84 Recipes For A Baby Shower Buffet Table

Baby shower buffets are a fantastic opportunity to create a wonderfully visual feast full of delightful dishes and divine desserts that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages. They're all about cute, delicate, and fun bites that are easy-to-eat finger foods. They're not about big meaty dishes and loaded-up messy shares. They're about celebrating the future, while serving up some nostalgic dishes that are rich with tradition, even if some are given a modern twist. 

A new arrival on the horizon is a chance for everyone to come together and share in a feeling of expectant excitement and happiness. And what better way of connecting with friends and family, at such a joyful time, than over a beautiful buffet table that celebrates everyone who's part of this story? A baby shower is a great excuse for a party and to share some gorgeous food with some inspired recipes.

Just as welcoming a child into the world can complete a family, there's a wonderful culinary synchronicity in pairing chocolate and raspberry. The sweetness of the cocoa brings out the best of the fruity tartness and the raspberry-infused buttercream swirl on top is quite literally the icing on the cake. Of course, there's nothing stopping you switching up your fruit and using strawberries or cherries instead. Make sure you use a good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe, which is deliciously simple and a perfect sweet addition to a spread.

Recipe: Best Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Having a little one join the world can be the cherry on top of life's cake, so why not present your baby shower guests with a cake with a cherry on top? Not only do they look great, but cherries also symbolize future happiness and good fortune, making them a feel-good fruit for a baby shower. The buttercream is made using maraschino cherries, and adding a whole cherry and some chocolate sprinkles on top evokes a nostalgic feeling of childhood.

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Welcoming a baby into the world is the start of a colorful new adventure. And there's no cupcake that embraces that zest for life than a rainbow one. Fun and festive, these treats express joy through all the colors of the rainbow that swirl not only through the cakes, but also the multi-colored frosting. And top with rainbow sprinkles. Add spoonfuls of different colored batter to your cupcake cases, starting with purple at the base. Layer spoonfuls of different colored frosting on top of each other in a piping bag to create the desired effect.

Recipe: Homemade Rainbow Cupcakes

When you're making desserts with bold flavors, there's something to be said for not holding back. And these cupcakes celebrate the tropical taste of coconut. The white color is also perfect for an occasion that's about the innocence and purity of a newborn. Coconut extract is added to the cupcake and the frosting, but what adds that special touch is adding shredded coconut to the batter and sprinkled on top. Not everyone is going to like these, but those who do are going to love them. Garnish with a flower or mint leaf.

Recipe: Moist Coconut Cupcakes

Creating a buffet table often means that dishes are lined up waiting to go in the oven, so making these no-bake cupcakes is a dream for any host. However, while they're quick to make, you'll need a good five hours for them to set in the fridge. After making a biscuit base, you're going to whip up a creamy filling. Cream cheese can be stiff, so to loosen it up, add lemon juice and vanilla extract before you start whipping, and a spoon of the whipped cream, with the rest folded in later.

Recipe: Easy No-Bake Cheesecake Cupcakes

A baby is a lucky charm for doting parents, while the joy of lucky charms is reminiscent of the halcyon days of childhood for many. To create chewy cookies with a crispy edge, brown and white sugar are used in this recipe. While adding the toasted oat cereal into the dough, pick out some of the soft marshmallow shapes to decorate the top of your cookies so they look colorful and cute. A good tip is to spray oil on a baking tray before adding parchment paper so that it sticks. 

Recipe: Lucky Charm Sugar Cookies

Say it with love with these customizable heart-shaped cookies. Ideally, you'll need an edible ink coloring pen, but you can also pipe on sweet messages instead. While this recipe uses almond extract, you can swap in lemon or vanilla if you prefer. (And you don't have to make pink hearts, either.) Use any color you like — just make sure to tap your cookies with a toothpick after dipping them in the icing to remove air bubbles.

Recipe: Conversation Heart Cookies

Don't be thrown off by the name — it doesn't have to be the festive season to make star-shaped Christmas cookies. After all, a baby is a little star that shines brightly in the world. The white icing projects a sense of innocence and purity that's apt for a baby shower celebration of a new arrival. Add some spices to contract with the sugary coating, by putting ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the dough. Meanwhile, if you want to color your stars then just add a few drops of food coloring to your icing.

