Bring Disney Character Fun to Your Next Party with These Themed Foods and Beverages

Do you have an upcoming party? Whether you’re hosting fellow Disney-minded friends for a magical New Year’s Eve celebration or some other celebratory engagement, a little Disney-theming can go a long way in making the experience even brighter. And what better way to add a little touch of Disney than by serving up some Disney-inspired finger foods and beverages? From hors d’oeuvres to cocktails and punch that is as pleasing as punch, we’ve got a couple of Disney-themed treats you’ll want to feature at your next gathering.

Related: Make Way For These Pleasingly Popular ‘Mocktails’ Available in Walt Disney World

13. Mickey-shaped Munchies

You can never go wrong with the most obvious way to bring about a Mickey motif—style it into that classic Mickey Mouse head and ear shape. This method can be applied to a wide range of commonly served snacks and appetizers, from crispy riced cereal treats to cookies. You just need a Mickey Mouse-shaped cookie cutter and you’re all set. What’s more, they’re relatively easy to get just about anywhere. You can do a lot more than just the basics with a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter, even going as far as to prepare a host of Mickey-shaped mini sandwiches for party guests. One awesome suggestion we found from April Erhard of April Golightly is to prepare Mickey Mouse Grilled Cheese Appetizers. It’s simple and quick, only taking about 25 minutes total. You can get the recipe and the step-by-step process by clicking on the link here.

12. Mickey Pretzels

We’ve found dozens of recipes in books and all over the web for recreating a DIY version of these Mickey-themed soft pretzel pleasantries right at home. From using pizza dough to crescent dough, or even mixing up a floury dough base from scratch, there are many different methods to initially carry out the process, though the common objective is all the same—you wind long, thin doughy strands into that classic Mickey Mouse shape and bake. One of the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow and time-saving variations we found for this creation was given to us by Mindy at Mommy Mouse Club House. Her method incorporates the following:

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt
• flour, for work surface

Method:

Cutting the pizza dough into lengthwise strips over the flour, use one long strip of dough for the head; and one strip of dough, cut in half, for the ears when making four to five larger pretzels. To make smaller varieties up to eight or 10 at a time, cut one long strip in half, using one half of the long strip for the head and the other half divided into the two ears. Note, it is important to pinch the ends together on the formed-shaped dough, and they should be rounded, not flat. Whisk together the water and baking soda, using a pastry brush to garnish the formed pretzels. Do the same with the egg and then sprinkle on the salt. Bake pretzels on a 450-degree setting for around six to eight minutes or until they are golden brown. Then it’s time to enjoy. To follow along in more precise details or to watch the how-to video, click here.

Related: Disney Recipe: Make Your Own Mickey Pretzel

11. Mickey Mouse Trail Mix

Like the pretzels, we have found many different options for those wishing to put together their own Mickey Mouse-themed trail mix. The basics remain the same but can be customized to what sorts of trail mix components you like best. In most cases, Mickey Mouse Trail Mix includes pretzels, M&M candies in yellow, brown, and red colors, can include Chex cereal bits and/or Cheerios, and something sweet and white, usually either marshmallow or yogurt-covered raisins. Some versions really up the Disney theming by incorporating actual Mickey-shaped pretzels from the Chip & Dale Snack Co. Preparations, seasoning, and other personal customizations make for an innumerable amount of possibilities to work with. One of our favorite quick and simple versions comes from Mostly Homemade Mom and is featured here.

10. Character-Themed Popcorn Mixes

Like trail mix variations, you can have a lot of fun with themed popcorn compilations. In her book Disney Eats, Joy Howard shares several creative popcorn ideas in her Pop Stars section—all of which are easy to toss together with very little preparation. Here are our favorites:

• Pooh’s Honey Almond Pop—1 1/2 cups melted butterscotch chips, blended with melted coconut oil, with 1 cup of toasted sliced almonds, and 4 cups of Honeycomb-shaped cereal pieces.
• Snow White’s Apple Cinnamon Pop–1 1/2 cups of dried apple bits, 2/3 cups of dried cranberries, and 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Dumbo’s PB&J Pop—1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil, 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter, and 2/3 cup of freeze-dried strawberries.
• Rapunzel’s Royal Purple Pop—1 cup melted purple candy melts and 3 tablespoons yellow nonpareils.
• Peter Pan’s Green and Gold Never Land Pop—2 tablespoons olive oil, 5 teaspoons of powdered nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried dill, 1/4 teaspoons of garlic powder, and 1/8 of a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

