16 Potluck Dishes That Will Impress Your Colleagues

Feed your coworkers any of these dips, sides, mains, or desserts and you're sure to be the most popular person in the office.

tomato mozzarella pasta salad in white bowl
Credit: Ren Fuller

Work potlucks are a wonderful way to mix up desk lunches and facilitate office spirit. So, if your coworkers are planning a group lunch, what should you bring? Of course, you want to impress colleagues with your culinary skills. The good news is that it's easy to do just that when you pick the right dish. We've gathered a selection of recipes that are office crowd-pleasers, easy to bring on your commute, able to feed a crowd, and suitable for the holidays (and pretty much any time of year). Most importantly, they're all delicious.

01 of 16

Spinach-Feta Pizza Slab Pie

spinach-feta pizza slab pie
Credit: Linda Pugliese

Made with store-bought pizza dough, this savory pie filled with fresh spinach, mozzarella, and feta is a cinch to put together. Just bake, cool, and slice into squares, then keep the bars on the sheet tray for easy transport to the potluck.

02 of 16

Roasted Sweet-Potato and Farro Salad

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Credit: Ryan Liebe

Savory, sweet, and nutty all at once, this hearty vegan grain salad is great at room temperature or chilled. You can make it during the winter or when the weather is warmer—it's that versatile and good. Pack some sprouts to garnish the salad for serving at the potluck.

03 of 16

Everything Cookies

everything cookies
Credit: Chris Simpson

This over-the-top take on the chocolate-chip cookie is sure to be the talk of your office potluck. The cookies are chock full of crunchy extras like cereal flakes, pretzels, and toffee bits (and are irresistible).

04 of 16

Marinated Peppers with Mint and Sesame

Marinated Peppers With Mint and Sesame on blue cutting board
Credit: Lennart Weibull

This impressive appetizer is easy to make: Simply toss roasted peppers with a zingy sesame and mint dressing and toast the bread. Then, assemble the crostini at the office.

05 of 16

Ginger-Chicken Slaw

ginger chicken slaw
Credit: Johnny Fogg

Fragrant and super flavorful—that's this gingery salad. Chicken transforms what could be a side into a main, and there's no need to reheat this dish. Prepare this potluck option the night before the party and set the dressing aside in a jar to toss when you get to the office.

06 of 16

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas
Credit: Ren Fuller

Who doesn't love a pasta salad? This version tosses gemelli with crowd-pleasing ingredients—tomato, mozzarella, and chickpeas—making it not only delicious but trendy, too. And it's topped with super savory add-ons like capers, oregano, fennel, and Parmesan. Stored in an airtight container, this salad can be refrigerated for up to three days—perfect for a busy work week.

Choose potluck dishes that transport well so you're not struggling to get your food to the office. Sheet trays and baking dishes make cooking sizable portions easy with minimal effort, and they also make taking food on the train (or car or ferry) easy.

07 of 16

Creamy Broccoli-Spinach Dip

creamy broccoli spinach dip
Credit: Julia Gartland

This creamy version of spinach and artichoke dip swaps broccoli for the usual artichoke and is delicious served at room temperature (which is much easier for work parties). Make it the night before and serve with a basket full of crisp crackers.

08 of 16

Linzer Crumble Pie with Cranberry-Raspberry Jam

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Credit: Kate Mathis

Every potluck needs dessert, right? This isn't your typical cranberry pie—it's a super celebratory option with a hazelnut-shortbread press-in crust (no rolling dough needed!). Best of all, it serves more than a dozen, so everyone in the office can enjoy a slice of the irresistible cranberry-raspberry filling baked under a faux-lattice crust.

09 of 16

Spicy-Sweet Maple Snack Mix

spicy sweet maple snack mix
Credit: John Dolan

Some people like salty, while others love sweet. Satisfy both cravings with this crowd-pleaser: an addictive snack mix of peanuts, pepitas, crackers, pretzels, and cereal coated in a maple syrup and cayenne buttery sauce. It's just the thing for snacking with drinks while waiting to hit the potluck buffet.

10 of 16

Beet-and-Tahini Dip

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Credit: Julia Gartland

What makes for better buffet-line chat than a vibrant dip that stands out among the potluck dishes? Prepared with either red or yellow beets rather than chickpeas, this hummus-style dip is just as crowd pleasing as it is inspiring.

11 of 16

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

chocolate-peanut butter sheet cake recipe
Credit: Con Poulos

Chocolate and peanut butter are two flavors that were meant to be together, and sheet cakes are easy to make and even easier to transport. When you combine those two facts, it's clear that this dessert is an all-round winner for a work potluck. Be sure to let the cake cool completely before you frost it. Once frosted, the cake can be covered with plastic wrap and kept at room temperature up to three days.

12 of 16

Broccoli, Herb, and Pistachio "Grain" Salad

broccoli herb and pistachio grain salad with pomegranate
Credit: Frank Frances

Healthy potluck dishes are key if you don't want to put your coworkers in a food coma. Office gatherings have a tendency to promote overindulgence, but at just six ingredients—healthy ones at that—this faux grain salad is a welcome addition to the buffet table. To transport, keep the dressing, sumac, and pistachios separate and toss onsite.

13 of 16

Layered Cornbread Casserole

Steve’s Layered Cornbread
Credit: Kate Sears

Upgrade a classic comfort dish that is cornbread by stuffing it with chicken, cheese, pickled jalapeño, and cilantro, transforming it into the main event. Slice into bars, then go the extra mile and let your coworkers pick and choose from an assortment of toppings—salsa, sour cream, or more cilantro.

14 of 16

No-Knead Tomato Focaccia

tomato focaccia bread
Credit: Marcus Nilsson

It's just so good! We'd take a leap and say that this tomato and garlic-studded focaccia is a promotion-worthy selection. While the prep for making our go-to no knead dough is only 15 minutes, there is some rising involved, so make sure you prep in advance.

15 of 16

Double-Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches

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Credit: Aaron Dyer

If you are the co-worker who loves to bake, consider making these festive peppermint-and-chocolate sandwich cookies, which are an excellent way to bring holiday spirit to the office. Since they require some effort, get ahead by baking in advance; you can also assemble ahead. The cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.

16 of 16

Macaroni and Cheese

Perfect Macaroni & Cheese
Credit:

Bryan Gardner

Few dishes are more loved than macaroni and cheese. This baked version is perfect for a work potluck—it holds its texture and flavor when kept warm and travels easily. Made with sharp white cheddar and Gruyère, it's a cozy, crowd-pleasing comfort food that never disappoints.

Since most workspaces have limited kitchen facilities, opt for recipes that keep on-site prep to a minimum. And, choose dishes that taste fantastic at room temperature so you won't need to worry about reheating.

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