Great party food platters will score big points with your guests. With the big game only days away, you might be scrambling to the nearest store in search of the best meat and cheese spreads, assorted fruit platters, and dippable veggies to keep your friends and fam from going hungry.
To simplify your shopping experience, we did the research and found out what popular grocery stores have on offer for party platters—including price, size, and variety of snacks. Be warned: Most grocery stores require a 1-2 day lead time. I’d strongly recommend buckling down and getting your game day ducks in a row.
Kroger Party Platters: Best Budget
Are you reading this Sunday morning and hoping to solve a last-minute food crisis? Well, you’re in luck: Kroger offers snack platters you can grab immediately, at a lower price point. They might not be the most aesthetically crafted food spreads of the bunch, but if you need to feed a small army in a pinch, these are some great options for cheap party food platters.
Kroger Veggie Tray with Dip: Starting at $11.99 for a 40 oz tray, this is one of the most cost-effective vegetable platters we found. You’re absolutely getting bang for your buck here with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery, broccoli, and “dip,” and that’s what matters.
Kroger Cubed Cheese Platter: Look, a good party spread has cubed cheese. I don’t make the rules. Kroger’s cheese platter includes colby jack, pepper jack, monterey cheese, and a selection of grapes. You get 40 oz of cheese for $23, and that is nothing to sneeze at.
Kroger Cocktail Shrimp Platter: $12 for 60 shrimp and a side of cocktail sauce? Kroger’s shrimp cocktail platter is a value you can’t beat. It may not hold the extravagance of Whole Foods, but frankly, sea bugs are sea bugs—especially if you slather them in enough sauce. You know you’re going to eat them, and so will your guests.
Fresh Cut Fruit Large Party Tray: Kroger’s fruit platter has strawberries, pineapple, mango, grapes, and watermelon. Does it come in the eye-sore of a plastic container? Sure, but at least you’re not slicing your own fruit. At 72 oz for $20.99, this fruit plate makes a great addition to any game day spread.
Vons Party Platters: Best for Large Parties
Vons’ (our local Albertsons affiliate) party platters are prepared fresh—so fresh, in fact, you have to place orders 48 hours in advance. (Lead times may vary by location.) Each tray is beautifully crafted and definitely a crowd pleaser. Most of their trays come in two sizes (16 or 18 inch), and the larger of the two claims to serve 25-30 people.
Vegetable & Dip Tray: Look at all those vibrant colors! This veggie platter comes with grape tomatoes, freshly cut cucumber, broccoli, celery, snap peas, carrots, cauliflower, and two servings of ranch dip. So basically, a small garden for $34.99. Pretty reasonable, if you ask me.
Deli Fruit 18 Inch Tray: Personally, I just love how Vons’ fruit plate is arranged. Grapes, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, honeydew, and mandarin oranges surround a centerpiece of sliced watermelon. Seriously, honeydew has never looked so enticing. At $50, it’s on the pricier side, but given this could feed 30 people, seems worth it to me.
Deli Spinach Dip Large Boule Tray: Consider this your sign to buy spinach dip in a boule. I mean, look at this thing—a giant spinach dip bread bowl surrounded by toasted bread slices? It’s both elegant and comfortingly homey at the same time. It’s $24.99, so likely more expensive than any old spinach dip and crackers, but again: it comes in a bread bowl, you guys. That’s not something you can pick up at any old grocery store.
Sprouts: Best Variety
Like Vons, Sprouts’ party platters and catering trays require a 48-hour lead time. Their selection, however, is fairly priced and well worth the wait. Here’s a few of our favorites (all claiming to serve between 12-16 people).
Fresh Vegetable Tray: Sprouts fresh vegetable platter has some unique additions, like red and gold peppers, as well as a choice of ranch dip, regular hummus, or red pepper hummus. It’s $29.99, which may appear cheaper than Vons—but keep in mind that Vons claims to serve twice as many people.
Antipasto Tray: Sprouts’ Italian antipasto platter includes capicola, hard salami, sharp and mild provolone, pepperazzi and pepperoncini peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, olive jubilee, and a Caprese salad. It’s basically a meat and cheese spread, but fancy. And not, like, Red Lobster fancy. European fancy. At $45, if there’s anyone at your game day soiree you’d like to impress, I implore you to try this.
All Wrapped Up Sandwich Tray: It’s not all about the finger food. Sprouts has a few options for different sandwich trays, including their All Wrapped Up platter, served with customizable deli meats (turkey, ham, roast beef, chicken, or hummus), cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce, all rolled up in a lavash wraps. For $50, you’ve got lunch provisions ready to go.
Cooked Shrimp Platter: Sprouts’ cooked shrimp platter claims to offer “colossal” shrimps peeled and deveined with tail on. I mean, my mouth is watering. It comes with sliced lemon as well, which is just an added touch I appreciate, personally. These come in two sizes—one for $20 serving 4-5 people, and the other for $40 serving 12-16. Neither beat Kroger’s price, but will they beat Kroger’s taste? Good question. If only we had a shrimp cocktail ranking on the horizon…
Whole Foods: Best Luxe
Whole Foods may not have a huge selection of typical snack food platters at their disposal (like veggies and dips), but they have certainly cornered the market on deli catering and savory appetizers. And yes, you guessed it, these also typically require a two-day lead time. If you’re willing to spend, here’s what we recommend.
Wing Combo Package: If you’re still searching for game day wings, Whole Foods’ fresh wing combo package is the way to go. The combo includes bone-in chicken wings (with Buffalo sauce), boneless chicken bites (with spicy honey-chipotle sauce), carrots, celery, ranch, and blue cheese dressing. Serving 6-8 people at a $60 price point, it’s not the cheapest snack food you can buy, but you’re still getting your money’s worth—especially with the addition of those veggies.
Shrimp Trio Platter: With a $60 show-stopping trio of blackened, poached, and Chesapeake Bay-seasoned shrimp served with rémoulade, cocktail, and lemon butter sauces, and lemon wedges, it’s possible your guests will devour this before the game even begins.
Fresh Fruit Platter: If you want to make Whole Foods your one-stop shop for game day, make sure to pick up their fresh fruit platter as well! At $30, it’s slightly more expensive than others on the list, but it includes blueberries and pineapple if that helps.
What about Costco Party Platters? They do those too, right??
Great question, reader. After some recon, I’ve discovered that Costco does indeed prepare a variety of customizable party platters for members to enjoy. But, they like to do things old school, apparently. If you want to order a Costco party platter, you have to visit the store. There’s not a ton of official information on their website, but my sources tell me their 2024 menu includes croissant sandwiches, shrimp platters, chicken and Swiss cheese lavash sandwiches, and a meat and cheese platter. They also request a 24-hour lead time on their orders, which, hey, better than two days! You’ve probably still got time, right?
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!