If you’re wondering what to bring to your next picnic, barbecue, or outdoor gathering, we have some ideas—over 40 to be exact.
Warm-weather recipes are hard to beat—there are so many delicious ones to choose from. We have 40+ easy picnic food ideas in this roundup so you can take the guessing game out of what to bring. These recipes are great for potlucks, too!
Related: 50+ Easy BBQ Side Dishes, 30+ Easy No-Bake Desserts, and 30 Finger Foods for a Party.
Sandwiches are delicious and easy to make, but they are so many recipes that you can easily pack for a picnic, like:
The Best Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is a picnic food staple, and this recipe is truly the best you’ll ever have. It’s made with a honey citrus dressing that makes it sweet, slightly tart, and extra delicious. We love adding a variety of fruit to this dish.
Chicken Salad with Grapes
This easy chicken salad recipe with grapes is creamy, crunchy, and flavorful. It’s perfect on its own with a side of crackers or cucumber slices, but it also makes great chicken salad sandwiches for a picnic.
Deviled Eggs (3 Ways)
Deviled eggs are one of the first foods we think of for a summer picnic. This recipe includes a classic version and two additional ideas using ingredients like feta, dill, turmeric, and ginger.
3 Easy Pasta Salad Dressings
If pasta salad is going to be part of your picnic spread, we have three homemade salad dressing recipes to choose: balsamic, Italian, and a creamy option. These dressings elevate any pasta dish!
Classic Potato Salad
Potato salad is a comforting, creamy side dish—and a must-have for a summer picnic. This classic potato salad recipe is the perfect blend of soft potatoes and hard boiled eggs with crunchy bell peppers and onion.
Best Jello Salad
This is Emma’s great-aunt’s Jello salad recipe, and it’s so nostalgic and delicious! This jello salad has a pretzel crust, cream cheese center, and a strawberry-cranberry Jello top. A must-have for any picnic table.
Easy Homemade Brownies
Let’s talk about dessert, because it’s a vital part of a picnic spread. These one-bowl brownies are easy to make, and only have five ingredients. They are fudgy in the center with that crackly crunchy brownie skin on top. So good.
Pigs in a Blanket
Pigs in a blanket are great for a picnic, and they are incredibly easy to prepare. This recipe is essentially two ingredients, and you can make homemade dipping sauces for them if you’re feeling fancy. Kids love them, too!
Taco Dip
A classic recipe for taco dip made with cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Top this dip with your favorite taco toppings like shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Served chilled with chips.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Bread and butter pickles can be added to burgers, tuna salad or served on a cheese platter. There’s so many ways to enjoy these! To make them, simply put everything in a mason jar and put it in the refrigerator.
Watermelon Slice Jello Shots
What’s a picnic without jello shots? Surprise your friends and bring watermelon jello shots using actual watermelon slices. Theses jello shots can be made the night before, and they are so fun.
Thai Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
If you’re looking for a unique dish to bring to a picnic, try our Thai lettuce wraps. The flavorful filling for the lettuce wraps can be made with any protein you prefer, and this dish is super easy to prepare.
Easy Baked Beans
If you’re looking for an easy, made-from-scratch recipe for baked beans, look no further. This baked beans recipe is saucy, delicious, and super simple. Serve with hot dogs, hamburgers, or BBQ sandwiches.
Shrimp Dip
Shrimp dip is an easy-to-make cold dip that you can serve with cut vegetables, crackers, or toasted bread. It’s creamy like tuna salad, but the bulk of the dip is made up of salad shrimp. You will love it!
Classic Pea Salad with Bacon
This delicious, classic pea salad is the perfect picnic food. It’s a creamy mix of peas, mayo, bacon, and cheese, and it goes great with hot dogs and watermelon. A very nostalgic recipe to enjoy at a picnic.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
We have so many amazing cookie recipes on the blog, but these lemon crinkle cookies are perfect for a warm weather picnic. The lemon-flavored dough is rolled in powdered sugar and baked to perfection.
Quinoa, Kale, and Grapefruit Salad
This summery kale salad combines red quinoa, kale, and fresh grapefruit, and it’s topped with a bright and simple dijon dressing. It’s very filling and filled with healthy, fresh ingredients.
Spicy Avocado Hummus
We love a good hummus recipe, and this one is perfect for a picnic. This avocado hummus is made with creamy avocado, red pepper, and jalapeños. Serve it with veggies or pita chips for a tasty snack.
Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (4 Ways)
You’ll love one (or all) of these easy 5-minute cream cheese fruit dips for your next picnic. Choose from vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, or caramel dip and serve with fresh fruit, pretzels, or vanilla wafers.
Homemade Chex Mix
Homemade Chex mix is 100% more delicious than any store-bought snack mix. This Chex mix recipe can be customized to your liking, and you can even add candy to it for a sweet and salty combination.
