Growing up in Morocco, my family hosted a Moroccan tea party every weekend. Our friends and family gathered at my grandfather’s riad for a whole afternoon, drinking mint tea and connecting for hours.

The herb-flavored Moroccan mint tea, the delicate coconut and almond pastries, and the bohemian Moroccan decor with its fluffy rugs and comfortable poufs probably encouraged the warm and intimate ambiance of the tea party.

Years later, thousands of miles from Morocco, I’m trying to keep the tradition, always finding a good excuse to throw a Moroccan tea party.

If you want to try it—which I highly encourage you to do—here are all the steps to hosting a successful Moroccan tea party at home.

Moroccan Tea Party Food & Drinks

Moroccan mint tea and pastries are a Moroccan tea party’s main foods and drinks. Moroccan Mint tea is made with Chinese gunpowder tea, fresh mint leaves, and aromatics like rose petals, orange blossom water, and verbena. It’s a delicious and fragrant hot drink made in a ceremonial engraved teapot and served in a matching tray. 

You can also serve Morocco’s cherished spiced coffee at a Moroccan tea party. Moroccan spice coffee is flavored with earthy spices, creating an incredibly fragrant and warm drink. 

The spices used help with digestion and also help regulate your stress levels, which can come in handy if a cup of coffee gives you the jitters. Here’s my family’s spicy Moroccan coffee recipe. 

I serve traditional and international pastries at my Moroccan tea parties. You can serve whatever pastries you like at your tea party: cookies, croissants, fruit tarts—it’s up to you. You can also impress your guests by serving one or two Moroccan pastries. They are designed to complement the flavors of Moroccan mint tea.

While some Moroccan pastries can be pretty complex and technical, a few are accessible to beginners and very easy to make. I will share a few below.

I highly encourage you to make at least one traditional Moroccan pastry for your party. It will surprise your guests and introduce them to new delicious flavors and fragrances. If you store them in an airtight container, they will keep up well for up to a few weeks in the fridge. So you can enjoy them with your tea or coffee for the next few days.

One of my favorite quick and easy-to-make Moroccan pastries is the Moroccan honey cookie. 

The making process takes less than 20 minutes and it cooks pretty fast in the oven. It’s a soft, honey-flavored cookie that marries divinely with the flavors of tea and coffee. You can find this delicious Moroccan cookie recipe in my Moroccan cookbook pdf.

Another recipe you can try is these healthy oil biscuits. They are made using olive oil instead of vegetable oil and honey instead of sugar. They also keep well in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

They are fluffy and highly lightweight. With a drizzle of honey and butter, they taste like being on vacation in Morocco. Here’s my family’s baghrir recipe. 

Decoration

The main utensils used in a traditional Moroccan tea party are the teapot, tea tray, and tea glasses. 

A traditional Moroccan teapot is designed to keep the tea hot longer than a classic teapot. It is also designed to be in close contact with a heat source, which is primordial in Moroccan mint tea making, as the tea leaves and aromatics need to boil actively for at least a few minutes.

The tea glasses used for serving mint tea are typically small. They come in different colors and designs, making them versatile and suitable for creating any ambiance.

To give your Moroccan party a Moroccan touch, you can incorporate a few Moroccan decor items that are pillars for Moroccan decor. They can be either bold in colors or neutral, making them a great addition to your decor.

Moroccan tray tables are great for serving tea or pastries. They also make beautiful, eclectic coffee tables on your couch or armchair. They come in different sizes and wood colors and can be used everywhere in your home, indoors and outdoors. This Moroccan table is handmade in Morocco and customizable. 

Music

Here’s my favorite Moroccan party playlist. It’s a two-hour playlist with the best Moroccan and Arabian songs to set an intimate and cheerful ambiance. I created this list a couple of years ago and always get back to it, as it contains the most loved Arabic songs played during Moroccan parties. 

That’s it! That was everything you needed to know to host a successful Morocco-inspired tea party. I hope you will enjoy the whole process—cooking, decorating, setting the ambiance—and, most importantly, have the most fun connecting with your guests!