60 fall dinner party recipes for a cozy and delicious gathering
Hosting a cozy dinner party this fall? This collection of 60 fall dinner party recipes has everything you need to wow your guests—from elegant appetizers and hearty mains to flavorful seasonal sides and delicious desserts.
Planning a cozy, memorable evening with family or friends this season? Whether you’re hosting a casual get-together or a more elegant affair, the right recipes can set the tone and make your dinner party truly special.
In this collection, you’ll find 60 fall-inspired recipes that celebrate the season’s best flavors. I’ve gathered 15 crowd-pleasing appetizers, 15 comforting mains, and 15 flavorful sides—plus a whole section of autumn desserts that will have your guests reaching for seconds.
Choose one recipe from each section and you’ve got a well-balanced menu that feels thoughtful and seasonal.
Don’t forget the extras: warm lighting, cozy table décor, and a signature mocktail can turn a simple meal into a memorable evening.
From savory starters to decadent desserts and everything in between, these fall dinner party recipes are perfect for entertaining.
Fall dinner party appetizers
These brie bites are fantastic for a fall dinner party. They're effortless to make - drizzled with honey, walnuts and dried cranberries. The perfect bite sized treat.
This baked brie with fig jam recipe is a delicious appetizer perfect for entertaining! Gooey, melted brie cheese, accompanied by sweet fig jam, fresh figs, and a drizzle of honey, makes this irresistible appetizer a real crowd pleaser that everyone will love. Plus, it only takes 15 minutes to whip up.
Lightly toasted crostini is topped with creamy brie cheese and a sweet and savory bourbon, maple syrup, brown sugar, bacon jam to create the perfect bite. This bourbon bacon jam can be made in advance making it the perfect appetizer for entertaining.
This air fryer baked brie in a bread bowl is the perfect appetizer recipe for a dinner party. Not only is it a crowd-pleasing dish, but it also frees up precious oven space when you're trying to get the rest of the meal prepared.
This festive vegan mushroom crostini recipe is an easy and impressive appetizer perfect for holidays. The crunchy baguette with grilled vegan mozzarella topped with sweet caramelized onions and mushrooms with a hint of balsamic and Dijon mustard will surely be a show stopper.
Mini chicken pot pies packed with rich flavors and golden crusts! These tiny wonders are perfect for a cozy fall dinner or fun fall gathering.
These vibrant pumpkin quiches are utterly delicious. Tangy feta cheese and crispy ham perfectly balance the pumpkin’s natural sweetness.
These pumpkin bacon crostini with cranberries are a delightfully festive and tasty appetizer for the holidays! They’re crispy, salty, sweet, and bursting with flavors of the season.
These mouthwatering stuffed dates have a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors. They’re easy to prepare and perfect for fall entertaining.
These crispy, flavorful sweet potato rounds are a delightful addition to any meal. Topped with creamy cheese and tangy cranberries, they offer a perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Shish barak is the quintessential Middle Eastern comfort food – dumplings, stuffed with beef, and covered in a delicious garlic and yogurt sauce! This traditional recipe is a perfect appetizer.
Ingredients like cream cheese, crabmeat, basil, parsley, shallot, and garlic are combined then stuffed into mushroom caps, and topped with buttery, golden brown toasted panko breadcrumbs.
Tender homemade roast beef is piled on sweet Hawaiian rolls with provolone cheese, garlic horseradish aioli, and pickled red onions.
These easy vegan mushroom arancini can be baked or air-fried, and make a great sharing option for parties. Arancini are made from flavor-packed, umami-rich mushroom risotto coated in crisp breadcrumbs, and are a traditional Italian appetizer.
These festive vegan stuffed mushrooms are a perfect appetizer for the holiday season. Umami-packed mushrooms filled with cheesy vegan ricotta, spinach and garlic and topped with vegan parmesan make a perfect vegan alternative to traditional stuffed mushrooms, but are gluten- and dairy-free and so delicious!
You might also like these fall appetizers.
Fall dinner party mains
This hearty beef and mushroom stew recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or vegetables, for a fabulous dinner party with friends or family.
