20 Creative Fall Festival Food Ideas for an Autumn Party (2024)

As temperatures cool and the leaves fall to the ground, you should start thinking about a fall festival bash for your favorite friends! Autumn parties don’t have to be just for Thanksgiving or Halloween; you can throw one for a birthday party or game night. All you need are some delicious fall festival food ideas to make it happen.

Fortunately for you, Peerspace is all about party food ideas! From homemade sweet potato chips to savory stuffed mushrooms, this list is sure to satisfy everyone on your guest list!

1. Homemade cranberry sauce

Everyone buys cranberry sauce for fall parties but this year, you’ll be doing something different! With just three ingredients, you can have delicious homemade cranberry sauce that will be the talk of the party. Best of all, it only takes just 20 minutes to prepare this dish, though give it longer to cool down!

2. Roasted vegetable medley

A vegetable medley is an easy way to make a dish that has bulk, color, and is guaranteed to please a crowd! This fall festival food idea takes about two hours to prepare so have it ready well in advance for your upcoming party.

And just like your veggie medley, the fall party venue should also be chosen in advance with care. Fortunately, Peerspace has hundreds of amenity-filled venues near you for parties! For example, this classic pub in Chicago, IL, is boldly decorated and ideal for Thanksgiving dinners, Halloween parties, and other autumn special events.

3. Creamy pumpkin soup

Fall means pumpkin-flavored dishes of all kinds become available! From coffee to donuts, pumpkin is all the rage now. If you want something traditional for your list of fall festival food ideas, think about making a pot of creamy pumpkin soup instead. This recipe calls for coconut milk to add a bit of vegan-friendly creaminess but you can use dairy for a classic take.

4. Mashed potatoes

Can you really say you’ve had Thanksgiving dinner if there isn’t a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes on the table? The dish is surprisingly versatile; classic mashed potatoes only call for a few ingredients. But you can always jazz it up with chives, sour cream, bacon, potato skins…Anything you like, really!

5. Candied pecans

The sweet, cinnamony texture of candied pecans is a delightful fall festival food idea to add to the snack table. Storebought candied pecans can be pricey, so why not make them yourself? Homemade candied pecans look decorative on the table and they can even be spiced up further with chili powder or paprika for more of a peppery kick.

Need more than menu suggestions? We have you covered with these autumnal fall party themes for all styles and vibes!

6. Cranberry sauerkraut meatballs

Cranberry is one of those fall flavors we can’t do without. Instead of relying on just cranberry sauce, try adding it to a savory dish. These cranberry sauerkraut meatballs combine, sweet, sour, and savory onto a single plate. They are a main course (or toothpick-spiked appetizer) that’s guaranteed to result in an empty dish to take home.

7. Ginger cookies

Someone is guaranteed to be bringing pumpkin pie to your upcoming autumn party. Do you really want to take the easy way out when it comes to dessert? Of course, not! For a more interesting fall festival food idea, how about some spicy ginger cookies instead? Molasses, ginger, and cloves are just as autumn-friendly as pumpkin. This recipe results in big, fluffy cookies that will be the talk of the table!

8. Pepper jack queso

From fall festivals to summer backyard bashes, queso is the king of chip dips. It has its place on your list of fall festival food ideas, we hope! How about a spicy homemade pepper jack queso to go with the homemade chip recipes you’ll find further down? It’s the perfect warm bowl to sit by the Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) game table!

9. Turkey chili

Turkey chili is the dish that keeps on giving! Not only will your guests love it; chili only becomes more flavorful if you have leftovers sitting in the fridge. Ground turkey is the best meat for the autumn theme but you can make it vegetarian-friendly with some tempeh or bulgur wheat instead!

10. Brussels sprout slaw

Fresh and colorful, brussels sprout slaw is a crunchy dish that you can flavor with a wide variety of ingredients. This recipe calls for apples, dates, and almonds but you could use raisins, bacon, or dried cranberries instead. Top it with some parmesan cheese for a salty, savory finish! A bowl of brussel sprout slaw looks amazing on a long table filled with fall festival food ideas.

