If you’ve been looking for heaps of stunning grazing table ideas, then you’re in the right place. We have a lot of beautiful grazing table pictures and designs for you to see and be inspired by. Read on for some tips and tricks on how to easily create a delicious looking grazing table for your next event.
You’ll find inspo for grazing board ideas for a small grazing table – to grazing buffet ideas that span whole tables.
Whether you are preparing a grazing table for 20 guests or more….we’ve got you covered. Don’t miss the kids grazing table ideas (so much candy!). From simple grazing table ideas to more elaborate setups – read on for the best grazing buffet ideas.
At the end of the article we also answer some frequently asked questions about grazing tables. You will also find a full shopping list for your grazing table at the bottom of the article.
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Grazing Tables
Grazing tables are a unique party food or event catering idea that has exploded over recent years. They are a popular idea for party food as they are a great way to provide guests with the option to graze as they please.
Grazing tables work well for any sort of party, whether it be a birthday party, weddings, baptisms, baby showers, bridal showers, engagement parties and cocktail hour. They are also great for catering at corporate events. All these delicious grazing table ideas featured below are sure to be loved by guests of any age.
This article will show you heaps of ideas for grazing tables and they are all unique and beautifully styled. The beauty of grazing tables is that you can design them whichever way you like with your favorite finger foods and be as creative as you like, and they will look great.
Photo credit: Jess Mallyon
Grazing tables can be filled with either sweet or savoury food. You can decorate them in the colours of your choice, decorate them with a greenery theme or even go for something more colourful and add some fun props! No matter how you decorate your grazing tables, they’re sure to be a hit at your party. We know you’ll love these graze table ideas below.
DIY Grazing Table
If you are feeling overwhelmed at the awesomeness of grazing tables and you don’t know where to start. I’ve got you covered. You absolutely MUST check out this super helpful GRAZING TABLE TEMPLATE that you can find right here.
“I love going the extra mile with the little details: a sprinkle of mixed seeds or crushed pistachios, edible flowers, rose water meringues with edible dried rose petals and gold leaf details. I want my grazing tables to look like a work of art for everyone to enjoy visually and taste wise.” – Jess Mallyon.
This stunning grazing table below was created for a party with approximately 40 guests.
Photo credit: Jess Mallyon
Expert tip: Make sure your table size suits the amount of food that you would like to serve. You want your table to look bountiful and overflowing rather than sparse and bare.
Add some wooden crates, tiered cake stands or any other serving platters to give your table some variety and height similar to the beautiful grazing table below.
Photo credit: Amy Annette Silvio
Grazing tables are such a fun idea if you’re looking to serve a mix of sweet and savoury food! All you need is a large table or flat surface and lots of different types of foods to serve.
Don’t forget to have lots of serving utensils and cheese knives. You can serve your delicious food selection with napkins or plates.
Photo credit: Jess Mallyon
Grazing Table Ideas
Decorate with some greenery or colorful seasonal fruit such as pineapple, melons, lemons and limes. You could even add some plants as centerpieces. This fabulous feasting table below looks absolutely delicious and is perfect to serve as a main course with lots of hot food mixed in with dips, crackers, cheese boards and fresh fruit.
Photo credit: Jessica La Riccia Fagliarone
Below is another stunning grazing table idea with color cleverly integrated into the table styling. You can definitely theme your grazing platters with a favorite color to suit your party theme, like this pretty pink grazing table.
Photo credit: Amanda Williams
Or why not a beautiful blue themed grazing table perfect for a baby shower. The addition of some large blue paper decorations is a great idea to decorate the table and fill up some areas. Paper pom poms and paper lanterns would work well in with the food.
Photo credit: Amanda Williams
Many of these beautiful grazing tables were made with a combination of wooden grazing boards. You can find a large selection of grazing boards right here.
This delicious looking grazing table below has the perfect mix of sweet and savory food. The key to success is the variety of foods and different textures to choose from. Also having food stacked at different heights gives visual interest and the food appears to be even more abundant and overflowing.
Photo credit: Amanda Williams
If you are feeling overwhelmed at the awesomeness of grazing tables and you don’t know where to start. I’ve got you covered. You absolutely MUST check out this super helpful GRAZING TABLE TEMPLATE that you can find right here. It is such an easy way to plan a decadent grazing table.
Dessert Grazing Table
Or how about a dessert / candy grazing board – where there are only sweet foods and very limited savory snacks. The next beautifully styled grazing table is seriously a kids’ dream with so many sweet treats. This totally amazing dessert table will definitely inspire your child’s birthday grazing table ideas.
Photo credit: Meagan Anne
“So with my table I wanted something that the kids would go crazy for. I wanted bright colours but also lollies I knew they would love. I also added in some jam sponge cake, lamingtons, donuts, jam drops, biscuits, and dip and salami to break it up. My goal was to have a bright and fun looking table to draw all the kids in. I spent weeks putting together a list whenever I would think of something that would fit perfectly with the goal.” – Meagan Anne.
Photo credit: Meagan Anne
Here’s another fun idea for a grazing table which might be especially relevant if you are in an area that still has dining restrictions. They set this grazing table out into individual portions. It still features a lot of the food that you might normally find on a grazing table just with a different setup.
