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Updated Mar 06, 202525 Romantic and Fun At-Home Date Night Ideas for Couples
There's no need to leave the house for a shot of romance.
Photo: Ground Picture | Shutterstock
Whether you're newly cohabitating, engaged or years married, keeping things fresh with regular date nights is an important part of any relationship. But, sometimes, you just can't get out of the house. The good news? You can get the same dopamine boost with fun at-home date night ideas. "It really shouldn't matter where you have your dates, as long as it's intentional time together," says Yue Xu, cohost with Julie Krafchick of the hit podcast Dateable (their book How to Be Dateable released in January). "At-home dates can actually push couples to be more creative in how they connect. It's easy to book a reservation for a restaurant, but it takes a lot more work to plan out an agenda at home!"
We spoke with Xu and Krafchick, plus relationship coach Sophie Orozco and Blaine Anderson, a dating coach for men, to compile a list of at-home date ideas for you to keep on hand. Dig into the list below for at-home date ideas, plus tips and tricks to make them special.
1. Cook Dinner
It's the most obvious date idea at home, but don't think of this like your basic weekday meal—make it an event. Try DIY pizzas, homemade sushi or an Italian candlelit dinner with from-scratch pasta. "[Many couples] have busy schedules and don't always eat together during the week, so dinner on Friday or Saturday night feels like a special treat," Anderson says. "Even for couples who enjoy relaxed dinners together at home more often, you can create special experiences out of at-home dates by doing something out of the ordinary, like cooking together. The act of producing something has a bonding effect."
2. Have a Cook-Off (or Bake-Off)
While some couples' love language is creating something together, for others, it's about competition. If you and your partner fall into the latter category, "have a cookoff challenge," Krafchick suggests. "Both of you can prepare a couple of different apps or sides and have them go along with an entree you do together." Alternatively, see who can bake the best cupcake, or pick random ingredients and turn it into a Chopped-style challenge.
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3. Order in—But Get off the Couch
Okay, so you don't enjoy cooking. Dinner date night can also mean ordering in—but make it special. "Dedicate a space in your home for the date," Xu says. "Your environment dictates how you feel and if you're both in the same, familiar environment, it will inevitably feel 'the same.' However, if you're able to dedicate a specific area or transform an area just for your date, you'll naturally feel differently." One suggestion? "Move a little bistro table into the bedroom or guest bedroom, and voila," she says, "now you have an intimate dinner for two."
4. Question & Answer Game
Fear not: Not all fun date night ideas at home are centered around eating (though we admit many are). This date idea gets your brain working and can be a significant way to dive deeper into each other's emotions. You can find relationship question cards online (Table Topics' Couples box is a great one), or simply write your own and throw them into a hat, then take turns pulling. The trick here? Commit. "Fully block the time out," Anderson says. "Put away computers and phones, and commit to being present with each other for the duration of your date. If you're checking your texts out of the corner of your eye, it doesn't feel nearly as special."
5. Movie Night
A number of experts suggested fun ways to make movie night unique. "Watch a movie you have been wanting to watch for a long time," Orozco says. "You can make it fun by getting snacks and cuddling up and spending that quality time together." (For this type of Netflix-and-chill date, we recommend matching sweatsuits). Krafchick loves a themed movie night. "Have a Channing Tatum movie marathon—or insert your favorite actor—and watch back-to-back movies with that theme," she says. One final spin? Make it a game. Watch a romance and pick a word—love, soulmate, heart; every time that word is said, you have to kiss or take a sip.
6. Couples Yoga
Movement and meditation are superb ways to spark magic. More adventurous couples can try tantric yoga (think partner poses and deep breathwork), but any form of yogic movement together—and breaking a little sweat—is sexy and bonding.
7. Game Night
Bust out the board games, cards or darts. "Playing a game together introduces light competition that can be sexy," Anderson says. Stack up a few of your favorites, or learn something new, like teaching yourselves to play gin rummy or hearts.
8. Video Game Challenge
In general, the experts agree it's best to put screens away for date night—but if you're gamers, we'll make an exception. A video game date can be fun, adrenaline-fueled and competitive. Get moving with active games like Just Dance or Wii Sports, or fill up giant buckets of popcorn for a Mario Kart marathon.
9. Vision Boarding
What do the next few years look like for your relationship? What goals do you want to accomplish individually or together, and how can you help each other reach them? You can explore all these questions in an art-class-like setting, clipping images and words from magazines and grouping them onto poster boards. The activity fosters important conversations that are crucial to the health of your relationship—but addresses them in a low-pressure setting. Another idea? Create a bucket list for your relationship.
10. Sing Karaoke
Some date night ideas at home are about recreating your favorite outside experiences, like bringing the karaoke bar home. "Karaoke videos are easy to find on YouTube, and you can even create a playlist ahead of time," Xu says. "Karaoke brings out the nostalgic side in us, and you might even feel like you're dating each other all over again."