This easy one pan chicken and potatoes in a luscious cider cream sauce is pure cozy comfort food. Perfect for fall dinner parties, it’s sure to impress.
This creamy baked ziti recipe is a perfect blend of tender noodles, rich, creamy sauce, and gooey cheese. It’s an easy, five ingredient meal that brings classic Italian flavors to your table in a casserole-style dish everyone will love!
If you need a chicken dish that will impress, look no further than this creamy chicken Florentine. It’s easy enough to make but fancy enough for special occasions.
Tender and juicy creamy mushroom chicken is an easy one-pan recipe that’s decadent enough for entertaining. This is one of the tastiest chicken and mushroom recipes you’ll ever eat.
Gnocchi carbonara is so easy to make! In just 15 minutes and with a handful of ingredients, you’ll have the most satisfying, creamy carbonara on the table.
Is there anything more perfect than creamy mushroom pappardelle? That warm, earthy mushroom flavor paired with hearty pasta noodles, and bathed in a rich cream sauce. Creamy mushroom pasta is as good as it gets.
This creamy and cheesy gnocchi with pumpkin sauce is a delicious and comforting dinner that is perfect for pumpkin season.
This recipe creates a delicious combination of eggplant and roast pumpkin between layers of pasta and tomato topped with melted cheese.
This lemon rosemary chicken is an absolutely delicious dinner party option. Lemon and rosemary are a fantastic combination of flavors that soaks into the chicken and its crispy golden skin.
This is a traditional Greek dish with eggplants which receives its name from the resemblance of its shape with little shoes. The eggplants are stuffed with a savory mixture typically made with ground beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and topped with bechamel sauce.
This is a whole roast chicken recipe that will leave your guests raving about your kitchen skills!The crispy skin, moist meat, and the aroma of herbs is enough to make you start drooling while setting the table.
Check out this flavorful, tender roast slow cooked in beef stock and red wine with fresh herbs. It's a beautiful plate served over buttery and creamy mashed potatoes for the coziest comfort food ever.
This vegan stuffed butternut squash is an all-in-one meal that is hearty and bursting with flavors. The stuffing is filled with savory vegan sausage, rice, crisp apples, tart cranberries, and warm fall spices. It's a beautiful main dish which also makes it perfect for a fall dinner party.
This perfectly cooked venison rack is served over sweet and sour peppers. This chef-created recipe is deliciously balanced and beautifully plated.
Fall dinner party sides
Broccoli pomegranate salad is a delicious and antioxidant-packed vegetarian side dish! All you need is ten minutes and a handful of simple ingredients.
Embrace the flavors of fall with this vibrant butternut squash salad featuring juicy pomegranate seeds, creamy feta, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of honey mustard dressing.
This potatoes au gratin recipe is made with delicious layers of thinly sliced potatoes smothered in homemade cream sauce, shredded cheese, and is baked until tender, golden, and bubbly. The ultimate comfort food, enjoy these creamy and comforting Au gratin Potatoes with friends and family at your next holiday or family gathering.
These crispy roasted frozen Brussels sprouts are a side dish everyone will enjoy. They're made with simple ingredients and are ready in around 35 minutes.
Garlic rosemary roasted potatoes with crispy outsides and fluffy only have a few minutes of prep but a ton of delicious, herbaceous flavor. These yummy golden potatoes are the perfect side dish for busy weeknights or any special occasion.
This fall harvest salad recipe is a vibrant and nutritious salad featuring crisp greens, roasted vegetables, and autumn fruits including apples and pomegranates. Delicious enough to feed a crowd and beautiful enough to serve as a showstopper on the table!
Sprouts and kale salad is like a coleslaw sweetened with a maple dressing, craisins, and crunchy pecans. There is no better salad.
A mouthwatering sweet balsamic-honey dressing is drizzled on top of this delicious roasted pumpkin salad with feta and walnuts. This fall salad is great as a side dish for your next dinner party.
This roasted butternut squash quinoa salad is the perfect delicious salad for fall dinner parties.
