36 Of The Best Foods To Serve At Your Next Pool Party

Hosting a pool party can be an entertaining way to get family and friends together to enjoy the summer sun, and indulge in some delicious foods.

From mini sliders to full-on meaty tacos, there are so many different foods that you can quickly cook up and serve at your next pool party! 

But what are some of the very best pool party foods that you can enjoy with those you love? Which ones taste best in the sun, and which ones will have your friends asking where you got the recipe from?

If you have been searching for the best foods to serve at your next pool party, then allow us to take the reins, and take you on an odyssey to discover 36 of the very best foods that will make your next pool party a day to remember!

Read on below to get started!

1. Pesto & Mozzarella Chicken Sliders

Pesto is one of the greatest flavors to enjoy in the summer sun.

The fragrant and herby taste of pesto is elevated by the plentiful basil that is used within it, and when the pesto is combined with some fresh and gooey mozzarella, then you know you are in for a treat! 

These are some of the very best Italian-inspired sliders that we have ever tasted, and the tenderness of the chicken makes every bite a decadent treat that your guests won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

2. Watermelon Salsa

This watermelon salsa is easily one of the most summery recipes on this list and is a perfect accompaniment to a good pool party.

Served alongside some fresh tortilla chips, this watermelon salsa makes for a perfect and crunchy dip that satisfies those with both sweet and savory cravings!

This is also one of the most unique recipes on this list, and it is almost surprising just how well watermelon combines with salsa to create something totally remarkable! You have to try it to believe it!

3. Mini Hot Dogs

Making mini hot dogs is a perfect way to allow your guests to enjoy the wonder of hot dogs while also making them a little less messy to eat, so you won’t find any hot dog crumbs floating awkwardly around your pool!

And though these hot dogs are much easier to eat, they definitely do not skimp on flavor, and you can be sure that they will blow the minds of your guests with their awesome flavor combinations! Simply magical!

4. Apple Pie Tacos

You read that right… Turns out, though apple pie tacos may sound totally mad, they actually work incredibly well!

The apple pie-style filling inside each taco is totally to die for, while the crispy taco shells that surround the fillings help to give them a unique flair. 

We strongly recommend topping each taco with some whipped cream to truly sell the illusion of a full apple pie, as it can help to make them even more heartwarming than you may have otherwise thought possible!

5. Fruity Ice Popsicles

Nothing quite screams “Summer” like some fresh popsicles, right? But with this recipe, you can easily create fruit-filled popsicles that are miles above the kinds of popsicles you might find at the grocery store!

And not only do these fruity and sweet popsicles taste totally amazing, but they also look incredible too! They’re very difficult to resist, and we just know that your guests will adore them so much that they will simply have to go back for more!

6. Chocolate Frozen Bananas

If you’ve never tried frozen bananas before, then this recipe will allow you to get started with them in absolute style!

Frozen bananas have an incredibly unique texture and the creamy taste of the bananas melts away on your tongue. The chocolate that coats each banana helps to give each bite a rich taste that melds perfectly with the creamy taste. 

This recipe will also show you how to coat the bananas in various extras, such as sprinkles and coconut flakes, so you can get creative and create your own flavor and textural combinations!

7. Mini Cucumber Sandwiches

If you want to bring an air of sophistication to your pool party, then these mini cucumber sandwiches are the way to go. We simply adore how decadent, simple, and refreshing these little sandwiches taste.

They can make for perfect snacks for any particularly peckish guests who cannot wait between dishes, and also make for effective palate cleansers for other dishes!

8. Blackened Fish Tacos

The avocado and cilantro sauce that is drizzled all across these blackened fish tacos is easily what makes these fish tacos work so incredibly well. 

We were blown away not only by how easy these tacos were to eat but also by how incredibly easy they were to make. With just some basic culinary knowledge, you can create rich tacos that are packed full of immense flavor!

9. Shrimp Cakes

With this recipe, you can create a massive yield of shrimp cakes that are easy to serve out to countless guests and will have them deeply satisfied. 

The recipe also shows you how to make the perfect dipping sauce to accompany them, allowing your guests to access flavor combinations that they may not have otherwise thought possible!

The spicy mayo is perfectly paired with the savory taste of the shrimp cakes!

10. Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

With just some eggs, and some classic cheeseburger flavoring and ingredients, you can create egg rolls that will keep you and your guests satisfied.

