21 Mouth-Watering Asian Potluck Foods to Cook in 2025

Food is one of the most time-honored ways of bringing people together, and these Asian potluck food ideas will have everyone talking. If you have an upcoming dinner party or other social gathering, you might ask yourself, what is the best dish to bring to a potluck? It should hold up during travel, serve a crowd and reheat well, and everything here fits the bill.

No matter if you’re looking for easy Asian potluck dishes or the best Asian potluck food ideas for work, this list has plenty of crowd-pleasing options for all occasions, ranging from Chinese potluck foods like scallion pancakes to Indian classics such as samosas to bite-sized Japanese desserts like mochi.

While the people around the table are more important than what’s on it, these Asian potluck foods are great conversation starters that will create lasting memories with your friends, family or coworkers.

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• Easy Asian Potluck Food
• Best Asian Potluck Dishes
• Vegetarian Asian Potluck Food
• Chinese Potluck Ideas
• Asian Potluck Food FAQs

Easy Asian Potluck Food

1. Summer Rolls

Despite its name, this light and fresh Asian potluck food can be enjoyed year-round, and it’s an easy dish to make. The hardest part is preventing the rice paper from breaking as you assemble the rolls, but it’s smooth sailing once you get into a nice rhythm.

Another great thing about summer rolls is how customizable they are. Fill them with your choice of protein (shrimp and tofu are both excellent choices), fresh vegetables like cucumber and fragrant herbs such as cilantro.

You can also get creative with the dipping sauce. Peanut sauce is a classic, but a hoisin or chile-lime sauce would be delicious as well. Learn how to make Asian potluck food at cooking classes in Akron, cooking classes in Louisville, cooking classes in Santa Fe or cooking classes near you. There are even online cooking classes that allow you to expand your culinary horizons in the comfort of your own kitchen.

2. Malaysian Chicken

Malaysian Chicken is the definition of easy Asian potluck food. You just throw everything in the slow cooker and call it a day! The chicken practically falls apart after simmering in a creamy sauce of coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar and soy sauce for several hours. Curry powder adds a beautiful depth of flavor, while sweet potatoes offer heartiness.

3. Banh Mi 

A banh mi is the perfect handheld Asian potluck food. Featuring fresh, crunchy vegetables like cucumbers and jalapenos, pickled radishes and carrots as well as meats like chicken or Vietnamese sausage, this iconic sandwich is always a crowd favorite. It’s also portable, making it a clear winner if you need lunch ideas for adults. Once you cook the meat, it’s just a matter of assembly. It doesn’t get much easier! 

4. Korean Fried Chicken

Are you trying to decide what Korean food to bring to a potluck? If you’re looking for a dish everyone won’t be able to stop raving about, Korean fried chicken is it. Surprisingly easy to make, this classic Asian potluck food involves coating chicken in a paste of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), honey, rice vinegar and a few other ingredients before deep frying it until the skin is deeply golden brown. The result is some of the best fried chicken you’ll ever eat, known for its salty, spicy and sweet flavor that’s perfectly balanced. 

5. Pad Thai

One of the most popular Thai street foods and a favorite at Thai restaurants, pad Thai is a rice noodle stir fry made with peanuts, egg, fresh vegetables like bean sprouts and bell pepper, a protein like shrimp, chicken or tofu, and a zingy sauce consisting of tamarind paste, palm sugar, fish sauce and a few other ingredients.

With a total cooking time of about 30 minutes, it’s a quick Asian potluck food to throw together and promises to earn you a thumbs-up from everyone at the party.

Best Asian Potluck Dishes

6. Pho

Pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, comes in many different varieties, all of which are relatively simple to make. The soup base is usually homemade, but you can use store-bought beef broth to save time. Add whole spices like cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom and coriander seeds to the broth (you’ll remove them before serving) for the most authentic flavor.

Rice noodles, your choice of meat and toppings like bean sprouts, jalapeno slices and fresh herbs round out the dish for a soul-satisfying meal that warms you up from the inside out.

Soup may not be an obvious first choice for an Asian potluck food, but pho holds up surprisingly well because you can store all of the components separately and let everyone build their own bowl. Warm and comforting, pho is an ideal Asian potluck food for the colder months, so add it to your list of Thanksgiving potluck ideas.

7. Japanese Milk Bread

Japanese milk bread — also known as Hokkaido milk bread —  may look like ordinary sandwich bread, but it’s so much better. Known for its milky sweetness and pillow-soft texture, this Asian potluck food will surely earn you some props.

The secret? Pre-cooking a portion of the flour and milk into a paste called tangzhong. This technique keeps the loaf light and fluffy, and it lasts longer than traditional white bread. 

8. Onigiri

Onigiri are Japanese rice balls that make the perfect Asian potluck food. They’re either filled with things like pickled plums, salmon or cod roe, or mixed with seasonings such as dried salmon flakes or black sesame seeds.

These Asian tapas ideas are relatively easy to make using traditional Japanese boiled rice, and they’re always a crowd-pleaser.

9. Chicken Satay

Chicken satay is one of the most flavorful Asian potluck foods you can make, featuring Indonesian spices like aromatic lemongrass, ginger and garlic. You’ll marinate the chicken in a paste of puréed herbs and spices before threading it onto skewers, brushing with lemongrass and grilling to perfection (grill pans work, too!) Since satay is a handheld appetizer, it’s perfect for serving at parties. 

10. Soup Dumplings

Soup dumplings are one of the most impressive Asian potluck ideas if you really want to wow everyone. A type of dim sum, this Asian potluck food features a thin wrapper filled with pork and hot soup, usually served with a vinegar-based dipping sauce. To make them, you’ll prepare a broth that congeals upon cooling so it can be wrapped up in the dough.