Egg Salad (4 Ways)
This is our classic egg salad recipe along with 3 variation ideas using ingredients like turmeric, ginger, feta, rosemary, and thyme. Serve any of these egg salad recipes with your favorite bread or enjoy it by itself.
Homemade French Onion Dip
Homemade French onion dip is creamy, decadent, and the perfect blend of savory with a little sweet. Serve this dip alongside fresh cut vegetables, crackers, or chips … and then dig in!
Creamy Kale, Brussels and Cranberry Salad
This salad has crunchy kale, Brussels sprouts, sliced almonds, and a bright burst of flavor of fresh cranberries. Make your own salad dressing to go with it for the perfect salad.
Creamy Black Bean Dip
An irresistible black bean dip made with black beans, cream cheese, and salsa. This is one of those dips that you won’t be able to stop eating because it’s so good! Serve chilled with lots of chips.
No-Bake Banana Cream Pie
No-bake pies are delicious, easy to make, and don’t require an oven. This amazing no-bake banana cream pie can even be prepared ahead of time. Top it with fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip and enjoy!
Simple Macaroni Salad
What’s not to love about macaroni salad? Everyone has their own way of making it, but this macaroni salad recipe is pretty classic with the addition of extra vegetables and chopped hard boiled eggs.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
A super simple recipe for mouth-watering chocolate chip cookie bars that can be baked in an 8×8 square baking pan. These bars are even more delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
Smoked Salmon Dip
This is a creamy and savory dip made with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a few more simple ingredients. This picnic dip is super easy to make! Serve it with pita chips, crackers, or vegetables.
Mojitos by the Pitcher
Mojitos by the pitcher! This refreshing cocktail for a crowd is perfect for a picnic or summer barbecue. This recipe tastes exactly like a traditional mint mojito—the only difference is that it’s made in a big batch
Ambrosia Salad
An easy recipe for classic ambrosia salad—a creamy fruit salad made with canned fruit, whipped topping, and fruit-flavored mini marshmallows. Ambrosia salad is a fun dessert to make and enjoy!
Simple Cucumber Salad
Cucumber salad is almost like a super quick pickled salad since one of the main ingredients in the dressing is vinegar. This recipe is bright, crunchy, and a great salad or side dish for a picnic.
Bakery-Style Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie treats are a classic no-bake dessert with a rich, vanilla flavor. This is an easy, quick recipe that makes large bakery-style squares. These treats won’t last long … we promise.
Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Spring rolls are versatile—they are a delicious finger food and meal idea. We recommend using a veggie chopper to chop up the veggies quickly. The homemade peanut sauce is a must-have for dipping, so don’t skip it!
Easy Broccoli Salad
This broccoli salad only has three ingredients, plus a creamy dressing. Don’t let that fool you though—it’s full of flavor and can be customized with all kinds of ingredients. It’s a great side dish for a picnic or barbecue.
Cookie Dough Dip
This delicious cream cheese-based cookie dough dip is soft, creamy, and perfect for a summer day. And kids love it! This no-bake recipe is ready in five minutes with no eggs or butter needed. Serve with animal crackers, cookies, or pretzels.
Radish Salad Sandwiches
Radish salad sandwiches have a great crunch and they are slightly sweet and creamy. The sandwich is very similar to tuna salad, and it’s surprisingly delicious! This recipe can also be used as a filling for lettuce wraps.
Pink Lemonade Jello Shots
It’s not hard to believe that pink lemonade is our most popular jello shot flavor. These are incredibly refreshing and similar to a lemon drop. These jello shots taste amazing and they look pretty on a picnic table.
Truffle Chive Dip (Dairy-Free)
Finally, a dairy-free dip recipe! Truffle chive chip dip is made with almonds, truffle oil, yogurt, and herbs. It’s a decadent plant-based dip that everyone will love—and be shocked that it’s so tasty (and pretty healthy too!).
Deli-Style Tuna Salad
A simple, but truly delicious deli-style tuna salad recipe that is flavorful with the right amount of crunch. We love this tuna salad on sandwiches or as a dip for cucumbers and crackers.
Lisa’s Basic Oatmeal Cookies
We love soft and chewy oatmeal cookies. These cookies are simple, but they are anything but boring. They are actually very addictive! This cookie recipe makes a large batch and is very ideal for a picnic.
Creamy Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is the warm weather version of mac and cheese—the best comfort food! This recipe is full of vegetables and perfect for summer. And, it’s even better if you make it the night before.
Easy Creamy Chicken Dip
A delicious homemade chicken dip recipe that combines chicken with cream cheese and the salty tang of soy sauce. This dip is incredibly easy to make! Serve on top of cucumber slices or with crackers.
Favorite Peach Pie
Sure, homemade pies are more work than no-bake pies, but the outcome is so worth it. Emma’s favorite homemade peach pie will cure any sweet tooth at a picnic. Be sure to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
OMG!! The chicken salad with grapes…. yummy! I really love easy recipes!