11. Date Night in a Box
It can be a lot to plan fun at-home date ideas, so this idea leaves the thinking up to someone else. "Do a 'date night' box that you can get delivered to your home," Krafchick suggests. "There are tons of companies that curate experiences such as games, crafts or other activities, along with giving you playlists and snacks to make for the date." Check out Date Night in a Box, Pott'd, and even Etsy. Pro tip: Order a few and keep them somewhere handy for those inevitable nights the babysitter cancels.
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12. Have a Fancy Cocktail Party
Giving your date a theme or dressing up for it will always make the occasion more special. "For example, wear cocktail attire and make Paper Planes together in your kitchen," Anderson suggests—and she's talking about the cocktail (or mocktail), not the craft. "Anything you do differently will add to the contrast of your date versus just another night together at home. Plus, it can be fun to get lightly tipsy together."
13. Curate a Wine Tasting
If you're more of a delivery than from scratch type of couple, you can create a similar experience to the above by hosting an at-home wine tasting. "Pop open three well-researched half-bottles of different red varieties and see if you can tell the difference," Anderson suggests. You can pull out wines you've been saving for a special occasion or order a shipment from a winery and request a virtual tasting. At-home kits (from companies like Vine Box) are another alternative (and sometimes come with a theme, like chocolate pairings!).
14. Build Something
Building is a bonding experience, Anderson says. There are countless things to do together in this category, from building a miniature Lego set to assembling a piece of unboxed furniture you've been waiting to put together. Plus, helping each other navigate instructions can be a true test of love and trust.
15. Do a Puzzle
On a smaller scale than the above—and one of our super cheap date night ideas at home—putting a puzzle together can bring you closer (and challenge you mentally). But even with a date this seemingly minor, you can make it valuable. "Make sure you declare it a date," Orozco says. "Flirt, have fun, make it special and give each other your full attention, just like you hopefully would if you were out somewhere. The main aim here is to set aside time to intentionally focus on each other and the bond you both have."
16. Have a Picnic
Many dates, in or out of the house, revolve around food. But when it comes to dinner date ideas at home, there are countless ways to mix it up and make it unique. "Have a picnic [inside]," Xu says. "It'll feel silly and fun to eat on the floor." Don't forget the blanket, basket and wine opener!
17. Coupon Crafting
The best at-home date night ideas are about showing each other you care—that's what any date should be about, really. Try making "coupon" cards together for your relationship. These can be little acts of service—taking over your partner's most dreaded chore for a day—or grander gestures, and they can be cashed out in the weeks and months that follow.
18. Stage a Photo Shoot
Maybe you never took engagement photos or you only have selfies together. For a date, plan and orchestrate your own photo shoot—you can bring in a professional photographer, pull out the Polaroid camera or just use your phone timer. Dress up and take fancy photos or strip down for steamy ones. For married couples, an extra dare: Pull your wedding dress and tux out of storage and recreate your big-day poses.
19. Make an Album
Alternatively, some date ideas at home are more about going down memory lane than creating new ones. Go through your camera roll and pick your favorite photos from over the months or years you've been together—while reminiscing about your favorite moments—then use the Walgreens app to send them for one-hour printing. Compile the photos in an album together, or get crafty with a scrapbook.
20. Have a Spa Day
Cozy up in pajamas or fluffy robes for a spa day. For romantic date night ideas, don't be afraid to be cheesy: Fill the bathtub with bubbles and rose petals and follow it up with massages. Or simply choose your favorite drugstore masks or try a new skincare routine together. You can also bring the spa to you: Apps like Soothe allow you to book masseuses and other providers for in-home sessions.
21. Have a Fashion Show
If styling is your strong suit—and maybe more so if it isn't—help each other out. Pick outfits and accessories from each other's closets and have a fashion show to a playlist of your choosing (feel free to add lighting and special effects).
22. Plant an Herb Garden
If you're looking for date night at-home ideas that make memories long after the fact, create something that lasts or—better yet—keeps growing. Stock up on a variety of herb seeds (parsley, cilantro, basil and more) and plant a miniature indoor garden that you can pluck for future recipes. Over the coming weeks, watch your love—and garden—grow.
23. Book a Psychic
Whether you follow your star signs or not, tapping into a little woo-woo can be a fun and insightful date night idea. Book an in-home or virtual medium session to predict your future, call upon ancestors or attempt to read your mind. In the best-case scenario, you learn something new about your partner; in the worst, you enjoy a good laugh.
24. Paint Each Other
We often turn to social media for cute at-home date ideas, and one viral idea is a must-try: Couples sit across from each other and paint their partner, then reveal their masterpieces to each other—usually to massive belly laughs. You don't have to be an artist here; in fact, the less artsy you are, the sillier this paint date can get.
25. Plan Your Next Big Adventure
Sometimes, you have no choice but to stay home—if the babysitter cancels or if bad weather calls for an indoor date—but if you aren't typically homebodies, use the time to plan your next outing, be it a fancy dinner or exotic trip. Scour dining platforms to see who can score the toughest reservation, vision board your next vacation, research plane tickets or hit up Viator to book adventures in your dream location. Using date night to plan the next adventure has its perks: It prevents the planning load from being on just one person and gets you excited about the future.
