23 teenage party food ideas

Mocktails & slushies

Give your teen crowd a cocktail maker and let them shake it up. Our fresh and fruity mocktail recipes feel like a treat without the alcohol. For extra wow-factor put some berries, sliced fruit or edible glitter into an ice cube tray and freeze. Serve with cocktail umbrellas, crushed ice and Morello cherries for full effect...

Discover more non-alcoholic drinks ideas.

1. Mojito mocktail

Teens will love muddling the sugar and mint leaves to make our rum-free version of the classic mojito. Top it up with lime juice, soda water and colourful straws.

2. Pineapple & lime mocktail

This sparkling mocktail features edible gold glitter to bring some sparkle to your teen's party. Top it up with soda rather than tonic water to make it more teen-friendly.

3. Watermelon lemonade

Serving this cocktail in a hollowed-out watermelon brings the fun factor. Using the fresh watermelon flesh also makes it a super refreshing drink everyone will love - and it's easier than you'd think!

4. Watermelon & strawberry slushie

Everyone loves a slushie - and this one uses the natural sweetness of ripe strawberries and fresh watermelon so you're not adding in any extra sugars. A batch will make six portions but you can scale it up to suit your needs.

DIY movie night bar

This is really simple to create but looks great and is sure to cause excitement. Put on a spread of paper ice cream pots filled with broken pieces of chocolate, jelly beans, mini marshmallows and chocolate buttons, then simply give each of your guests a paper bag filled with popcorn and let them get mixing and shaking. Or try one of these irresistible recipes below...

5. S’mores dip

Is there anything more indulgent than a s'mores dip? Melted chocolate is topped with golden mini marshmallows, ready for dunking into with digestives, strawberries and pineapple chunks.

6. Chocolate drizzled popcorn

For slightly less of a sugar overload, this two ingredient popcorn is simply drizzled with dark chocolate for a quick and easy snack that can be easily scaled to your needs.

Discover more no-bake recipes for kids.

7. 5 ways with flavoured popcorn

Keep everyone happy with five different variations on homemade popcorn. From sweet banoffee popcorn to earthy matcha and a spicy curry version, this will satisfy even the fussiest of palettes.

8. Brown sugar & cinnamon glazed popcorn

For a real treat, the sugary glaze and warming spice of this popcorn is good enough to rival any cinema-bought version - without the massive price tag!

More movie treats

These beauties take a little more effort and need to be made in advance, but they're well worth the extra time... you could make (or buy) the doughnuts and let the teens do the icing.

9. Coconut iced doughnuts

If your teenagers are keen bakers, making this pretty doughnuts is a fun activity which yields sweet results. If they're less baking-inclined, you can make them ahead and they can have fun decorating – and eating – the fruits of your labour.

10. Tropical rocky road

Make the most of leftover dried fruit, nuts and biscuits for these chocolate squares. Use dried pineapple and mango for a tropical twist.

11. Marshmallows dipped in chocolate

These homemade lollipops couldn't be easier - simply put a lolly stick into a marshmallow, dip into chocolate and then top with hundreds-and-thousands and other colourful sprinkles. Teenagers will love making them and enjoy the tasty result.

12. Chocolate caramel cookies

Rustle up a batch of these cookies before the teenagers arrive or let them try the easy recipe themselves. Serve warm from the oven, or make them into ice cream sandwiches for an extra treat.

The main feast

It might feel tempting to bulk-order the takeaway pizzas, but these crowd-sharing recipes are great for a budget and make a much more exciting alternative. They're super simple to put together and can all be made by the teens themselves – there's nothing quite like making your own perfect pizza.

13. Reggae reggae nachos

Reggae Reggae Sauce creator Levi Roots shares this recipe for crowd-pleasing veggie nachos loaded with green jalapeños, scotch bonnet chilli, plenty of cheese and coriander. Serve with plenty of fresh guacamole for cooling down from those chillies!

14. Garlic bread nachos

This is the ultimate movie night mash-up – garlic bread and nachos. This teenager-pleasing recipe comes together in less than half an hour and serves eight. What's not to love?

15. Movie night nachos with creamy guacamole

These Tex Mex-inspired nachos combines chorizo black beans, chillies and Monterey jack cheese with a pickled onion salsa and creamy guacamole for a vibrant feast that teenagers will be itching to dig into.

16. Honey-glazed chicken wings

These sticky chicken wings are glazed with honey and soy for plenty of sweet and savoury flavour that gives a wonderfully golden coating. Serve with halved celery sticks and baby carrots for dunking into the sour cream dip.

17. Holiday pizzas

You can't go wrong with a homemade pizza party. This recipe is super simple and comes together in less than an hour, so teenagers can focus on the fun part of choosing their favourite toppings.

18. Sweet potato quesadillas

For a veggie-friendly teens' party, these sweet potato, shallot, broad bean and cheese-filled quesadillas tick all the boxes. They're packed with flavour, textures and colour and are easy enough that teenagers can have a go making them themselves.

Breakfast buffet

If your teen is hosting a sleepover and you’ve all survived, then send your crowd on their way with a fun breakfast buffet. We’re talking homemade toaster pastries, American-style blueberry pancakes, super-shakes, breakfast banana splits and bagel club sandwiches. Just make sure they have their bags packed first…

19. Peach melba pop pies

Forget the branded versions and make your own with these easy, peach and raspberry filled mini pies. They're made with a sheet of shop-bought shortcrust pastry for a seriously quick and easy sweet treat.

20. Breakfast super-shakes

If your teenagers prefer something a bit lighter come breakfast-time, these healthy smoothies are full of nutritious ingredients that will keep kids energised.

21. Breakfast bagel club

For a savoury option, these loaded bagels can be mixed and matched with whatever ingredients you've got in the fridge – fried eggs, soft cheese, avocado and smoked salmon are all great options.

22. Breakfast banana split

For a healthier twist on the classic dessert, load up sliced bananas with frozen yogurt, low-sugar granola and fresh fruit for a fun, assembly-only breakfast that teenagers can make themselves.

23. Blueberry & lemon pancakes

These American-style pancakes are sure to go down a storm with a bunch of teenagers. The fresh blueberry and lemon zest filling is a classic combination.

For more ideas for kids, check out our family section.

For party inspiration, discover our unicorn party ideas, including themed decorations and recipes.

What's your top tip for hosting a teenage sleepover? We'd love to hear from you below...