Don’t know where to start with kids’ party food? Whether you’re looking for inspiration for easy to prepare mini bites or incredible party platters to feed the whole of Year 3, we’ve got you covered with our guide to the best kids’ party food ideas.

From recipes for homemade goodness to catering options for those with budget to burn, we’ll guide you through an extensive kids’ party food brainstorm that’ll get the show on the road faster than Dora the Explorer!

Bring on the party food buffet

No fuss, simple to set up and an easy clean up; buffets are a great option for kids’ birthday party food. The true beauty of the buffet is that it suits any budget. If you are keen to spend more on entertainment than the food, you can save a pretty penny by preparing a buffet style food menu. However, if you’re looking to splurge a little more - you can hire a buffet caterer to come in and get their hands dirty so you can make sure the little tykes are behaving themselves!

Fabulous finger food recipe ideas

So what should be included in the perfect buffet we hear you cry!? The secret to the best kids’ party food is to make everything as healthy as possible, whilst being tasty enough that the little ones don’t start screaming for party rings and cheese strings. To help you on your way, here are three of our top quick and easy buffet-style, finger food recipes that you can try at home:

Fruit wands: Fruit and marshmallow kebabs make incredible magic wands for kids of all ages, Potter fans or not. Feel free to experiment with the fruit; why not try the classic melon and grape combo on some of the skewers, but bananas and strawberries on others? For a naughty treat to keep the kids entertained, add a drizzle of melted chocolate!

Sausage rolls: This simple recipe from Netmums is always a winner. Sausage rolls may be as tiny as your little terrors, but they sure pack a punch! All you need is one diced onion, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, a few herbs, ready to roll puff pastry and a little egg to glaze; in a short 25 minutes, these beauties are ready to be scoffed!

Cheese and pineapple pirates: For a simple twist on the family favourite cheese and pineapple sticks, make them a little more exciting to look at. Party Ideas UK suggest turning them into cheese and pineapple pirates by swapping out the humble cocktail stick for mini toy pirate swords instead. Shiver me timbers!

Not got the time to whip up the buffet amidst all the festivities? Check out our incredible buffet suppliers HERE and let us help you cater a party that everyone on the playground will remember!

Kids’ party food ideas with pizza

Pizza is an amazing option for kids’ party food as they can be served by the slice for smaller appetites. Our incredible selection of handpicked pizza catering suppliers will even make them to order so the children can have them as plain or as adventurous as they want. Plus the parents will love the spectacle and can grab a cheeky slice or five themselves! Take a look at our best pizza trader picks to bring the party:

The Good Slice: The Good Slice is a social enterprise with a simple message: eat good, do good. They combine a passion for pizza with a desire to create a lasting difference in food insecure communities around the world - from London to Malawi. So far, they have provided over 5,000 meals to the children of Well-Wishes Nursery in Northern Malawi. So not only could your little ones be tucking into some incredible dough, they could be learning and contributing too!

Dough & Deer: Dough & Deer craft their beautiful pizza by selecting the freshest ingredients, using distinctive sourdough, the finest San Marzano tomatoes and a variety of carefully chosen toppings that can satisfy all taste buds - even little peoples’! They love going the extra mile to ensure their customers have an amazing eating experience with them and are not satisfied unless their guests leave with a new love for traditional Italian pizza.

Rolling Dough: The pizza kings of the North! Rolling Dough make wood fired pizza out of their beautiful converted vintage horse box catering at all sorts of events including children’s birthday parties! Their set up never fails to wow at any event and the team are more than happy to take on board all your dietary requirement requests for the perfect pizza party.

Kids’ party birthday cake ideas

The main event! Let’s be honest, the children aren’t interested in much else other the cake, so you need to make sure that if you not going with trusty Colin the Caterpillar, you’re going all out. Colours, candles and characters seem to be all the rage at the moment; check out our tips for the best kids’ party birthday cake ideas here:

Gruffalo cake: We love this idea from Mumsnet - have you even have a child if you haven’t read The Gruffalo? This chocolate sponge cake with marshmallow teeth and pink decorative icing is sure to be a hit at any children’s party. Take a look at the video of how to make it HERE!

DIY decor: You’re looking for something a little more personalised for your wee prince or princess, so who better to decorate the cake than their parent!? Simply by a classic Victoria sponge from your supermarket, equip yourself with piping bags, hundreds and thousands, food colouring and candles - the world is your creative oyster! We love these examples from brave mums and dads on Sitters.co.uk.

Let the professionals work their magic: If you still don’t know your right from your left and your creative skills leave a lot to be desired, don’t fret! You can still have a personalised cake if you get a professional to take the reigns. Let your cake maker know your birthday brief and they can whip you up something beautiful in no time. You could even try something a little different like a doughnut tower from the amazing Crosstown Doughnuts - now that’s a cool Mum idea if we’ve ever heard one.

We all scream for ice-cream

Throwing a kids’ birthday party in the summer? Or do your kids just love ice cream? So do we! Ice cream and kids’ party food go hand in hand so we couldn’t leave it out of the lineup. From DIY tubs to rolled ice and ice cream professionals, get your inside scoop below!

Sprinkles of joy: For a fun activity at your child’s party, why not set up an ice cream decoration station? Give the kids a bowl with a couple of scoops of your favourite ice cream and let them go wild with the toppings (in a contained manner obviously, we know you have the clean up in mind). From sprinkles, to mini marshmallows, strawberry sauce and pick’n’mix classics, you really can’t go wrong! Plus, you adults will be able to have a few minutes of relaxation time whilst the little ones are concentrating…

Rolled ice wondery: There’s no way the kids won’t be blown away by the making of ice cream rolls - most adults are too! Pan-n-Ice are the perfect example. With incredible flavours galore, the team will roll the ice cream right before your eyes! They're also more than happy to design a unique menu for your event which can be served in ice cream cups that can have your name printed on as well as a customised ice cream cart.

Did someone say ice cream sandwich?: Yes they did! For something a little different than your average Mr Whippy, why not hire Happy Endings to serve the kids ice cream sandwiches from Malted Milk flavours to Strawberry Shortbread. Everything is handmade with oodles of passion and acres of enthusiasm while ingredients are meticulously sourced; they partner with companies who share the Happy Endings ethos for making the world a little better though delicious food. What a treat!

Want to see more foodie kids party food ideas?

Check out all of our best kids party food tips, tricks and traders HERE! Or if you can barely contain yourself and want to get a birthday party caterer booked in straight away, you can submit an enquiry form HERE. One of our event pros will be in touch with you shortly to discuss your plans!