What food should I serve at a unicorn party?

Decide whether you're serving a meal or snacks

Before you pick any unicorn food, decide whether guests need a meal. If you're inviting people over lunch or dinner, start with a filling main and then add fruit, dessert and drinks. Between meals, a savory snack, some fruit and a treat may be enough. How long the party lasts doesn't settle this on its own. Tell families what you'll serve instead of assuming a two-hour party only needs cake.

Ask three practical questions about each dish: will the guests want it, can you serve it easily, and how much clearing up will it leave? A familiar sandwich cut into a cloud shape can do more for your menu than another elaborate sweet nobody asked for.

For a small menu, choose cloud sandwiches, rainbow fruit, either unicorn bark or horn cones, and water. Add a pastel snack board or pink lemonade if you want them. If you're serving birthday cake, decide whether you need another dessert at all.

Six unicorn food ideas to choose from

These are serving and decorating ideas, not tested recipes. Use recipes or products you know, check their ingredients, and follow their preparation and storage instructions. Pick a few ideas. You don't need to make all six.

Rainbow fruit: arrange strawberries, orange segments, pineapple and grapes in rainbow order. Skewers are one way to serve them. Rows on a tray or individual fruit cups give you the same colors without threading every piece. The CDC lists whole grapes, uncut berries and hard pieces of raw fruit as choking hazards for young children. Ask caregivers which fruits suit their children, how the fruit should be prepared and whether skewers are appropriate. Watch children while they eat.

Unicorn bark: use a white chocolate bark recipe with pastel swirls and sprinkles. Check that any coloring is meant for the chocolate you're using, and allow the recipe's setting time before you break it up. Put the pieces in paper liners so you can count portions and hand them out without cutting at the table.

Horn cones: dip the rim of an ice cream cone in frosting, then in edible gold sugar or sprinkles. Stand it point-up so it looks like a horn. If cones are your treat, count one for each guest who will have one. A box with dividers stops them knocking together. Store them as the product instructions say. A plain cone alongside the decorated ones gives guests another choice.

Pastel snack board: arrange crackers, cheese and puffs in separate rows or small bowls. Pastel bowls and napkins can supply the color, so you don't need to dye the cheese. Keep crackers away from moist foods until you put the board together. Put out small amounts and keep more ready to refill. Include only foods and serving arrangements agreed with families.

Cloud sandwiches: spread bread with cream cheese and cut it with a cloud-shaped cutter. If you don't have a cutter, cut ordinary sandwiches into small squares. Another familiar filling is fine. Make one test sandwich before you shop to see how many usable shapes your cutter gives you. Shaped cutting can leave more scraps than cutting a sandwich into quarters.

Unicorn punch: serve pink lemonade with a card that says Unicorn Punch, pink lemonade. Put out water as well. A pitcher works as well as a punch bowl, and a helper can pour for children who need help. Follow the drink's mixing directions.

How to make ordinary food look like unicorn food

Most of the theme can come from how you serve the food: a rainbow fruit tray, pastel bowls and napkins, a cloud cutter, gold sugar on a cone, and a named card on each dish. You can serve familiar sandwiches and snacks without changing the whole menu.

How much unicorn party food to make

Count everyone who will eat: guest children, the birthday child, siblings and other household members, staying adults and helpers. Count each person only once. Then decide what one portion of each dish means and multiply it by the number of people having that food.

The table below is an illustrative calculation for a snack table, not a serving requirement. It assumes everyone counted has two mini sandwich pieces, one fruit portion and one small treat, plus a few planned extra treats. For a meal, you'd plan larger mains and more food overall, so change the portions to fit. The treat column is for bark or cones, not for both plus cake.

Worked example (illustrative): 7 invited children, the birthday child, 1 sibling and 3 staying adults make 12 people eating. At two mini pieces each, that's 24 sandwich pieces. If one whole sandwich makes four squares, you need 6 whole sandwiches. Check how many pieces you actually get if you're cutting clouds. Plan 12 fruit portions, measured with your own cup or bowl. Plan 12 treats plus 3 extras, so 15. For drinks, 12 first pours plus one refill each makes 24 pours. At 200 ml a pour, that's 4.8 litres altogether. Split this between water and lemonade instead of buying the full amount of each. This is shopping arithmetic, not how much a child should drink, so keep extra water available.