But what if your home dining room isn’t large enough for your guest list? Think about booking a more spacious venue through Peerspace! A private dining room like this one in Seattle, WA, offers better amenities, including a full kitchen and multiple restrooms for your guests.

11. Stuffed mushrooms

Looking for a fall festival food idea that no one will turn down? Stuffed mushrooms are a guaranteed hit at most tables! Most recipes call for cheese since it just works so very well with mushrooms. But you can use hummus or breadcrumbs for a lighter take. Bacon, chives, olives, and other additions can be added as you please!

12. Mini sweet potato pies

Mini sweet potato pies are a cute dessert that look just like the larger, classic style pie. Each one is small, yet satisfying, and it’s harder to gorge on a giant slice! Dust each one with brown sugar, granola, or other toppings for the perfect, portion-controlled mini dessert!

13. Roast chicken and acorn squash

We need a bit more meat on our table! How about roast chicken with acorn squash? You’ll be baking both the chicken and the squash together, making it easy to get both meat and veggies prepared quickly. The colorful acorn squash even adds a bit of fall zest to the dinner table!

14. Curried carrot and apple soup

Carrots and apples are two autumn crops that truly belong together. How about blending them into a curried carrot and apple soup? The velvety texture is a real treat and it provides a wonderful bowl for dipping chunks of warm, crusty bread.

Our beautiful autumn photoshoot ideas provide more inspiration for making the most of this beautiful season. Check them out!

15. Cranberry hot wings

Cranberry is one of the main flavors of fall so we have to do more with it than make cranberry sauce. Have you ever tried cranberry hot wings before? One taste of these sweet and spicy wings and you’ll give up sriracha wings forever! Okay, maybe not forever but these wings are pretty darn good.

16. Hot apple cider

Cold or hot apple cider, spiced with cinnamon, is the true taste of fall. The blend of tangy and sweet is hard to find elsewhere. A punch bowl filled with cider can be spiced with ease by dropping in a few tea bags filled with nutmeg, allspice, and other ingredients. Then guests can dip into it as they wish.

17. Cheese ball spread

Cheese balls are a decorative snack table addition that most people buy but it’s not so difficult to make your own. A homemade cheese ball means you can flavor it with extras; instead of almonds on the outside, work them into the dip. This recipe calls for all kinds of flavorful additions that will make a cheese ball better than anything storebought!

18. Air fryer apple chips

Dodge the grease and unhealthy additives and make your own chips instead of buying them at the store! Best of all, you don’t even have to use potatoes. You could use kale and sweet potatoes…Or using this recipe, air fryer apple chips! Air fryer chips minimize the grease and can be seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, or anything else you wish.

19. Roasted garlic soup

From its savory bite to the many health benefits it has, there are so many reasons to add garlic to everything. Or you can even make it the star attraction by making roasted garlic soup! This aromatic dish calls for a fair amount of preparation when it comes to peeling, basting, roasting, and pureeing all of those bulbs. But it’s a bowl of heaven for garlic lovers!

20. Homemade sweet potato chips

Instead of apples or potatoes, try making sweet potato chips for your next fall festival. Instead of using an oil or air fryer, try this recipe for baked chips instead. In just two hours you can have crispy sweet chips begging for a dusting of paprika and salt. Or you can leave them plain to be dipped in the pepper jack queso you made earlier (see above)!

Creative fall festival food ideas: conclusion

From meat to sweets, our list of fall festival food ideas has something to please everybody! We hope Peerspace has made it easier to throw a wonderful autumn celebration. Besides food ideas, we also have venues that come decorated, amply lit, and with enough seating for dozens of family and friends to gather! Take a moment to browse some of our autumn party venues near you! 

Find unique event spaces for your autumn party on Peerspace