40+ Easy Picnic Food Ideas

If you’re wondering what to bring to your next picnic, BBQ, 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. In this round-up, we’ve rounded up 40+ easy picnic meal ideas to take your guesswork out of what to bring. These recipes are also great for potlucks!

Sandwiches are delicious and easy to make, but they are so many Recipes you can easily pack for a picnic, such as:

Related: 15 No-Bake Desserts, Jello Shot Recipe Guide and 30 Easy Finger Foods.

The best fruit salad

Fruit salad is a picnic staple, and so is this recipe really the best you will ever have. It’s made with a honey-citrus dressing that makes it sweet, slightly tart, and extra delicious. We love adding different fruits to this dish.

Chicken salad with grapes

This easy Grapes Chicken Salad recipe is creamy, crunchy and flavorful. It’s perfect on its own with crackers or sliced cucumber, but also makes a great picnic chicken salad sandwich.

Devil Eggs (3 types)

Devil Eggs are one of the first foods we think of at a summer picnic. This recipe includes a traditional version and two additional ideas using ingredients like feta, dill, turmeric, and ginger.

3 Easy Pasta Salad Dressings

If pasta salad is to be part of your picnic spread, we have three homemade salad dressing recipes to choose from: balsamic, Italian, and a creamy variety. These dressings refine every 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 mix of soft potatoes and hard-boiled eggs with crunchy peppers and onions.

Best Jello Salad

This is Emma’s Great Aunt’s Jello Salad recipe, and it’s so nostalgic and delicious! This jelly salad has a pretzel crust, a cream cheese center, and a strawberry cranberry jello top. A must for every picnic table.

Easy Homemade Brownies

Let’s talk about dessert, because it’s an essential part of a picnic spread. These one bowl brownies are easy to make with just five ingredients. They’re crispy in the middle and have a crispy brownie skin on top. So good.

pigs in a blanket

Pigs in a blanket are great for a picnic and incredibly easy to make. This recipe basically consists of two ingredients, which you can also use to make homemade dipping sauces if you feel like it. Children love them too!

taco dip

A classic taco dip recipe made with cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Top this awesome dip with your favorite taco toppings like shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Served chilled with fries.

Bread and Butter Cucumbers

Bread and butter pickles can be served with burgers, tuna salad or on a cheese board. There are so many ways to enjoy these! To prepare them, simply mix everything together in a jar and place in the fridge.

Watermelon Slice Jello Shots

What would a picnic be without jelly? Surprise your friends and bring watermelon jello shots actually watermelon slices. These jello shots can be made the night before and are so much fun.

Thai Tempeh Salad Wraps

If you’re looking for a unique picnic meal, try our Thai Salad Wraps. The flavorful filling for the lettuce wraps can be made with any protein of your choice and this dish is super easy to make.

Simply Baked Beans

If you’re looking for an easy homemade baked beans recipe, you’ve come to the right place. This baked beans recipe is zesty, delicious, and super easy. Serve with hot dogs, hamburgers or BBQ sandwiches.

shrimp sauce

Shrimp Dip is an easy to make cold dip that you can serve with sliced veggies, crackers, or toasted bread. It’s creamy like tuna salad, but the bulk of the dip is salad shrimp. You will love it!

Classic pea salad with bacon

This delicious, classic pea salad makes the perfect picnic meal. It’s a creamy concoction of peas, mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese and goes great with hot dogs and watermelon. A very nostalgic recipe for a picnic.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

We have so many great cookie recipes on the blog, but these Lemon 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 is topped with a light and simple Dijon dressing. It’s very filling and full of 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 peppers, and jalapeños. Serve with veggies or pita chips for a tasty snack.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip (4 types)

You’ll love any (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 waffles.

Homemade Chex Mixture

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 candies for a sweet and salty combo.

Egg salad (4 types)

This is our classic egg salad recipe along with three variation ideas using ingredients like turmeric, ginger, feta, rosemary and thyme. Serve any of these egg salad recipes on a croissant bun or any bread of your choice.

Homemade French Onion Dip

Homemade French Onion Dip is creamy, decadent, and the perfect blend of savory and a little sweet. Serve this dip with freshly cut veggies, crackers or fries… and enjoy!

Creamy Kale, Brussels and Cranberry Salad

This salad is made with crunchy kale, Brussels sprouts, slivered almonds and a powerful flavor burst of fresh cranberries. To accompany this, make your own salad dressing (in a mason jar) 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 can’t stop eating because they’re so good! Serve chilled with lots of tortilla chips.

Banana cream cake without baking

No-bake cakes are delicious, easy to make, and don’t require an oven. This awesome no-bake banana cream cake can even be made ahead of time. Top with fresh whipped cream or cool whip and enjoy!

Easy 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 veggies and chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

A super easy recipe for delicious chocolate chip cookie bars that can be baked in an 8×8 square baking pan. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment, these bars are even more delicious.

Smoked salmon dip

This is a creamy and hearty dip made with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a few more simple ingredients. This picnic dip is super easy to make! Serve with pita chips, crackers, or veggies.

Mojitos from the pitcher

Mojitos in a jug! This refreshing cocktail for a large crowd is perfect for a picnic or summer barbecue. This recipe tastes just like a traditional mint mojito — the only difference is that it’s made in bulk

Ambrosia salad

An easy recipe for the classic Ambrosia Salad – a creamy fruit salad made with canned fruit, whipped cream, 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, as one of the main ingredients in the dressing is vinegar. This recipe is light, crunchy, and makes 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, pastry-style squares. These treats won’t last long…promise.

Fresh spring rolls with a spicy peanut sauce

Spring rolls are versatile—they’re a delicious finger food and meal idea. To chop the vegetables quickly, we recommend using a vegetable chopper. The homemade peanut sauce is a must for dipping, so don’t skip it!

Easy broccoli salad

This broccoli salad is made with just three ingredients and a creamy dressing. Don’t let that fool you though – it’s packed with flavor and can be customized with all sorts 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 NO Eggs or butter required. Serve with animal crackers, cookies or pretzels.

Radish Salad Sandwiches

Radish salad sandwiches have a great crunch and are slightly sweet and creamy. The sandwich closely resembles the tuna salad and is 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 favorite jello shot flavor. These are incredibly refreshing and resemble a lemon drop. These jello shots taste fantastic 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 to find that it’s so tasty (and pretty healthy too!).

Deli-style tuna salad

A simple yet seriously delicious deli-style tuna salad recipe, flavorful and with just the right amount of crunch. We love this tuna salad on sandwiches or as a dip for pickles and crackers.

Lisa’s Easy Oatmeal Cookies

We love soft and chewy oatmeal cookies. These cookies are simple but far from boring. Indeed they are very addictive! This biscuit recipe makes for large batches and is 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 packed with veggies 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 flavor of soy sauce. This dip is incredibly easy to make! Serve on cucumber slices or with crackers.

Favorite Peach Pie

Of course, homemade cakes are more work than no-bake cakes, but the result is So It is worth it. Emma’s favorite homemade peach pie will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth at a picnic. Be sure to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!