You’re already a pro when it comes to cute, delicious, and fun food setups. Cue the charcuterie board on a budget, dessert-themed charcuterie boards, and hot chocolate bars for the winter holidays. Although summer is all about backyard BBQs, block parties, and cookouts, one of the most iconic summer staples is s’mores.

Whether camping under the stars or cooking out in your backyard, consider setting up a s’mores station. Here’s everything you need to know about setting up a s’mores bar station. That’s right folks, it’s time to get those DIY s’mores station vibes on.

How to build a s’mores station

When it comes to building a s’mores bar station, Jennifer Pallian, food scientist, professional recipe developer, and food writer at Foodess, says to lay out a s’mores-gasborg (see what she did there?) of ingredients. Here are just a few ideas of how you can build the ultimate s’mores bar station. Get ready to get your DIY s’mores station set up.

1. Build a base

When creating a s’mores bar station or a DIY s’mores station, the first thing you’ll want to do is choose a variety of bases. A traditional choice would be the iconic golden graham cracker, but you can also include other tasty options.

Some other ideas include brownie brittle, buttery golden round crackers, cinnamon-dusted graham crackers, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate graham crackers, crunchy flat pretzels, and fudge-drizzled vanilla cookies. Who doesn’t enjoy a salty-sweet combination? Yum!

Need some more ideas? Look up Lenny & Larry’s complete cookies (protein included) or Mary’s Gone Crackers, which makes both cookies and crackers. If you really want to get your DIY on, bake up a batch of homemade cookies with Raised Gluten Free. These gluten-free cookie mixes bake up natural decadence that puts flavor first.

2. Choose your chocolate

Once you build a base for your s’mores station, the next step for that s’mores bar station is choosing some chocolate bar options. A classic chocolate choice would be a good old-fashioned Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. 

Some other options that are just as delicious include chocolate-covered caramels, coconut chocolate bars (Almond Joy bars), dark chocolate, peanut butter cups (Justin’s or Reese’s), peanut-filled chocolate bars (Mr. Good Bars), peppermint patties (Andes Mints or York Peppermint Patties), strawberry-infused chocolate, toffee bars, white chocolate, and white chocolate with mini chocolate chips.

Tip: Brands like Ghirardelli make the perfect individual-sized squares for a s’mores bar station, but look for other brands as well. One of my favorites is Endangered Species chocolate, which offers a variety of fun flavor combinations including almond sea salt, caramel, espresso, mint, and raspberries.

3. Select a spread

Next up for that DIY s’mores station — a savory or sweet spread. Think of some fun and tasty s’more station options like caramel drizzle, peanut butter, and Nutella. You can also include a big bowl of homemade dip or fluff if you have a good recipe to whip up.

4. Mash in some marshmallows

A s’mores bar or s’mores bar station wouldn’t be complete without a mash-up of many mounds of marshmallows. (Try saying that five times fast.) Grab some clear glass jars and fill them to the brim with fun flavors.

Besides the traditional fluffy white marshmallows, include brands that offer epic flavor combinations. One brand, in particular, is XO Marshmallow, which offers a modern take on these fluffy nostalgic treats. 

Besides flavored marshmallows, XO Marshmallow also offers OMG Fluff and s’mores kits. You can also shop for a tabletop fire pit and or a bonfire. Literally, a DIY s’mores station has never been so simple.

5. Fill with fruit

Bananas, cherries, figs, and grapes. (Oh my!) When making a s’mores station for summertime or any time of the year really, include some fresh fruit. Some delicious and tasty options include a batch of fresh berries like blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries and some sliced fruit like apples, peaches, pears, and watermelon. You can also try some premium dried fruit like these from Mariani’s. Oh, you so fancy.

6. Add in creative ingredients

You may not think to include any other ingredients in your s’mores station besides the basics and classics, but consider adding in some elements of creativity like coconut flakes and crispy bacon pieces. 

Spice it up with a pinch of sweet cinnamon or crunchy sea salt flakes. If guests prefer s’mores that pack a punch of heat, include a small dish of chili powder. Chili powder + cinnamon = Mexican hot chocolate. (How creative!)

Another fun addition is essential oils made for baking, cooking, and food like LorAnn Oils. Light up that s’mores station with bold, bright flavors.

7. Select a skewer

Whether you’re holding an outdoor backyard bonfire or an indoor campfire in the fireplace or with a tabletop firepit, you’ll need some color-coded skewers or long-handed marshmallow roasting sticks to toast up those marshmallows. Basic bamboo skewer sticks will work just fine, but if you want to keep it easy for guests, stick with something simple like color-coded options.

Pallian also says for safety, consider ones that are long enough to keep guests away from the heat source. If kids are involved, adult supervision is a must. You may even want to keep a fire extinguisher or water source nearby just in case. “It is better to be safe, especially when open flames are involved,” notes Pallian.

8. Set up and signs

The final step in creating your very own s’mores station is the setup and signs. Put all of your s’mores bar station ingredients and supplies in cute clear glass jars or rustic berry baskets, which are perfect for base options and chocolate bars to showcase them nicely.

You may also want to print out recipe cards and frame them for guests to try out different flavors and recipe combinations. Graham crackers + peanut butter cups + roasted marshmallows + crispy bacon + banana slices = The Elvis. How fun!

Bonus: beverages

A tasty s’mores bar station may get guests pretty thirsty with all of those fun flavors and taste testing, so be sure to include some beverage options like coffee, collagen-infused tea (SkinTe, anyone?), more mindful soda options like Pop Culture, water, or wine. 

A fun brand I like is Juliet Wine. It’s a boxed wine that’s reinvented for luxury. How chic and cute is that packaging?

The bottom line on creating a s’mores station

Whether it’s a backyard bonfire, an indoor campfire in your very own living room, or the holidays, creating a s’mores bar station is way easier than you think. Use these easy eight tips the next time you want to do something creative and fun for guests to enjoy and get your DIY s’mores station on.