There are a ton of ways to enjoy an at home date night. Get creative and opt for something different besides dinner on the couch in pajamas. Here’s a list of simple and easy ideas to get out of your normal habits.
I’ve broken down my favorite at home date night ideas into three categories: indoor ideas, outdoor ideas, and cooking-inspired ideas.
Don’t forget to share your at home date night ideas in the comments below! I’d love to see what you’re doing to make things fun.
INDOOR AT HOME DATE NIGHT IDEAS
Wine Tasting
Or any kind of tasting– wine, chocolate, cheese, cookies … whatever you can manage to get your hands on! Set up a dedicated space, and instead of just mindlessly going through it all, go through each item slowly to really taste what’s in your glass (or on your plate).
Staycation Breakfast in Bed
I actually saw Jacey Duprie do this; I love the idea of a staycation/breakfast in bed that reminds you of your favorite vacation or a hotel you love. Clean up your bedroom so there’s no clutter (just like a pristine hotel room), set out a robe and slippers, and order “room service.” AKA, breakfast in bed. Obviously one person has to act as the waiter, but once the food arrives, you can both enjoy a nice breakfast in bed.
At-Home Fine Dining
Now is as good of a time as ever to break out your fancy china. Consider an at-home date night where you order from your favorite fancy restaurant (provided they’re open right now), then plate everything on your nice plates. Don’t stop there, though – get dressed up as if you were actually going out, and don’t forget the background music!
Learn a New Skill Together
I recently signed up for Masterclass, and there are so many categories and topics that couples could watch together. Instead of binging on another Netflix show (see my favorites to watch in this post), learn the art of negotiating, creative writing, business strategy, and more.
Each class is broken up into sections with short, digestible videos totaling around the same length as a movie. Watch each class at once, or break the videos up into different nights.
Paint Night
Grab a canvas, some paint, and channel your inner artist! Pull up a photo you took on vacation, find a random one on the internet, or just paint whatever you want. If you’re more of a *directions* person, try a paint-by-numbers kit. Either way, this is a fun at-home date night idea to let your creativity flow.
TAKE IT OUTSIDE
S’mores and fake camping
Go camping in your backyard. Bring lots of blankets, sleeping bags, and of course all of the ingredients for perfect homemade s’mores. There’s something so nostalgic and comforting about a roasted marshmallow and melted chocolate squished between two graham crackers.
PRO TIP: If sleeping outside isn’t really your thing or the weather isn’t great, you can set up in your living room, too. Add some twinkle lights for an extra special starry effect.
Outdoor yard games
If you’re trying to find a daytime or evening date idea, try one or some of these timeless games for some friendly competition:
- Bocce Ball (our long, skinny yard is perfect for Bocce!)
- Badminton
- Paddle Ball
- Lawn Bowling
- Corn Hole
- Horseshoes
- Croquet
Make it a picnic
An outdoor picnic would go perfectly with yard games. If you don’t have a picnic basket, that’s okay. Find any kind of bag, even a reusable grocery bag, and fill it up! Here are some of my picnic essentials:
- Utensils
- Plastic cups and plates
- Champagne or sparkling wine
- Cheese
- Grapes or another kind of each finger fruit (like berries)
- A baguette or crackers
- Sandwiches
COOKING-INSPIRED
Try a virtual cooking class
There are a ton of chefs out there offering virtual cooking classes whether it’s live over Zoom or Instagram, or on IGTV. Lots of these recipes utilize pantry staples, with easy substitutions for meats, vegetables, and grains since grocery stores might not have exactly what you want right now.
My friend and personal chef Natasha (@noshwithtash) is hosting weekly Zoom cooking classes called Apocalypse Kitchen where you sign up prior to the class and send in ingredients you have in your pantry. She’ll go through everyone’s list and find common or similar ingredients and tailor a recipe to the group participating.
Matt and I have also tuned in to a couple of Chef Michael Symon’s “Symon Dinner” live segments (which he is also saving as IGTV videos if you can’t catch it in real-time.) Each recipe he makes serves as a blueprint recipe, and you can swap in whatever ingredients you have on hand.
I know I already mentioned Masterclass above, but there’s a whole culinary arts category featuring lessons from Wolfgang Puck, Gordan Ramsey, Thomas Keller, and more. (There’s also a mixology course!)
Make your own pasta
Making your own pasta is a lot easier than you may think and only requires eggs, flour, and a bit of olive oil. If you don’t have a pasta cutter it’s no biggie; just roll out the dough as flat as you can, and hand cut the noodles for a more “rustic” approach.
You can also make your own homemade pasta sauce. Rotate between tomato, pesto, and brown butter sauces so you don’t get bored! All equally easy to make and don’t require tons of ingredients.
Takeaway kits
A lot of restaurants in Los Angeles are getting creative with their takeout menus. One of our favorite local pizza spots offers two different make your own pizza kits, while other restaurants are selling their fresh pastas, sauces, and more. This is a fun at-home date night idea where you can enjoy something from a local restaurant you love, but enjoy the time together cooking it.
