Prepare for this list of Oktoberfest party foods to whisk you away to the beer tents in Munich where food is a huge deal. And I mean that figuratively and in terms of actual physical size. Let’s just say, you’re gonna need a bigger boat pair of pants. And bigger jaws while we’re at it.
This post will cover some great Oktoberfest party foods for your next backyard bierfest or at-home Oktoberfest dinner party.
Oktoberfest food
With that in mind, know this list of Oktoberfest party foods will vary just slightly from what you could expect to wolf down in the Wiesn. Where those meals are enormous and filling and the necessary base for hours of beer-drinking, the items on this list are better suited for in-home preparation and paper plates.
(I assume you don’t have a 100-chicken capacity rotisserie spinning away in your kitchen? Correct me if I’m wrong. Also, invite me over already!)
And as for what beer you should serve, check out my post on Oktoberfest party beer! It’s a full guide to helping you become the host with the prost!
Oktoberfest recipes
In the following sections I’ve listed some simple recipes to make all these Oktoberfest party foods yourself, but feel free to buy some pre-made. And, depending on the size of your party, you may just need to do this. Cooking for 8 people is quite different from cooking for 50. At least, it appears that way from my comfortable seat on the couch. What? Someone’s gotta eat the leftover cookie dough.
Looking for a great dirndl to wear to your at-home Oktoberfest? Check out my guides to buying a dirndl online and where to buy lederhosen and dirndls for Oktoberfest, and check out all you need to know about these Oktoberfest outfits here.
Want to really impress at your next Oktoberfest party? Test yourself on Oktoberfest trivia to see if you really know your stuff!
Oktoberfest Party Foods
The 15 food items in this post are easy to prepare (or buy) for everything from dinner party-sized groups to all-out at-home Oktoberfest ragers.
They’re all items that are great served family style, perfect for an Oktoberfest potluck, and all pair perfectly with delicious German beer. Also, this list is expertly curated. (I eat a lot of food at Oktoberfest. That makes me an expert.)
Oktoberfest Party Appetizers & Snacks
The first five are a few great party starters and snacks and all are popular Oktoberfest menu items.
Bavarian Soft Pretzels (Brezeln)
Bavarian soft pretzels might be the biggest must-have at your Oktoberfest party (after beer and a guy falling off a bench, naturally).
Actually, I take that back. An Oktoberfest without pretzels is not Oktoberfest. It’s just a keg party with weird outfits.
These pretzels, called brezeln in German, are huge, chewy, and the perfect beer compliment.
For smaller parties, go ahead and make the GIANT Oktoberfest version of these. Seriously, the bigger the better.
For larger parties, save some dough (lil pretzel humor) and opt for smaller sizes.
This Oktoberfest pretzels recipe was expertly developed by yours truly and they're so much fun to make!
German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer Mit Apfelmus)
Classic German potato pancakes are a cinch to make and are perfect as a party appetizer, a side dish, or just an everyday snack.
Ingredients and tools for this recipe are minimal and the process is quick and straightforward.
Top these with applesauce and a dash of cinnamon to enjoy the traditional way, or go all new wave with sour cream and chives. Check out my recipe here!
German Candied Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)
The smell of these cooking will instantly turn your house into an authentic Oktoberfest celebration.
These German candied almonds are sold at Christmas markets, Bavarian beer festivals, and just about any other opportunity.
The candied almond booths at Oktoberfest can be smelled throughout the entire Wiesn and I’m sure they taste just as amazing as they smell. (Almond allergy here, but I’m told they’re fantastic.)
And from what it looks like, making them is fairly simple!
Obatzda: Bavarian Cheese Spread
This German cheese spread is made with flavorful soft cheeses like camembert and brie and is best when served with the Bavarian soft pretzels. (Can you even go wrong with a cheese spread though? Really?)
Obatzda also makes a great addition to the Oktoberfest charcuterie board I'm about to mention.
Oktoberfest Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards are very popular at Oktoberfest and many of the beer tent reservations include one of these with the table. All are a little bit different but there are a few things that need to be on there.
This recipe is the closest one I could find to the real deal but still leaves out one very important ingredient: radishes!
Add a big bundle of both whole and shaved radishes to this board and it'll be the perfect addition to your at-home Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest party foods: main dishes
The size of your backyard Oktoberfest will help determine which of these Oktoberfest main dishes you should make.
(As will your prowess in the kitchen--it may turn out to just be a brats on the barbie kinda situation and I doubt anyone will complain.)
Oktoberfest Roast Chicken (Hendl)
1/2 roast chickens (known as hendl) are the most popular food item at Oktoberfest, hands down. (Over half a million of them are consumed at Oktoberfest each year!) Obviously they'll be perfect for your backyard Oktoberfest.
For smaller groups you can roast a couple of chickens and serve them up beer tent style--just cut straight down the middle.
For larger groups, cut them into more manageable portions since maybe not everyone will be wearing an elastic waistband?
Check out this recipe and roast your own, or feel free to just snatch up all the fresh rotisserie chickens from your local grocery story to save tons of time, money, and potential kitchen commotion.
Bratwurst In Beer
As you can imagine, sausages of all kinds are huge stars on all the menus at Oktoberfest.
You've got bratwurst, weisswurst, currywurst, schweinswürstel, wiener wurst, Nürnberger rostbratwurst, ox'nbratwürstl, just to name a few.
Let's just say the list of sausages you can eat in Germany is longer than David Hasselhoff's fan club roster.
This particular recipe involves cooking some traditional bratwursts with onions and beer in a skillet and is amazing and super easy.
Another option would be to just toss your brats on the grill outside and call it a day! This is probably the easiest main dish option for both large and small Oktoberfest-themed parties.
