50+ Picnic Food Ideas

5 from 10 votes
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Here are some of our favorite picnic food ideas for the perfect picnic. Break free from the PB & J mentality and try something new when planning your picnic food! Trust us, your family will thank you!

Featured in this post
  1. How to Plan the Perfect Picnic
  2. Picnic Sandwiches
  3. Wrap It Up
  4. Salads Perfect for a Picnic
  5. Picnic Ideas for Dessert
  6. Must Have Picnic Gear
  7. Cobb Salad Sandwich Recipe

How to Plan the Perfect Picnic

Here are the steps:
1. Make food
2. Go outside
3. Eat food

Easy right? Food just tastes better when you have been playing outside in the sun! It doesn’t matter where you go. To the lake, or up on the mountain, or to the park, or even in your backyard. Here are some our delicious and best picnic food ideas (including a bonus sandwich recipe below) that you can whip up ahead of time to take on your outings that will get you out of the boring sandwich and chips rut, trust me, your family will thank you!

Picnic Sandwiches

Sure, PB&J’s are easy to make, but why not kick it up a notch and try one of these sandwiches instead? Picnicking with a crowd? You can make any of these sandwiches on a large French bread and slice it into individual portions. To store your sandwiches, wrap them in reusable wax sandwich wraps or in plastic wrap. To keep sandwiches from getting soggy, keep all sauces and condiments in small individual containers until ready to serve!

Wrap It Up

Wraps make the perfect picnic recipes, they are ideal for camping and hikes as well. They are easy to make at home, easy to pack, and easy to eat once you’ve made it to your destination. Wrap the sandwich filling in a tortilla or fill a pita.

Salads Perfect for a Picnic

My favorite salads for picnics are the ones that can’t get soggy! They are so easy to pack up and serve as a main picnic dish or as a side dish. To bulk up any of our savory salads or to make it more of a main course, add some grilled chicken strips or cubes. Our sweet salads can double as a dessert.

Savory Salads

Sweet Salads

Picnic Ideas for Dessert

And now, the best for last! Our best picnic food ideas when it comes to desserts are the ones that are easy to transport. Cookies, bars, brownies, and any kind of rice krispie treat works great! For cake, you can put a cover on the cake pan and pack the whole cake in your basket. Perfect for eating with your lunch or a snack for later. Don’t forget a plastic knife and plastic forks!

Must Have Picnic Gear

Now that we’ve discussed the most important part of the picnic – the picnic food ideas, we would love to share some of our favorite picnic gear with you. These are all of our favorite things to use whenever we plan a day-trip picnic. We hope you will like them too.

Collage of picnic gear including a picnic blanket, a basket, food covers, bluetooth speaker, tablecloth and ladder golf
  • Picnic Blanket: Needs to be BIG, waterproof/sandproof, and portable
  • Cute Picnic Basket: Should be waterproof, insulated, strong, and easy to carry
  • Picnic Food Covers: Keeps nasty bugs off of your food
  • Bluetooth Speaker: This one is waterproof, durable, and portable
  • Picnic Tablecloth: We like the reusable ones that are waterproof and durable
  • Ladder Golf: We LOVE outdoor games for picnics! We have this exact ladder golf set and it is THE best. It’s not one of those flimsy plastic ones. It has lasted for years and we love it!
Close up of Cobb Salad Sandwich on a red plate.

Cobb Salad Sandwich

5 from 10 votes
Cobb Salad Sandwiches are a delicious twist on your typical Cobb salad. An easy and quick way to enjoy all the flavors of Cobb Salad on the go!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bread toasted if preferred
  • 4 slices deli turkey
  • 4 slices cooked bacon
  • leafy green lettuce or Romaine
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • 1 avocado pitted, peeled & sliced
  • 1 hard boiled egg sliced
  • 1 Tbsp blue cheese crumbles to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp salad dressing whatever you like best

Instructions

  • Spread mayonnaise evenly on each slice of bread.
  • On bottom slice of bread, layer turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, egg, and blue cheese crumbles.
  • Salt and pepper the sandwich toppings to taste.
  • Lightly drizzle your favorite salad dressing over the toppings.
  • Add top slice of bread. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 528kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 20gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 963mgPotassium: 880mgFiber: 10gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 816IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 3mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

More about Erica Walker

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yay, warmer weather is on the horizon which means we can have ALL the picnics! So many delicious ideas on this list, but I think I’ll start with the chicken salad curry wraps with broccoli salad. YUM!

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you for all of these tips, I can’t wait for picnic weather! I love this sandwich, I am making it again today!

  4. 5 stars
    This is going to be my go-to-picnic ideas guide moving forward! Thanks for sharing, this is awesome.

  5. 5 stars
    The weather here keeps teasing us with sunny days, then turning freezing cold. I can’t wait till we can eat outside on a regular basis! I’ll be trying several of these yummy recipes!