21 Fun Food Ideas for a 75th Birthday Party

Celebrating the 75^th birthday is a significant milestone. Whether you are honoring one of your parents or your grandparents, this is a moment to remember. To celebrate, you need some party themes and food ideas to celebrate the 75^th birthday in style.

Selecting food ideas and party themes

While a 75th birthday is a celebratory theme, consider what hobbies or interests the guest of honor has. Would they prefer a movie night complete with classic movies and movie snacks? Would your grandmother like an elegant 7th birthday tea luncheon? The possibilities are endless, including themed barbecue parties and old-fashioned bingo parties. The 75^th birthday food menu is often based not only on the theme but the season. This may inspire dessert and beverage ideas as well.

Movie-themed 75^th birthday food ideas

If you have a home theater and the guest of honor loves movies, this is a perfect 75^th birthday party theme and menu idea:

1. Popcorn bar

Popcorn is the ultimate movie food. Pop some in a popcorn popper and add a variety of toppings, such as melted butter, ranch seasoning, parmesan cheese, and caramel sauce.  

2. Hot dog bar

Hot dogs are also mainstays on movie night so consider making it more festive with warmed-up chili, nacho cheese sauce, and other fixings. 

3. Root beer floats

Ice cream sodas and root beer floats are nostalgic of the 50s, so they make the perfect addition to this themed party.

4. Movie theatre candy

For a fun concession snack, add some classic candy options in movie theatre sizes. Favorites include M&M’s and Twizzlers.

5. Popcorn themed cupcakes

Skip a huge cake and bake up a batch of vanilla cupcakes in popcorn cupcake wrappers. After frosting them, top them with yellow mini marshmallows to resemble popcorn.

Tea luncheon 75^th birthday food ideas

If your grandma or mother (or anyone else) enjoys the finer things in life, bring the fun to them with this 75^th birthday tea luncheon menu:

1. Tea

Offer a variety of tea bags, just like a tea room would so that guests have options. Fruity herbal teas are often popular.  

2. Scones

Many tea luncheons begin by offering freshly baked scones with whipped butter. Try to offer a few different kinds.

3. Tea sandwiches

Cucumbers with cream cheese and egg salad are the most common tea sandwiches. They’re both easy to prepare on white bread.

4. Mini ham quiches

It’s easy to prepare mini quiches in a muffin pan, and all you need for these is diced ham, shredded cheddar cheese, half and half, and eggs.

5. Dessert bars

To complete the tea luncheon, offer another sweet option. A variety of dessert bars like brownies or lemon bars offers guests options. Cut them into two-bite servings.

75^th birthday dessert ideas

Traditional birthday cake always works, but we also included other fun options, depending on the season and theme:

1. Sheet cake

Instacart carries many bakery-fresh cakes, from sheet cakes to chocolate tortes to carrot cake. For a bingo-themed party, order a sheet cake, and request the baker decorate it with columns, numbers, and letters. 

2. 75-shaped cake

If you prefer baking your own cake and want it to be special, consider buying a 75 cake mold to commemorate the special day, or cut a sheet cake into the proper shape. This way, you can use their favorite cake mix too.

3. Strawberry shortcake

If you’re considering making a strawberry shortcake on the 75^th birthday food menu, you can easily shop for fresh, ripe strawberries via Instacart.  After adding a product to your cart, use the “Instructions” option to notify your Instacart shopper about any preferences or specific directions on how to choose the best products. 

4. Ice cream cone fruit cups

This is a healthier option since many elderly guests have to watch their sugar and cholesterol. Add any combination of fruit to a waffle cone bowl and top it with whipped cream.

5. Peach sherbet

Cleanse your palette after the birthday dinner with this delicious homemade peach sherbet. It only needs two ingredients—frozen peaches and sweetened condensed milk.

6. Brownie and cupcake platter

Add some mini cupcakes and decorated brownies to a designated sweets buffet for dessert. It looks pretty, and everyone loves bite-size treats.

75^th birthday drink ideas

These celebratory drink ideas will please a crowd no matter what season your 75^th birthday menu plan is in:

1. Fruity sangria

Consider serving an alcoholic punch. It’s simple to make fruity Sangria with pinot grigio white wine, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, and pineapple and mango chunks.

2. Sherbet punch

Combine raspberry sherbet and ginger ale to create a popular party punch. Serve in a pretty punch bowl.

3. Lemonade punch

Prepare a cool, summery punch with pink lemonade and Sprite that all the guests will find refreshing.

4. Hot cider bar

If you host the 75^th birthday party in the fall, consider adding a hot apple cider bar with toppings like bourbon, caramel sauce, and cinnamon sticks.

5. Hot chocolate bar

The hot chocolate bar also works great in the cooler months. Set out fixings like chocolate syrup, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream.

Other considerations when hosting a 75^th birthday party

Some guests may have special dietary needs when planning the 75^th birthday food menu, so it’s best to know of those ahead of time. Then you’ll know if the dessert needs to be sugar-free or if you need to offer some lower-carb fare, such as vegetable crudités and dip.

Final thoughts when hosting a 75^th birthday party

When hosting a 75^th birthday party, keep the guest of honor’s interests in mind and build the theme and food ideas around that. Keep it simple so they won’t feel overwhelmed. Start planning as soon as possible so you can keep track of the guest list and how much food you need to order via Instacart!

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.