Looking for red food recipes, blue drink concoctions or purple snack ideas to fit a holiday or birthday theme? Your search is over. The list below of recipes by color will help you plan a colorful kids party.
So, whether you're planning a pink princess party or you need red, white or blue ideas for a Fourth of July menu, use this guide to plan your next color-coordinated bash.
Red Foods
For Valentine's Day, a superhero bash and beyond, red food makes a bold statement. Here are some red food recipes and ideas:
- Strawberries, raspberries, apples, watermelon and cherries.
- A tea sandwich made with butter and raspberry or strawberry jam. Use a small cookie cutter to punch out a window in the top layer of bread to reveal a bit more of the red jam.
- Red bell pepper, sliced and served with dip.
- Two iced teas to try: Strawberry Sencha Fresca and watermelon tea.
- Strawberry recipes, including strawberry smoothies and strawberry shortcake.
- Red velvet cake or red velvet cupcakes.
- Red velvet cake pops.
- Candy apples.
- Red licorice.
- Spaghetti.
- Red Jell-O.
- Red frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Candy canes.
- Strawberry smoothies.
- Cranberry Cool Whip dessert.
Pink Food
For a party that's pretty in pink, check out these blushing food options:
- Pink grapefruit.
- Pink lemonade.
- Raspberry Cool Whip Jell-O mold.
- Strawberry marshmallows.
- Strawberry jam truffles.
- Salmon (yes, some kids love it).
- Peppermint or strawberry ice cream.
- Cotton candy.
- Jingle Bell Juice
- Strawberry milk.
- Pink Jell-O.
- Pink frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Bubble gum.
- Fresh strawberry cupcakes.
- Peppermint Hershey Kiss cookies.
Orange Food
Orange you glad you're throwing a party with an orange color scheme? Whether you're celebrating Halloween or a birthday for an orange-loving kid (check out this beautiful orange kite party), consider these ideas:
- Orange slices (duh!).
- Orange bell peppers, sliced and served with dip.
- Clementine-chai sorbet might sound sophisticated for a kids' party, but Lindsey Goodwin, About.com's Guide to Coffee and Tea, knows a 7-year-old boy who can't get enough of this frozen orange treat.
- Mashed sweet potatoes and carrots.
- Baby carrots with dip.
- Macaroni and cheese.
- Pumpkin muffins.
- Orange creamsicle smoothie.
- Orange Jell-O.
- Orange frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Candy corns.
- Carrot-cake cupcakes.
- Orange cake.
- Peach pie.
- Pumpkin whoopie pies.
- Pumpkin tiramisu.
- Sweet-potato ice cream.
- Orange slice candies.
Yellow Food
Yellow is such a happy color. Using it on your food table will add sunshine to any party.
- Yellow bell pepper, sliced and served with dip.
- Yellow raspberries.
- Yellow apples.
- Pancakes.
- Sunrise smoothies.
- Banana smoothie.
- Lemon bars.
- Lemon chews.
- Yellow Jell-O.
- Yellow frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Lemon pudding cake.
- Lemon drop hard candies.
- Lemonade.
Green Food
Most people think of green food on St. Patrick's Day, but you could also serve a green menu at a "go-green" party for a budding environmentalist or at a child's Incredible Hulk birthday bash. Here are some menu options:
- Celery sticks with dip.
- Guacamole.
- Green smoothies.
- Pea salad with bacon.
- Mint brownies.
- Green cupcakes.
- Grasshopper pie.
- Green popcorn.
- Green Jell-O.
- Green frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Green apples.
- Kiwi.
- Mint ice cream.
- Hot spinach dip.
- Watergate salad.
Blue Food
Blue might be the color of your child's favorite sports team or you could be combining blue foods with red ones for a superhero party. Whatever your reason, these recipes will have you feeling blue (in a good way):
- Blueberries by themselves or in a blueberry recipe, such as blueberry pie, blueberry muffins or blueberry smoothies.
- Lemon-blueberry smoothies.
- Blueberry popsicles.
- Cotton candy.
- Blue Jell-O.
- Blue frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Blue gummy shark candies.
Purple Food
Wouldn't a fan of Barney the big purple dinosaur be delighted with a food table filled with these purple treats?
- Lemon-blueberry smoothies.
- Blueberry popsicles.
- Purple Jell-O.
- Purple frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Frozen grapes.
White Food
- Crispy rice-cereal treats.
- Coconut-covered snowball cake
- Marshmallows.
- Peppermint marshmallows.
- Almost any coconut recipe.
- Mashed potatoes, including snowman mashed potatoes.
- Pavolova.
- Anything covered in whipped cream.
- Milk.
- Coconut cream pie.
- White frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
Brown Food
Brown food can be used to accompany another color, such as pastel pink or blue at a baby's first birthday party. Use brown foods with white and black ones at a Star Wars or other typically masculine-themed party.
- Real hot chocolate.
- Spiced apple cider.
- Chocolate milkshakes.
- Soft pretzels.
- Chocolate-hazelnut spread on toast, also known as homemade Nutella.
- Brownies.
- Chocolate cake.
- Chocolate milk.
- Brown or chocolate frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Tootsie Roll candies.
- Chocolate tres leches cake.
- Chocolate pudding pie.
Black Food
Black food is perfect on Halloween or combined with another color at a classy sweet 16 party. Although it's difficult to find foods that are truly black, some of these dark-brown recipes will work just as well.
- Black bean dip.
- Brownies.
- Chocolate cake.
- Dirt dessert.
- Oreo cookies.
- Black licorice.
- Black-licorice ice cream.
- Black frosting on cupcakes, cookies, cake, petit fours or donuts.
- Chocolate fudge truffles.
Black-and-White Food
"Black and white" can be a party theme itself. These recipes will complement your high-contrast decorations, invitations and more.
- Whoopie pies.
- Black-bottom cupcakes.
- Oreo cookies.
- Chocolate crackle cookies.
- Tuxedo brownie Hugs cookies.
- Chocolate cupcakes with white frosting.
- Chocolate fudge truffles, rolled in white sprinkles instead of chocolate ones.