For years, I’ve been on the hygge train. Hygge doesn’t directly translate to English, but it’s like a feeling of coziness and contentment, and we’re all about contentment here at The Budget Brigade and in our home. While large parties overwhelm both of us introverts, we love dinners with family and friends, especially when it’s followed up by a board game night. Instant hygge. Potlucks are a great way to enjoy a meal with others without having to foot the entire meal. They also give you the opportunity to explore new recipes you don’t usually make. Below, we cover ten of our favorite budget friendly potluck ideas with links to recipes.
Want to make your potluck extra fun? Consider doing a themed meal. Before Gus Gus my gut went all snowflake on me and refused to eat anything that tasted good, we tried to do a themed potluck once a month on our regular game night with our neighbors. We picked a cuisine theme and then together we came up with a menu of a main dish, side dishes, and appetizers based on the theme, rotating who made with type of dish.
Our potluck themes included:
- Indian
- German
- American grill out
- Mediterranean
My chicken tikka masala to this day lives in infamy. It was *chef’s kiss* And our neighbor’s ropa vieja melted in my mouth and made Gus Gus sit down and shut up with contentment.
Budget Friendly Potluck Ideas
Our potluck recommendations below are more suitable for Fourth of July events or Friday night get togethers, but feel free to get creative. And if we overlooked your favorites, share them in the comments for others. A few of our recommendations below come from suggestions of fellow brigadiers in our Budget Brigade Facebook community.
This is one of the few times I wish I took more pictures of my food. Sorry we don’t have sample pictures, but I promise these are worth attempting at home. My browser bookmarks are glad for the exercise, even if my gallery wasn’t any use this week.
1. Grape chili meatballs
My first thought when I stumbled across this recipe when I was looking for a potluck contribution idea was “that sounds disgusting.” But the hundreds of favorable reviews made me reconsider my initial prejudice, and I’m so glad I did. This simple Crock Pot recipe is easy and cheap with low effort. Just as importantly, it’s a hit every time I make it.
All you need is a bag of frozen meatballs, a jar of chili sauce, and a jar of grape jelly. Throw them all in the Crock Pot together, turn it on, and stir it every once in a while. Then sit back and prepare for the compliments to pour in.
We’ve made these for many an Indy 500 watch party, and my brother even requested them for his baby shower.
For a large party, buy the meatballs in bulk at a membership warehouse like Sam’s Club or Costco.
2. Instant Pot mac ‘n cheese
(I spend so much time on social media for work and my side hustles now that I originally wrote this out as Instapot LOL.)
This recipe is also another Indy 500 watch party staple and frequently guest stars as my contributions to Fourth of July gatherings. It’s another set it and forget it recipe that’s simple to throw together with cheap ingredients you can find at Aldi to save you cheddar on cheese *rim shot*.
This gooey heaven smokes Velveeta and Kraft in flavor. It would leave it in its cheese dust, but this Instant Pot classic features real shredded cheese, not the powdery Kraft alternative. If you have more time and less money, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself to save even more.
A bonus to this recipe is you can easily repurpose leftovers as a side dish for dinner the next night or part of a brown bag lunch.
Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe
3. Seven layer dip
This is one of our favorite potluck ideas that we’ve never made because a brigadier friend of ours always brings it to complement our Memorial Day weekend contributions above. This dip adds a lot of flavor and pizazz to normal chips. You can also get scoop chips if you want to be fancy.
This dip is versatile in its potluck potential. Super Bowl party? It’s game. Cinco de mayo? It’s ready for the fiesta. Going to a dinner party? It’s a great appetizer.
4. Cucumber and mango salad
This side dish is a great option to help stay cool during the summer. Or all year round in the South. It’s quick and easy to prepare, especially if you use the checkerboard life hack to cut the mango: cut the two sides of the mango off down the length of the mango, getting at close to the tough center as you can. Score the mango flesh down the length in straight lines, making sure not to apply too much pressure. You don’t want to cut through the skin. Then run parallel cuts from side to side, creating a checkerboard pattern. Press gently on the center of the skin to flip the mango inside out, then either use the knife to cut the mini cubes out for the salad or simply pull them off with your fingers. It’s okay to play with your food before you present it, so long as your hands are clean! It’s usually way cheaper to buy whole foods than pre-cut alternatives, and mangoes are easy to DIY.
