Pizzas aren’t just food – they are one of the greatest foods for bringing people together! And we’re not just talking about kids’ birthday parties! Creative pizza party ideas for adults can be a great way to bond with your friends over our favorite food!
If you’re looking to host a unique and memorable event, a pizza party could be an amazing framework for getting all of your best friends together! We’re going to explore a variety of creative pizza party ideas tailored specifically for adults: from gourmet toppings and wine pairings to themed decorations and entertainment options!
First Question: Are You Making the Pizza?
This isn’t as easy a question as you might think. You might be wanting to show off all of the great recipes you’ve learned on SatisfyingSlice.com or maybe your new Ooni Karu 16 or the Solo Stove Pi pizza oven! But, there’s a lot of prep before and also cooking time during the party.
Now I’m not suggesting calling up Domino’s, but you will want to make some plans so you’re really ready. You don’t want your guests being hungry too long!
Tips for Making Pizza At Your Pizza Party
1. Oven-friendly Appetizers and Sides!
Pizza ovens (and conventional ovens) can do more than pizza. Since you have to pre-heat anyway, go ahead and use your oven to get some extra hot items on the table. You can heat up a cast iron skillet to cook up brussels sprouts or asparagus! Are you using a grill to make your pizza? Go ahead and cook up some wings! Maybe stay away from breads or starchy sides though.
2. Be Prepared
- Have all of your doughs ready to go in advance. Make sure they’re at room temperature.
- Have all of your toppings read to go too! If you’re making toppings that require prep, do that early or even the day before!
- One trick you can try is to have a Roman pizza or Sicilian pizza cut tavern style ready early. Roman pizza is typically served at room temperature in Rome, so your first pizza can be prepared early and ready when guests trickle in the door!
3. If you have a lot of guests, don’t try to be too fancy with your pizzas!
- Use a dough you are familiar with and use the same dough for all of your pizzas. Mixing it up might be more interesting, but it might require different cooking temperatures and cooking times.
4. Are you sure you want to make a custom pizza for everyone?
This adds a whole extra level of complexity. Do you have the right ingredients? Do you have the time? Are your guests sufficiently patient? This might be something for pizza party 2.0. For now, let’s make it a little easier on you!
- Limit the ingredients – you want to please as many people as possible with as few pies as possible.
- That doesn’t mean you can’t use unique ingredients!
- Maybe get Speck, Calabrese salami, or Parma Ham instead of Pepperoni or ham?
- You can make a mushroom pizza!
- Why not make a Mediterranean pizza?
- Adding a fresh herb like Basil can really make your pizza pop!
- Making fewer, larger pizzas will feed more people in less time – provided your oven can fit them. Again, a Roman pizza can be a great choice because you can make it in a large pan and tavern cut it.
5. Recruit a helper.
- Be it your partner/spouse, get someone to help get the pizzas into an assembly line so they’re going in and out of the oven as quickly as possible.
6. Make cooking the pizzas part of the party!
- If your kitchen can fit your guests, include them in the pizza making experience. You don’t have to put on a cooking show for your guests, but there’s no reason you need to slave in the kitchen alone!
7. Use a Tavern Cut
- Cutting a bigger pizza into smaller squares/rectangles will make it easier for everyone to have nibbles throughout the party.
8. Cook a little more pizza than you need.
- People might want to nibble after and you don’t want to go back and cook more! And left-over pizza is still delicious (and can even be a party favor!)
9. Keep the pizza safe from insects.
- If dining outside, keep the pizza safe by putting a cover over the pizzas.
Beverage Pairings
(This is Pizza Party Ideas for Adults, after all)
A party is going to have beverages of some sort and being thoughtful about the pairings can really elevate the experience. If you’re thinking wine, an Italian Chianti is a nice pairing for a simple Margherita or cheese pizza. A bold red like a Cabernet Sauvignon (or my personal favorite style of red, Amarone della Valpolicella) will go great with something with a savory sauce and meaty pizza. A pizza bianca will pair nicely with an Italian Falanghina. If you’re going with some seafood like a Sardine pizza, maybe you want to go with a Rose?
You or a guest not into alcohol? There are plenty of great non-alcoholic options to try at your local store!
Setting the Stage for Your Pizza Party
Okay, you’ve got your menu planned out. Now it’s time to get the mood set!
First off, you need to make sure you’ve got a plan for your guests. You’ll want to create an inviting ambiance with warm lighting and comfortable seating arrangements that can accommodate everyone. Don’t make your party so big you can’t make it comfortable for everyone!
Pizza-Themed Invitations: Why not set the tone with enticing pizza-themed invitations? Send out an email or even a text invite that incorporates pizza graphics, cheesy puns, and mouthwatering images to get your guests excited about the upcoming event!
Pizza-shaped Plates: If you’re going to go with disposable plates, why not get ones shaped like slices of pizza? These ones are bamboo/paper and are compostable! Available from Amazon.
Decorations: You don’t need to spend a lot of money to add decorations that reflect the pizza theme! Amazon has a number of fun options, such as Gingham red and white checkered tablecloths, pizza-shaped banners, and hanging pizza decorations. Maybe even Pizza Light strings? A little touch here can really add to the experience for your guests.
Music: Nothing sets the ambiance of a party more definitively than the music! You can craft a custom playlist or grab something already put together on Spotify. But do have something spun up and ready to go!
What Else?
Pizza Tasting Contest: Organize a blindfolded pizza tasting contest where guests try to identify different toppings and ingredients while blindfolded. Offer small prizes for those who guess the most accurately.
Pizza Trivia or Games: Test your guests’ pizza knowledge with a pizza-themed trivia game. Or, for something a little simpler to prepare, entertain your guests with a pizza inspired game!
Pizza-Themed Murder Mystery: Of course! This murder mystery is for from 6 to 14 people with a playing time of 1-3 hours! Available at Amazon.
Cooking Demonstration: If you’ve been following our blog, you’re learning the art of making your own perfect pizza! Share some of the tips you’ve learned about creating your favorite pizza doughs and toppings! This allows you to interact with your guests while you cook. It gets them engaged in the food to a different level and will allow them to appreciate what went into this evening you’re hosting for them! To prepare, spend a few minutes writing down notes of the things you want to talk about.
Dessert and Farewell
Sweet Pizza Dessert: Wrap up the pizza feast with a sweet twist – dessert pizza! Offer options like Nutella and fruit pizza, cinnamon sugar dessert pizza, or even a s’mores-inspired version. Because this doesn’t need to be served hot, make it in advance!
Pizza Party Favors: Send your guests home with a slice of the party by giving out personalized pizza-themed party favors. These could include mini pizza cutters, pizza-themed coasters, or even a small jar of gourmet pizza sauce. Or, more simply, give them a little pizza box to take left-overs home in!
Conclusion
A pizza party isn’t just for kids and it shouldn’t just be an afterthought – you can make it a really special and enjoyable gathering! By infusing your own ideas and creativity – not only into each of your pies, but into every aspect of your event, you can really make this a special event. From gourmet pizza options and beverage pairings to themed decorations and engaging activities, you can create a truly unforgettable experience for your guests. So, embrace the joy of making and eating pizza in the company of friends, and get ready to host a pizza party that will be talked about for years to come!
Todd’s cooking skills have revolved around the grill since about age 12, when he developed a love for grilling and took over for Mom at the BBQ. He worked at Wendy’s and at Earl’s Tin Palace (a restaurant chain in Canada) but never really did any sort of baking…until he and Heather started making pizza together! Now he’s often making dough in the mornings and pizza in the evenings.