Best Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas

A collage of our best Valentine's dinner ideas.

We made a list of all our the best Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas to make your night special. Everything is broken up by course – appetizers, mains, sides, and finally our favorite Valentine’s Day desserts. We guarantee you will find something you love!

Valentine’s Day Appetizers

Start your Valentine’s Day dinner off on the right foot with some delicious appetizers. We picked out these Valentine’s Day appetizers because we felt like they would be easy to cut the recipe and make them for two, and because they are super delicious and a great start to your dinner.

Honey Brûlée Brie – We love this one because everyone raves about it. How can you not like it? You can serve it with crackers, breads, or veggies.

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings – These may look like a lot of effort but they actually are not! You can make them way in advance and freeze them, so all you have to do is steam them up before serving. These make a delicious Valentine’s Day appetizer!

Honey brûlée brie with crackers, meat, and cheese knife, a Valentine's day appetizer.

Pork and shrimp dumplings with chopsticks.

Fritto Misto – Our Fritto Misto is super light, airy and crispy! You can serve these with a simple marinara sauce, a yummy garlic aioli, or store bought cocktail sauce. This will go really well with any of our Valentine’s Day dinner ideas.

Smoked Trout on Toast – This smoked trout is seriously delicious. The flavors are so good, and one of my favorite things to do is to use the leftovers on top of a bed of greens for a yummy lunch.

Fritto misto with a side of garlic lemon aioli and beer.

Smoked Trout on crostini on a plate, a perfect Valentine's Day appetizer.

Roasted Oysters – We all know roasted oysters are an aphrodisiac, so it had to be included in our Valentine’s Day appetizers list. Also just the fact that oysters are so good.

Crab Cakes – Crab cakes are such a great appetizer for when you want to feel a little fancy. We cut most ‘fillers’ in this recipe, making them mostly crab, the way a good crab cake should be! It’s super easy to cut this recipe down if you only want to make enough for two people. These crab cakes will pair perfect with any of our Valentine’s Dinner ideas.

A close up of roasted oysters with a variety of garnish, a Valentine's day appetizer.

A freshly made crab cake recipe on a plate with a fork.

Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas

We curated this list with a couple objectives in mind. Easy, impressive and delicious. Some of the Valentine’s day dinner ideas are easier than others, but trust us to know that all of these recipes are winners!

Shrimp Scampi – This classic dish is not only easy to make, but so satisfying! Toss it with some pasta for a meal anyone will love!

Chicken and Tarragon Poached Yolk Ravioli – This ravioli dish will surely impress anyone with the fun soft yolk surprise in the center. It’s also super delicious and can be prepped ahead of time!

Shrimp scampi recipe on a plate with bread and lemon wedges.

Chicken and tarragon poached yolk stuffed ravioli in a bowl with a fork.

Braised Lamb Shanks – These make such an impressive presentation. We love this recipe because it takes awhile to braise. So you can start this recipe ahead of time, have a little appetizer and before you know it they are ready!

White Wine Steamed Mussels – This recipe could also be an appetizer, but I added it into these dinner ideas because I think it makes a delicious light dinner, and if you’re going crazy with appetizers or sides this is perfect!

Braised lamb shanks over mashed potatoes, a romatic Valentine's dinner idea.

A bowl of white wine steamed mussels on a plate with bread, forks, and drinks.

Coq Au Vin – This classic chicken recipe is super flavorful. The chicken is braised in a red wine mixture that infuses it with tons of flavor. You can serve this with the very Best Mashed Potatoes or our Parsnip and Cauliflower Mash.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce – Our Best Homemade Vodka Sauce is one of my favorite recipes on the blog. It’s so easy to make, and the flavor is on point. You can add some shredded chicken, or sautéed shrimp to add some protein! This is a great versatile recipe that will go with any of our Valentine’s Day appetizers!

A close up of a Valentine's day dinner idea: bowl of coq au vin with bread, a fork, and a knife.

Vodka sauce pasta in a bowl, a Valentine's Day dinner idea.

Pork Ragu – Our Pork Ragu is extremely flavorful and makes exceptional leftovers. We serve our ragu over a bed of pappardelle, but you can choose any pasta you like, or even polenta! A favorite for Valentine’s Day dinner ideas.

Garlic Butter Lamb Chops – This perfect Valentine’s Day dinner idea is easy to cut down if you don’t want to make the whole recipe. You can serve this with a simple vegetable side or salad. Yum. These will go great with some of our seafood Valentine’s Day appetizers.

Garlic Butter Lamb Chops on a platter with a stack of plated next to it, a Valentine's dinner idea.

Brown Butter Fettuccine Alfredo – If you’re looking for super indulgent pasta recipe to serve this Valentines Day look no further than this Brown Butter Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. The brown butter gives this classic pasta dish much nuttier and rich flavor.

Seared Ribeye over Mashed Potatoes – Seared Ribeye is a perfect recipe to share! Especially if you are loading up on some apps and zerts. This is such a classic Valentine’s Day dinner idea!

A close up of browned butter fettuccine alfredo with a fork.

Seared ribeye over brown butter mashed potatoes with a roasting fork.

