12 Picnic Food Ideas
Looking forward to eating outside in the beautiful sunshine? These picnic food ideas add way more color and flavor to the menu with bright spring and summer flavors and fun twists on old favorites.
Think creamy pasta salads, refreshing sandwiches, and handheld sweet treats that everyone will love. Don’t forget the strawberry sweet tea to bring it all together!
Tri-Color Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are perfect for picnics because they’re easy to make and pack. This version contains all your favorite antipasto flavors, like salami, olives, red onions, and more.
Get the Recipe: Tri-Color Pasta Salad
California Club Croissant Sandwich
Croissants are the most decadent bread for sandwiches and take even an ordinary sandwich over the top.
These club sandwiches are loaded with three types of meat, two types of cheese, crispy bacon, and fresh veggies for a light yet filling entree for any outdoor gathering.
Get the Recipe: California Club Croissant Sandwich
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
No picnic is complete without something sweet to finish it off. These crinkle cookies have the same texture and chewy bite as the classic holiday crinkle cookies but with a sunny, lemony flavor that tastes like sunshine in every bite.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
If you don’t like the fuss of making deviled eggs but love the flavor, this deviled egg pasta salad is perfect for you. It has all the classic flavors, like hard-boiled eggs, yellow mustard, mayo, and smoked paprika, all tossed together with elbow macaroni.
No need to worry about the delicate deviled eggs taking a tumble on the way to the park!
Get the Recipe: Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza
Store-bought crescent roll dough is the perfect easy pizza crust for this cold veggie pizza.
Since it’s coated with a creamy ranch and cream cheese dressing and raw veggies, you don’t have to worry about keeping it warm and it has that classic veggies and ranch flavor you know and love.
Get the Recipe: Crescent Roll Veggie Pizza
Dill Pickle Pinwheels
These pinwheels are made with tortillas, ham, cream cheese, and, you guessed it, tangy dill pickles. You’ll want to eat at least a couple of these; they’re so tasty.
Get the Recipe: Dill Pickle Pinwheels
Broccoli Salad
Is it even a picnic if you don’t serve broccoli salad? This fresh salad is packed with raw broccoli and cauliflower, red onion, bacon, sunflower seeds, and golden raisins, all tossed in a creamy vinaigrette.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Salad
Strawberry Sweet Tea
The secret to the best strawberry sweet tea? Make your own strawberry simple syrup from fresh berries. This simple step extracts all that berry flavor, adding just the right touch to make your sweet tea extra flavorful.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Sweet Tea
Pressed Italian Picnic Sandwiches
Ditch the PB&J or the stale grocery store sandwiches and make the most delicious pressed Italian picnic sandwiches instead.
Each one is layered with a tower of deli meat, cheese, briny olive salad, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.
Get the Recipe: Pressed Italian Picnic Sandwiches
Pineapple Coconut Bread
Quick breads make a great dessert to pack in your picnic basket, and the pineapple and coconut flavors are perfect for spring and summer. The sweet homemade glaze is lick your fingers good.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Coconut Bread
Fruit Salsa
Salsa is always a great snack for picnics and BBQs, but fruit salsa is one of the best. You still get the same convenience but with fruit salad flavors. Serve it with cinnamon sugar chips, tortilla chips, or even Nilla wafers for a sweet treat.
Get the Recipe: Fruit Salsa
Cucumber Sandwiches
During those hot days, a refreshing cucumber sandwich is the perfect nibble to cool down. We love that this version uses a herby cream cheese topping infused with fresh dill for an extra pop of freshness.
Get the Recipe: Cucumber Sandwiches
