Amish wedding food is all about delicious, hearty, home-cooked dishes. In true Amish fashion, the meals are simple but made with love - nothing fancy, just good food that feeds a crowd. Every dish is made from scratch and served family-style, with long tables filled with some of the best food ever!
Growing up Amish in Lancaster County, I remember how much care went into preparing those wedding meals. The women worked together in the kitchen for days, and when it was finally time to eat, the tables were full of amazing, comforting food.
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Lancaster Amish Wedding Food Traditions
Lancaster County has its own unique wedding food traditions that aren't the same in every Amish community. While many Amish wedding meals include chicken or turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, the full combination of dishes and preparation can vary from place to place.
Attending my Amish cousins' weddings in Lancaster, this is what I experienced: Tables were filled with turkey roasht (turkey mixed with buttery bread stuffing), mashed potatoes, creamed celery, buns, donuts, and homemade pies, as well as a few more sides and desserts. It was simple, hearty food made to feed a crowd.
While I grew up New Order Amish, we didn't have one traditional meal that was served at every wedding. This version of Amish wedding foods is the one I'm most familiar with though because the traditional meal of roasht, mashed potatoes, and cooked celery was served at every Old Order Amish wedding I attended.
Classic Dishes Served at Amish Weddings
Now that you know a little about Lancaster Amish wedding dinners, let's take a closer look at some of the dishes you'll find on the table. These are the recipes I grew up with and still make today - from hearty Roasht, where the turkey or chicken is mixed with buttery bread stuffing, to creamed celery, buns, and homemade pies.
Most Amish serve a noon meal and evening meal at their weddings. Typically, you'll find the noon meal to be more traditional, and the evening meal will be more relaxed and may include some of the couple's favorite dishes.
If you want to learn more about Amish wedding traditions, you can check out my full post on Amish weddings.
Main Course Recipes
At Amish weddings, the main course is always hearty and meant to feed a crowd. Across the country, Amish wedding meals often include some kind of chicken. At some weddings, you'll be served baked chicken, at other weddings it's grilled chicken breast, etc. And the chicken is often served alongside buttery bread stuffing, potatoes, and a few other comforting dishes.
Check out my list of recipes for Amish wedding food...
Amish Roasht (Chicken or Turkey with Stuffing)
The star of any Lancaster Amish wedding meal, Roasht is a hearty mix of roast chicken or turkey combined with buttery bread stuffing. Traditionally, it's served in large roasters to feed a crowd, but here I am sharing a recipe that is cut down to family size.
Slow-Cooked Turkey
For Amish weddings, the bride's parents provide the meal, so they need to roast several turkeys to make enough roasht to feed a crowd.
This Amish-style slow cooked turkey in oven recipe is the secret to a moist, tender, and flavorful turkey every single time. It uses a simple brine and a low, slow bake that keeps the meat juicy all the way through.
Amish Dressing/Stuffing
The week before the wedding, lots of loaves of bread are cut up and turned into a beautiful buttery stuffing.
This homemade Amish dressing (stuffing) is the perfect side dish for any meal. It's tender, moist, and full of classic, comforting flavor that everyone will love. Soft bread cubes soak up rich butter and savory broth, creating a deliciously satisfying texture in every bite.
Shake and Bake Chicken
As stated, not all Amish have the same traditional wedding meals. At some Amish weddings, you may find crispy baked chicken legs.
This Amish recipe features a blend of seasonings, flour, and crumbs that coat the chicken legs, creating a crispy, golden crust that is full of flavor.
Chicken Croquettes
These Amish chicken croquettes are made with cooked and chopped chicken that is mixed with a thick creamy sauce, shaped into balls, then dipped in eggs and coated in bread crumbs.
At one of my brother's wedding (he got married in the New Order Amish), the bride's family served chicken croquettes. We went over a week before and helped them shape and fry hundreds of croquettes which they put in the freezer. Then all they had to do on the day of the wedding was heat them up again.
Amish Side Dishes Recipes
Sides at Amish weddings are all about comfort and balance, complementing the main course with soft, buttery, or creamy flavors. You'll often find noodles, mashed potatoes, vegatables (sometimes creamed vegetables), salads, and bread - simple, hearty dishes that round out the meal.
