20 Mermaid Party Munchies & Ideas for Kids Birthdays

Whether you fell in love with Madison from Splash or simply feel at home in the sea, bring the reef to your backyard with these mermaid birthday party ideas. Under-the-sea party food is often whimsical and fun—so feel free to flaunt your creative side!

The when and where of this party can determine a lot. If you host it during the afternoon after lunch, you may be able to offer fun snacks and desserts without providing a full meal. Here are our favorite mermaid party food ideas.

Mermaid party food ideas for kids

While the kids will be more excited about the snacks and desserts, if the party will be near lunch or dinner, offer a few mermaid-themed main course options.

1. Crab croissant sandwiches

Assemble sandwiches with a kid-friendly filling like ham and cheese or chicken salad. Add eyeballs to cake pop sticks using a little melted white chocolate to stick into the sandwiches.

2. Octopus hot dogs

Octopus hot dogs are easy to make and very cute. Slice the ends of some hot dogs, and make six slits. As they fry up, the legs will become more defined. Use a knife to make their faces or leave them as is for easier prep.

3. Star-fish pizzas

Use a star-fish cookie cutter to make individual pizzas. Choose your base, such as pizza dough or pita bread, and cut out several stars. Assemble pizzas with pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Bonus points for letting the kids build their own!

4. Treasure pasta

Treasure pasta is fun, colorful pasta with butter, basil, and parmesan cheese. Cook a pound of pasta shells and rinse them in cold water. Divide it among three Ziploc bags or recyclable bowls and add melted butter and different food coloring to each one. Mix in a bowl with the cheese and basil.

Mermaid birthday party snack ideas

Provide a variety of fun beverages and sweet and salty snacks for the little fishies to enjoy.

5. Mermaid lemonade

Mermaid lemonade is delicious and colorful. Make an array of vibrant ice cubes by adding food colorings, such as teal or hot pink, to the ice. Rub the rim of each cup with lemon juice and colored sanding sugar. Add the ice and lemonade.

6. Goldfish drinks

This is a fun and whimsical drink that uses blue Hawaiian punch, lemon-lime soda, and softened vanilla ice cream. It’s topped with whipped cream and goldfish crackers.

7. Mermaid tails

To make mermaid tails, all you need to do is melt white chocolate and dye it light blue, then dip some pretzel rods in the chocolate. To top it off, add some icing and pink and purple sprinkles.

8. Spinach seaweed dip

Buy a pre-made spinach dip and serve it with a sliced baguette or pita chips. It will be the perfect appetizer to balance out all the sweet dishes.

9. Mermaid munch snack mix

Snack mixes are always popular, and they are easy to prepare. Combine popcorn, goldfish crackers, pastel M&M’s, and sprinkles. Serve them in individual party favor containers.

10. Shark bait

Shark bait is made out of cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, and powdered sugar. Once it’s combined, divide it into separate bowls and add food coloring. Combine the colors back together, folding gently so that it looks like a rainbow. Add chocolate pearls and sprinkles and serve with cookies and fruit.

11. “Candied” seaweed

For a fun play on “seaweed,” use some sour punch straws. Opt for green and blue ones to fit the theme!

12. Tasty turtles

Make cute little turtles out of kiwis and grapes to offer a refreshing snack at the party. Peel each kiwi and cut each into four rounds. Use a green grape for the head and a quarter of a grape for the legs. Add a sliver of a grape for the tail.

Mermaid birthday party dessert ideas

These desserts use lots of sprinkles, pastel colors, and creative ways to celebrate under the sea life.

13. Mermaid tail cones

Mermaid tail cones are so cute. Bake a batch of strawberry cupcakes and frost them with blue frosting. Top each cupcake with a sugar cone and decorative cut-out glitter fins.

14. Oyster shell cookies

These cookies resemble oysters in the shell. Make a batch of buttercream frosting and divide it into three bowls. Color them pink, purple, and turquoise. Put a layer of frosting between two Nilla wafers and add a candy pearl.

15. Sugar cookies in brown sugar sand

Bake up some sugar cookies in the shapes of starfish and mermaid tails and decorate them with royal icing. Display them on a plate covered in graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar to resemble sand.

16. The sea and the sand Rice Krispies treats recipe

Make a batch of Rice Krispie treats and cut them into squares. Combine blue candy melts and coconut oil and melt them down. Apply it to half the treat and affix a fondant shell and pearls to it.

17. Mermaid birthday cake

For a simple but classic birthday, buy a white birthday cake and remove any decorations.  Use the frosting from the flowers to add color to the sides. Add a graham cracker and sugar sand layer to the top and garnish with candy melt shells.

18. Lagoon Jello cups

Lagoon Jello cups can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. Combine boiling water and blue gelatin in a large bowl until it’s dissolved. Add Cool Whip and combine, and distribute among clear plastic cups. After they’re set, garnish with more Cool Whip, sprinkles, and candied shells.

19. Mermaid party donuts

Buy some cake donuts and dip them in colored icing. Add sprinkles and a candied shell.

20. No-churn ice cream

Beat together heavy cream and vanilla, and add in sweetened condensed milk. Divide the mixture and add ocean-themed food colorings. Mix it back together and pour it into a loaf pan. Add sprinkles and freeze for six hours.

Make more than memories, make a splash!

Mermaid birthday parties are meant to be whimsical and fun, and so is the planning process. Let Instacart run your errands for you with same-day delivery and get everything you need delivered right to your home, hotel, Airbnb, or vacation rental. It doesn’t matter who’s wearing the birthday crown this weekend, stress less and play more like the mermaid princess you’re meant to be.

Grab it now on Instacart:

Oscar Mayer Turkey Bilingual 10 Ct Franks (16 oz)

Barilla Large Shells - Non-GMO Pasta Made with Durum Wheat Semolina & Kosher Certified (1 lb)

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar Crackers (8 oz)

Sour Punch Candy, Apple Straws (2 oz)

Nilla Cookies, Vanilla Wafers (30 oz)

Store Brand Cake Donuts (12 each)

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