10 team building activities with food for every taste

Food is deeply connected to culture, has many social aspects, and is pretty fun to prepare. So why not use food for team building?

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We’ve compiled a list of 10 team building activities involving food and drinks for every taste. Many of these activities are free and perfect to do online.

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New to team building? Then you should also check out other articles in this series, like our pieces on: 

• the best team building activities for any workplace
• activities geared specifically towards team leads, or
• ideas to help with problem-solving.

The best team building activities using food

#1 Play a virtual foodie quiz game

Price: From 240 $

Props needed: Zoom (computer, phone, tablet)

Best for: Having fun!
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Embark on a culinary adventure unlike any other with an immersive food-themed team-building activity led by Scott Topper, a 3-time Emmy-nominated TV show host. Get ready to test your knowledge and indulge your taste buds in this exciting virtual quiz. The quiz features a variety of categories that will tantalize your senses, including chefs, recipes, restaurants, cocktails, ingredients, and world cuisine trivia. Gather your colleagues and form two teams of up to fifty members each, complete with creative foodie team names and captains. Collaborate and strategize as you work together to determine the best answer for each multiple-choice question, evoking the spirit of the beloved "Family Feud" TV game show. Get ready to savor the flavors of friendly competition and culinary wisdom. Let the foodie fun begin! Book your quiz directly with Scott.

#2 Take a (virtual) cooking class

Price: From 250 $

Props needed: Ingredients and cooking equipment (depending on the class)

Best for: Learning new dishes from renowned chefs

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Cooking team building activities are all-time favorites, and for good reason. They are interactive, allow team members to connect in a casual atmosphere, and result in a delicious meal.  

In most cooking classes, the chefs take you by the hand from start to finish, so no prior experience is necessary. Deciding what kind of cuisine you want to prepare is possibly the hardest step. 

One of our favorite providers for international menus is The Chef & The Dish. Their classes are taught virtually by chefs from around the world to give you an authentic cultural and culinary experience.

Pro tip: If you want to organize an in-person cooking class, check out Airbnb experiences. 

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#3 Create personalized drinks (in-person)

Price: 100-200 €

Props needed: Ingredients for cocktails

Best for: Teams who are open to experimenting and some healthy competition

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Put a spin on traditional (🥱) mixology classes with this activity. Your teammates will almost become professional barkeepers, but instead of mixing Mojitos and Old Fashioneds, they’ll have to come up with new drinks. 

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How it works: 

• Prepare the ingredients for the drinks. Feel free to choose different liquors or offer non-alcoholic drinks. Have some juices and fun ingredients to decorate like fruit, gummies, or umbrellas on hand.
• Divide your team into smaller groups. Each group must create an individual drink, come up with a name, and make up a story to go with it. 
• Present the finished products and vote on the best drink. If you like, you can set up subcategories such as ‘best looking’, ‘best tasting’, ‘best presentation’, etc.

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#4 Do a virtual wine tasting

Price: From 100 € per group, depending on the group size

Props needed: None

Best for: Combining a thirst for knowledge with a thirst for wine

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Chances are you and your teammates don’t live in an area surrounded by beautiful vineyards with delicious wines (you’re lucky if you do). Still, you can transport your team to these places with a virtual wine tasting experience. 

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You’ll get a selection of wines sent to your homes, learn how the wines are made, and what notes to look for when tasting them. In the end, you’ll be wine experts and can shine with your newly acquired knowledge at the next social gathering.

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One of our favorite virtual wine tastings is by Elizabeth & Wine. The company ships worldwide and offers a variety of themed tastings, such as wines with no climate impact or female winemakers. 

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PS: If wine is not your thing, take a look at our favorite virtual chocolate tastings.

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#5 Exchange your favorite recipes (virtual)

Price: Free
Props needed: Recipes, design tool

Best for: Adding a personal touch to team building

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Most people have at least one family dish they love to death. For me, it’s a pasta bake and my mom’s version of zucchini cake 🤤 With a recipe exchange, you can use these preferences to add a personal touch to your food team building activity.

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How it works:

• Gather in person or online and ask everybody to bring their favorite recipe
• Have everyone create a nice-looking page with their recipe using a design tool like Canva
• Share the history behind the dishes
• Download the recipe pages and put them all together to create a team recipe book 

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PS: You can also put a seasonal spin on it and have a summer edition and a comfort food version for your winter activity.