Related: The Many Delicious Popcorn Options in Walt Disney World

9. Under the Sea Party Punch

Here is another famed party classic that’s existed in some format or another across the board and has been included in recipe collections all around the web. It’s your traditional punch-lemonade-sherbet concoction but with a Little Mermaid personalization via the use of blue raspberry. Here’s the best recipe for this refresher we’ve found, courtesy of Food Family Finds:

Ingredients:

• 1 to 12 ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate
• 4 cans of warm water (use the lemonade can)
• 1 to 2 liters of Sprite
• 1 to 2 packets of Raspberry Lemonade powdered Kool-Aid mix
• 1 tub of pineapple sherbet

Directions:

Mix together frozen lemonade with warm water (or cold if already thawed) into a large punch bowl. Add in the Kool-Aid powder mix and stir. Slowly stir in the Sprite. Add in a scoop of sherbet to cups and pour punch over the top when serving to Guests.

 

8. Poison Apple Punch

Here’s another character-themed punch idea, this one inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and shared with us courtesy of The TipToe Fairy, where you can find this and more Disney-themed recipes by clicking on the link here.

Ingredients:

• 64 ounces of apple cider or apple juice
• 2 liters of lemon-lime soda
• 64 ounces of cranberry apple juice
• dry ice

How To Prepare:

Combine apple cider/juice, lemon-lime soda, and cranberry apple juice together in a large punch bowl. Using heavy gloves and a clean hammer, break the dry ice into chunks. Add several pieces to the punch bowl to create a smoky effect. Add an additional one-inch piece of ice to each cup you are serving beverages in. Wait until dry ice dissolves before consuming.

 

7. Mad Hatter Party Punch

We’ve found two very creative takes on this Alice in Wonderland-themed party punch, one a simple concoction of beverage mixes and the other incorporating a sherbet component. Both variations, however, carry out a sugar-coated presentation of colorful confectionary glass rims, in which the final mixture is served up in. The simplest one, shared courtesy of Mommy Musings is as follows:

• 1 of gallon Hawaiian Punch (any color—works, but in keeping with the theme, green or purple would be preferred)
• 2 liters of lemon-lime soda
• 46 ounces of pineapple juice

Method:

Combine all liquids together in a large bowl, serve with ice in cups or glasses with colored sugar-coated.

The alternate version comes from Jen at My Crafty Life. Her concoction comprises of the following:

You Will Need:

• 3 ounces of Welch’s Watermelon Juice
• 3 ounces of Sprite
• 1 scoop of lime sherbet
• orange sanding sugar
• 1 tablespoon of simple syrup
• decorative straws

How To Prepare:

Using two appetizer plates, pour one tablespoon of simple syrup on one and add orange sanding sugar onto the other. Dip the rims of your glasses or cups in the simple syrup and then into the orange sanding sugar and set to the side. Fill glasses or cups with ice. Mix in Sprite and Welch’s juice while lightly stirring. Top it off with a single scoop of sherbet and place in the wacky straws and serve.

Related: Hats off to Mad Hatter Day!

6. Alice’s Looking Glass Jell-O Shots

Here’s another Alice in Wonderland-themed party treat, courtesy of Yo Ho Disney. Presented with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic variations, given the family-friendly festiveness of Disney, we’re featuring the latter.

You Will Need:

• 1/2 3 ounce packages of green Jell-O
• 1/2  3 ounce packages of orange Jell-O
• 1/2  3 ounce packages purple Jell-O
• 2 cups of boiling water
• whipped Cream

Directions:

Repeating the process with each of the three color mixes, pour 2/3 cups of boiling water into a bowl with Jell-O mix. Stir until dissolved. Pour into an 8 x 8 pan or into ice cube trays. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Once Jell-O is set, place pan or ice cube trays in shallow warm water and cut into cubes or remove from tray. Layer cubes of Jell-O in cocktail glasses and top with whipped cream.

5. Frozen White Hot Chocolate

While we’ve focused primarily on punch and other refreshers so far, the fact remains that seasonal celebrations can often get chilly. So why not serve up some hot beverages as well? And we have just the thing with this phenomenal Frozen-inspired White Hot Chocolate, made available to us courtesy of Melissa at Sparkles to Sprinkles. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 cups of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• neon blue food coloring (or regular blue)
• whipped cream
• Frozen-inspired sprinkles

Directions:

In a small pot over medium to low heat, heat the milk and white chocolate chips together. Bring to a simmer, stirring the whole time. Note, do not bring to a boil! Stir until all the chocolate chips have fully melted and then remove from the heat. Mix in vanilla along with three drops of food coloring. Garnish with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve.