When the buns are steamed, the heat reliquifies the filling, allowing it to be sipped directly from the dumpling. Soup dumplings are a bit more complicated than the other Asian potluck foods on the list, but you won’t regret the endeavor when you bite into the delicate wrapper and savor the rich, flavorful broth. 

11. Lumpia (Fried Spring Rolls)

Lumpia are fried spring rolls typically served as an appetizer in the Philippines. With a savory pork filling, a crispy wrapper that delivers a satisfying crunch and a delicious sweet and sour dipping sauce, this handheld Asian potluck food is known to disappear in seconds.

Vegetarian Asian Potluck Food

12. Samosas

Stuffed with a spiced pea and potato filling and fried until golden brown and delightfully crispy, these triangle-shaped Indian appetizers are an Asian potluck food guaranteed to be the talk of the table.

They have a spicy kick thanks to green chiles, but cilantro’s cooling effect offers a nice counter. Serve with chutney for a vegetarian appetizer everyone will love.

13. Saag Paneer

Saag paneer is among the most iconic meat-free Indian entrees, so it’s the perfect vegetarian Asian potluck food. Cubes of creamy paneer, a soft, Indian-style cheese, are simmered in a luscious sauce of spinach and various spices for a dish that’s equally wholesome and decadent.

14. Crab Rangoon

A mainstay on menus at American Chinese restaurants, crab rangoon is an appetizer featuring fried wonton wrappers stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, crab meat (or imitation crab), scallions and garlic.

This crispy, creamy finger food is easy to transport and maintains its crunch after reheating, making it a great Asian potluck food for work.

15. Mochi

Every potluck needs at least one dessert, and mochi can be made at home with just a few ingredients and a microwave. All you do is combine glutinous rice flour, water and sugar in a bowl and microwave the mixture for several minutes.

When it’s done, just cut and serve for a chewy, not-too-sweet treat that makes the perfect ending to a meal. You can also get creative and add fillings like red bean paste, chocolate or even ice cream for fun flavor variations of this Asian potluck food. 

16. Gobi Manchurian

If you need Asian potluck food ideas for work, Gobi Manchurian will put you on the fast track to being named Employee of the Month. This Indo-Chinese appetizer features battered and fried cauliflower florets that get coated in a sweet and spicy sauce everyone will swoon over.

Chinese Potluck Ideas

17. Kung Pao Chicken

A takeout favorite, kung pao chicken is perfect if you’re looking for Chinese potluck ideas. The sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, savory and tangy, and the numbing heat from Sichuan peppercorns gives this Asian potluck food a zingy brightness that brings the whole dish together.

18. Chinese Steamed Pork Buns 

An aromatic, umami-rich filling is encased in a sticky-sweet dough made with flour, sugar, lard and a few other key ingredients in this popular Asian potluck food. To make the buns, you’ll start by mixing up the dough before cooking the filling on the stovetop.

Then, place a few tablespoons of the pork mixture in the center of each piece of dough before sealing up the edges and arranging them in a bamboo steamer. It only takes about ten minutes to steam the buns to pillow-soft perfection, so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy them.

19. Homemade Dumplings

Making dumplings, or potstickers, is a labor of love that involves shaping homemade dough into traditional half-moon shapes and stuffing each one with your choice of meat — or a vegetable mixture if you’re looking for vegan Chinese food.

The end result is well worth the effort, however. With a slightly crispy, yet still soft and chewy exterior and a fragrant, gingery filling, these little bites of heaven are one of the best Asian potluck foods.

20. Beef and Broccoli

Are you wondering what to bring for a Chinese potluck? Look no further than beef and broccoli. You really can’t go wrong with this staple Asian potluck food, which features succulent strips of beef and crisp-tender broccoli cooked in a flavorful ginger and garlic sauce.

The broccoli soaks up the sauce in a way that makes eating your vegetables delicious rather than a chore, and the recipe takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.

21. Scallion Pancakes

Unlike sweet American pancakes, which are eaten for breakfast with butter and maple syrup, scallion pancakes are a savory snack or appetizer made with sesame oil-brushed dough and thinly sliced scallions.

The pancakes are rolled into flat discs, pan-fried until crispy and typically served with a soy-based dipping sauce. This Asian potluck food is so good, that everyone will want the recipe.

Asian Potluck Food FAQs

What To Bring to AAPI Potluck?

Asia and the Pacific Islands encompass a vast region, and each country and territory brings something different to the table with unique ingredients and cooking techniques for Asian potluck food and beyond.

Whether you’re honoring Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May or attending a gathering any time of year, Asian potluck foods like dumplings, spring and summer rolls, onigiri and more celebrate cultural traditions while delighting guests with a myriad of vibrant, nuanced flavors.

Cooking Asian tapas or Asian potluck food for work is one of the best ways to show appreciation for the people behind these incredible dishes that are enjoyed all over the world.

Any of these Asian party food ideas are great for a potluck because they’re delicious, easy to transport and most importantly, they showcase the beautiful diversity of Asian cuisine and elicit deep reverence for its heritage.

Whether you’re a seasoned home chef or just beginning to experiment in the kitchen, there’s something for everyone in this Asian potluck food roundup. From Asian tapas ideas like soup dumplings and gobi manchurian to finger foods such as Korean fried chicken and onigiri, these Asian party food ideas are certified crowd-pleasers.

Whip up a culinary masterpiece in no time with beginner-friendly Asian potluck foods like summer rolls, or wow plant-based guests with meatless Asian potluck food ideas such as saag paneer. No matter what you decide to bring, the complex, deeply aromatic flavors Asian cuisine is beloved for are sure to make a lasting impression.

For even more potluck food ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!