59 Picnic Food Ideas for Lazy Meals in the Sun
Whether you’re plotting a casual park hang or an elaborate outdoor feast, successful picnic food ideas have a few things in common: Whatever you bring needs to be portable, shareable, and taste just as good—if not better—after sitting in a cooler or basket. Recipes should be easy to scale up or down depending on the size of the crowd and unfussy enough to eat standing up, sitting down, or sprawled across the grass.
We realize that’s a lot of “shoulds.” Fortunately, many crowd-pleasing dishes meet these criteria. Our favorite picnic foods span from crusty sandwiches to crunchy salads and slaws, creamy dips aplenty, and cookies that no one would dare to pass up. Bookmark your favorites, grab a basket, and head out into the great outdoors.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Styling by Joseph De Leo1/59Classic Deviled Eggs
Proof that some picnic food ideas never go out of style, this 2002 Gourmet recipe hits every time. Good deviled eggs—hard-boiled eggs with the classic accompaniments of Dijon, mayo, and chives—are era-less.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton3/59Chickpea Salad Sandwich With Creamy Carrot-Radish Slaw
Protein-packed pantry staple canned chickpeas headline this vegetarian riff on chicken salad. Pack the buns separately in your picnic basket to assemble the sandwiches in the wild. Fruit salad on the side is a must.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark5/59Mississippi Corn Pudding
Variations on this popular side dish abound across Appalachia and other parts of the American South. This version features fresh corn and celery, melted cheddar cheese, and buttery crackers on top.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich6/59Garlicky Instant Ramen Noodle Salad With Grilled Chicken Thighs
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova8/59Caprese Salad
The classic combo of fresh tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and aromatic basil needs no introduction—and very little adornment. A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper is all it takes.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/59Blondies
This blondie recipe is one of the sweetest and most satisfying ways to end a picnic. We love the toasted pecans in the batter, but you can use walnuts or even a mix.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell12/59Massaged Kale With Tomatoes, Creamed Mozzarella, and Wild Rice
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell13/593-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
If your picnic crowd includes dairy- or gluten-free friends, this easy peanut butter cookie recipe works for everyone. Sprinkling sea salt over the top takes them to the next level.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi16/59Creamy Pinto Bean Dip
Canned beans, chopped bell pepper, and a handful of other pantry ingredients come together in this lightly spiced dip. Serve it with tortilla chips—and a big-batch cocktail, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch17/59Vegetarian Muffulettas With Pickled Iceberg
This vegetarian take on the New Orleans classic is our Platonic ideal of a picnic sandwich. It’s satisfyingly hearty and can be made a few hours in advance. In fact, it’s better that way.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch18/59Esquites con Salsa de Totopos
This chip-filled salsa takes summer corn to the winner’s circle. “If you want to make a side that leaves the main in the dust, this is the recipe,” writes one Epicurious reader. (Yes, we read the comments.)
Photo by Johnny Miller19/59Fudgy Brownies
Summer picnic desserts don’t get easier than these fudgy sweets. They require just a handful of pantry ingredients, and they’re out of the oven in 20 minutes.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo22/59Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Hot Sauce Vinaigrette
As this hearty side dish sits, creamy black-eyed peas soak up the tangy hot sauce vinaigrette. Cucumbers and onions keep things crunchy.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Katherine Sacks24/59Pan Bagnat Sandwich With Tuna, Anchovies, and Parsley
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Photo by Laura Edwards27/59Savory Gruyère Bread With Ham
This ham-and-cheese-filled loaf can be made up to three days in advance or frozen for two months. Swap in sharp cheddar cheese for the Gruyère if you like, or use finely chopped parsley instead of thyme.
Photo by Peden + Munk, Food Styling by Christopher St. Onge31/59Ants on a Log Celery Salad
A grown-up spin on the lunch-box favorite, this celery salad gets lots of flavor and texture from a mix of dates, shallots, fresh herbs, and roasted peanuts.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi34/59Quiche Sardou
Prepping the tart shell and luscious filling a day in advance makes this picnic recipe extra approachable. That said, if it still feels too daunting, store-bought pie crust is fine.
Photo by Ed Anderson36/59Apple and Kohlrabi Coleslaw
Upgrade your coleslaw routine with this crunchy delight dressed in lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. We like the color contrast of using both Napa and red cabbage, but going with just one of the two is fine.
Photo by Jennifer Davick38/59Crunchy Quinoa Salad
This one’s flexible: Try thinly sliced zucchini instead of kohlrabi, swap the asparagus for chopped broccoli florets, or use fresh oregano instead of cilantro or mint.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton42/593-Ingredient Grilled and Fresh Tomato Salsa
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini43/59Crudités With Chile-Lime Salt
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell44/59Chicken Salad With Apricots, Celery, and Blue Cheese
In-season apricots, crunchy celery, and tangy blue cheese create layered flavors and textures in this main-dish salad. Swap in crumbled feta or sliced nectarines.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog46/59Homemade Cheese Spread With Garlic and Herbs
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne48/59PBJ Thumbprint Bars
Halfway between a cookie and a blondie, these peanut butter and jelly bars are delightfully chewy. Substitute strawberry, blackberry, guava, or your other favorite jam.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich50/59Any Way Niçoise
Make the mustardy dressing and eggs in advance and pair them with fresh veggies and almost any protein (think leftover steak or salmon, shredded rotisserie chicken, beans, and more).
Photo by Alex Lau52/59Veggie Italian Hoagies
Juicy summer tomatoes are the star of this vegetarian sandwich. Pack a few extra napkins in your picnic basket, per one reader’s review: “This is wonderfully messy, delicious, and kinda fun to eat.”
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson54/59White Bean Salad With Lemon and Cumin
Everything’s more fun to eat when wrapped in crunchy lettuce leaves, right? If you’re a fan of chickpea recipes, feel free to swap in your favorite bean.
Peden + Munk56/59Potato Salad With 7-Minute Eggs and Mustard Vinaigrette
Egg salad and potato salad unite in this easy, elegant dish. Speaking of easy, do yourself a favor and prep the tangy mustard and olive oil vinaigrette up to three days in advance.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Frances Boswell58/59Green Goddess Crunch Sandwich
This yummy sandwich is basically a salad between two slices of bread. With an herby yogurt schmear, loads of crunchy sprouts, and buttery avocado, it does a body good.
