and doesn’t take a lot of time to set up.

If you’ve read ANY of my other posts, you know that I am a wholehearted supporter of fruit.

Fruit is sweet without any of the artificial sugars and instead has helpful vitamins and fibers that are really good for you!

Not to mention, fruit is super delicious. It tastes good at any temperature, so the arrangement won’t take very long.

Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes are always an easy snack that stays clean and guests can pick as much as they want, without taking more than they will eat.

For the summertime, watermelon is the perfect fruit. Even though it is a little bit more messy, this fruit is very popular around the season

Vegetable Tray-

Another snack I am a fan of is veggies! This may not be the best choice for picky eaters, but sometimes adding some peanut butter or tossing them in some oil and putting them in the oven completely transforms the flavor!

Vegetables don’t need tons of attention, so your choice of the type of veggie will affect the next steps.

You may have to chop them up, or you can cook them. Your decision may also depend on the amount of time you have, similar to some of the other party food for a crowd on a budget ideas.

Here are some ideas for vegetables that will be a hit:

Cauliflower and Parmesan

Roasted Broccoli

Potato Wedges

Carrots and Ranch

Celery and Peanut Butter

These are only a couple of the yummy ideas you can use for your party snacks!

Cookies-

Whew! What a turn from the fruits and vegetables!

Cookies are very diverse in terms of how you can make them and what type you can get, and even if you don’t make them from home, you can find a large variety in the store.

Freshly baked cookies are delicious, but if you don’t already have many of the ingredients, it will be cheaper to buy them from the store.

If you already have the ingredients at home, you may not have to purchase any extra ingredients at all!

As long as you have the time, homemade cookies will taste even better and you won’t have to spend any money on them.

However, if you do purchase cookies, premade, you will be able to serve them immediately, and won’t have to worry about the cleanup of dishes or waiting for them to cool down.

The decision is yours!

These party food for a crowd on a budget. Ideas are absolutely perfect for your next get-together.

Even better that you can really go in any direction, and there is a variety in each food.

Party Food For A Crowd On A Budget

Are you searching for party food for a crowd on a budget? Look no further!