Romesco Sauce Rigatoni – This is another yummy pasta recipe. Romesco is made with red peppers so it has incredible flavor, and we topped this dish with buttery crunchy breadcrumbs to finish it off. Yes please, a tasty Valentine’s dinner idea.

Pistachio Crusted Pork – We took pork chops and crusted them in a crushed pistachios. We served these with a delicious whole grain mustard sauce. Ideally you pair these chops with mashed potatoes, my favorite side. This will go great with some of our brie Valentine’s Day appetizer.

Romesco sauce rigatoni topped with breadcrumbs on a platter with a spoon, a Valentine's Day dinner idea.

A close up of sliced pistachio crusted pork chop with mashed potatoes, a fork and knife, a Valentine's Day dinner idea.

Side Dishes to Complete your Romantic Dinner

After you have chosen your recipes, sometimes you forget about your sides. Here are some great options that are really versatile.

Wedge Salad – A classic salad you can find at most steak houses, but ours is covered in an everything seasoning to ramp up the flavor a bit.

Cheesy Potato Casserole – If you are making a protein heavy main this is the side dish for you. It’s super cheesy and has a layer of crunch on the top.

An everything bagel seasoning wedge salad in a bowl.

Cheesy potatoes with caramelized onions in a pan with servings and a spoon.

Creamed Corn – I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a super hit. Like maybe even the best creamed corn I have ever had in my life.

Roasted Radishes – This very pink and perfect for Valentine’s Day recipe is great to get some vegetables into your dinner!

Creamed corn in a bowl with a spoon in it on a table.

A close up of a bowl of roasted radishes.

Creamy Green Goddess Dressing Salad – This salad has a classic tasty green goddess dressing. If you want to make it extra fancy, get some edible flowers and sprinkle on top. Usually you can find these at the grocery store next to the fresh herbs.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes – These yummy twice baked sweet potatoes are a beautiful side dish to so many recipes. And they are beautiful! This is a great recipe to cut down if you need to.

A summer salad with green goddess dressing and spoons.

Twice baked sweet potatoes prepared and put on a platter.

Mini Hasselback Potatoes – These cheesy mini hasselback potatoes are a perfect Valentines Day side dish recipe. They look very fancy, but are really easy to make!

Lobster Bisque – Another classic delicious recipe that would also make a perfect appetizer, but would would go well with so many of the main Valentines Day dinner ideas we have laid out.

Cheesy Hasselback potatoes on a platter with a spoon.

A close up of bowls of lobster bisque garnished with pieces of lobster meat and tarragon.

Valentine’s Day Desserts

Let’s make sure you finish off this meal with a perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert!

Valentine’s Cookies – These adorable cookies are not only super sweet to look at, but delicious too. The soft vanilla cookies are dipped in an addictive strawberry glaze that no one can resist!

Apple Crisp – These individual apple crisps are the perfect finish to a delicious meal in. They’re warm, comforting and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes them perfection!

Valentines day cookie recipe that are heart shaped with pink icing.

Sticky Toffee Pudding – Delicious cake with a date sauce poured on top and baked which makes it sticky! Serve with whipped cream and more date sauce. This is an exceptional recipe!

Strawberry Tart – This super easy Valentine’s Day dessert recipe is perfect if you are short on time. The puff pastry is store bought and the rest of the ingredients are so simple.

Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce being poured on top.

Strawberry Tart with pistachios on a parchment sheet.

Banana Pudding – A classic recipe that would be so easy to cut in half if you’re making just for two. You can even make the layered banana pudding parfaits ahead of time and take them out of the refrigerator when it’s time!

Deviled Hearts – This is a very simply dessert recipe. Another great recipe option if you’re short on time. Plus, half strawberries look like little hearts!

Three cups of banana pudding and one with a spoon in it.

Blueberry Cheesecake Creme Brûlée Bars – These bars have all the right things. Creamy cheesecake with a sugared top, and a delicious crust. Basically everything you would want for Valentines day!

Strawberry Tiramisu – Our riff on classic tiramisu, we use fresh strawberries to lighten this Valentines Day dessert recipe up just a little.

A sliced strawberry tiramisu with a piece on a small plate.

Real Strawberry and Sparkling Rosé Gummy Hearts – Our cute gummy hearts are not as substantial as other desserts we have listed, but we wanted to include them because they are delicious, and in case your honey isn’t a sweets person this might be perfect!

Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta – This Valentine’s Day dessert is super creamy and the crème fraîche in this recipe lightens up the flavor and adds touch of sour which balances out the sweetness.

Strawberry gummies close up on a surface.

Four ramekins of creme fraiche panna cotta on a peach surface.

Pink and White Valentines Day Cookies – These are based off the classic black and white cookies. Instead of the chocolate frosting we made a frosting out of real strawberries, resulting in cute and delicious Valentine’s Day Cookies!

Roasted Strawberries over Honey Whipped Ricotta – This is a super easy and super tasty recipe. It’s kind of like a dessert dup, where you use thin chocolate wafers as “chips” to dip in the delicious whipped ricotta.

Valentines Day Cookies recipes, pink and white cookies!

Honey whipped ricotta in a bowl topped with roastes strawberries and pistachios.

More Delicious Round Ups You Will Love

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