Cue the caps, crank up the music, and fire up the oven—graduation season is here!
Whether they’re moving up from preschool or walking across a college stage, every grad deserves a celebration filled with joy, pride, and—of course—unforgettable food.

These recipes are festive, crowd-pleasing, and totally celebration-worthy. Think of them as your party MVPs: fun to serve, easy to make in big batches, and guaranteed to earn you an honorary degree in Deliciousness.

So whip up a few of these A+ dishes and let the tassel-tossing begin.
Congratulations, grads—and happy summer!

1. Chicken Fingers with Cranberry BBQ Sauce

These fingers are not just big in size but “big” in taste. Crispy coated chicken breast has a great crunch. Serve with our delicious dipping sauce. Recipe courtesy of Gotham Burger, formerly located in Teaneck, New Jersey and Upper West Side, Manhattan.

2. Pull-Apart Franks in Blanks

Franks in blanks are a staple at every Yom Tov or Shabbos meal in our house. The kids (and adults) can’t live without them! I made this special pull-apart version with a honey mustard sauce to take it up a notch. You can also serve it with plain mustard or any other dip your family and guests like.

3. Turkey Taco Salad

A classic that will pair well with anything on your menu!

4. Corn Salad with a Kick

I love corn salad and have since high school, when it was cool to bring salad made entirely of canned vegetables for lunch. (Corn, pickles, baby corn, hearts of palm, and olives, anyone?) These days, I tend to go for freshly grilled corn and a little more green in my corn salad, but it’s still my go-to for barbecues, especially when I’m invited out.

5. Rainbow Matchstick Salad

This salad came together one Shabbos afternoon, and I enjoyed it enough that I’ve been repeating it often. I hope it’ll become a regular for you as well!

6. Southwestern Pasta Salad

I love the added unique ingredients of this dish. Add some sliced grilled chicken or salmon and you have a meal in a bowl.

7. Asian-Style Noodle and Cabbage Salad

This salad is all-around perfection. It’s light but filling—and addictive!

8. Full ‘n Free Potato Salad

Yukon gold and red potatoes are lower glycemic versions of the white potato, and their flavors just pop. Using homemade mayo or an avocado based store-bought option provides healthy fat that balances the carb load in the potatoes.

9. Loaded Cauliflower

Calling burgers or French fries “dirty,” as they are often named on menus, doesn’t sit well with me. That said, for political correctness, I thought about calling this recipe “Disorganized Cauliflower,” but that sounded too pretentious. I settled on naming it Loaded Cauliflower. Not only because it’s loaded with flavor, but also because it’s loaded with possibilities of how to personalize it to your taste. See the different options each step of the way, and know that you will get messy eating this delicious dish.

10. Loaded Steak Sandwich by Rachel Goldzal

Who doesn’t love a good steak sandwich loaded up with all of the fixings? Watch Naomi and Rachel make this overloaded sandwich here!

11. Garlic Bread Pull Apart Mushroom Beef Sliders by Sam Adler

These can definitely be made with storebought slider buns, but if you want to go the extra mile and make the buns, they are for sure worth it!

12. Spicy Pita Chips by Estee Kafra

13. Dijon Baby Potatoes by Nechama Norman

No matter when I make these, the bowl is always cleaned out! If you’re not a rosemary fan (like my father-in-law, who thinks it tastes likes soap), leave it out (but only if you must!)

14. Charcuterie Ring by Family Table

Give everyone at the table a bite of what they love with this charcuterie ring. Filled with 6 different meat/topping combinations, no two bites are the same! Plus it looks so gorgeous, no one will believe how easy it was!

15. Good Ol' Guac by Avigail Maizlik

Everyone loves a good “guac.” Before you get fancy, go back to the foundations with this basic guacamole, and enjoy!

16. Terra-Stick Cutlet Skewers by Chanie Nayman

My idea for this recipe was very far-fetched. My neighbor ate at a friend of hers, who served something similar to this as a first course on Shabbos. Because I think anything with a dipping sauce is that much more fun!

17. Colorful Corn Salad by Elky Friedman

This easy and tasty salad always goes over well. It’s bright, vibrant, and full of flavor! It actually reminds me of summer since I usually serve it either at shalosh seudos or at my Sunday barbecues.

18. Barbecued Meatballs by Rivky Kleiman

For an interesting new twist on finger food, try these tasty BBQ meatballs. They can be dressed up by placing them on a dipping sauce-laden spoon, then staggering them on your buffet. Or you can line them up on a serving platter and pierce with a decorative toothpick in the center. Whatever your choice, I guarantee you a finger-lickin’ treat.

19. Baked Taco Chicken Fingers by Chayie Schlisselfeld

20. Homemade Salsa by Esther Ottensoser

Olive dip, pepper dip… we’re all caught up in the dips “rage.” Try this healthy alternative to mayonnaise-based dips.

21. Potato Knishes from the Nitra Cookbook

Learn how to prepare knishes, a classic Jewish New York dish – a creamy potato filling covered with soft and flaky homemade dough. (We’ve provided your choice of two dough recipes.) The filled potato knishes are baked until golden brown. They also freeze well.

22. Fruit Punch from the Nitra Cookbook

This pretty pink classic will be a welcome refreshment at any holiday party, simcha, or other special occasion.

23. Pesto Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta by Nechama Norman

One summer, my husband and I participated in Detroit’s Project SEED (a summer kiruv program run by Torah Umesorah), run by the Tolwin family. A woman named Bashy works behind the scenes scheduling and making arrangements for the program, but often she’ll get into the kitchen and prepare food for the events as well. This dish was one of my favorites. Since this “cheat” version of pesto uses frozen cubes, it’s easy to pull together…but don’t be intimidated and take the time to dry your own tomatoes. Canned or bagged versions don’t come close in flavor!

24. Chili Pizza by Rivky Kleiman

For all you meat lovers… A fun way to have your pizza and eat meat, too.

25. Meat Empanadas by Vera Newman

Definitely a crowd pleaser, these little Latin American-style turnovers will be your new go-to appetizer recipe. These pillows of heavenly goodness are so decadent, everyone will be begging for more.

26. Wheat Berry Rainbow Salad by Brynie Greisman

This salad is such a feast for the eyes (and the palate!) that I couldn’t think of a more appropriate name for it. I served it once to seminary girls who don’t “do” (i.e., eat) fish, liver, cholent, and many other foods served, and I was sure they wouldn’t touch it. (See note!) Well, they finished the whole bowl!

27. Chicken Mustard Wheels with Hot Tahini Dipping Sauce by Elky Friedman

These chicken mustard wheels are a fun and creative way to bring something healthy to the table. They make a really tasty appetizer, side, or even a main dish for the kids.

28. Michal Frischman's Beef Cheek Monkey Bread by Michal Frischman

This is not an everyday item in my house. I developed the recipe for Purim (kids were jungle animals, and monkey bread was my half-hearted attempt at a theme), and my husband described it as “garlic knots meets pulled beef,” aka: good. I find that beef cheek is the easiest and best cut to use in any pulled beef application. Not in the mood for the extra steps? Sub 6–8 ounces of diced pastrami for the beef cheek. No one will mind!

29. Dirty Fries by Faigy Grossman

This is a dish I make for my kids when I want a memorable dinner, like their first night home from camp. The beauty of it lies in the versatility of the ingredients. Use the toppings that match your family’s palates and have fun being creative.

Originally published June 2019. Updated and improved June 2025.