Recipe: Christmas Star Cookies

The swirling design of these pinwheel cookies adds charming, old-style vibes to a baby shower, inspiring a fun playfulness. How a buffet table looks at such an event is part of the appeal. It's not enough to serve delicious desserts — they've got to look yummy, too. Once you've made your vanilla mix, make half of it chocolatey by adding cocoa powder, making sure it's unsweetened, as your mixture is sweet enough already. The key to rolling without your dough cracking is to cool it once it's been rolled out, and roll it slowly. 

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Pinwheel Cookies

Guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone's face, Funfetti is the ultimate celebratory cake. And even better, this recipe turns it into cookie bars. What's not to love? And at a baby shower, where there's likely to be families with kids, they tick all the buffet boxes. Remember, you can choose whatever color frosting and sprinkles you like, too. Before baking, press down the dough down in the tray so the bottom is completely covered. 

Recipe: Colorful Funfetti Cookie Bars

If your baby shower buffet is an al fresco affair, or you want to conjure up memories of fun family camping trips, then these s'more-like cookies are a must. Gooey and chocolatey, with soft marshmallows, you don't need a campfire to create this traditional taste, and they're a lot less messy, too. Use whatever colored mini marshmallows you like, and while this recipe uses dark chocolate chips, you can use milk chocolate or any type you prefer. Mix your marshmallows in separately from the chocolate chips so you can stir them more gently.

Recipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Baby showers are supposed to be fun and lighthearted, so if you like the look of these colorfully delicious deviled eggs, you don't have to wait until Easter to make them. This recipe presents pretty pastels with pink, blue, yellow, and green, but you can choose whatever colors you like. Before you pipe in your egg yolk filling, make sure your dyed hard-boiled egg whites are completely dry. If you don't have a piping bag to hand, spoon the mix in instead. 

Recipe: Easter Deviled Eggs

While chicken nuggets are a classic all-American finger food snack, cauliflower nuggets are a fabulous alternative. They're not only ridiculously delicious but are also a great choice if you don't want your buffet table to be weighted down with big, meaty dishes. Add flavor with onion powder, smoked paprika, and some garlic, and throw in a few chili flakes if you like heat. Once you've blended your mix together, including whatever cheese you like, add extra breadcrumbs or some flour if it's too wet to shape. Serve your baked nuggets with mayo, sweet chili sauce, or ketchup.

Recipe: Cauliflower Nuggets

Instead of a big loaf of bread, these soft, one-bite pretzels are so moreish, especially when served with a cheese sauce or some mustard. Your dough will be ready to proof when it comes away from the side of your mixing bowl. To get the right size, roll the dough into ropes no more than a half inch thick and make a cut every inch. After giving your pretzel bites a bath for a minute in warm water and baking soda, make sure you shake off any excess liquid before baking.

Recipe: Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

Before any sweet potatoes are born, baby shower guests can go goo-goo over how good these sweet potato fritters are. This version is sweet and salty, and to achieve that classic crispy on the outside fritter taste the trick is to squeeze out as much water as you can once you've grated your sweet potato. You may want to add a few dips to the table too, such as a mayo, guacamole, or hummus. A sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs adds an attractive splash of color that contrasts beautifully with the vibrant orange. 

Recipe: Sweet Potato Fritters

You can make these soft, moreish bites in advance, then simply pop them in the microwave before serving as they're best enjoyed warm. This recipe calls for you to fry your diced-up onion, peppers, and ham to enhance the flavor before adding to the eggy mix. However, if you're short on time or don't have enough pans free because you're cooking other dishes, you can add them raw. If you do cook the ingredients, make sure you let them cool before adding them to the eggs so they don't cook.

