a picnic blanket with a picnic basket, a thermos, two tumblers, pasta salad, a meat and cheese board, and a pound cake. there is a purple frame around the image and purple script that reads picnic food for your next outdoor adventure.
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The Best Picnic Food to Pack for Your Next Adventure

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We absolutely love picnics in our family! Picnics are an excellent budget friendly family activity any time of year. We often pack a picnic basket and head to the nearest National Forest or park, sometimes with a fishing pole in hand to make a day of it. An afternoon spent at the playground when we need to bring a lunch from home to save money is so much more fun from a picnic basket. Whether you’re itching to get out of the house at the first sign of spring, want to pack a fun lunch to hit up your local swimming hole this summer, or are spending a beautiful fall day in the changing leaves, check out these picnic food ideas for your next adventure!

a picnic blanket is laid out in front of a river. On the picnic blanket sits a picnic basket, a thermos, two tumblers, a tupperware full of pasta salad, a charcuterie board, and a glazed pound cake

Picnic Entrees

The best picnic entrees are easy to pack and eat with your hands.

  • A charcuterie board makes for an easy picnic. Choose meats like prosciutto, salami, and capocollo. We like to pick fancy cheeses from Aldi for our picnics. Pair with hummus and pita chips.
a pile of fried chicken drumsticks sits on a white plate
Fried chicken is a classic picnic entree. This simple vintage recipe will be a huge hit.
a blue plate filled with mini lasagna cups
These mini lasagna cups are an excellent handheld picnic entree option. This recipe gets bonus points for being fast and easy to throw together.
three croissants filled with granny smith apple tuna salad sit on a white plate
If you have a way to keep your packed food cold, try these Granny Smith apple tuna sandwiches for a twist on a classic.
a peach and prosciutto grilled cheese cut in half sits on a blue plate with cut up yellow bell peppers
Take a fancy grilled cheese on your next picnic with these peach and prosciutto grilled cheese sandwiches.
sourdough bread with cube steak, swiss cheese, and a special homemade sauce sits on a blue plate with a side of french fries
Cube steak sandwiches with a special sauce are an excellent fancy picnic food.
a finnish hamburger with cheese, tomato, and pickles sits on a blue plate with a side of potato chips in front of a waterfall
We often take Finnish hamburgers out for a filling dinner time picnic.
two sloppy joe sliders with cheese and a side of potato chips sit on a blue plate
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking in preparation for your family picnic, let the slow cooker do the work with these taco joe sliders.

Picnic Side Dishes

Choose picnic side dishes that don’t have to be heated and are delicious cold.

  • For a pre-made side dish idea, pack cut veggies like celery and carrots with pita chips and hummus.
  • Fresh fruit is excellent for picnics. We like to pack grapes, berries, and apple slices.
a black plate filled with baked beans, green beans, and pulled pork
These baked beans are loaded with ground beef and bacon. They are our family’s all time favorite side dish.
two small bowls filled with pasta salad with olives sit beside a large serving bowl filled with pasta salad
This vinegar based pasta salad is delicious cold and keeps well. It is the perfect picnic food.
a small glass bowl overflowing with yellow mustard potato salad
Potato salad is a classic picnic side dish. This mustard based potato salad is our favorite.
a clear glass bowl filled with sauerkraut salad
Add a side of probiotics to your picnic with this delicious sauerkraut salad.
a clear glass bowl filled with tropical ambrosia salad
Tropical ambrosia salad is a refreshing picnic side dish on a warm spring or hot summer day.

Picnic Beverages

Fill a thermos or large insulated cup with a delicious homemade beverage to share.

a pitcher and two glasses of peach basil lemonade sit outside on a patio table. a pile of lemons sits between the glasses
This basil peach lemonade is my favorite drink to pack for a summer picnic.
a pitcher and a glass of sweet tea sit on a butcher block countertop
There is nothing quite like sipping a refreshing glass of Southern sweet tea outside.

Picnic Desserts

Make your picnic extra special with a sweet treat.

  • Strawberries with chocolate hummus are a healthy and romantic dessert for a picnic date.
a white bowl filled with potato chip cookies, potato chips, and white chocolate chips sits in a window on a lace tablecloth
Potato chip cookies are my absolute favorite picnic dessert. Potato chips are such a simple, easy snack to pack so it just makes sense to add potato chip cookies to your picnic menu!
two peanut butter bars with chocolate frosting sit on an antique plate
These cake mix peanut butter bars are simple to make and are the perfect handheld picnic dessert.
a sheetpan filled with freshly baked finnish cardamom cookies
Finnish cardamom cookies are my husband’s favorite. These cookies are easy to make for a simple picnic treat.
a white bowl filled with moon pie banana pudding
Moon Pie banana pudding is a fun, unique dessert to pack for your next picnic. This recipe works well if you’re bringing utensils and don’t need a handheld dessert.
a close up of broken up homemade peanut brittle
Homemade peanut brittle is the perfect handheld picnic dessert. It isn’t messy, packs easily, and is so fun to eat.

Feedback

What did you pack for your most recent family picnic? Let me know in the comments below!

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a picnic blanket with a picnic basket, a thermos, two tumblers, a bowl of pasta salad, a board filled with meat and cheese, and a pound cake. green text over the image reads picnic food ideas entrees sides drinks desserts

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