DISPOSABLE ENTERTAINING ESSENTIALS
Summer entertaining season has officially arrived! Between surprise drop-ins, weekend houseguests, and that packed BBQ calendar, your home is about to become the neighborhood hub. The secret to enjoying every moment instead of stressing over cleanup? Having the right disposable essentials at your fingertips.
I’ve spent years perfecting my summer entertaining arsenal—from sturdy plates that can handle loaded burgers to elegant napkins that elevate any gathering. This curated list includes everything from truly disposable one-and-done items to smart semi-reusable pieces that make hosting effortless.
Get ready to entertain with confidence all season long.
DISPOSABLE MUST HAVES
I always have plenty of sturdy serving trays to get drinks and food to the table. Use these gold and white trays for delivering those brunch mimosas in these stemless flute glasses, and serve the food up on white and gold plastic plates with matching gold flatware, and napkins.
For larger quantities, this 350-piece dinnerware set will serve 50 and comes with napkins and glasses too. Be sure to pick up these gold stainless steel serving pieces that are reusable and will last all summer.
If paper products are more your jam, grab this 175-piece white and gold paper plate set including flatware and napkins. A must have for me are these to-go coffee cups with lids, sleeves and stirrers. My overnight guests love them and I get to send them off with hot coffee and one of my ham and cheese brioche muffins in the morning.
Pick up a lot of serving bowls and trays to make entertaining easy. These can be reused all summer and won’t break. Perfect for pool side entertaining. This 4-pack of sectional trays is great for fruit, veggies and snacks. These slanted serving bowls look great and can be used to serve fun individual salads like my Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad.
Pull together a good supply of unbreakable glasses that you can use at all your events. They have a gold rim so they go beautifully with all the choices I’ve found today. These will get you through the entire summer and look great! Be sure you have plenty of additional plastic gold flatware on hand…I find myself always looking for a spare fork or spoon and I keep a stash in the pantry at all times.
Stock up now on cloth-like napkins (100 count). They are heavy duty and do the job. Don’t forget plastic cups. I buy the Amazon brand in red (just like the Solo cups but less expensive) and they fit perfectly on the cup holder and marker set above. If paper cups are your choice, add these colorful party cups (200 count) to your list. Don’t get caught without them and buy plenty to get through the summer months.
For fun, casual dining with a little Hawaiian flair, I really like these cardboard dishes (50 pieces for just $14.99) They’d be perfect for anything from chips and dips, to hot dogs, ribs or tacos. Maybe Pineapple Shrimp Boats to up your game! 🍍
I like to keep summer entertaining light and easy, so I often serve finger foods as appetizers and desserts. I always have on hand cute food picks/skewers to serve food like my honey, peach, prosciutto & mozzarella skewers. In addition, having small disposable dessert cups with disposable spoons lets me make a wide selection in advance, and serve them after heavy BBQs. These plastic dessert cups and spoons get used year round and are perfect for my mini fruit parfaits.
And if you are like me, and serve charcuterie at ALL your events, stock up on these cute charcuterie cups with mini skewers. They go fast so double up.
This disposable chaffing dish set has saved me on more than one occasion. Having a way to serve multiple hot dishes is no easy feat. I use this outdoors for casual get togethers and BBQs. When the party is done, I just wrap this all up and toss it. Easy peasy.
Absolutely LOVING this item (in my shopping cart)! This simple party cup holder with markers is going to save a whole lot of drinks this summer. (Anyone else put their cup down, and then are afraid to pick it up because it might not be yours?). This is going to solve that problem and it’s on sale for just $10.99. Yup, this is going to be at every event this summer!
And my last “must have” are these compostable clamshell food containers. I always have these on hand so I can send my guests home with any leftovers. The last thing I need is a refrigerator filled with tempting treats. Sold in packs of 50 for just $17.99. It also keeps your guests from bringing back those plastic container…just sayin’.
And that’s a wrap for this month. Looking for other great finds? Browse all my shops for new items all year long. My seasonal shop will have introduce new seasonal finds. The everyday kitchen has everything you need for a well stocked work space. The tabletop & bar shop has glassware, dinnerware, silverware, bar tools and more. Stop by the pantry for those hard-to-find ingredients and of course, my wish list. Happy shopping!
