Easy and no cooking required! A collection of menu ideas to liven up your school festival food stall
A charming sweets café that makes people want to stop by at your school festival stall.
It may seem like a lot of work to prepare, but there are actually plenty of easy, no-cook menu items! Here, we’ve gathered popular, fun café options like waffles, cakes, and smoothies.
By using frozen foods and ingredients that can be served right away, you can operate safely with minimal prep.
These ideas are perfect for a mock café that your whole class can enjoy making—and that your customers will love too!
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No-cook snacks and light bites (11–20)
nerikiri (a type of Japanese wagashi sweets made from white bean paste and glutinous rice flour)
Do you know nerikiri? Nerikiri is a palm-sized Japanese confection made with white bean paste as its base, known for its colorful appearance.
Because of that, people who haven’t tried it may find it quite enticing.
Normally, preparing it requires cooking, but alternatives include finishing it by heating in a microwave or sourcing ready-made frozen pieces to thaw and serve.
It can be served on its own, and it also pairs nicely with tea.
Mackerel Canned Tomato Curry
Here’s an idea for a mackerel-tomato curry you can make entirely in the microwave.
The ingredients are canned mackerel, canned tomatoes, finely chopped onion, butter, garlic paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and curry powder.
Just put everything in a bowl, mix it together, and heat it in the microwave—that’s it! We usually think of curry as something you simmer in a pot, but this is a groundbreaking idea.
Even if you have no cooking experience, as long as you don’t mix up the types or amounts of ingredients, you won’t fail—so give it a try.
Kimbap-style mixed rice
When you can’t use fire but can use electricity, why not try making a kimbap-style mixed rice that only requires a rice cooker? Just put takuan (pickled daikon), carrots, beef marinated in sauce, white sesame seeds, and rice into the pot, then press the cook button.
Once it’s done, serve it in a container and sprinkle with chopped green onions and Korean seaweed to finish.
The seasoning for the meat is soy sauce, sake, gochujang, and garlic.
The umami from the ingredients and the meat sauce provide plenty of flavor, so no additional seasoning is needed.
Mixed rice can be adapted in many ways, so feel free to come up with your own original version.
Skillet s’more
When it comes to easy, Instagrammable desserts, skillet s’mores are a top pick.
If you have a skillet and a toaster—both available at the 100-yen shop Daiso—you can make them without using an open flame, so it’s a safe way to cook.
The recipe is super simple: just line Alfort biscuits in the skillet, cover them with marshmallows, and bake.
It’s perfect for serving at school festival food booths.
You can also expand your menu by switching up the flavors of Alfort.
This dessert’s gorgeous look and delicious taste are truly addictive.
deep-fried mochi
At school festivals, people often disagree about what to offer at food stalls.
Some want things that look impressive, are unique, or are trendy—there are all kinds of ideas.
But going classic on purpose—simple is best—can be a great choice too.
Chewy mochi coated in a sweet-and-salty sauce paired with the toasty aroma of nori is a reliably delicious combination.
These days, there are also products you can serve after just letting them thaw naturally, which cuts down on prep and cooking time.
If you warm them right before serving, inventory control and hygiene will be spot on.
cup salad
Cup salads are easy to serve since you just pack salad into containers.
Prepare items like cucumber, tomato, red onion, lettuce, potato salad, ham, and corn.
Pre-cut the vegetables and have a few types of dressing ready.
If you cut the ham and cucumber into star, heart, or flower shapes, they’ll look cute and appealing.
Serve them in deep containers and add a fork so people can eat while walking, or cut the vegetables into sticks so they can be eaten by hand.
Jacket potato with butterNEW!
@marumi_kitchen [1% Motivation Baked Potatoes with Butter] I almost hesitated to call this a recipe, but it was so easy and turned out so fluffy and delicious that I had to share! With this method, you can whip it up quickly whenever you’re a little hungry—give it a try! [Ingredients] 2 potatoes (about 400 g) Butter, to taste Salt, to taste *Parsley [Instructions] 1) Wash the potatoes thoroughly. *Remove any eyes. 2) While still wet, wrap them in plastic wrap, place on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at 600W for 6 minutes. 3) When a skewer slides through easily, add butter and sprinkle salt—done. *If they’re still firm, microwave a bit longer. Marumi Spice is also great if you like. For spice restocks and variation recipes: 👉 @marumi_store_officialJaga-butter (butter-baked potato)Easy in the microwave#Marumi Spice
♬ Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – Creepy Nuts
Jaga-bata, a dish famous for using whole potatoes.
Wash the potatoes, remove any sprouts, wrap them in plastic wrap while still wet, place them on a microwave-safe plate, and heat in a 600W microwave for 6 minutes.
The heating time depends on the size of the potatoes, so insert a bamboo skewer and add more time if they’re still firm.
Once cooked through, remove the plastic wrap and cut a cross slit with a knife.
Finish with your preferred seasonings, such as butter and salt.
By changing the seasoning, it’s a dish that can delight everyone from children to adults.