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#6 Create edible gifts (in-person or virtual)

Price: 5-10 € pp.

Props needed: Ingredients for the gifts, packaging material

Best for: Merging cooking and gift-making

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What better way to connect with your teammates than by giving back to others? Especially if it involves delicious, handmade treats?! Use your time together to create some tasty edible gifts.

You can do this together as a team in the office kitchen or on your own at home if you’re working remotely. Before you begin, you’ll need to decide on a recipe to make. These cookies, energy balls, or no-bake Rice Krispie bars are great options. Before the session, gather all ingredients and packaging supplies. Once everything is prepped, all you have to do is follow the recipe. Finally, wrap your treats whichever way you wish for the final presents.

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Our tip: This activity is excellent for the holiday season as you can prepare gifts for other teammates or friends and family.

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#7 Share lunch (in person)

Price: 5 - 10 € pp.

Props needed: Lunch food

Best for: Casual conversations amongst team members

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If we're honest, most of us look forward to our lunch break by 11:00 a.m. at the latest. I know I do. So why not make the lunch break extra special by setting up a casual team meal?

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If you are meeting in person, organize a potluck with your teammates. Ask everyone to prepare something for a buffet, for example, salads, bread, or dips. Sit together in groups of 4 or 5 so that conversations can develop easily, and you’re ready to go.

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Alternatively, if you meet online, everyone can prepare their own lunch but still benefit from the social aspect of meeting and having a non-work-related chat.

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While technically, you can talk about any topic under the sun, our experience shows that sometimes conversations can run a bit dry. For these cases, it’s great to have some conversation starters prepared.

Ask things like: 

• Do you enjoy cooking?
• What’s your favorite meal or drink?
• Is there a traditional meal from your home country? Do you like it?
• Have you been to a fancy restaurant before? Which one?
• Coffee or tea?
• How many times a day do you eat a warm dish?

#8 Test your knowledge in a food quiz (virtual)

Price: Free

Props needed: Quiz questions

Best for: Teams that don’t actually want to prepare food

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Try out a food-themed quiz if you’re looking for a team building activity that puts food at the center but doesn’t require you to step foot in the kitchen. Guessing games are great for team building as they are easy to prepare, engaging, and fun. They also encourage better communication and team morale. 

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How it works:

• Divide your team into smaller groups
• Pick a food quiz or prepare your own questions
• Teams take turns answering the quiz questions
• The group with the most correct answers wins (duh!)

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#9 Build a graham cracker tower (in-person)

Price: 10-20 €

Props needed: Graham crackers (or similar cookies), frosting, measuring band

Best for: Testing the creativity and craftsmanship of your team (in-person)

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Finally, you can let out your inner child and go back to playing with food. This team building challenge will demand some creativity from your team to build the highest tower.

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How it works: 

• Divide the group into smaller teams
• Give one pack of crackers and frosting to each team 
• Set a timer for 30 minutes and have everyone build their tower. There are no rules except that no other tools may be used
• Gather together and measure who built the highest tower
• If you dare to, eat the final product to avoid food waste

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#10 Meet for after-work drinks (in-person or virtual)

Price: 5-20 € pp.

Props needed: Drinks; None if you go out

Best for: Simple but effective team bonding

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While it’s great to put in the effort, food team building activities don’t always have to be fancy. If you’re looking for a way to show your teammates some appreciation without a lot of hassle, it may be time for some simple after-work drinks.

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You can do this online and offline. Shop some drinks like beer and wine beforehand or go out to a bar together for those working in an office. If your team is working remotely, you can give everyone a budget to prepare their drinks. Either way, you’ll spend a relaxed evening with your co-workers and bond over a couple of tasty beverages. 

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Connecting through food-related team building ideas

If you want a successful team, you need to focus on building healthy work relationships next to operating your daily tasks. Incorporating food into your next team building event is an easy way to foster deeper connections between team members while also providing a fun experience. 

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All you have to do now is pick your favorite team building food activity, customize it to your team’s needs, and you’re ready to go. And I’ll go back to watching Anthony Bourdain cook some delicious-looking dishes.