Recipe: Starbucks Copycat Egg Bites 

These Vietnamese-style spring rolls made with rice paper are divinely light. Tips to make these delicate rolls include using shrimp that aren't too big while also using Persian cucumbers so that you don't need to peel and de-seed. While the sauce is made using crunchy peanut butter, you can use the smooth variety and just throw in a few chopped up peanuts. It's a good idea to make this dip first so that by the time you've made your rolls, the flavors have infused. Flag up this dish for peanut allergy sufferers.

Recipe: Shrimp Spring Rolls

Nori seaweed around soft sushi rice, with a crunchy cucumber center, less is more when it comes to certain buffet delights. These rolls are simple yet pretty, and they are ridiculously tasty. They look the part for any party, and they're also fun to make so older children could help as a way of celebrating the imminent arrival of a younger sibling. Cook each cup of rice with 50% more water, and make sure your salt and sugar seasoning that's added is nicely balanced. Add a soy, hoisin, or sriracha dip.

Recipe: Easy Cucumber Rolls

As guests walk around enjoying baby talk, they want buffet foods that they can eat while standing up. These soft-centered delights are made with cans of crescent rolls, so all you have to do is add some filling and roll the pre-cut triangles. This recipe includes pecans but if you want to go nut-free then try adding some pumpkin seeds to create some crunch. You can swap the nuts out, too, and use pine nuts or any other variety you like. You can omit the marshmallows if you prefer, too. 

Recipe: Best Sweet Potato Crescent Rolls

Traditionally made ravioli is a bit sloppy for a celebratory buffet. But this recipe reinvents the Italian classic so that the ravioli are crunchy and full of flavor. They're a great finger food that's so different that everyone will be raving about them. It's best to use frozen ravioli for this recipe as they're easier to work with. For the coating, Parmesan works well with the panko because it adds a nice cheesy tang without turning the outside of the parcels gooey. Serve marinara or pizza sauce on the side for dipping. 

Recipe: Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli

Bring the full-on flavors of El Salvador to the table with these stuffed corn tortillas. This recipe puts refried beans and some shredded cheese in the center, but you can add whatever you like. Keep in mind that you need to make the balls of tortilla dough big enough to completely cover the filling. Keep up the South American taste sensation by serving your fried pupusas with the fresh taste of cilantro and avocado, along with some tomatoes. Avocado and lime salad add some zest, too. Traditionally, these are served with a Salvadorian coleslaw or tomato sauce dip. 

Recipe: Easy Pupusa

Bang, bang. This dish explodes with taste, and the heat is flavorsome rather than a huge chili hit. (Naturally, you can add more Sriracha if you want a more fiery dip.) And while the recipe calls for this to be made with mayonnaise, feel free to switch this to crème fraîche or yogurt. Make life easier by using raw shrimp that's already been shelled and de-veined. Just make sure they're dry before coating. And if you want a crispier texture, use panko breadcrumbs in place of cornstarch.

Recipe: Best Bang Bang Shrimp

There's something appealingly retro and wholesome about green tomatoes — they evoke a traditional, homely feeling that's nurturing and nourishing. In terms of portion size, it depends on the size of your tomatoes. It's vital that your tomato slices are properly dry before you dredge them in flour. Otherwise, you won't get a nice thin and even layer. Think ahead, and place a wire rack over an aluminum foil wrapped baking tray for your coated tomatoes. When done, serve with either a homemade dip or some store-bought ranch dressing. 

Recipe: Air Fryer Green Tomatoes

If you've got a sous vide, these creamy, velvety bites are a brilliant buffet addition. There's no issue with using store-bought roasted red peppers, and you can play around with the ingredients however you like. Suggestions include adding green bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, or zucchini. You can also add different cheeses, such as cheddar or Parmesan. These are cooked in Mason jars, so a good tip is tightening the lid and then unscrewing it one turn so it's easy to undo later. 

Recipe: Sous Vide Egg Bites

It's interesting how a classic sharing dish can be turned into individual portions for a buffet. This cute-as-can-be jarcuterie idea is fantastic and practical, as each guest gets their fair share. And they're easy to grab, eat, and socialize at the same time. The jars look so creative and charming, and the fact that they're so simple to make adds to their appeal for the host. Long crackers that stick out of the jars are ideal.

