How to Choose Snacks for a Sleepover

Co-authored by Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT

Last Updated: March 13, 2022

One of the best parts of a sleepover is the snacks, but as the host of a sleepover, you can find yourself staring at the contents of your pantry or the grocery store with no clue what your friends would want. However, there are always options for sleepovers, depending on where you'll be, what your guests want, and the theme of your party. If you consider the logistics and think about some sleepover classics, you can easily find snacks for your sleepover!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Picking Out Snacks

1
Get some crunchy, salty snacks. Many sleepover attendees will enjoy a salty snack during a sleepover, and it's a good change of pace from the normal batch of sweets that some may not want to overindulge on. Some examples of salty snacks you could have are:
- Chips (such as potato chips or tortilla chips)
- Popcorn (try putting some twists on it)
- Hard pretzels
- Crackers (try pairing them with peanut butter or cheese)
2
Try out some sweets. Sugary food is often a staple of sleepovers, and are sure to be a hit if your attendees enjoy sugar. Try out classic sleepover staples like:
- Ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Gummy treats (such as gummy worms or gummy bears)
- Rice Krispie treats
- Baked goods (such as brownies or cupcakes)
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3
Throw some healthier foods in the mix. If the attendees aren't huge fans of junk foods and sugar, don't panic - there are still some options out there. These include:
- Vegetable trays
- Fruit salad or fruit kabobs
- Yogurt parfaits^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT
  Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist
  Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}
- Traditional "healthy" snacks, such as apple slices and celery with peanut butter^{[2]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT
  Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist
  Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}
- Orange slices and cheese^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Dina Garcia, RD, LDN, CLT
  Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist
  Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}
4
Try making some snacks during the party. A favorite sleepover experience is to work with the attendees to make treats, and then enjoy the treats together. Some quick treats (and some sleepover classics!) could be:
- Eggless cookie dough
- Quick dips, such as bean dip, nacho dip, or avocado dip
- Drinks such as hot chocolate (maybe with Oreos) or root beer floats
- S'mores
5
Pick out meal foods. If your guests won't be eating dinner at the party, but you know the snacks won't be filling enough, small meal foods can be great "snacks" and satisfy your friends while still leaving room for the actual snacks. Some small meal-type foods are great choices for sleepovers!
- Pizza is a classic choice for sleepovers; try mini pizzas or pizza bites.
- Hamburger sliders are small, delicious treats for when you don't want to make whole burgers.
- Large soft pretzels are good choices for nibbling on.
- Mini tacos can be a delight for those who want a quick meal.
6
Don't forget the drinks. Nobody wants to be thirsty during a sleepover! Pair your snacks with a drink that matches well, such as:
- Soda
- Lemonade
- Hot chocolate
- Fruit juice
- Keep water available for those who want it.
7
Think about breakfast. While snacks typically aren't associated with breakfast, a good option for breakfast is to set up a "breakfast bar" so that people can take foods that they'd like. Try miniature pancakes or waffles, bagels, mini strips of bacon (try turkey bacon for those who can't eat pork), various fruits, or just miniature boxes of cereal and milk. Giving everyone the opportunity to pick the foods they want can allow for a more "snack"-type breakfast.
8
Read the ingredients if your friends have dietary restrictions. If you're buying snacks for your party and your friends can't eat something, you'll need to make sure that the foods you're buying don't have the ingredients that your friends can't eat. Look at the nutrition information on the packaging and read the ingredients before buying it.
- If you really want to have food that contains something that one of your friends can't eat, you may want to label it by putting a Post-It note on a bowl or bag of the food saying "Contains peanuts" or "Has lactose".
- Make sure that there's a good variety for your friends with dietary restrictions to pick from - don't just get one snack that they can eat and nothing else.
- If you're making food at home, you'll need to be very careful to make sure the ingredients you're using are safe and that nothing cross-contaminates.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Considering Logistics

