23 Diverse Potluck Ideas for the Office
Office potlucks aren’t just another social event by people managers running low on fun activities for the office. These workplace get-togethers, whether large or small, are a great way to socialize and connect as a team.
What better way to do so than through the universal language of food?
Now, imagine a diverse potluck….
A diverse and multicultural potluck is more than sharing food. They provide space for fellowship, genuine community building, and connection. Every dish carries a story, culture, heritage, and opportunity to truly bridge the interpersonal borders.
Moreover, exploring something new together makes relatability easier and ultimately evokes positive thoughts and feelings associated with the workplace.
If you are planning an office potluck lunch and learn this year, this is a golden chance to encourage genuine staff interest and participation.
Too hungry to read it all? Jump ahead to:
Here are 23 interesting diverse festive potluck dish ideas to help strengthen the professional workplace bond and engagement this year:
1. Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Jerk chicken is among the most loved BBQ dishes to come out of the Caribbean. This BBQ chicken is enjoyed all year round, whether during a family BBQ or Sunday dinner. However, the festive seasons aren’t complete without this iconic dish on the menu. Jerk chicken gets its name from the style of its cooking, jerk.
To make the dish, the chicken is coated with a signature jerk spice blend (only authentic if it contains Jamaica pimento pepper or Allspice) and traditional slow-roasted over an open flame or grill (with green pimento peppers sprinkled over the burning wood or coal). As a result, you get an intoxicatingly smoky and aromatic spicy chicken dish.
2. Dominican Pan de Batata (Sweet Potato Bread)
This Dominican sweet potato bread offers a sweet and fragrant yet subtle flavor profile to easily make it a crowd-pleaser. A popular dessert, you will find the Pan de Batata on almost every Dominican dinner table on Christmas Eve.
It is also simple to make and uses a mix of everyday ingredients, like butter, condensed milk, grated coconut, ginger, cinnamon, evaporated milk, salt, and vanilla essence.
3. Venezuelan Pernil a la Piña (Pork Leg with Pineapple)
This Venezuelan pork leg with pineapple dish is one of the best Central American BBQ meals worth experiencing in your lifetime. This festive dish is also popular in other Latin American countries although it goes by different names. For instance, in Mexico, it is known as Pierna de Puerco al Horno.
As the name suggests, this dish features a grilled or baked pork leg with pineapple on top that acts as a flavor enhancer and decoration. A fantastic potluck dish idea, its presentation alone adds to your event table presentation.
A top 5 Christmas favorite, the succulent dish boasts a uniquely bitter-sweet flavor profile, which locals call agridulce. This is because the warm pineapple juice slowly penetrates the delicious fatty pork leg for a tender bite and a sweet and savory flavor explosion.
4. Brazilian Tender Natalino (Christmas Ham)
If you are planning an end-of-year office potluck, the Brazilian Tender Natalino should make your potluck dish list. The perfectly baked crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside ham is a staple Brazilian Christmas dish and brings some of the best complex flavors to the table.
The ham is marinated with honey, mustard, white wine, and cloves before baking and served with pineapple, grapes, and cherries. For even more flavor, a buttery fruity sauce flavored by pineapple, oranges, apples, and passionfruit accompanied the ham - a fruity reflection of the tropical paradise that is Brazil.
Tip: You can also opt for the simpler recipe variation and only use pineapple juice.
5. Colombian Empanadas
Like a selection of other Latin American dishes, empanadas are an everyday food item. However, they are also traditionally enjoyed over festive occasions, particularly Christmas. These hand pies have become widespread not only in Latin America but also in Europe (Spain) and as far as the Philippines (as a former Spanish colony).
But, this Colombian recipe is usually a crowd pleaser - guaranteeing to equally please your office crowd. Empanadas are folded pastry dough filled with meat, cheese, corn, and other vegetables and then deep-fried until golden.
6. Latin & Caribbean Tostones
Tostones are also known as patacones, stachninos, Chatinos, platano frito, and a range of other names depending on the Latin American country you are in. These twice-fried unripe/green plantains are a popular Latin American and Caribbean side dish or snack.
Whether in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, or neighboring countries, these delicious crunchy plantain slices always make it to the festive table - no matter the occasion. They are also a popular street food snack enjoyed on any day.
If you want to contribute a simple yet delicious office potluck dish, tostones never disappoint. Simply peel, and slice the plantains, and twice fry them until golden brown- pounding them flat between the frying for the signature flat and crisp look.