Check food requirements before you shop

Send the proposed menu to families before you buy ingredients. Ask about specific products and how they want food prepared and served. Keep recipes and original packaging, including for frosting, cones, sprinkles and drinks. Use separate trays and serving tools if you've agreed that with a family. If you need to switch a product, confirm the replacement with them first.

Unicorn party food shopping list

Cross out the dishes you aren't serving. Next to each item, write the amount you worked out and check what you already have. These are ordinary grocery items, though availability and products vary.

After crossing out unused dishes, put the remaining ingredients, drinks and serving supplies on one list. Our party shopping list for food gives you a grocery checklist. It also reminds you to check whether you already have cups or bottles before buying both.

• Bread aisle: bread for your chosen filling and cutter size; crackers for the snack board. Amount: ____
• Dairy or alternatives: cream cheese for sandwiches and cheese for the board, or the specific alternatives agreed with families. Amount: ____
• Produce: strawberries, oranges, pineapple and grapes, or the fruit you chose instead. Amount: ____
• Baking and treats: white chocolate, coloring suitable for that chocolate, frosting, edible gold sugar or sprinkles, and ice cream cones, only for the desserts you chose. Amount: ____
• Snack aisle: puffs or another agreed savory snack if you're making the board. Amount: ____
• Drinks: pink lemonade if wanted, plus your water supply and refill plan. Amount: ____
• Serving supplies: cups, paper liners, napkins, food cards and serving utensils; skewers only if you're using them and families have agreed
• Setup and cleanup: trays, a table covering, a marker, wipes and a lined trash bin near the food table

What to prepare ahead and what to leave for party day

Choose your early jobs based on the recipes and products you use. Some desserts can be made ahead if their instructions allow it. You don't need to make everything the night before to have an easier morning.

Labels and dry supplies are usually easy early jobs. Food depends on its recipe and storage directions. Our answer on what party food you can prepare ahead goes through tasks one by one. For example, it notes that cupcakes can be decorated ahead if their instructions allow.

Cream cheese sandwiches, cheese and cut fruit are perishable. The FDA advises keeping cold buffet food at 40 F or below. It also advises throwing away perishables that have been at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour above 90 F. Count all the time a dish spends out of the fridge, including transport and setup, not just the time guests are eating. Put out small trays and keep the backup food chilled. When a tray runs low, swap in a fresh one instead of adding new food to a half-empty one. Only products confirmed as shelf-stable, such as crackers and puffs, can stay out longer, and then only as their package instructions allow. Being wrapped doesn't make a treat shelf-stable. Check each treat's label, and keep any treat that needs refrigeration cold, under the same time limits.

Example timeline (illustrative): About three days before, confirm who's coming and their food needs, choose dishes, work out amounts and shop. The night before, write labels and gather trays and utensils. Make bark or decorate cones then only if their instructions allow that timing, and leave fridge space. On party morning, prepare fruit as agreed with caregivers, assemble sandwiches following the filling's directions, store the snack-board foods as directed and mix the lemonade. During the party, refill from chilled backup food and clear used cups and liners.

Example final setup, 30 minutes after the food is prepared (illustrative): in minutes 0 to 10, lay the table covering, trays, bowls, utensils and a lined bin. In minutes 10 to 20, match cards to dishes and put cups, napkins and liners within reach. In minutes 20 to 30, bring out the foods that are ready to serve, set up drinks and show your helper where refills are. Leave chilled foods in the fridge until this last step so their time out starts as late as possible.

Unicorn party food checklist

Cross out anything you aren't serving.

• Decide on a meal or snacks based on the party time
• Count everyone eating once, including the birthday child, siblings and staying adults
• Choose a main or savory food, fruit, one treat, water and an optional drink
• Send the menu to families and confirm products, preparation and swaps
• Ask caregivers how fruit should be prepared and whether skewers are suitable
• Write cards with the theme name, the real food name and the ingredients you've checked
• Fill in the shopping list with your amounts
• Keep packaging and recipes for ingredient questions
• Make fridge space and plan to keep backup food chilled
• Plan to clear away perishables after 2 hours out, or 1 hour above 90 F
• Pick a helper to pour drinks and refill trays

Sources and further reading

• Unicorn Party Food Kids Actually Eat
• Unicorn Party Ideas
• FDA: Serving Up Safe Buffets
• CDC: Choking Hazards

Related questions

• How much food should I buy for a party?
• What party food can I prepare ahead?
• What information should I put on party food labels?
• How do I plan one party menu for guests with different dietary needs?