Photo credit: Kelly Robinson Moskov
If you’re looking for a way to serve party food in individual portions, then take some inspiration from this great table setup. It could be the perfect way to serve party food at an event during cold and flu season.
Photo credit: Kelly Robinson Moskov
Many of the amazing grazing tables featured in this article were served …..on different levels…… Find some fantastic 3 tiered serving platters right here to help you get the layered look for your grazing table.
Grazing Board
If you didn’t want to create a full grazing table, you could still serve a smaller version of it at your party. Grazing platters or grazing boards look amazing and they can be fairly quick to prepare compared to a table. This is also great if you have a smaller party or wanted to serve other food as well as nibbles.
This grazing board below looks delicious. I love how they’ve added sweets in the party color theme to make it a little more fun.
Photo credit: Nicci Martin
Grazing Table Signs
Add some grazing table signs to your party table to add a little more personality and encourage people to eat. If you wanted to identify particular foods, then you could use food cards as well. This would be helpful to point out particular dietary ingredients or the names of certain snacks.
You can find a large selection of grazing table signs from printables to actual physical decorative signs right here.
Grazing Table Food List
If you were wondering what food to put on a grazing table, then read on for a full list. Here is a large grazing table food list to help you with your grazing table ideas. It’s not exhaustive, if you think I’ve missed something that I should add to this list for a perfect grazing menu please let me know in the comments.
What food do you put on a grazing table
- Savoury biscuits and crackers.
- Chips, pretzels, nuts, popcorn.
- Cheese of all different varieties – soft cheese and hard cheese.
- Cured Meats – ham, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, cabana sticks.
- Fruit – grapes, strawberries, raspberries, passionfruit, oranges, mandarins, watermelon, kiwifruit, mango.
- Dried fruits – cranberries, apricots, figs, apple, pineapple.
- Vegetables – carrot sticks, celery, capsicum / peppers, olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pickles.
- Dips.
- Hot finger food – sausage rolls, parties pies, mini quiches.
- Candy of all varieties and colors.
- Sweet biscuits, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, donuts, fairy bread, pastries, danishes and sweet tarts.
- Edible flowers and greenery – great for empty spaces.
- Herbs as garnish.
Frequently Asked Questions about Grazing Tables
Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions to help you with your grazing table ideas. If you have any other questions please put them in the comments and we’ll add the answers to this article.
How much does it cost to do a grazing table
If you’re looking to create a grazing table, you would usually have in excess of 20 guests. For anything under 20 guests you could look at creating some grazing boards or grazing platters rather than a full table spread of food.
For a catered grazing table prices range from approximately $15 per person. An average size table to cater for 30 people would cost $450. For wedding receptions or a corporate event, it might cost slightly more. However, if you are doing it yourself, you could probably create your own for approximately $300 or less.
The key to great grazing table ideas on a budget is to grab some key items over time while they are on sale. You could buy the longer lasting food items such as biscuits and crackers and some dips or cured meats and vintage cheeses in advance. The fresh food such as fruit and vegetables would need to be bought closer to the party date.
How much food do I need for a grazing table
This really depends on how many guests you are having and whether the food is considered a meal or an appetizer or snack. You could also need to take into consideration the size of the surface that you wish to cover with food. For serving amounts aim to have at least a minimum one serving of everything on offer per guest so that everyone could try a little bit of everything.
How do you keep a grazing table fresh
The best way to keep a grazing table fresh is to lay the food out closest to the time of the guests’ arrival. Don’t have it sitting there for hours before the party. It’s important to be aware of food safety, and what sort of food is okay at room temperature and what is not.
A grazing platter template like this one here is a great option that will give you the confidence to know where to put everything when you want to prepare a stunning table really quickly.
Also, if you are adding hot food, don’t put it out straight away. It’s best to wait until most of your guests have arrived. Another tip is to keep topping up the grazing table during the party.
What can I use for a grazing board
You can find some great wooden grazing boards right here.
What is the difference between a charcuterie board and a grazing board
Charcuterie boards are traditionally made with cured meats, cheeses and antipasto vegetables and dried fruit and nuts. The actual boards that they are served on often have little compartments to separate each type of food. A grazing board is usually a flat wooden platter / wooden board and you can add anything your heart desires to it.
Find a large selection of charcuterie boards right here. Many of these charcuterie boards are personalized and would make a beautiful keepsake or special gift.
You can make grazing tables into a little work of art.
Photo credit: Jess Mallyon
Are grazing tables hygienic
Firstly, you’ll want to start with a clean hygienic surface. Once the surface is clean, you could pop down some kraft wrapping paper or butcher paper to add as a barrier between the table surface and the food.
Add lots of serving utensils if you don’t want guests picking up food with their hands.
In the end, these ideas and tips are just suggestions to get you started. The most important part is to have fun! Remember that no two parties or events are the same, so use this guide as a start – but don’t be afraid to get creative.
A special thanks to Amanda Williams, Amy Annette Silvio, Jessica La Riccia Fagliarone, Jess Mallyon, Kelly Robinson Moskov, Meagan Anne, and Nicci Martin for sharing photos of their amazing grazing table ideas.
There are so many fun options for grazing table ideas and you should have lots of fun deciding on the perfect setup for your party! I’m sure that there are even some ideas that we’ve missed that you can share in the comments below. Enjoy creating your own grazing table.
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