With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be fun to get retro inspiration to celebrate the holiday. Here are some easy retro Valentine’s Day food ideas to help you embrace and celebrate yourself and all the love around you. Set the table with decor like lace, doilies, candles or flameless candles, and roses or freshly picked flowers from your garden.
The idea is to use what you have, not to stress out over what you have to get. Every year, I cut out hearts from paper, write a reason why I love my daughter, and tape the hearts to her door. She usually keeps the hearts on her door for the rest of the year. I write small things on each heart, like “You try your best in school,” and “Your laugh is the sweetest thing to hear.” This is called a Door Heart Attack. You can cut out little hearts and write sweet things on them as part of the decor.
You will find retro breakfast ideas, lunch ideas, dinner ideas, Galentine’s Day ideas, foods for kids, and of course, Valentine’s Day brunch ideas. Enjoy the read, and don’t forget to also celebrate with some self-care for yourself.
Here are the easy retro Valentine’s Day food ideas that you can try this Valentine’s Day.
Easy Valentine’s Day Breakfast Ideas
There are plenty of cute, delicious, and romantic easy retro Valentine’s Day breakfast ideas. Breakfast can be sweet or savory, or both!
Strawberry Crepes- Such a yummy choice for sure. Make your crepes, fill them with either strawberry jam or vanilla cream, and top with fresh strawberries. If you don’t have strawberries, you can use food dye to change the color of the crepes for a fun and festive look. Or you can use another fruit that you have instead.
Heart-Shaped Pancakes- Make a simple pancake mix, or use a boxed mix, and carefully pour the pancake batter onto the hot skillet to form a heart. If you have a big heart-shaped cookie cutter, you can try that too. Top the pancakes with powdered sugar and fruit.
Quiche- You can find my quiche recipe here. Making a quiche takes some time, so this is a good option if you have some time on your hands. A quiche is a nice choice to celebrate love because of the time it takes to make it, and the love and care that go into preparing the dish.
Valentine’s Day Lunch Ideas
Marry-Me Chicken (or salmon)- The name says it all. I have also made a vegetarian version of this using chickpeas that was a hit in my home. Serve with pasta and a salad.
Scallop Spaghetti- This spaghetti comes together quickly, with the scallops seared separately and tossed into the spaghetti with the sauce. It tastes like you spent all day preparing, but the actual cook time is quite reasonable.
Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas
Heart-Shaped Pizza- I love making this for lunch on Valentine’s Day! It’s a fun one to make with your loved ones. It can be very hands-on and fun to do together. Make the dough (or buy dough, no judgment here) and shape it into a heart. Add your sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Delicious! This is also a fun one to make if you’re celebrating the day with kids. Bonus, everyone can make their own mini heart-shaped pizzas personalized however they like. Serve with a side of salad and garlic cheese bread (if you have it) to complete the meal.
Pasta Dishes- Any pasta-based dish can be made. If you know how to make handmade pasta, go for it! I tried it once, and it’s definitely something that takes time to learn and perfect. Get creative with the pasta shapes and sauce flavors. You can make spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, fettuccine alfredo, or any other combination that you love to eat.
Galentine’s Day Food Ideas
Galentine’s Day is a fun way to spend the day with friends. Enjoy these easy retro Valentine’s Day food ideas, revamped for your Galentine celebration.
Classic Fudge- Fudge! Need I say more?
Cupcakes- Cupcakes are always appropriate. Have a birthday party? Cupcakes. Office or work meeting? Cupcakes. Valentine’s Day coming up? Cupcakes! You can make the cupcakes and decorate ahead of time. Or, much like the pizza, you can decorate them together to personalize each individual’s taste.
Valentine’s Day Food For Kids Ideas
Strawberry Banana Smoothies- I love a good smoothie. You will also love this smoothie! The blended strawberries give it a beautiful pink hue. Any berry should work here, too. Add a scoop of protein powder, like vanilla or chocolate, for an added flavor boost and to amp up the protein intake.
Strawberry Milk- If your little ones aren’t in the mood for a smoothie, then you can offer them some strawberry milk. Use a mix, a syrup, or your own handmade strawberry puree for the strawberry milk. The color will be an enticing pink color that is perfect for your little ones to feel special on this day.
Heart-Shaped Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches- Is there any other combination of food more perfect than peanut butter and jelly? I think not. Now put that perfect sandwich in a sweet little heart shape, and you have a true winner! Use a cookie cutter shaped like a heart for a quick way to get the heart shape. No cookie cutter? That’s fine! Cut the crust off and then cut the sandwich in half. Arrange the sandwiches in a cute presentation on the plate.
Keep in mind that the whole point of celebrating retro style is to use what you have. If you do not have strawberries, make a special chocolate milk, or regular milk served in their favorite cup. Sometimes, I like to heat my milk and add cinnamon and honey to it.
Valentine’s Day Brunch Ideas
Heart-Shaped Tea Sandwiches- Who doesn’t like a good tea sandwich? There are so many to pick from. You can do the classic cucumber, ham or turkey, salmon, or another savory flavor. You can even do sweet tea sandwiches.
Cinnamon Buns- Make a batch of cinnamon buns the night before to make the set-up for your friends easy. Cinnamon buns are the perfect brunch food. If making from scratch, play around with flavors and toppings for an extra touch.
I hope you enjoyed these easy retro Valentine’s Day food ideas!
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