1
Consider where you will be. The location of your sleepover can affect a great deal of what you can and can't choose for snacks. You'll need to consider the temperature of the area, as well as the surroundings - a cold night might not be the best night for frozen yogurt!
- If you'll be on carpeting or rugs, you might want to avoid snacks that would be messy if spilled, such as nachos or ice cream. Similarly, you'll want to avoid foods or drinks that will stain if spilled.
- If you're outside in warm weather, you'll want to avoid things that will attract bees and wasps (such as sodas), and food that will melt too quickly to be enjoyed. You may also need to cover foods so that bugs don't infiltrate them.
2
Look at how easily you can serve the snacks. Some snacks require being kept in certain temperatures, while others need to be stored in a certain way, and still others can just be hard to serve (such as small unwrapped candies). If you need to go to great lengths to keep the snacks edible, then it may be more effort than it's worth to have the snack available in the first place.
- Using coolers or small bowls given to individual guests can be of great use when having treats that can be tough to store or serve.
3
Make sure your friends don't have dietary restrictions. Some people can't eat certain foods for whatever reason - some common causes are allergies, food intolerances, being vegetarian or vegan, or sensitivity to certain foods (such as spicy foods). Ask your guests if there's anything they can't eat, and write it down to make sure you remember.
4
Think about the theme of the party. If your party follows a certain theme, having your snacks stick to that theme will keep the guests more entranced in the theme. This doesn't mean that the snacks you wanted can't be at your party - just find ways to make them match the theme. Try looking up ideas for themed party snacks.
- For example, if you're having a Harry Potter sleepover, you could have Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, chocolate frogs, butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and other foods that remind the partygoers of Harry Potter.
5
Watch out for caffeine. It's known that nobody expects to get much sleep, if any, at a sleepover, but you shouldn't overload yourself or your guests on caffeine at the sleepover. Doing so can result in the guests getting too hyper (which can result in broken household objects) and then having a "crash" later, where you get tired suddenly, and possibly grumpy. If you're too hyper, as well, you may end up waking up your parents in the middle of the night!
- Caffeine is in things like coffee, soda, and chocolate, as well as energy drinks. While you may not want to avoid all of these, don't have a lot of them, either.
6
Search for creative recipes. Lots of classic sleepover snacks can have a neat twist put on them to make them more exciting, or new recipes can pop up that you'd never even thought of. Try looking in cookbooks or searching online for sleepover recipes. Pinterest, for example, has masses of creative snack recipes for sleepovers, even themed ones.
7
Ask your friends for ideas. If you can't find anything suitable, don't have a theme to follow, and are completely stumped, try checking with the partygoers on what they'd want or what some good foods to bring would be. You can even try having everyone bring a snack of their choice, or some other similar idea.
- For example, you can ask, "I wanted to get some snacks for the sleepover, but I don't know what I should get. Is there something in particular that you want or that you think everyone else would enjoy?"
- If you have friends with dietary restrictions, be sure to ask them for ideas if their dietary restriction may rule out a lot of foods for them (e.g. they're vegan).

Community Q&A

Question

What snacks should I have if it is a movie night type of sleepover?

Amy Harrison

Top Answerer

Consider the theme of the sleepover. Consider bringing traditional snacks you would buy at a theater, such as popcorn, soda and candy. You and your friends could make your own popcorn mix with chocolate, peanuts, caramel and sweets.
Question

What if my friends and I can't agree on any snacks?

Community Answer

Assuming that you're not following a theme, try buying some basic snacks that most people would eat (plain chips, small candies such as M&Ms, and a soft drink) and then suggesting that everyone bring a snack to the sleepover. Make sure that everyone knows there should be enough of the snack for everyone to have. With this kind of arrangement, you can end up with some wildly creative combinations, and everyone has at least one thing they can eat!

Warnings

Soda is sticky when spilled, so be careful where you take sodas. It may be worth making a rule to keep sodas in a certain area that can be easily cleaned, such as the kitchen.

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