See how to cut a mango here with an example video.
The vinegar helps balance the flavor profile, preventing it from being too sweet. I always go light on the added sugar or omit it completely, opting for additional mango for a more naturally sweet flavor.
5. Guacamole or salsa
Sure, you can buy premade guac and it may even be slightly cheaper, but it’s way less hygge and less satisfying than making your own. Call my biased, but homemade always tastes better. And guacamole is cheap enough not to bust the budget.
Now when it comes to the chips, it’s hard to say homemade ROIs, so grab a bag of Tostitos. I don’t think anyone will judge you there.
Just make sure you find avocadoes that aren’t too ripe. Not only are they a PITA to cut, but good luck mashing them. Or chewing them. Or digesting them.
To slice an avocado, you can use a hack similar to mangos. Spilt it down the middle, cutting around the core to separate the two halves. If they’re stuck together, it might be a sign that the avocado isn’t ripe enough. Proceed with caution. Spin one half like you’re trying to get to the good part of an Oreo, then pull apart. Press on the center of the flesh to pop the pit out and discard it. Then checkerboard score the skin and scoop it out with your clean finger or a spoon.
How to make the best guacamole
Now a guac fan? Try homemade salsa instead. I am a huge tomatillo fan, so we favor salsa verde versus its tomato counterpart.
6. Pizza ring
We love homemade pizza. Like guac and salsa, it just tastes better when homemade. And you add to the hygge factor when something bakes, simmers, or slow cooks for a hot minute. Sometimes I’ll find an excuse to leave the house just to be able to come back in and inhale that heavenly smell that infuses my home.
While a regular homemade pizza will does the job fine, a pizza roll adds more pieces of flair to show off your mad potluck skills without adding any additional cost.
In the off chance you have leftovers, they reheat well for a day or two for a brown bag lunch.
Italian sausage ricotta pizza ring recipe
7. Monkey bread
While breakfast potlucks aren’t common, this is my go-to morning munch for our holiday traditions such as Christmas Eve. It can also make a great brunch contribution or dessert for an afternoon or evening gathering. Any leftovers make a great breakfast option if you can handle the sugar overload without developing diabetes.
This recipe is wonderful if you have a bread machine. I haven’t tried making the dough without the special machinery. I’m sure it’s possible, but you might not want to experiment on potluck day. You’ll also need a Bundt cake pan to make this. I don’t recommend trying to make it without it; the pull-apart nature is part of the appeal and what makes it ideal for potlucks.
This recipe has more active time than the others, so it isn’t great if you’re in a hurry. But boy, it’s tasty. Throw on the Christmas music or your favorite audiobook on loan from the library to potluck prep and chill.
8. Brownies a la mode
If you don’t have the equipment or the time to make monkey bread, brownies are a classic dessert hard to beat, especially if you dress it up with some ice cream and fudge. Forgo the fancy name brand ice cream and opt for the large tub of store brand vanilla. The only criteria is it needs to melt on a hot brownie – not hard to do.
Adding some hot fudge or even chocolate syrup can really turn this simple dish into a pinkies up party.
Heading for an outdoor gathering where freezer space and a microwave to reheat won’t be able? You can skip the a la mode and focus on just the brownies.
Since your mom won’t be there to warn you about salmonella, go ahead and lick the bowl and spatula once the pan of brownies is in the oven. Extra hygge.
9. Black bean soup
This potluck addition is a favorite recommended by one of our brigadiers. It’s versatile and easy to adapt for different diets when serving. Plus it can be slow cooked in a Crock Pot, so add ease and hygge in the pros column.
Slow cooker black bean soup recipe
10. Pasta salad
Our final potluck recommendation comes from another Budget Brigade Facebook community member. The secret to success for this potluck favor? She suggests Italian dressing over mayo as it keeps better. I have epically failed at no fail macaroni pasta salad that was mayo based, so I’m inclined to take her recommendation to heart.
My favorite pasta salad I do for dinners is actually Greek yogurt based in combination with mayo. While it might not be the best vote for a potluck, I still recommend giving this creamy lemon dill Greek pasta salad a try sometime. For an Italian dressing base, try this “sweep the kitchen” pasta salad.