Snacks for Dinner: How To, Ideas & Recipes

Ideas and recipes for serving snacks for dinner, including how to find variety, balance and incorporate some store-bought help to keep it simple.

This is such a low key, fun and cozy way to have dinner with friends or family!

A collage of six different appetizers and snacks that can be served as a fun snack board dinner.

Having snacks for dinner just feels like a fun night, right? It's like breakfast for dinner, but hand-held and share-able.

Plus, there are so many opportunities:

Summer - low key and laid back
Busy seasons - pull some things together and call it a meal
Hosting a group - whether you provide it all or everyone contributes, it's a great way to share a variety of appetizers to make a meal
Or just a fun family ritual! Maybe it's a monthly thing or a Friday night movie thing, but snacks for dinner is a very kid-approved and cozy vibe

The trick is, don't make it too hard!

I'm guilty of this when I'm packing a dinner picnic for us… usually for a summer outdoor concert series or to take to the pool or something. I come up with 5 different things I want to include and then I'm spending hours in the kitchen getting it all prepped. Boo to that.

So I'm sharing some quick tips on how to keep it fun and easy, followed by tons of store-bought foods and then recipes that you can use to make and customize your own snacking dinner.

The good news is, there are so many options, you can do this on the regular and have it look different every time!

So let's dive in.

Snacks for Dinner Tips:

Don't make everything yourself! I love homemade, yes, but if you're making a well-rounded snacking dinner, you might end up with 4-5 or more different items. And making all of those yourself could get to be a tad overwhelming. Layer in some store-bought help.

Plan for variety and balance. Be sure you've got at least 1 protein, ideally some fruits and veggies, a hot or cold dip and then something somewhat substantial, such as sliders or nachos.

Consider the flavors. You want to be sure all your different dishes play well together. I love them both, but I wouldn't really serve sushi with potato salad. You don't have to do a strict theme (although you could!), just be sure the flavors mesh.

Check the instructions. Make sure you're not trying to use your Air Fryer for three different things or that you need the oven to somehow be at both 350 degrees F and 425 degrees F. Check the directions or instructions in advance and plan accordingly.

Stay semi-reasonable on portions. It's fun to have a big spread and a ton of different options, but if you're feeding a family of 4, let's say, you don't need enough snacks for a small army. (It's me. I do that.)

OK, let's get into the food!

A collage of different prepared snacks and appetizers found at a grocery store. — *This is an AI generated image to show a HUGE variety of snacking opportunities.*

Store Bought Snacks for Dinner

Here are some ideas of easy items to pick up at the store to help build out your dinner snacks. These are arranged, roughly, by the section of the store you'll find them in.

Freezer Section:

So many choices and flavors and variety, so little time. Browse away and find your family's favorites.

Pizza rolls or bites
Mozzarella sticks
Soft pretzels
Meatballs
Corn dogs
Sliders
Taquitos
Loaded potato skins
Dumplings/wontons/pierogies
Egg rolls
Wings
Chicken nuggets
Fish sticks
Samosas

Deli/Prepared Foods

This can vary wildly depending on your store, so you'll need to adjust based on what's available.

Hummus, spinach artichoke, other dips
Chicken salad, egg salad
Meat and cheese trays
Sushi
Pasta salad
Bean salad
Potato salad
Coleslaw
Chicken wings/fried chicken
Ribs
Shrimp cocktail
Deviled eggs
Veggie tray
Fruit tray

Grocery Section

Round out your spread with any extras you need to pair with your snacks.

Chips
Pita bread
Crackers
Chex mix
Popcorn
Nuts
Trail mix
Condiments (salsa, bean dips, queso, Ranch dressing, etc)

A collage of tons of different store bought snack and appetizer ideas for grouping and serving as a fun dinner. — *This is an AI generated image to show a HUGE variety of snacks for dinner.*

So listen, if you want to stop there, have at it. Buy all your favorites, get them heated and arranged and dig in. The idea is easy, right?

Or, if you want to make some things at home, either to go with or instead of buying the store-bought kind, that's great too.

Here are some of our favorites.

Snack Board Dinner Recipes

Browse these easy, homemade snacks and appetizers that are perfect for creating an appetizers for dinner spread for friends or family. Everything from dips to salads to proteins and more.

Dips

Hearty Apps

Salads & Veggies

Throw Back Classics

Lastly, if you are looking for bonus points, make a snacking dessert board!

I love doing these for book club nights or when we have a group coming over. It's so easy to get a few different store-bought goodies (or make your own!) and to set it out in a fun arrangement. It feels special!

Some ideas to consider: variety of cookies, candy, mini cupcakes, mini cheesecakes, mini parfaits, brownie bites, mini individual pies, yogurt covered pretzels, chocolates, fresh and/or dried fruit, etc.

If you have other favorite snacks for dinner that I haven't included, please leave a comment below and share with us.

Happy snacking!

XO,

Kathryn