20 Perfect Picnic Recipes (2024)

Zataar is a delicious herb-and-spice blend that's perfect for sprinkling atop a meze platter, while this green sauce—inspired by the flavors of falafel—acts as a delicious vinaigrette dipping sauce.

Recipe: Picnic Meze

A Middle Eastern spice blend, zaatar has a slight citrus note that goes well with vegetables. Enjoy the flavor combo in this no-utensils-required dish.

Recipe: Zaatar Yogurt Dip and Vegetables

Andrea Slonecker, the Portland-based author of Pretzel Making at Home (Chronicle, April 2013), is an avid picnicker. With some like-minded friends, she formed the Portland Picnic Society, and created this recipe for one of their recent outings. To prepare this recipe for a picnic, bake the bread ahead of time and let cool; then pack the crostini, the topping, and the anchovies separately.

Recipe: Picnic Crostini with Roasted Pepper, Onion, and Anchovy

Also by Andrea Slonecker, this recipe will delight your fellow picnickers. Bake the bread ahead of time and let cool; then pack the crostini and the topping separately.

Recipe: Picnic Crostini with Roast Beef, Chimichurri, and Quail Egg

Savor the season with a fast and fresh picnic of crunchy veggies with zesty dip.

Recipe: Spring Aioli Feast

Layers of creamy cheese and roasted vegetables in a pastry make this pie a home run. To keep the filo crisp, wait until it’s completely cool before covering it with foil and packing in your cooler. Be sure to pack a sharp knife and a pie server.

Recipe: Roasted Pepper, Feta, and Lamb Filo Pie

The sandwich gets a flavor boost from charmoula, a versatile chicken marinade.

Recipes: Charmoula Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

A bounty of spring vegetables all in one quick and easy wrap.

Recipe: Mediterranean Garden Wraps

Chicken salad is always a favorite. We prefer ours with crisp, smoky bacon and tangy blue cheese.

Recipe: Chicken, Bacon, and Blue-Cheese Sandwiches

The vegetables in these sandwiches don’t get soggy as they stand, and the flavors benefit from a little time together.

Recipe: Radicchio, Roasted Pepper, and Provolone Ciabatta Sandwiches

This healthy salad is picnic-perfect, because the carrots stay crunchy and the quinoa and chickpeas keep their texture. (Regular quinoa works fine in this recipe, if you can’t find the red variety.) This salad is delicious at room temperature, so if you’ll be eating it within 2 hours, there’s no need to pack it in the cooler.

Recipe: Carrot Salad with Red Quinoa and Chickpeas

Quinoa is super easy to cook (easier than rice) and makes a wonderful salad base.

Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Avocado, and Oranges

This herb vinaigrette-dressed pasta salad keeps better than a mayo-based one from the deli—and tastes better too.

Recipe: Spinach and Orzo Salad

This easy pasta salad gets its creaminess from ricotta and sour cream for extra cheesy tang. Substitute your favorite vegetables to add variety.

Recipe: Chicken, Corn, and Tomato Pasta Salad

Chewy, and big enough to share—though you may want every bite. For the richest flavor, use dark chocolate and cocoa such as Scharffen Berger.

Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

Hints of cardamom, orange, sesame, and pistachio provide a final Eastern Mediterranean flourish to the picnic. They’re so small, you can eat them by the handful. Pack cookies in an airtight, crushproof container.

Recipe: Tiny Cardamom Orange Cookies

Strawberries layered over orange-flavored filling in a cream puff crust makes a showy yet easy dessert that travels well.

Recipe: Strawberry Puff

For the most thirst-quenching drink, look for a less-sweet brand of lemonade such as Santa Cruz Organic.

Recipe: Almond Raspberry Lemonade

This is just as refreshing as the usual melon wedges, without the sticky fingers. Orange-flower water adds a hint of the exotic. Tote the purée in a clamp-top bottle, and don’t forget ice for glasses.

Recipe: Honeydew Spritz

Make the cucumber mixture ahead of time and top it off with ice and club soda (or even Champagne).

Recipes: Cucumber Mint Spritzer