It is amazing just how well this recipe is able to replicate that cheeseburger taste, and just how well that taste works when wrapped up into some simple egg rolls. We know you’ll love this recipe just as much as we did!

11. Flatbread Mini Pizzas

Want an easy way for your guests to enjoy some pizza goodness without running the risk of getting pizza in your swimming pool?

Then we recommend making these tiny and adorable little flatbread pizzas that are easy to make, and easy to dish out!

And not only are they easy, but they are also incredibly decadent and fancy!

12. Bacon Candy

We were blown away by how well this recipe worked in the end. The sweet and salty flavor combination was so effortless that we couldn’t believe we’d never tasted bacon like this before. 

Giving the bacon that slightly sweet taste was actually incredibly easy to do, and yet created something that we could easily add to countless other recipes to create culinary delights that would go down a treat with countless guests. 

13. Grilled Watermelon

Watermelon is truly one of the most versatile fruits around, and there are so many exciting things that you can do with it. If you have never tried grilling your watermelon slices before, then you are totally in for a treat!

Lightly grilling watermelon can help to give it an interesting textural flair, and adding a little bit of salt to the watermelon before grilling can turn average watermelon slices and wedges into sweet and savory treats that all of your guests will simply love!

14. Lobster Sliders

Do you love the rich taste of lobster? Love sliders? Then there is no doubt that you will love these lobster sliders that combine the two things together to create a treat for everyone to enjoy! 

As well as containing plenty of tender lobster meat, these sliders also have a creamy mayonnaise sauce that is drizzled across all of the contents to create a rich and creamy treat.

Just make sure to make a decent number of these sandwiches, because they will prove to be popular!

15. Summer Fruit Salad

There are so many fruit salad recipes out there across the internet, so much so that you are likely expecting this to be totally ordinary and dull, but trust us when we say that this fruit salad recipe will quickly blow you away! 

The honey and lime dressing that is drizzled liberally across the fruit helps to tie them all together in a way that is totally out of this world!

Serve this fruit salad up with some creamy yogurt to create a treat that everyone will adore!

16. Creamy Pasta Salad

It’s amazing just how well a tasty pasta salad can work at a pool party. The mix of creamy and sharp flavors in this pasta salad recipe is so delightful that it is almost amazing that they work so well.

The fresh red onions scattered throughout the salad give it a fiery kick that is both sweet and savory, and the creamy dressing across the salad combines perfectly with this fieriness!

This particular pasta salad is incredibly easy to serve out to your guests and is low on mess, so you can comfortably serve it even at a pool party!

17. Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

As if shrimp wasn’t tasty enough as it was, this recipe shows you how to combine its immense and complex flavors with teriyaki bacon that will delight your taste buds with savory sensations that you’d have trouble forgetting about. 

Making these delightfully savory morsels of goodness is also incredibly easy, and will take very little time.

You could make a massive batch of these treats to then serve out to your guests, so everyone will be satisfied!

18. Avocado Salsa

If you’re finding yourself totally bored by average salsas, and the idea of watermelon salsa wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, then why not check out this avocado salsa recipe that definitely will not disappoint?

While you may otherwise assume that the ingredients in this recipe could never combine to create a perfect salsa, it would very quickly prove you wrong, and it would do it with absolute panache!

The inclusion of olives in this salsa gives it a savory bite and the inclusion of bell peppers helps to make it sweet, and just a little bit fiery! 

19. Grilled Cumin And Lime Chicken

You don’t need a massive number of ingredients in order to make some simple chicken breasts into a culinary delight!

With just lime and a scattering of cumin, you can create a chicken dish that is both zesty and fragrant and will set your tastebuds alight.

Your guests will be blown away by how complex the chicken tastes, despite being cooked with such simple ingredients! Slicing up the chicken makes it easy for guests to grab their own slices and indulge at their own pace! 

The zesty lime flavor makes this one of the most summery dishes on this list, so it is absolutely essential!

20. Banana Split Cake

Are there any desserts out there quite as iconic and decadent as a banana split? We didn’t think so until we laid our eyes on this dessert cake!

We love the flavors of a banana split, so you can bet that when they are combined together to create a delicious cake we were totally blown away.

21. Pizza Sliders

Want to serve sliders at your pool party? Want to serve pizza? Don’t have space for both of them?

Why not combine them together into the ultimate treat that will have your guests’ mouths watering as soon as they lay eyes upon them?

