The 2024 Olympic Games begin on Friday, July 26, which means it’s time to get excited and start planning your snacks. Whether you’re hosting a watch party for your favorite event (ahem, U.S.A. gymnastics, anyone?) or just piling onto the couch with your kids, having a themed, festive little something to serve makes it feel so much more special. So, here are some super cute red, white, and blue snacks, breakfast pastries, appetizers, and more to choose from, whether you’re hosting a big watch party or screening the games solo.
As you make your grocery list, take a peek at the Olympics schedule for this weekend and see what you might like to eat and when. If you’re watching boxing in the morning, you might want something breakfast-appropriate, like blueberry fruit tarts. Or, if you’ll be screening the skateboarding events around lunchtime, well, that might call for heavy apps and a light dessert. And if you’re going over to a friend’s house to watch something together, maybe think about which recipes are easiest to transport (like a red, white, and blue batch of Muddy Buddies or some star-spangled dessert popcorn).
No matter which recipes you make, they’ll help you feel extra festive while you cheer on the athletes of Team U.S.A.
01
A Red, White, & Blue Cheese Board
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In terms of party food, charcuterie boards are kind of expected now, but they are always a hit nonetheless. Jessica In The Kitchen has some great ideas for what to include in the perfect cheese board, and as you start thinking, you’ll realize just how many red, white, and blue food items there are to include.
02
Cherry Pie Iced Tea
This might be the most American beverage ever: cherry pie iced tea, courtesy of A Cookie Named Desire. This recipe walks you through making a homemade cherry pie syrup to add to your favorite iced tea (which can totally be storebought). The red color will look so cute on your Olympics snack spread.
03
Soft Pretzels & Honey Mustard
OK, not every snack on the menu has to be colorful, and soft pretzels always hit while you’re watching sports. Simply LaKita’s recipe uses pre-made pizza dough so you’re not waiting on dough to rise, and all you have to do is shape and bake them. Maybe instead of bows, you could mold them into Olympic medals.
04
Strawberry Baked Brie
Whether it’s the star of a larger cheeseboard or served solo, this strawberry-baked brie from Damn Delicious is going to vanish right off the plate. While the brie warms in the oven, you’ll soften up the strawberries in a saucepan with fresh basil, honey, and balsamic (uh, YUM). Serve with crostini or crusty bread, or dump it straight from the pan into your mouth.
05
Red, White, & Blue Muddy Buddies
Everyone loves Muddy Buddies (or maybe you call it puppy chow, but you know, a rose by any other name…). Either way, it’s an especially fun snack to serve if you’re screening an Olympic event with kids. This recipe from Belly Full, featured on Yummly, only requires six ingredients and 15 minutes of your time to make.
06
Berry Crostini With Whipped Goat Cheese
These goat cheese and berry crostini from Damn Delicious are the perfect red, white, and blue appetizer if you want something a bit elevated. This recipe calls for a little vanilla to sweeten the goat cheese, but you could totally leave those steps out if you’re in the mood for something more savory.
07
Red, White, & Blue Caprese Salad
Caprese salad is a crowd favorite (and a cook favorite since it’s so easy to make). If you toss in some blueberries, you’ll have one that’s right on theme. This recipe from Brit And Co. via Yummly breaks down how much of everything you need to make six servings, and you can scale up from there.
08
Vegan Blueberry Fruit Tarts
If you’re watching an Olympic event in the morning hours, knowing these blueberry fruit tarts are waiting will make you even more excited to wake up. Make It Dairy-Free’s recipe is totally vegan and customizable — top them with a glaze, add in some red berries… whatever you like, really.
09
Red, White, & Blue White Chocolate Bark
Need a sweet snack idea? You can easily customize this white chocolate bark from A Cookie Named Desire to any color palette. Although the muted red and blue color scheme with gold sprinkles is already Olympics-appropriate, you could definitely make the hues bolder if you like.
10
Patriotic Popcorn
With just four ingredients and 30 minutes, you can whip up this adorable dessert popcorn from Wonky Wonderful and Yummly. The yummy white chocolate coating perfectly holds onto whatever cute sprinkles you can find at the store.
11
U.S.A.-Themed Fruit Pizza
Need a dessert that won’t fall apart in transit to the host’s house? A fruit pizza will hold all its own toppings in place so long as you don’t tip it all the way over. This recipe from Evolving Table (featured on Yummly) would also be super fun to make with and serve to kids.
12
Greek Yogurt Popsicles
Want a fun Olympics snack you can make ahead for your kids? Damn Delicious’ Greek yogurt popsicles have blueberry and strawberry layers, so they’re perfect for the U.S.A. fans in the house.
13
Pound Cake Trifle With Berries
Ah yes, a classic Fourth of July dessert you can easily co-opt: a strawberry and blueberry pound cake trifle with layers of sweet cream. This recipe from Simply LaKita comes together in about 30 minutes, and it can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.
14
Red Velvet Brownies
If you need an on-theme, crowd-pleasing dessert, A Cookie Named Desire’s red velvet brownies are just the thing. Even if you’re not a baker, her recipe is easy to follow and yields a dozen brownies topped with cream cheese frosting, all from scratch. Top with some red, white, and blue sprinkles for added effect.
Which snacks will you be serving this month? There are enough here to last you through the entire Olympic games.
