Chardonnay Food Pairing Ideas: 50 Delicious Combinations

You’ve been enjoying Chardonnay for years, with and without food. You know that you’re going to be pretty happy with any meal if you have a glass of your favorite white wine in hand. However, a great Chardonnay food pairing is a thing of beauty, and it can take your meal experience from “pretty happy” to “telling all your friends to come try this combination immediately."

So, we have a list of what to eat with Chardonnay that will have you calling up all of your friends for an impromptu party. Grab an extra bottle, give your pals a heads up (or don’t – we love a quiet evening at home around here), and start trying some of these delicious ideas.

Whether you’re looking for Chardonnay cheese pairings, easy appetizers for Chardonnay, elegant dinner ideas, or even dessert pairings (yes, they exist!), we have 50 fantastic suggestions that you’ll want to share.

Appetizers are fantastic with Chardonnay. Your options are almost limitless!

Try these easy ideas:

• Crab cakes
• Grilled shrimp skewers
• Smoked salmon crostini
• Seared scallops
• Broiled garlic clams
• Cheese straws
• Blue cheese-stuffed olives
• Mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts

Also go for dishes that have small bites of rich seafood, like crab salad. Sweet-and-savory snacks like these Mini Apricot Brie Bites are another a fantastic option (and they’re so easy to make).

One more thing: Find out if your favorite Chardonnay is oaked or unoaked. Unoaked Chardonnay is lighter and crisper. Oaked Chardonnay, because it was aged in barrels, is richer, toasty, creamy, or buttery.

Why does this matter? Oaked Chardonnay will pair better with slightly richer foods. For unoaked Chardonnay, consider something lighter, like grilled sea bass or poached scallops in a lemon-herb sauce. 

If you have an unoaked Chardonnay with appetizers, it will pair better with lighter seafood options. Also try it with goat cheese!

Cheese and wine is one of those combinations that is simply magical.

Whether you’re looking for an elegant cheese plate for a party, or a simple snack for a quiet evening, these are the Chardonnay cheese pairings you’ll want to tell everyone about:

• Cheddar
• Jarlsberg
• Camembert
• Gruyère
• Havarti
• Brie
• Fontina D’Aosta

It’s time for the main event.

These simple ideas for what to eat with Chardonnay area easy enough for a weeknight meal but are also sophisticated enough for an event with family and friends.

Try one of these delicious Chardonnay food pairing recipes:

• Roast chicken
• Chicken pot pie
• Chicken in mustard sauce
• Chicken in a white wine butter sauce
• Pecan chicken salad
• Roast turkey
• Lemon roasted pork
• Pork loin with apricot glaze
• Poached salmon
• Grilled trout
• White fish in a butter sauce
• Shrimp scampi
• Pasta with white wine cream sauce
• Crab cakes
• Grilled shrimp or other shellfish
• Seafood chowder
• Creamy vegetable soups
• Butternut squash ravioli
• Roasted vegetables like asparagus or zucchini

In general, pair Chardonnay with foods that are light and a little rich. Think white meat in a seafood or buttery sauce.

Pairing with unoaked Chardonnay? Try the fish and shellfish options, or even choose a spring salad with chicken or shrimp and fruit.

Your afternoon snack break is about to get a serious upgrade. Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of these delicious options (Do you love sweet or salty snacks? You’ll find both here!).

Try one of these snacks with Chardonnay:

• Teddy Grahams
• Pecan Sandies
• Caramel corn
• Popcorn
• Mac 'n' cheese
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Kettle-cooked potato chips

Chardonnay with dessert? Why not?

Conventional wisdom is that dry wines like Chardonnay should not be paired with dessert. However, many people enjoy the way toast, vanilla, and even crème brûlée flavors in Chardonnay pair with desserts like, well, crème brûlée.

Try one of these Chardonnay dessert pairings:

• Crème brûlée
• Vanilla pudding
• Chardonnay Chantilly Cream Dessert
• Pumpkin pie
• Apricot tart
• Plain or lemon cheesecake
• Vanilla shortbread
• Oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies

Have you tried any of these Chardonnay food pairings? Or do you have your own go-to combinations to suggest? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!