These pizza sliders are practically oozing with cheese that stretches out as you pull the sliders apart! We’ve genuinely never seen sliders quite as amazing as this!

22. Spinach Dip

Spinach dip can pair incredibly well with a number of the other dishes and recipes that we have taken a look at already! And as spinach dips go, this is definitely one of the very best! Creamy, fresh, and full of spinach, you couldn’t really ask for more!

23. Chocolate Dipped Fruit Cones

If you have some spare ice cream cones lying about in your kitchen, you can very easily use them to create fruit cone snacks that are full of fresh and nutritious fruit, made all the more decadent thanks to the cones having been dipped in chocolate before being served! 

These cones are absolutely so delicious, and they are incredibly easy to make. They look and taste incredible!

24. Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Though these delightful snacks may be a little more difficult to make than some of the options we have explored thus far on this list, they make up for it with both how delicious they are, and how easy they are to eat.

Your guests can easily grab a mushroom and enjoy its bursting flavors in just a few bites!

25. Crab Cakes

We could rave about how incredible these crab cakes are for hours and hours! The immensely soft texture of the cakes is what makes them so special.

They seem to simply melt away as soon as you bite into them, and the crab flavor very quickly spreads across your palette. The slight crispiness of the outer edge of each cake also ensures that they are always satisfying to eat!

26. Seven Layer Dip Cups

Ever find yourself stressing out about how to distribute dips at parties and social gatherings? Well, with this recipe those worries will very soon be allayed!

The way each of the dips is layered within these cups is simply amazing, and makes them look incredibly appetizing from the outside. 

The fresh olives, chives, and peppers at the top of the cups also give the whole thing an additional sense of texture.

27. Sriracha Shrimp

We’ve mentioned shrimp quite a lot on this list, and for good reason! This amazing sriracha recipe is one of the very best, and will remind you of what makes shrimp so amazing!

28. Crescent Roll Hot Dogs

Want to make hot dogs even easier for your guests to eat? Then why not try making these swirly and twisted hot dog skewers that have everything a good hot dog needs, all on one stick!

29. Sweet Potato Tots

Don’t want to just serve ordinary tater-tots to your guests? Make these sweet potato tots for yourself! They are incredibly sweet, warming, and satisfying to bite into. 

30. Grilled Halloumi Burgers

Halloumi has become a very popular cheese in recent years thanks to its ability to retain its shape and taste even after cooking, and this burger recipe uses this to its advantage to create sandwiches that are easy to eat, and yet totally meaty, despite having no meat at all!

31. Mango & Avocado Salsa

As you have probably come to understand, there are so many interesting ways to make salsa that reach way beyond the ordinary!

This incredible recipe will show you how to make a simple salsa that utilizes the creamy taste of avocado, and pairs it with the tanginess and exotic flavor of mango!

32. Jello Sno Cone Cupcakes

There are few snacks as soothing and refreshing in the summer heat than a yummy sno cone. But what if you could create a cupcake that looks and tastes like a snow cone instead? You’d get something amazing like this recipe!

33. Sand Bucket Puddings

Want to create the sense that you and your friends have taken a trip to the beach? Then try out this amazing recipe that will let you create adorable pudding buckets that look just like real sand!

Don’t worry, though, they’re totally edible, and incredibly moreish!

34. Blueberry Jello Cups

These jello cups are so cute, and perfect if you want a bit of summer theming amongst your sweet treats. These desserts look just like a cup of refreshing water, and have a blueberry flavor to match!

35. Fruit Shot Glasses

If you’re hosting a more mature pool party, then one awesome way to bring out the drinks in style is to create adorable shot glasses out of fruit slices! Who knew it could work so well?

36. Mexican Shrimp Bites

What better to close this list off, than with another awesome shrimp recipe? We saved the best for last, because this is definitely our favorite way yet to serve shrimp! Try it out for yourself, it’s so incredible! 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Pool Party Means?

Luckily, a pool party is exactly as the name implies, and is a party in which guests are invited to enjoy themselves in a swimming pool. These are most commonly hosted in private pools owned by homeowners.

Can You Wear Clothes In A Swimming Pool?

Yes. It is totally safe to wear clothes into the swimming pool. However, you should be wary that ordinary streetwear clothes can occasionally carry contaminants that may affect the water of the pool!

What Are Five Finger Foods?

Five finger foods are simply foods that are very easy to eat, and most often, can be eaten with just one hand, using all five fingers, hence the name attached to them!