7. Egyptian Fattah
This Egyptian and Levantine dish is highly significant and is usually enjoyed during major events and festivities. Whether it’s an iftar, a wedding, or a woman's first pregnancy, this dish is treated as a feast meal.
Fattah is a mix of garlic and vinegar-based meat soup and flatbread combined in a bowl and served with rice and garlic tomato sauce.
8. M’hanncha (Moroccan Snake Pastry)
Who said you can't find delicious desserts with a little snake in its name? Some of the best desserts in Africa come from Morocco and the Snake pastry is one of them.
Also known as m’hanncha, this festive Snake Pastry dessert is usually enjoyed during religious holidays. The sweet pie-like dessert gets its name from its coiled snake-like appearance. It is made using phyllo pastry stuffed with crunchy and lip-smacking spice nut mixture.
9. West African Jollof
If you keep up with Afro affairs, you are no stranger to the fun online “Jollof wars” between Jollof-making countries. This rice-based dish is enjoyed across Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and as far up as the Gambia.
Eaten during festive and big occasions, like weddings, this smoky rice is made using long grain rice, onions, spices, chili peppers, and tomato sauce. Even its preparation gives you an unforgettable culinary experience.
Each country has its variation, however. If you choose to make jollof, ensure you try and get the recipe right. The best place to start is getting your recipe from an authentic West African source. This dish is very sacred to its people. Imagine how an Italian would feel if you overcooked pasta - that’s the same reaction you’d get with bad jollof!
Tip: Go on a whirlwind palate adventure with the Sene-Gambian cousin to the Jollof, the Thiebouddiene. This rice dish packs a contrasting ensemble of spicy rice, squash or pumpkin, cassava, cabbage, and fish simmered in a tomato sauce and is a festive season favorite.
10. East African (Swahili) Pilau and Kachumbari
A close relative of the South Asian pulao, pilau is a popular festive rice dish across East Africa in Tanzania, Kenya, and some parts of Somalia and Uganda. A beloved festive staple, it is not uncommon for East Africans to carry and share this recipe across the globe with them.
This delicious spiced rice dish originates from the Swahili coast and interestingly owes its origin to the rich historical interaction between the indigenous Bantu Swahili people, and Indian and Arab traders.
Pilau is made using rice, meat (beef, chicken, or lamb), meat broth, garlic, and a mix of spices. Spices include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander seeds, and black pepper. Pilau is typically enjoyed during religious festivities, such as Eid and Christmas.
11. South African Braai
Is it even a diverse potluck without a unique yet flavorful BBQ spread? Time and time again, BBQ, no matter the origin, has proven to be a crowd-pleaser for meat lovers. South African braai embodies the true definition of potluck as it is meant to be enjoyed in casual and relaxed social events with family or friends - usually in the backyard or picnic settings.
Braii combines all types of meat, including boerewors (South African sausages), spare ribs, kebabs, sosaties (lamb or mutton skewers), and seafood (on the coast). Season the meat with a spice blend and fire roast on a grill or traditional braai. Since you won’t be doing the grilling on site, wrap your meat in aluminum foil to retain the flavor and freshness until ready to serve.
12. Greek Figs in a Blanket
Nobody impressively turns fruits into delicious meals better than the Greek! These Christmas figs in a blanket dish is one such exemplary display of this skill.
Figs in a blanket feature dried Greek figs soaked in Greek red wine or, honey, and spices and dipped in egg wash and feta cheese. Each fig is then wrapped in a puff pastry, and baked until golden brown and crunchy on the outside.
13. Italian Zuppa Inglese
Get a little fancy and take your office potluck to a whole new level with this not-so-regular festive Italian dessert. While its name may hint at a soup, Zuppa Inglese is far from one. Instead, it's a blend of tiramisu and trifle, with an awe-stunning appearance - tracing its roots to the 18th-century parma.
The Christmas dessert incorporates a spongy pink texture against a rich vanilla custard and dark chocolate. While brandy adds to its bright and boozy nature, you can substitute it with pomegranate juice for a workplace-friendly dessert.
14. Saudi Kabsa
Saudi’s national dish, Kabsa is to Saudis what biryani is to South Asians. However, it is also enjoyed in neighboring nations, like Yemen (where some say it originated from) and Iran.
