Food Ideas for a Teen Birthday Party

Pigs in blankets

While a birthday cake is a given treat to have at any birthday party, what about the rest of the food? Coming up with a menu of food that’s appetizing while still being easy on the wallet and time is actually a pretty easy feat when it comes to a teenager’s birthday party specifically.

There tends to be a universal food language when it comes to kids between the ages of 13 to 19, and while hunger choices might not be the healthiest, for a birthday party, this taste is ideal! For your teenage guests, stick with foods that translate well sitting out for the duration of the party (3-4 hours) and that are grab and go type foods. Some really great meat options are chicken nuggets, slider hamburgers, pigs in a blanket, mini-corndogs, and ham roll-ups. While chicken wings might sound like a great idea as well, keep in mind that any food with bones will end up being more of a hassle for clean-up and possibly safety for any party with main guest age being under 19. Other really effortless food ideas for your teens include hot pockets, pizza rolls, cheese sticks, and of course—nachos! All you need to do is cover the Tortilla chips with delicious cheese! You could also be more creative and add ingredients such as spring onions, chopped up tomato on top. If you have children with allergy, it may be ideal to keepTortilla chips and dips in a separate bowl and letting your teens dip with separately bowled chips, pretzels, or crackers. Be sure to have the right beverages for the guests to wash all this yummy grub down with plenty of water, lemonade, and soda. For colder times of year, hot chocolate and cider is always a hit as well.

tortilla chips and dips

Even with a fantastic birthday cake, we can’t forget a few extra sweets! A couple of pans of sugar cookies, brownies, or just a few simple bowls of candied treats like Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears, M&M’s or Skittles makes for great grab and go handfuls to satisfy every guest’s sweet tooth.

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Food Ideas for Adult Birthday Party

As we get older, we become more focused on putting healthier food into our bodies. With this in mind, it doesn’t mean you have to only serve salad at your adult birthday party, but it does mean that incorporating healthy fairs into your spread is a must.

cracker with Cheese, olives and pepperoni

The ultimate adult birthday party food (besides the birthday cake, of course) is one or more yummy dips! Whether it’s salty or sweet, dips are all the rage for adult birthday parties, as they are filling, easy to eat, and the combinations for flavors and what you can accompany with the dips is endless. Cheese based dips with Velveeta, sour cream based dips with spices such as ranch and chipotle, and mayonnaise based dips with veggies like spinach and artichokes are all highly loved choices. Chips, pretzels, and crackers offer a satisfying crunchy sidekick to go with these dips, or carrots, celeries, and cucumbers also pair well (and give you your necessary healthy munchies!). Food skewers are also a versatile option for food, and again, a great way to incorporate veggies or fruits into your dishes.

Beverages are a significant part of any party and you absolutely cannot do without water. Hydrating your guests on the constant is a necessity, and while soda is certainly on the menu, try to incorporate as many H20 based drinks as you can into your line-up. Lemonades and teas are perfect examples of flavorful and super hydrating elixirs.

Moving away from dips, other fantastic food choices for an adult birthday party are chicken wings, unmessy/easy to eat filo cups with any kind of fillings you desire (think macaroni and cheese, or mashed potatoes), turkey or beef burger sliders, quesadilla wedges, and pepperoni pinwheels. Hummus, Tostitos, and jalapeno poppers are also party favorites. It is a good idea to have small bowls of mixed nuts, chips, popcorn, or candy that your guests can munch on throughout the party.

And don’t forget sweet treats like no bake cheesecake, jello, or pudding cups serve to satisfy your guests as they are waiting to cut the birthday cake!

vege sticks

herb cheese with sesame cracker with thin sliced apple

cracker with cottage cheese, courgette and tomato

chicken wings

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Teenager Birthday Party Favor Ideas

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While planning a birthday party event can be stressful, there is a break for fun and creativity when it comes to choosing favors for your guests! For a teenager’s birthday party, you have vibrant and colorful options that you can work with.

First, you’ll need to decide if you would like your favors to be disposal, keepsakes, or a little bit of both. Mason jar favors are all the rage right now and there are tons of ways to turn these into party favors for your teenage guests. Mason jars can be painted, decorated with buttons or glitter or ribbons, and filled with candy or small favor items. Mason jars are a perfect palate for whatever theme you’re working with, and they are inexpensive. They even come in any size you need for your favors!

If you go for a bagged or boxed set of favors, fill them up with individually wrapped candy, gel pens, chapstick, sunglasses, or playing cards. Any of these can be personalized as well with the name of your birthday teen guest of honor, or the guests themselves. Also make sure to throw in noisemakers in your favor goody bags that the teens can use during the birthday party. Whistles, kazoos, party poppers, and blowouts are classic and lively noisemakers that no teen birthday party should do without!

If you decide to keep your noisemakers separate from your party favor bags, then wait until the end of the party to give the favor packages to the guests. This way, there’s no chance of your teenagers losing their gifts before they leave the event.

My Favorite Teen Party Favors

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Adult Birthday Party Favor Ideas

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As the host of an adult birthday party, coming up with party favors for your guests can be the most fun part of the entire planning process. Unlike younger-aged birthday parties, adult favors are something that you want to make a keepsake, and less disposable.

When choosing the favors for your party guests, keep your theme in mind. You’re going to want to incorporate this into your favors and you are also going to want to use it as the primary flair for your presentation of the favors—i.e., the gift bags, boxes, or containers you choose.

There are tons of options as far as adult birthday party favors go! Glassware is a really popular option for party favors as it serves as a great keepsake that your guests will continue to use. Barware like shot glasses, flutes, wine glasses, and steins personalized with your party theme are universally loved favors. Stadium cups are a fun gift as well, and as a bigger plus, they are durable and unbreakable.  Accessories for the home or kitchen specifically are highly favorable gifts for your adult party guests. Wine stoppers, coasters, candle holders, koozies, and keychains can be personalized any way you choose for your guests and are extremely usable long after the party is over.

Candy is also a wonderful filler for your party favor gift bags. Candy bars, coffee, and cheese plate packages tend to fit whatever theme your adult birthday party holds, and they are a great little surprise alongside the gift favors! When you spend so much time and effort on a great birthday party for your adult guests, you want them to leave with something they can put in their homes and always remember how amazing the event truly was.

My Favorite Adult Party Favors

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