Pizza Party Menu Ideas


When you’re having a pizza party, you want to make things a little fancy and special for the occasion. This means coming up with some original and fabulous pizza party menu ideas. These should not only amaze your guests but also fill their bellies to satisfaction.

Here, we will discuss several possibilities to inspire your desire to be the host with the most. This will include dietary and food allergen considerations along with theme, style, beverages and desserts. Of course, this will also rely on how many guests will be coming to your party.

You are certainly not required to follow every step of these pizza party menu ideas. In fact, it is heavily advisable you devise your own along with doing research on various styles of pizza. The guidance below is assistance to get your wheels rolling.

Pizza Party Menu Ideas

Diet; Food Allergy Considerations

The central focus of your menu will have to surround anyone with specific requirements for food and diet. This will include people who may have the following conditions:

  • Diabetes (no sugar or sweets)
    • Remove any sugar from recipes or replace with Splenda, Equal, Stevia or Honey Powder depending on severity of the condition
  • Lactose Intolerance (no milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, half-and-half and etc)
    • Use lactose-free cheese and unsweetened coconut/almond milk for sauces or dough
    • Can leave off cheese altogether for severe sensitivities
  • Gluten Intolerance/Allergy (no wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, malt and etc)
    • Use bona fide gluten-free flour or cauliflower for the crust
    • Replace bread and breadcrumbs with certified gluten free ones
  • Celiac Disease (same as Gluten Intolerance and Lactose Intolerance)
  • Nut Allergy (no peanuts, cashews, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, macadamias and etc or their byproducts)
  • Casein Allergy (no paprika, spicy peppers or other hot sauces)
  • Vegan (absolutely no animal byproducts of any kind in any component of the pizza including cheese, eggs, meat, honey, lard, tallow and etc)
  • Vegetarian (animal byproducts are okay but mostly veggies)

Some Pizza Party Menu Ideas

Once you understand which guests have specific requirements, then you want to consider the layout of your presentation. Consider the following four questions:

  1. Are you going to have beverages, appetizers and salad along with a dessert as well as pizza?
  2. Are you going to have a large number of guests or just a small group of people?
  3. Will it be easier to prepare some parts of the pizza feast the day before or do it all the same day?
  4. Do you want to follow or feature some kind of theme or tradition?

Once you’ve answered these questions with solid answers, now it’s time to parse out some pizza party menu ideas. The ones mentioned below are a few samples to kick start your impetus.

Traditional Italian with a Small Gathering

For parties of 10 people or less, this pizza party option is a crowd-pleaser every time.

BeveragesAppetizers/SaladsMain CourseDessert
Bellinis (adults) Caprese Salad (fresh basil, tomato and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette)Neapolitan Pizza (strict ingredients, no substitutions: sugar-free and fat-free dough with San Marzano or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio tomatoes, Mozarella di Bufala Campana cheese and topped with a leaf or two of fresh basil)Spumoni (classic Italian gelato in three layers of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry or cherry; usually comprising nuts and candied fruits)
Italian Sodas Pizza Margherita (strict ingredients, no substitutions: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, salt, extra-virgin olive oil and basil) 
  Quattro Stagioni or Four Seasons Pizza (prepared in four sections to represent each season of the year; artichokes [spring], tomatoes or basil [summer], mushrooms [autumn] and ham, prosciutto or olives [winter]). 

Medium-Sized Mediterranean Pizza Party

Intended for 10 to 25 people, this includes a trip through Italy as well as France, Spain, Sicily and Greece!

BeveragesAppetizers/SaladsMain CourseDessert
Wine (adults)Greek Village Salad (no lettuce – cucumber, olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano)Pizza François (Swiss cheese, ham, onions and tomato sauce)Chocolate Raspberry Pizza (chocolaty and sweet cake-like crust with chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries drizzled with vanilla icing)
OranginaGarlic BreadSpanish-Style Pizza (fresh tomatoes, onions, shrimp, olives and tomato sauce with Manchego cheese) 
Pelligrino Sfincione or Sicilian Pizza (sausage crumbles, pepperoni, lots of onions and mozzarella cheese under loads of tomato sauce topped with breadcrumbs and cooked as a rectangle) 
  Greek Pizza (tomato sauce, feta cheese, kalamata olives, basil, onions and fresh tomatoes) 

The All-American Classic for Large Pizza Parties

Intended for parties with well over 30 guests, this will take your party on a tour through the various regions of the US where pizzas have become their own staple.

BeveragesAppetizers/SaladsMain CourseDessert
WaterBasic tossed salad with Italian vinaigretteChicago Deep Dish Pizza (thick stuffed crust pizza loaded with layers of mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, olives, onions and topped with tomato sauce)Cinnamon Roll Pizza (cinnamon, honey, icing and a sweet dough; optional walnuts or hazelnuts)
SodaDeep Fried Mozzarella SticksNYC Style Pizza (thin crust but soft and foldable large slices with cheese and tomato sauce, maybe pepperoni or sausage)Strawberry Nutella Pizza (sliced fresh strawberries, custard and drizzled nutella) 
Beer (adults)Mini Calzones (Stuffed pockets with mozzarella, tomato sauce, onions and pepperoni, broccoli or sausage crumbles)The California (thin , hand-tossed crust that’s free of fat and sugar with BBQ chicken, Thai-seasoned lobster/shrimp or tofu; kale, basil, olives, broccoli, light tomato sauce with or without cheeseCookies ; Cream Pizza(Mascarpone, dark chocolate chunks and crushed cookies )
Wine (adults) Buffalo Chicken Pizza (spicy buffalo sauce with mozzarella, chicken breast chunks and bleu cheese) 
  Hawaiian-Style Pizza (tomato sauce with pineapple, ham, onions and skim milk mozzarella) 
  Detroit Style (baked in a square pan and very similar to a Sicilian pizza; super crunchy crust with brick cheese and mozzarella cheese covering every inch of the surface, even to the sides which result in caramelized edges after baking) 
  Pizza of St. Louis (cracker thin dry crust cut into squares with toppings all the way to the edge; sweet sauce and smoked provolone, cheddar and Swiss cheeses with some sausage and/or mushrooms) 

An Intimate Pizza Party

For romantic pizza parties, the suggestion below is best for two. But, it could expand to be for Valentine’s Day or Sweetest Day parties where more guests will be present.

BeveragesAppetizers/SaladsMain CourseDessert
ChampagneAphrodisiac Salad (greens, carrots, green onions, strawberries, raspberries, walnuts, almonds, currants, feta cheese, croutons and an herbal vinaigrette)Personal-Sized Heart-Shaped Barberini Pizzas (six to 10 inches of ricotta cheese, calabrian chiles, garlic, drizzled honey and watercress)Tiramisu (lady fingers soaked in brandy with mascarpone cheese)
Prosecco   

Conclusion

As mentioned before, these pizza party menu ideas are merely suggestions to inspire creativity. Certainly, you don’t have to serve every pizza on the list as a main course if it’s going to be too much to do. This is particularly true in the case of “The All American Classic.”

You can always change, add or subtract anything you like to suit the food requirements of your guests while maintaining an air of excitement with the menu. Whatever you choose, ensure it will be delicious for everyone while providing complementary tastes. For instance, consider the beverage and dessert pairings.

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Sam Brett

Sam Brett is the founder and editor of Pizzachefhq, a pizza enthusiast who writes about what he's learned on the way of being a pizza creator and sharing his advice, tips, and research.

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