This roasted corn and quinoa stuffed squash recipe has lots of fresh produce, and it can be adapted based on whatever you might have on hand.
These savory sweet potatoes are seasoned with a blend of parmesan cheese, garlic, and herbs. Oven roasted until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, this easy recipe is full of flavor and the perfect side dish for just about any meal.
A shaved Brussels sprouts salad with parmesan, cranberries, almonds, and a citrus vinaigrette. It’s the perfect way to enjoy fresh veggies in the fall. It’s easy to make, and even picky eaters love Brussels sprouts when they’re prepared this way! Include this Brussels sprouts salad part of your dinner party menu.
Stuffing muffins are a deliciously impressive yet easy side dish. This stuffing recipe is make-ahead, which reduces the stress of cooking.
This super easy sweet potatoes casserole combines buttery creamy sweet mashed sweet potatoes with a crunchy pecan topping.
This light and healthy vegan fall harvest salad is as satisfying as it is nutritious: crunchy kale paired with sweet pumpkin, tart Brussels sprouts, crisp apples and pomegranate seeds all merged together with delicious homemade maple-mustard dressing.
You might also like these Thanksgiving side dishes.
Fall dinner party desserts
These pecan tartlets feature tart shells filled with bittersweet chocolate, pecan halves, and gooey filling.
Amish pumpkin roll is a classic and popular dessert that combines the flavors of pumpkin and cream cheese in a delightful, swirled roll cake. The pumpkin cake is moist and tender with the comforting flavors of pumpkin and spice, while the cream cheese adds a sweet, tangy contrast.
This apple crisp cheesecake is the perfect union of apple crisp and cheesecake. This decadent dessert is the best of both worlds. A creamy cheesecake with notes of vanilla and cinnamon on top of a buttery graham cracker crust topped with a layer of cinnamon apples, and a crumbly, buttery oat topping.
This caramel apple angel food cake is a light, fluffy apple angel food cake drizzled with a caramel glaze and homemade salted caramel sauce, then topped with cinnamon apple chips!
Chocolate cranberry cake is an easy dessert that’s perfect for dinner parties. It’s decadent and fudgy, and studded with dark chocolate chips and tart fresh cranberries. It’s also vegan and comes together in just one bowl!
This chocolate creme brulee is the best chocolate pudding you’ve ever had, topped with a crispy torched sugar crust. Five simple ingredients turn into something magical for a dinner party dessert!
Chocolate pecan pie is similar to a classic pecan pie with the delicious addition of chocolate.
This delicious and decadent homemade chocolate swirl cheesecake is a winner for after your dinner.
Try this double layer pumpkin pie recipe. This recipe combines a pumpkin pie with a cheesecake!
Indulge in the decadent harmony of flavors with this luscious Grand Marnier cheesecake, baked to perfection and adorned with a tantalizing chocolate glaze. This exquisite dessert entwines the rich flavors of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and zesty orange essence, all elevated by the luxurious touch of Grand Marnier liqueur.
Kahlua pecan pie - Crunchy pecans over a chocolaty Kahlua pie filling surrounded by a flaky, no-fuss homemade crust, - this dessert is sure to get everyone asking for seconds.
These pecan pie cream puffs are classic cream puffs with crisp brown sugar craquelin on top, filled with honey pecan pie filling and bourbon whipped cream.
This creamy pumpkin custard is an easy fall dessert you'll love! One of the best recipes for pumpkin custard around.
These salted caramel cheesecake bites are rich, creamy, and filled with homemade salted caramel sauce.
This easy decadent chocolate coconut cream pie recipe is bound to be the best instant crowd pleaser you’ve ever tried! It also incudes dairy-free modifications.
A fall dinner party is the perfect excuse to slow down, gather the people you love, and share a meal that feels both comforting and a little bit special. With cozy flavors, seasonal ingredients, and a mix of classic and creative recipes, this collection gives you everything you need to create a menu that’s warm, welcoming, and unforgettable.
Whether you keep it simple or go all out, the real magic happens around the table. So light a few candle and enjoy the moments that matter most—delicious food, good conversation, and the feeling of home.