Recipe: Easy Jarcuterie

Sometimes, you've got to go big so your guests go home feeling happy and full. And the best buffet tables tempt with terrific dishes that look just as good as they taste. Add to this, the popularity of Mexican food for partygoers of all ages, and the practicality of serving up food that can be easily eaten without needing a knife and fork. Turning a traditionally individual dish into a supersized sharing one is so clever and this giant burrito makes perfect sense. Add the rice, bean, and avocado with sour cream layers horizontally.

Recipe: Giant Burrito

Making fresh lemonade elevates a family-friendly celebration. Forget store-bought varieties; making a homemade version with lemons, sugar, and water is a way of showing you care. Quality is just as important as quantity at a baby shower, and socializing can be thirsty work, especially if it's a daytime do in the summer. Add mint or basil for a grown-up finishing touch, and use limes in place of lemons if you love limeade. Make sure your syrup isn't grainy and add it according to how sweet you want your lemonade.

Recipe: Classic Lemonade

A refreshing mojito — without the boozy after-effects — is so good to sip at a buffet, with those exceptional citrusy notes and sparkling water mix. You can also muddle in some berries with the lime and mint leaves, and add a few as garnish too. A good tip to stir your long mocktail is to use a chopstick if you don't have a bar spoon. Because you're bruising the mint, make a jug and serve it straightaway so the herb doesn't brown, and garnish with a sprig of mint and a wedge of lime.

Recipe: Best Alcohol-Free Mojito

While homemade strawberry lemonade is sweet and citrusy all by itself, you can also turn it into a grown-up cocktail with some rum, vodka, or gin too. Just keep an eye on your pan when making the strawberry concentrate so that it doesn't burn. You can make this ahead of time and freeze, too. To get just the right level of flavor, be sure to add three times as much water to your juice concentrate. Strawberries and lemon slices add an attractive garnish to each glass as well.

Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

The mellow, mild taste of green tea is perfect for this strawberry-based, baby shower cooler, while the strawberries add a tart, sweet note. If you don't want to make drinks that are too sugary, then use a healthy, alternative sweetener to sugar. Use good sized, bright red strawberries that are perfectly ripe. Chill in the fridge or if you're short on time then stick your pitcher of juice into the freezer before serving. You can even turn this drink into popsicles or berry-flavored ice cubes to add a hint of flavor to plain water.

Recipe: Strawberry Sweet Tea

Soft drinks don't have to be boring, and a baby shower is the ideal occasion to get creative with some refreshing concoctions. Berry-licious, the green coffee bean powder in this recipe adds a little kick. When you come to straining your steeped hibiscus flowers, you can also use a coffee filter. And if you don't have a dedicated muddler, then a fork or the back of a spoon can crush up your blackberries. Don't forget to leave some whole so you can use them as a garnish.

Recipe: Copycat Very Berry Hibiscus Starbucks Refresher

If there's a cake equivalent of a party popper, it's a Funfetti dessert. The incredible amount of multi-colored sprinkles in the sponge and on the top makes you want to smile. It's fun and captures the essence of childhood wonder, in a rainbow cake. If there's one cake that's fit for a baby shower buffet table it's this one. This recipe is all about the sprinkles so make sure you use rainbow jimmies and not anything smaller or crystal sugar. Use an icing scraper to smooth out the frosting before adorning it with color.

Recipe: Funfetti Cake

A baby shower can be full of surprises. Bring that concept into your dessert table too, with a rainbow sherbet cake, an explosion of vibrant colors wrapped in white whip. You can use a vanilla angel cake, or any flavor you like, and for the sherbet choose three different flavors or a large tub of rainbow sherbet. To get even layers use a large serrated knife to cut through the light sponge. Frozen whipped topping works better than whipped cream.

Recipe: Rainbow Sherbet Cake

Fried balls of dough are the ultimate buffet dessert, as guests can eat them straight from the table. These Spanish beauties are amazing rolled in a sugar and cinnamon mix. You can also top them with granulated sugar, confectioner's sugar, or a spicy syrup. Fry them in batches, as they'll expand in the hot oil and keep the temperature up. As they rise to the surface, get an even fry on them by flipping them over with some heat-proof tongs.

