65 picnic recipes

Have brought this fruit salad to a few picnics, and everyone just loved it! Half way through, it was eaten up. Definitely my go-to recipe for pot-luck or picnic.

This recipe to the Mennonite colony of Ontario. It's often served at picnics and is known as one of the favorite foods at stag parties.

Cold red beans and rice salad with cilantro, lime, cumin, and chili powder. Zesty Tex-Mex style make-ahead dish, great for picnics and meal prep.

Old-fashioned cucumber and onion salad: paper-thin cucumber and onion slices marinated overnight in a sweet-tart vinegar brine. The crisp Midwestern picnic side that gets better as it sits.

Three bean salad with chunky salsa-lime dressing, kidney, black, and chickpeas tossed with red pepper, scallion, and carrot. A protein-packed make-ahead picnic side.

Sweet-and-tangy overnight slaw with shredded cabbage, onion, and a hot vinegar-oil dressing poured over and chilled 24 hours. A no-mayo coleslaw that holds up at any picnic or barbecue.

BBQ Beans with molasses, chili powder, cumin, mustard, and tomato sauce, sauteed oil-free and ready in 30 minutes. Serve on buns like sloppy joes, over whole grains, or as a picnic side.

Rotini pasta tossed with chickpeas, broiler-roasted red peppers, roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar. A vegetarian Italian pasta dish that travels well for potlucks and picnics.

Chilled garbanzo and potato salad tosses boiled red potatoes with chickpeas, roma tomatoes, red onion, and spinach, then marinates for hours in the fridge. A lighter twist on picnic potato salad.

Quick orzo salad with grape tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil in a simple red wine vinaigrette. A 15-minute side dish that shines warm or cold, perfect for picnics and weeknights.

Strawberry-banana Jell-O salad with banana pudding, whipped topping, fruit cocktail, and walnuts. A fluffy retro picnic salad that's more dessert than side.

Italian pasta salad with rotini, broccoli, mozzarella, bell peppers, and a homemade basil-oregano vinaigrette. A make-ahead cold pasta dish for potlucks and picnics.

Make-ahead Italian pasta salad with rotini, crisp vegetables, and tangy garlic vinaigrette that gets better overnight for easy potluck and picnic perfection.

Potato salad with smoked turkey, artichoke hearts, and green olives in a cumin-spiked lemon-garlic vinaigrette. A mayo-free, Mediterranean-inspired picnic salad.

Chinese coleslaw tosses crisp cabbage with cilantro, scallions, sunflower seeds, and crunchy uncooked ramen in a sweet-tangy sesame dressing. The crowd-pleasing crunchy salad made for picnics and potlucks.

Antipasto pasta salad with rotini, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, Muenster cheese, mushrooms, red onion, and fresh basil in a low-fat Italian dressing. A cold make-ahead side for potlucks and picnics.