Make Ahead Recipes to Bring to a Potluck

A last minute invitation to a potluck is no problem when you’ve got something made ahead in your freezer ready to take with you. These recipes are perfect for BBQs, family gatherings, or group events where you need to contribute a dish.

These easy potluck recipes travel well, feed a crowd, and are freezer friendly so they can all be made ahead days, weeks, or even a few months in advance.

collage of pasta salads, lasagna, baked beans, meatballs, a dip, and quiche

Not only can the guesswork be taken out of what to bring to a potluck when you have a freezer stacked with dishes, but your everyday life can be easier too. Make meal prep simple with the Freezer Meals 101 Club. Everything you need to never have to worry about dinner again is right at your fingertips. Find out more now.

two women with a counter full of freezer meals in front of them and a faded collage of dinner photos behind them

Make Ahead Cold Potluck Dishes

These dishes can be taken out of the freezer, thawed, and served cold. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Caesar Pasta Salad

bowtie pasta, bits of bacon, croutons, cubed chicken, and lettuce in a bowl with wooden spoon

Make this Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad ahead and freeze. All you need to do is stir in some lettuce and you’ve got a perfect dish to bring to a BBQ or party.

Cilantro Lime Corn Salad

corn kernels, diced purple onion, and cilantro in a white bowl

Cilantro Lime Corn is so easy to make ahead and can be served cold as a corn salad or warmed up and served as a side dish. Perfect for bringing with you to gatherings.

Green Pasta Salad

bowtie pasta in a pesto sauce with peas and artichokes

This delicious Green Pasta Salad can be made ahead and frozen so that you’ve got a fresh tasting dish to easily bring with you to any group event.

Make Ahead Hot Dishes for Potlucks

These potluck dishes can be frozen and then easily cooked in the oven or slow cooker to bring with you warm to the event.

Freezer Friendly Lasagna

baking tray with lasagna topped with melted cheese

Lasagna is a classic for large gatherings. Our freezer friendly recipe serves many and is always a hit. Who can resist a homemade baked cheesy comfort food?

Pizza Sliders

buns topped with melted Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning

It’s always great to bring a kid friendly dish to a potluck so that everyone has something to enjoy. These Pizza Sliders are just the thing.

Cowboy Baked Beans

big pot of saucy baked beans, ground beef, and bacon

These Cowboy Baked Beans are what you want to bring to a BBQ or family reunion. They can be made ahead as a freezer meal and then cooked in a slow cooker or large pot. They feed a crowd and really just hit the spot.

Cola Meatballs

saucy meatballs being scooped out of a slow cooker onto a plate with a wooden spoon

These 3 ingredient Cola Meatballs are freezer friendly, family friendly, and stretch to feed a crowd. Set some toothpicks out with them for simple grabbing!

Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

buns filled with deli meat, cheese, and poppyseed sauce

These individually wrapped Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches are awesome for making ahead for sharing at youth group, teen birthday parties, picnics, and camping.

Mac and Cheese

Everyone at the event you’re attending will be happy to able to enjoy the ultimate in comfort food with this Homemade Mac and Cheese. Pull it out of the freezer, thaw, and cook up to bring it with you warm.

Sriracha Fried Rice

rice, chicken, fried egg, and peas being scooped with a big white spoon in a pot

Bring the most popular dish the next time you get invited to a potluck when you show up with this Sriracha Fried Rice. The other guests don’t need to know that you made it weeks ago and it’s just been chilling in your freezer waiting to be heated up!

Texas Pulled Pork

Bring this Texas Pulled Pork freezer meal with you in the slow cooker to a BBQ, party, or large family event and everyone can spoon it onto buns and enjoy all the juicy goodness.

Korean Chicken Wings

chicken wings in a glossy red sauce in a bowl

These Korean Chicken Wings are packed with flavor and always a popular offering at Game Day parties or other group gatherings.