Mashed Potatoes
Creamy mashed potatoes from scratch are served at most Amish weddings. The potatoes are peeled the day before and friends of the family will cook and mash them the day of the wedding. Sometimes cream cheese and sour cream will be added to help keep the potatoes soft and creamy longer.
Creamy and fluffy Amish Mashed Potatoes are so easy to make and pair well as a side dish with many different meat entrees. They are loved by young and old alike.
Creamed Celery
Served at Lancaster Amish weddings, creamed celery is a side dish that matches perfectly with roasht and mashed potatoes. It is a delicious side dish of cooked celery in a sweetened and thickened creamy sauce.
Creamed Peas
Peas in a cream sauce, also known as creamed peas, is a dish that consists of cooked sweet peas in a creamy white sauce.
For this Amish recipe, the sauce is made by combining butter, flour, milk, and seasonings, and then simmering until it thickens. The peas are then added to the sauce and heated through, creating a rich and comforting side dish.
Buttered Noodles
Brown butter noodles are a popular side dish in Amish country, and even though we already have lots of filling carbs in our meal, it's common to find a dish of buttered noodles alongside an Amish wedding meal.
These Amish brown butter noodles are rich, a bit creamy, full of flavor, and oh-so buttery! There is so much to love about these Amish-style noodles. Comfort food at its finest!
Pepper Cabbage
Amish Pepper Cabbage is a vibrant mix of finely chopped cabbage and colorful bell peppers, tossed with a tangy vinegar-based dressing. The cabbage provides a satisfying crunch while the bell peppers contribute a burst of sweetness and crunchiness.
This tangy dish adds a refreshing element and pairs beautifully with turkey and stuffing.
Coleslaw
Coleslaw is another side that pairs beautifully with turkey and dressing. It's fresh, crunchy, and packed with flavor. This recipe for Amish Coleslaw Dressing has a bit of a different twist than the traditional mayo type you're probably more familiar with. But it is delicious and easy to make.
Cranberry Jello Salad
This recipe for cranberry salad made with fresh cranberries, chopped apples, pineapples, and jello is by far the best cranberry salad I have ever tasted.
Pickled Eggs and Beets
Amish pickled eggs and beets are a classic dish where hard-boiled eggs are preserved with red beet slices in a sweet and tangy pickling liquid. This liquid, made with vinegar, sugar, and beet juice, gives the eggs a slightly sweet and tasty flavor.
Dinner Rolls
Some kind of bread or dinner rolls are usually served along with butter and jam or Amish peanut butter at Amish weddings. These quick-to-make dinner rolls are soft and fluffy with a hint of sweetness. They make the perfect side to any meal!
Homemade White Bread
Homemade bread is a staple in many Amish homes and served with many meals. This Amish white bread recipe makes two slightly sweet, soft, and tender loaves. It is easy to make, with simple ingredients and detailed instructions so that even a beginner can make an amazing loaf of bread. Fresh homemade bread tastes so much better than any bread you buy at the grocery store.
Popular Amish Wedding Desserts
No Amish wedding meal is complete without a selection of homemade desserts. Pies, puddings, donuts, cheesecakes, jelly rolls, etc. are often served, providing a cozy, satisfying finish to the hearty main courses and sides.
Here I listed a few popular Amish wedding dessert recipes, however, oftentimes the desserts served will vary greatly between Amish communities. I never had date pudding at an Amish wedding, but apparently it is a popular Amish wedding dessert in some areas.
Vanilla Cornstarch Pudding
Cornstarch pudding was a very popular dessert dish when I was growing up Amish in Lancaster County. It is a rich, creamy, and basic homemade vanilla pudding that is great on its own and pairs perfectly with cake, pies, etc.
Fruit Salad
A mix of fruit in a sweetened sauce was another popular wedding and holiday dessert in my Amish community. This recipe for Amish fruit salad is made with a sweetened homemade fruit sauce that has been thickened to perfection. It combines canned and fresh fruits, resulting in a delightful and refreshing medley of flavors.
Prepare to be delighted with every spoonful of this amazing fruit salad, as it delivers a symphony of mouthwatering flavors that will leave you craving more.
