Adorable Nautical Baby Shower Food Ideas

A nautical baby shower is a fun theme whether you’re having a boy or a girl. If you’re ready to set sail and create a splashy baby shower, you’re in the right place! Take a look at these easy and creative nautical baby shower food ideas.

Creative foods for a nautical baby shower

With a bit of imagination, you can turn just about any food into a fun nautical treat! Here are some ideas that are sure to “Wow” your guests.

1. Crabby sandwiches

To make an adorable nautical sandwich centerpiece, start with crab salad sandwiches made with croissants. Then, add 2 toothpicks with googly eyeballs to make each sandwich look like a crab.

2. Fruit pufferfish

It’s fun and easy to make a fruit pufferfish! Start with a cantaloupe and use a kiwi and grapes to make a face. Then add a bunch of toothpicks to make the front look like a pufferfish. On the back, add longer bamboo skewers of fruit. Grapes, strawberries, and chunks of pineapple work perfectly.

3. Fruit pizza beach ball

This recipe starts with making a giant beachball-shaped cookie and covering it with lemon cheesecake mousse. Then, arrange colored fruit in a beachball pattern to create a show-stopping centerpiece that is sure to get your guests talking.

4. Dolphin parfait

Layer yogurt, granola, and fruit in single-serving glasses to make a parfait. Then, add a banana “dolphin” and surround it with grapes to keep it standing upright.

Boat-themed food

Incorporating a boat theme is another easy way to give your baby shower buffet a nautical look. Check out these adorable boat-themed food ideas.

1. Watermelon ship

To make this adorable centerpiece, start by halving a watermelon, hollowing it out, and filling it with fruit. Then add a few banana dolphins. You can also put it on a large serving platter and surround it with a blueberry “sea.”

2. Sailboat deviled eggs

Deviled eggs are always a popular party food. Cut triangle-shaped “sails” out of colored bell peppers for a cute and easy nautical shower snack.

3. Seafood salad veggie boats

To make this appetizer, cut small zucchinis in half, scrape out most of the flesh, and fill them with seafood salad. Make “sails” out of bell peppers and hold them in place with a toothpick.

4. Shrimp with snow pea sails

Marinade and grill jumbo shrimp, then lay them down on a platter. Make them look like boats by adding “sails” made of snow peas held in place with a toothpick.

5. Tuna salad sailboats

This fun appetizer starts with hard-boiled egg whites with the yolks removed. Fill the whites with tuna salad, then place a tortilla chip on top to look like a sail.

6. Sailboat gelatin cups

To make these super-cute nautical desserts,  start by filling small plastic cups with blue gelatin. Then use slices of mandarin or clementine oranges, long toothpicks, and white cardstock to build a “boat” on top of the blue “water.”

7. Sailboat cupcakes

Top cupcakes with blue frosting to look like water, then use a toothpick to affix a paper sail to fruit-shaped gummy candy, creating a “boat” on top.

Nautical-themed snacks

Nautical-themed snacks can double as centerpieces on individual tables and can also be used to decorate your main buffet table. Here are a few fun ideas to inspire you.

1. Sea salt kettle chips

Sea salt flavored kettle chips are always a popular snack and fit perfectly with the nautical theme. Serve them in a large fishbowl decorated with nautical ribbon or put individual bags at each place setting.

2. Goldfish crackers

Mini fishbowls filled with goldfish-shaped crackers make adorable centerpieces. You can also make cute favors by putting them in small bags with a label that says “Today’s fresh catch.”

3. Octopus dip dish

To make this adorable appetizer, start by adding your favorite dip to a large blue bowl. Then cut a bell pepper in half. Use the bottom half to create eight “legs” and use the top half for the body. Add paper “eyes” or make them with small slices of black olive.

4. Octopus veggie platter

To make this platter, start by arranging colorful veggies—like tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers—on a large serving platter. Then, use a yellow bell pepper to make an octopus and place it in the center.

Nautical-themed desserts

You can’t have a baby shower without at least a few sweet treats. These nautical-themed desserts will give your baby shower buffet the perfect finishing touch.

1. Nautical sugar cookies

It’s easy to make sugar cookies with refrigerated dough, or you can make “old-fashioned” sugar cookies from scratch. Use nautical-themed cutters to make shapes like boats, starfish, and mermaids. Then get creative while decorating them with icing and sprinkles.

2. Saltwater taffy

Small bags of saltwater taffy decorated with nautical-themed ribbon make an excellent party favor. Place one at each seat or sprinkle them around your centerpieces. 

3. Clam cookies with candy “pearls”

To make these fun and pretty cookies, start with store-bought cookies that look like shells. Add some frosting and a white candy-coated chocolate “pearl”, then place another cookie on top so it looks like a partially open clamshell.

4. Edible sailor’s knots

With a little practice, it’s easy to tie pieces of red licorice into edible sailor’s knots. This will look great on your baby shower buffet, making it well worth the effort. 

5. Cinnamon sugar sand dollar cookies

Cinnamon sugar sand dollar cookies taste like snickerdoodles with just a bit of light almond flavor. Before baking them, add sliced almonds and arrange them to create a sand dollar pattern. 

Start planning your nautical baby shower today

Throwing a baby shower is a lot of work, but you can make things easier by skipping the grocery store and letting an Instacart shopper take care of it instead. Just add everything you need to your order, submit it, and wait for your grocery delivery to arrive.

Grab it now on Instacart:

Butter Croissants (4 ct)

KA-ME Skewers, Bamboo, 12 Inch (100 each)

Banana (10 lb)

Watermelon (1.25 lb)

Taste of Inspirations Salad, Seafood (12 oz)

Previously Frozen Shell-On Jumbo Raw Shrimp (1 lb)

Corazonas All Natural Tortilla Chips (7 oz)

Jell-O Berry Blue Gelatin Dessert (6 oz)

Kettle Brand Sea Salt Potato Chips (5 oz)

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar Crackers (11 oz)

Brach's Saltwater Taffy, Assorted (7 lb)

Twizzlers Strawberry Flavored Licorice Style Low Fat Candy (16 oz)

Sliced California Almonds (per lb)

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