Recipe: Authentic Spanish Buñuelos De Viento

It's sometimes cool to add a dessert to a buffet party that everyone knows and loves. And whoopie pie is an all-American classic. Soft and chewy cooked on the outside with a light, airy vanilla center, these handheld pies are a popular choice. If you've already got a lot of chocolatey offerings on the table, then you can also make strawberry pies instead, or another flavor such as pumpkin and maple syrup. A good tip is using a cookie scoop to divide the batter so you get a more uniform batch of pies.

Recipe: Whoopie Pies

If you don't want a chocolate overload, then use Greek yogurt to make these sophisticated-looking dipped strawberries. Of course, a drizzle of chocolate complements the visual effect. Use a good, dark chocolate if you can, but you can also melt chocolate chips and thin out with coconut oil. Vanilla yogurt is yummy, but any flavor is fine, as long as it's smooth, without any bits. Dip a fork in the melted chocolate and swing across the strawberries to create a drizzle design, and serve some of the hot chocolate to dip too, if you like.

Recipe: Yogurt-Dipped Strawberries

Guests have their cake and eat it, too, with these fruity, juicy cherry pies. Turn a big pie idea into mini versions for a buffet and you don't have to bother slicing at the table. Use pre-packaged roll-out pie crusts and a can of high-quality cherry filling if you want to save time on creating these dessert babies. A Mason jar lid is ideal for cutting circles in the pastry. 

Recipe: Mini Cherry Pies

You can't help but fall in love with these one-bite strawberry cheesecakes. The buttery graham cracker crust, velvety cream cheese and sour cream topping, and strawberry slice are divine. Because they're small and not overpoweringly filling, guests can enjoy them and still have room to sample other desserts on the table. If you can't resist, add some chocolate chips into the batter and bake this until the cheesecake looks firm on top. While they're not complex to make, they need a few hours of fridge time to chill before serving. 

Recipe: Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Petite and pretty, these mini fruit tarts add French-style sophistication to buffets, which only enhances the celebratory atmosphere. They're super sweet to look at without the taste being too sweet. What's great is that you just have to thaw frozen phyllo cases before filling them, so there's no need to bake anything. Choose a vanilla or lemon pudding, and don't overfill to keep that delicate look. Cut your kiwi and strawberry pieces nice and small, and don't overcrowd the top of the tart. Serve with lemon zest on the top if you like.

Recipe: Mini Fruit Tarts

Bring a British sweet named after a well-to-do English school to the table, and you have one of best strawberry desserts ever. You can't go wrong with broken meringue, heavy cream, sugar, and strawberries, so that every spoonful is a crunchy, creamy, fruity, and delicious 'mess'. Buy in meringues to speed up prep time and don't bother cutting your strawberries evenly or breaking your meringues into uniform pieces. The messier the better. Only combine the meringue with the cream and sauce when it's ready to serve so it doesn't lose its irresistible crunch.

Recipe: Easy Eton Mess

The trio of layers that appear as if by magic in this recipe range from crispy, to creamy, and dense. Serve this dessert at a buffet, and it'll magically disappear pretty quickly, too. To get the consistency just right, use 2% fat milk and all-purpose flour, not cake flour. The cake should still wobble in the middle when cooked and needs to be left for an hour to firm up before serving. Get creative by adding cocoa powder or cinnamon into the batter or some fruit and chocolate chips once it's baked.

Recipe: 3-Layer Magic Cake

These enchanting cake pops are perfect for cherishing a baby-to-be. While they look so lovingly created, you can take a shortcut by using store-bought cake mix and frosting. They're pretty in pink, but if you haven't got any melts this color, add some red food coloring to vanilla almond bark. Make the pops big enough to bite into and enjoy, but not so heavy they might fall off. Dip the sticks in the melted coating before pushing in, so they stay in place. Sprinkle with fairy dust or white nonpareil sprinkles.

Recipe: Starbucks Copycat Cake Pops