Traditional German Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten is a big Oktoberfest favorite of everyone I've ever met (just not myself however). Sauerbraten is a tender beef roast coated in a sweet and sour gravy.
This would make a great entree for smaller Oktoberfest parties, or you could make a ton and serve in a chafing dish for the masses. Either way, people will love it.
German Cheese Spaetzle (Käsespätzle)
An absolute must-have at your Oktoberfest party is spaetzle, a kind of "German macaroni and cheese," if you will.
Spaetzle is one of my most favorite things to eat at Oktoberfest each year. Also, it's the only thing to eat at Oktoberfest if you're a vegetarian. Vegans, you've got radishes.
Because of the amount of work that goes into making this, käsespaetzle is best suited to smaller parties. Or, it'd be perfect if you're attending an Oktoberfest potluck and only have to make one thing that day.
Oktoberfest side dishes
On the side of the delicious main courses listed above you'll need epic and quintessentially German side items as well.
These three sides are about as "Bavarian must-have" as you can get and are found cozying up to just about every menu item at Oktoberfest.
And for an at-home Oktoberfest, you couldn't ask for better sides.
German Potato Salad
German potato salad is different from the good ol' American BBQ classic we all know and love.
While the American version is largely mayonnaise-based and served cold, German kartoffelsalat is served warm and prominently features vinegar, and bacon, and bacon grease in its makeup.
Every American in the room just perked up.
Homemade Sauerkraut
Probably the most famous of all German side dishes is sauerkraut. Homemade sauerkraut is the way to go for almost all occasions as you really can't beat that small-batch quality.
However, if you're hosting a huge Oktoberfest house party, you may just want to buy in bulk. If that's the case, at least look for higher quality stuff if you can swing it--so, like, jars instead of cans.
German Red Cabbage (Rotkohl)
I've saved my favorite Oktoberfest side dish for last: red cabbage.
Take a head of red cabbage, mix in some other good stuff, simmer for a while, and the result is soft and sweet and, let's just call it what it is, basically candy. I regret nothing.
Oktoberfest party desserts
Finally, we've come to the sweetest part of the Oktoberfest party foods menu. And, while we're at it, also the fluffiest, prettiest, most drowned in liquid sugar portions too.
Check out these 3 unbeatable desserts for an Oktoberfest party.
Dampfnudel: sweet steamed dumplings with vanilla sauce
These puffy sweet dumplings covered in lightly sweet vanilla sauce were my first introduction to Oktoberfest desserts and I haven't looked back since.
They're perfect for a light dessert after a heavy Bavarian meal and would be easy to prepare for an Oktoberfest-themed party.
Check out my recipe here--complete with printable recipe card!
Gingerbread heart cookies (Lebkuchenherzen)
I am really excited about these. I'm a huge fan of gingerbread cookies and it hurts my sugar-loving heart that the ones we wear at Oktoberfest are simply inedible.
The real lebkuchenherzen you find at Oktoberfest are primarily for decorative, woo-ing your sweetheart purposes. I mean, you can eat them but you do not want to. (Been there, drunk ate that, regretted it.)
So for my at-home Oktoberfest I searched far and wide for a lebkuchenherzen recipe that would also make for some delicious gingerbread cookies. And here you go!
German Apple Strudel
You can't get much more "German dessert" than apple strudel.
Making it from scratch can be a bit of work, but this recipe utilizes phyllo dough and is a much easier option! If you're hosting or attending a smaller Oktoberfest-themed shindig, this may just be worth the effort.
Oktoberfest party supplies
Maybe you have all the stuff you need to host an Oktoberfest party, or maybe you’re the kinda person who messed up her husband’s birthday planning and had to get him a 1-year-old’s birthday cake for a party of 40 people at the last minute.
If you fall into the latter, here's what you'll need to host an Oktoberfest party at your house.
250-piece Eco-Friendly Dinner Set
This package includes everything you’ll need to feed all the folks:
50 9-inch dinner plates
50 7-inch dessert plates
50 knives
50 forks
50 spoons
They’re made from plant-based, compostable materials, are microwavable and freezer safe, and oil resistant. You can even choose between white and “natural” if that’s a thing that matters to you.
Sterno 24-Piece Party Set
This must-have party set (for larger Oktoberfests) includes:
3 wire racks
3 water pans
6 food pans
6 cans of Sterno heat
3 serving spoons
3 serving forks
Bavarian-patterned napkins (2-Ply) (16/Pkg)
If you're going to have napkins at your Oktoberfest party, you might as well theme them up!
This package contains 16 full size dinner napkins in the pattern of the Bavarian flag.
Bavarian Blue plastic Cups - 60 count
60-pack of plastic Bavarian blue cups, 12 ounces. (Yes they have to be blue!) These will go perfectly with that keg of German beer you're going to pick up.
48-piece Stemless Unbreakable Plastic Wine Glass Set of 48 (12 oz)
I know, I know... not everyone at an Oktoberfest party wants to drink beer. No worries--Germans are prolific wine producers too!
For the wine drinkers at your shindig, pick up these stemless, unbreakable plastic wine glasses.
The Perfect Oktoberfest Playlist
Don’t forget to check out my full, authentic Oktoberfest song list to play during your party–or just something appropriate to listen to while you’re cooking up some Bavarian goodies. Prost!
What Oktoberfest party foods are you most excited about?
Let me know below!
Save this info, pin these images:
unfortunately a party will never happen but I do want to go to Europe to enjoy it once. I do enjoy making a downsized version for my family.
A downsized version for family can be such a great time too! (and delicious) 🙂