This traditional rice and chicken dish is usually enjoyed during significant festivities, like the Eid holiday. Kabsa is made using basmati (or other long-grain rice), chicken, and a blend of spices, like saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, black lime, nutmeg, and black lime.
15. Jordan’s Mansaf
Want to connect with a Jordanian? Serve them authentic Mansaf. This iconic national dish has quite a significance and appears on almost any occasion, whether a religious holiday, wedding, or funeral.
Mansaf is simply lamb cooked in a fermented yogurt and spice sauce and served on a bed of rice or bulgur and bread. Before you even take this first taste of heaven, you will be impressed by its uniquely bright yellow, white, and green colors and creamy texture.
16. India’s Dosa
If you are a vegetarian or simply want to explore something new, India’s diverse and extensive vegetarian festive dish options are a perfect place to look. A popular South Indian dish, dosa is consumed daily and during a range of Tamil and other South Indian festivities.
Dosa is a thin savory crepe-like dish (although it’s a little stiffer) usually made from fermented rice or black gram flour. Today, you will find a huge selection of flavors, including stuffed dosa. Serve it with your favorite chutney and sambar - your colleagues will never view vegetarian food the same way!
17. Pakistani’s Nihari
Nihari is a perfect comfort food addition to your potluck dish lineup. Tracing its roots to the 18th century Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, this dish is popular in Pakistani and Bangladesh today and is usually served with naan or rice during festivities, like Eid.
It features a shank cut of mutton, lamb, or beef soaked in spices and the pippali long pepper (a cousin of the black pepper) and slow-cooked in a pressure cooker. As a result, you get a flavor-packed, fall-off-the-bone meat and bone marrow, and rich, almost creamy broth.
18. Korean Mung Bean Pancakes (Bindaetteok)
A Lunar New Year favorite, Korean mung bean pancakes can also be enjoyed on a regular day paired with the ever-present kimchi, pickled daikon, and onions.
Mung bean pancakes are made from ground and soaked mung beans, paired with vegetables and meat (optional), and pan-fried.
19. Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Salads are a great way to lighten up your potluck feast while complementing the richer food with these refreshing sides. This popular Thai festive accompaniment is a perfect addition as it goes with almost any dish, whether noodles, a rice dish, or even barbecue. The salad recipe reflects its name, som meaning acid while tam means crushing or pounding.
It incorporates a dressing of garlic, palm sugar, lime juice, bird eye chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce, ground using a traditional mortar and pestle. The dressing coats the salad ensemble of papaya, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and peanuts for a burst of sweet, savory, and umami flavors.
20. New Zealand Pavlova
Pavlova isn’t just Bluey and Bingo’s favorite make-believe dessert. This meringue-based dessert is a Christmas favorite in New Zealand and Australia, tracing its roots to the 20th century. Surprisingly, Pavlova is named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova on account of its cake-like circular form, similar to Pavlova’s expert ballet performances.
Pavlova reels in a lot of effort but, equally is equally rewarding. Its beautiful appearance reflects the deliciousness and equal effort put into making it. It has a crisp crust and a soft light interior. It is made from egg whites and caster sugar, and topped with fruit and whipped cream.
21. Mexican Tamales
While tamales can be enjoyed on any day, they are traditionally eaten during significant religious holidays, like Christmas, Dia de Muertos, or Dia de la Candelaria. The Mesoamerica staple is made from dough from nixtamalized corn (masa) steamed in corn husks or banana leaves.
The best part? You can take your favorite direction with the recipe, whether classic Oaxacan style served with mole and chicken or more experimental flavors. Personal favorites include pork and lamb shank tamales.
22. Louisiana Gumbo
Just because you are planning a diverse potluck, doesn't mean American dishes are out of the question. With a wealth of delicious culinary masterpieces from varying regions, it would take a whole day to share just a few of these memorable dishes.
The Louisiana gumbo is one such dish, highlighting the delectability of the creole cuisine. Enjoyed in the Bayou state even during the festive season, this hearty and iconic dish combines andouille sausages, shrimp, potatoes, vegetables, and a signature seasoning mix.
23. Arkansas Pecan Pie
A successful potluck isn’t complete without something to satisfy the sweet tooth. If you are planning a potluck during fall or winter, pecan pie is great.
This American favorite and classic Christmas- dessert is an easy way to steal the show - but, make it even better by going for the classic Arkansas recipe. It combines a crunchy heap of pecans, light brown sugar, and corn syrup for a succulent sugary explosion.