Freezer Chili

ground beef, kidney beans, onions, and tomatoes in red sauce in a slow cooker

Chili is always welcome at a potluck. This recipe freezes well and transports easily in a slow cooker or large pot. It’s hearty and is a dish I often pull out for gatherings.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

buns topped with melted butter and a poppyseed dressing in a foil tray

It doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. These make ahead Ham and Cheese Sliders are proof of that. They always disappear quickly at potlucks.

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

meatballs in sauce topped with sliced green onions

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs can go straight from the freezer to the slow cooker, making them an easy and delicious option for bringing with you to group gatherings.

Chicken Fried Rice

pot with rice, cubed chicken, water chestnuts, carrots, peas, and onions

Growing up, one of my aunts always brought this Chicken Fried Rice to all holiday dinners and potlucks, so it has a special place in my heart. Freezer friendly and great to share with a group.

BBQ Beef on a Bun

This BBQ Beef on a Bun stretches to feed a crowd and is great for bringing with you to neighborhood events or gatherings with friends. Make it ahead as a freezer meal so that there’s nothing to even think about it the day you need it.

Cheeseburger Sliders

bun filled with ground beef and cheddar cheese next to salad on a plate

Adults and kids alike go wild over these Cheeseburger Sliders. They can be made ahead and frozen to cook up when you have an event you need to bring a meal to.

Breakfast Potluck Ideas

Next time you get invited to a brunch or breakfast potluck, consider choosing one of these freezer friendly options to save yourself having to scramble at the last minute. It’s so nice to already have the work done ahead.

Make Ahead Quiche

baked spinach and ham quiche in a pie crust

Quiche is always appreciated. This one can be made ahead so that all that’s left to do is cook or reheat before bringing it with you.

French Toast Casserole

bread cubes topped with oatmeal in a baking dish

A short notice invite to a brunch potluck doesn’t need to cause stress when you have this French Toast Casserole waiting in your freezer to be cooked up.

Mediterranean Frittata

egg bake with red pepper, black olives, and spinach on a plate next to sliced strawberries

Healthy and tasty, this Mediterranean Frittata will be a welcome addition to any breakfast or brunch. Freeze raw and bake it up fresh on the day it’s needed.

Hashbrown Casserole

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a popular dish to bring to church group brunch events, camp days, or family reunions. Freeze ahead and then bake in a casserole dish or slow cooker.

Breakfast Sliders

two buns filled with scrambled eggs and cheese topped with sesame seeds

Please young and old when you bring these make ahead Breakfast Sliders to the next event you go to. These handheld sandwiches are a great way to start the day.

Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins

blueberry muffins sitting on a cooling rack

Grab these Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins to bring with you to a brunch or breakfast potluck. Simple, tasty, and they port well.

Make Ahead Appetizers for Potlucks

Appetizers are a great option for bringing to a potluck. Always popular and easy to make ahead, any of these freeze ahead starters would be a welcome addition to any party.

Cowboy Caviar

kernel corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro in a bowl with a few tortilla chips

Cowboy Caviar can be made ahead and kept in the freezer until the day you need to serve it to guests or contribute an appetizer to a gathering.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

bits of chicken in sauce in a bowl with a spoon next to blue corn tortilla chips

Show up to any party with this Buffalo Chicken Dip and you’ll be the Belle (or Beau) of the Ball. With tender chicken, creamy cheese, tangy buffalo sauce, and crunchy water chestnuts, there’s just no going wrong with this freezer friendly version of the classic.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

There’s a good reason that Spinach and Artichoke Dip has been at most group gatherings over the past two decades. Have this make ahead one in your freezer so that it’s always handy to take with you.

Slow Cooker Queso

orange melted cheese dip in a bowl next to bread cubes, pretzel chips, raw carrots, and raw celery

Everyone will be surprised that this Slow Cooker Queso is a freezer meal. Bring it to any event with dippers like pretzel chips, raw veggies, crackers, or bread cubes.

Get your freezer stacked so you can relax.