 

Related: Want Hot Chocolate This Winter? Try This Frozen-Inspired Recipe

4. Chip Tea Cup Treats

These fast and easy no-bake sweets are as adorable as they are appetizing. Presented to us by In The Kids Kitchen, here’s how to make your own edible Chip Tea Cup Cookie treats:

Ingredients:

• plain cookies (any kind)
• plain ice cream cones
• Wilton candy melts, bright white
• twist pretzels
• Wilton candy drizzle pouch, pink, blue, and brown
• edible writing markers (optional)
• edible gold glitter or yellow sugar crystals

Directions:

Cut about 1/3 of the bottom off of each ice cream cone. Break off rounded edges from the pretzels so they look like little cup handles. Then, place white candy melts in a bowl, and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until melted. Dip the little pretzel handles into melted chocolate until coated and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle with edible gold glitter and let dry. Dip ice cream cones into melted chocolate until covered inside and out, and place on parchment paper until dry. Make a small V-shape into the top of the cone to form that signature “chip” and then dip each end of the cone into the melted candy melts and lightly dip into the glitter to form a gold rim on each end of the cone. Heat the pink and blue drizzle pouches according to package directions, and make little triangle shapes around the edge of the cookie, alternating each color. Use the optional markers to draw on Chip’s eyes and mouth. An alternative would be to use a brown color drizzle pouch to illustrate the face. Lastly, you will place a small circle of melted chocolate in the center of the cookie and set the cone on it, then put a little more chocolate on the inside of the cone to make sure it sticks to the cookie. Let dry.

 

3. The Grey Stuff

You can eat the aforementioned Chip treats as is or fill them up with candies or other fillings. One suggestion is to whip up some of that iconic “Grey Stuff” of Beauty and the Beast legend. Now that it’s featured at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, we’ve got the official recipe on how to make it at home. Note, this can be made as a topping for cupcakes or other desserts as well, or even used as a dip/spread for sweet treats. Here is the Grey Stuff, according to Disney’s official site:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk 
• 1 (3.4 ounces) package of instant vanilla pudding mix 
• 15 chocolate sandwich cookies 
• 1 (8 ounces) container of whipped topping, thawed 
• 3 tablespoons of instant chocolate pudding mix  
• 12 scalloped sugar cookies 
• edible sugar pearls  

Directions:

Pour milk into a large mixing bowl and add instant vanilla pudding mix, whisking for two minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Refrigerate for one to two hours until firm. Place chocolate sandwich cookies into a food processor and pulse until puréed. Fold puréed cookies into pudding mix, stirring until fully mixed. Next, add in the whipped topping and instant chocolate pudding. Stir until fully mixed and then refrigerate and chill for one hour. If using as a topping, spoon the grey stuff into a piping bag fitted with the desired tip. Pipe grey stuff onto cookies or whatever you are garnishing. Top with sugar pearls. 

 

Related: At-Home Grey Stuff Recipe, and YES, it’s Delicious!

2. Mrs. Pott’s Strawberry Lemonade Tea

In continuation of the ultimate Beauty and the Beast fixing, we now turn to Chip’s mother, Mrs. Potts, for a recipe that was shared with us through D23. It’s Mrs. Pott’s Strawberry Lemonade, and here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

• juice from two lemons (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 3/4 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 4 bags of strawberry tea (berry-flavored tea will do, too)

Directions:

Pour lemon juice into a pitcher and set it aside. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and 3/4 of a cup of water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves completely and then add in fresh strawberries and continue cooking for about five minutes until berries soften and the simple syrup is pink. Pour the strawberry simple syrup mix into the pitcher with lemon juice. Heat two cups of water in a small saucepan until it boils. Then remove the saucepan from the stove and add in tea bags. Steep according to package directions, then remove tea bags afterward and add tea to the strawberry simple syrup mix in the pitcher. Add one cup of water and stir well. Refrigerate for at least one hour and serve over ice.

1. Mickey Mouse Mini Blueberry Cheese Cake Bites

Here is another mini morsel shared with us by April of April Golightly. They are what they claim to be—bite-size cheesecakes topped with blueberries in the formation of that iconic Mickey Mouse shape. And the easiest part of all is that you buy already-made cheesecake bites, making this convenient character confection a piece of cake to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 4 Cheesecake Bites
• 12 Blueberries (note you can double or triple the recipe via a 4:12 ratio)

Directions:

Place the cheesecake bites on the serving platter. Wash and pat dry blueberries. Then, push the blueberries into defrosted miniature cheesecakes, making a Mickey Mouse pattern. Serve up to Guests. That’s it!

 

There are infinitely many more palatable party foods and beverages you can serve up. Given a particular season or occasion, you can customize a wide range of clever character themes. You can look around online, check out unique Disney-centric books with recipes and ideas, recreate Park favorites, or best of all, come up with your own creative inspirations, tapping into your own source of unique mindful magic.