18 Festive Mardi Gras Food Ideas for a Colorful Party (2024)

A Mardi Gras party is traditionally held during the Carnival season. That said, it’s a festive and colorful occasion you can host anytime if you like! From vibrant costumes to beautiful masks, planning a Mardi Gras party is a lot of fun. And the food is the best part; so many rich Southern dishes to try! Whether this is your first party or your tenth, we think our list of Mardi Gras food ideas will have something interesting for you to whip up in the kitchen. As lovers of parties and other special events, Peerspace has some of the best Mardi Gras party ideas and party venues around!

1. Mini crab cake bites

Let’s start this list of Mardi Gras food ideas off with a quick and tasty appetizer: mini crab cake bites! Crab meat can be pricey and making mini bites helps a little crab go a long way. Being smaller than a traditional crab cake, each mini bite also takes less time to cook! Try your hand at making scrumptious mini crab cake bites using this recipe!

2. King Cake

Colorful and rich, king cake is one Mardi Gras tradition everyone looks forward to! The cake is believed to be a Spanish and French tradition that made it over to the New World and continued to evolve. The colors each have a different meaning, with green signifying faith, gold for power, and purple for justice; the three attributes of the perfect leader! Celebrate your upcoming Mardi Gras party using this easy king cake recipe!

As your cake batter takes time to rise, think about browsing through some of Peerspace’s party venues near you for the upcoming celebration! Have you thought about a private party room rental?

3. Cajun cornbread

Spicy or sweet, cast iron cooked or baked, cornbread is a Louisiana staple that goes with everything from red beans & rice to jambalaya. Try this recipe for cast-iron cajun cornbread if you want something authentic for your upcoming Mardi Gras party! You’ll be adding jalapenos to this recipe for a little spicy kick but you can leave them out easily enough.

4. Muffuletta sandwiches

Named for the crusty Sicilian bread you use for the sandwich, muffulettas are some of the tallest and thickest sandwiches around! Multiple slices of meat and cheese go into each one, but you’ll be eating just a quarter for a serving. Pimento-stuffed olive salad is also traditional to add when eating a muffuletta. When searching for Mardi Gras food ideas, you’ll often find muffuletta-themed dishes as well. Think about baked muffuletta dip or muffuletta pinwheels for creative takes on this classic sandwich!

Can’t get enough food inspo? We hear you! Check out these fun potluck party ideas for more party-perfect suggestions.

5. Shrimp and grits

Like many of the best Mardi Gras food ideas, shrimp and grits is simple, inexpensive, and filling! The thick, savory grits soak up all of the spice and cheese flavors; topping them with bacon and shrimp elevates them to even greater heights! 

6. Crawfish étouffée

You haven’t had true New Orleans-style comfort food until you’ve had a rich helping of crawfish étouffée over rice. It’s an incredible dish to have in your recipe arsenal because it isn’t difficult to make. Plus the ingredients are all inexpensive and a little goes a long way as you’ll be serving it over rice or bread! By the way, if you don’t have access to or don’t want to use crawfish you can substitute baby shrimp instead.

7. Jambalaya

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Jambalaya is one of our favorite rice dishes and a staple on the table of any Mardi Gras party. The spicy one-pot-dish is a New World fusion with French, Spanish, and African parents. Few Cajun dishes are as satisfying and hearty as a bowl of hot jambalaya!

8. Red beans and rice

Flavorful and colorful, there are few dishes more central to Louisiana cooking than a bowl of red beans & rice. The total prep time for this recipe is about an hour so it’s easy to make in time for a Mardi Gras party the same day! Red beans and rice can be eaten as they are or with chopped andouille sausage added for an extra smoky flavor.

9. Hurricane cocktail

There’s nothing like a sweet, punchy hurricane cocktail for a Mardi Gras party! The double helping of rum, fruit juice, and simple syrup make this a dangerously delicious drink. For a non-alcoholic version, it’s simple to do without the rum.

10. Mardi Gras pancakes

Pancakes are a Fat Tuesday traditional food that goes back centuries. In order to use up all of the dairy and animal products that can’t be eaten during the 40 days of Lent, people would make loads of cake, pancakes, and other foods that use butter and milk. Even today, you’ll find restaurants offering pancake specials as Mardi Gras draws near.

11. Fried oysters

Looking for a Mardi Gras food idea that can be an appetizer, side, or main dish in and of itself? How about a steaming plate of fried oysters? You can add them to a po’boy or eat them with a little lemon drizzle, ketchup, or tartar sauce. Don’t forget to keep that oil hot so your oysters fry nice and crispy! Fried oysters go well with a venue that’s close to the festivities, which Peerspace has plenty of! Have you seen this event venue in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans? It’s a short walk away from the Mardi Gras parades that people travel from all over to see! 

12. New Orleans beignets

Beignets are the French answer to doughnuts, and in our view, way better! Yeasty and warm, beignets need just a dusting of powdered sugar to be satisfying rather than a slathering of thick frosting or jam. Best of all, they’re fast to cook and faster still to eat! Once you’ve let the dough rest for a few hours it takes just minutes to whip out a small batch of NoLa-style beignets. Since they are best eaten hot, fry them right before your party guests start to arrive!

13. Hush puppies

Hush puppies are battered balls of fried cornmeal roughly the size of a ping pong ball. Crispy on the outside and soft within, they are chewy delights that can do double duty as an appetizer or as a side to fried catfish, gumbo, and other New Orleans staples. Just don’t forget the tartar sauce to dip them in.

Now that you’re one step closer to finalizing your menu and event venue choice, save aside these festive Mardi Gras decoration ideas to enhance your party experience!

14. Fried okra

Fried okra is one of the South’s signature dishes; crunchy on the breaded outside with a moist and chewy interior. You can buy it frozen at some grocery stores, pre-breaded. But it’s better to make your own as you can season it to your liking! We prefer paprika, garlic powder, and salt, but the seasoning blend you add to your flour batter is entirely up to you!

15. Crawfish dip

Rich and hearty, crawfish dip is the best addition to the chips, bread, or cracker section of your Mardi Gras table! This recipe calls for jalapeños and other spices for a bit of extra kick but you can tone it down as needed if your guests don’t like hot dips. The sweetness of the crawfish tails, flavorful cheese, and spicy pepper is a combo you’ll have to try to believe.

16. Shrimp gumbo

Shrimp gumbo is a more involved Mardi Gras food idea if you intend on making it yourself. But few dishes are more satisfying to prepare and eat than a well-seasoned gumbo! The roux is the key to success; you’ve got to brown it without burning the flour. The ingredients are somewhat flexible but okra and shrimp are the two almost everyone adds when making gumbo!

17. Mint julep

While this drink was born in Kentucky it has become a Mardi Gras staple thanks to the fresh, herbal flavors and easy preparation! Making your own Mint Julep requires just sugar, bourbon, and mint.

18. Crawfish boil

Few things are more Southern than an old-fashioned crawfish boil! A pile of crawfish and a good spice blend is all it takes. Not to mention red potatoes, corn, and sausage for extra goodness. Creole seasoning is where most people start, with bay leaves, lemon, and garlic for added flavor. Once you have the water boiling it only takes 5 minutes for the crawfish to cook to completion!

Festive Mardi Gras food ideas: conclusion

Salivating yet? Mardi Gras food includes the best of Creole, Cajun, and Southern cooking. Small wonder everyone loves joining a Mardi Gras-themed event! We hope you’ve found a few dishes to get you started. And in case you’re new to Peerspace, we’d like to invite you to view some of the amenity-filled party spaces near you for your upcoming celebration! 

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