There's nothing quite like a fresh homemade Amish yeast donut. They're soft and airy, and they practically melt in your mouth. Biting into one of these fluffy, warm donuts is like biting into a cloud. They're so amazing!
Homemade donuts were often a choice among the desserts at the Old Order weddings I attended. I'm sure they were made ahead and frozen until the day of the wedding, but they were still yummy!
Vanilla Crumb Pie
Amish Vanilla pie is a unique and old-fashioned pie with a layer of gooey brown sugar and vanilla filling (similar to a caramel sauce) and is topped with a thick layer of buttery crumbs. This pie was very popular at Amish weddings and holiday gatherings in my Amish community.
Not-as-Sweet Pecan Pie
Pecan pie was another popular choice for special occcasions! This creamy pecan pie is very easy to make, and it's the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and creamy custard with crunchy pecans on the top. It is melt-in-your-mouth amazing! An easy-to-make, classic, not-too-sweet pecan pie that is perfect for your holiday meals or any occasion.
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Amish weddings are often in the fall, so pumpkin pies are often a choice. This Amish pumpkin custard pie recipe is a fall favorite of mine that goes beyond the usual canned pumpkin and evaporated milk recipes. This version features a creamy pumpkin filling topped with a light, sponge-like layer of whipped egg whites, making it one of the best pumpkin pies you'll ever taste.
Traditional Apple Pie
This classic Amish apple pie with a double crust is filled with tender apple slices and warm cinnamon, all baked inside a golden, flaky crust for a simple yet irresistible dessert that's perfect for any occasion.
Dutch Apple Pie
If you love warm cinnamon apples and a buttery, crisp crumble topping, you're going to fall in love with this PA Dutch Apple Pie! This Amish-style dessert features tender baked apples in a flaky crust, finished with a sweet oatmeal crumb topping that adds the perfect texture and flavor.
Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Amish peanut butter pie is one of the most beloved Amish desserts, and once you taste it, you'll know why! This old-fashioned Amish peanut butter cream pie features a flaky, prebaked pie crust filled with rich and creamy homemade vanilla pudding, sweet peanut butter crumbles, and topped with fluffy whipped cream.
Fry Pies
Amish fry pies are little half-moon-shaped fried pies made with different kinds of pie filling. It's a circle of flaky crust filled with pie filling, folded in half, deep-fried, and drizzled with glaze to create an irresistible treat for on-the-go or anytime! These fry pies can also be baked instead of fried for a healthier option. Fry pies can be found at Amish wedding dinners, church dinners, fund-raisers, etc.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
While whoopie pies aren't as popular at Amish weddings, they do appear occasionally - especially as part of the evening meal. Amish chocolate whoopie pies are soft, cake-like chocolate cookies with a light vanilla frosting sandwiched between them. Sometimes you might also find pumpkin or molasses whoopie pies among the selection of Amish wedding foods.
Pumpkin Roll
Amish pumpkin roll is a classic and popular dessert that combines the flavors of pumpkin and cream cheese in a delightful, swirled roll cake. The pumpkin cake is moist and tender with the comforting flavors of pumpkin and spice, while the cream cheese adds a sweet, tangy contrast.
Jelly rolls are pretty popular for Amish wedding dinners, however, the only Amish jelly roll recipe that I have posted online so far is just this pumpkin roll. Hmmm...guess I need to get more jelly roll recipes posted. 🙂
Amish Wedding Feasts Vary
Maybe you scanned over this list and thought, "Hardly any of these dishes were served at the Amish wedding I attended." That's because traditions can vary widely among Amish communities.
Lancaster County, PA is home to the largest Amish community. That is where I grew up, and the Amish that I am mostly familiar with. They have a traditional wedding meal, but not all Amish communities do.
I also grew up New Order Amish, and they typically serve only one meal since their weddings are over by mid-afternoon. In many New Order circles, the bride and groom choose their menu, often including some of their favorite dishes.
No matter the community or the menu, Amish wedding meals are always about sharing good, hearty food with family and friends. These dishes reflect tradition, comfort, and the joy of coming together to celebrate.
You can use these recipes to create your own Amish wedding dinner at home, and if you've ever attended an Amish wedding, I'd love to hear in the comments what was served for the Amish wedding food and which dishes were your favorite! Thank you!
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