50 Cheap Picnic Recipes
Here are 50+ cheap recipes that are appropriate for a picnic, including summer salads, sandwiches, sides, and desserts. Scroll to the bottom for easy tips to enjoy a picnic on a budget.
Call me old-fashioned, but there are few things I enjoy more than a picnic in the park.
Thankfully, a great picnic does not have to cost a lot of money. All you need is a picnic table, friends and family, a few great menu items, and an open schedule.
I’ve got 50 cheap recipes that are appropriate for your next picnic:
Salad Recipes
No picnic is complete without a salad – or two or three:
- Carrot salad with French fried potato sticks
- Mexican street corn (elote) salad
- Chipotle-lime pasta salad with chicken and bacon
- Spiced chickpea and sweet potato taco salad bowls
- Indian-spiced chickpea and peanut salad
- Spicy cornbread salad
- Popcorn salad
- Summery BLT salad
- Japanese-style potato salad (my favorite variation of potato salad!)
- Summery kitchen sink salad with creamy BBQ dressing
- Quinoa tabouli salad
- Frito corn salad
- Zucchini “pasta” salad with mozzarella and basil dressing
- Broccoli, salami and sweet onion salad
- Butternut squash pasta salad with walnuts, grapes, and green apple
Sandwich Recipes
Your picnic definitely needs sandwiches. Just remember to pick sandwich fillings that won’t result in soggy bread. Here are some ideas:
- BLT sandwiches with bacon mayonnaise and other variations
- Swedish skagen toasts
- Simple homemade chicken salad (great on a croissant)
- Italian picnic sandwiches
- Grilled veggie and pesto stacked sandwiches
- Homemade ham and cheese pockets
- Bagel sandwiches (19 ideas included)
- Jalapeno popper pinwheels
- Caramelized onion sloppy joes (keep in a slow cooker)
- Set up a DIY hot dog bar with lots of fixings
Miscellaneous Picnic Foods
Here are some crowd-pleasing miscellaneous food items:
- Chicken teriyaki sushi rolls
- Homemade California rolls
- Ham and pickle roll-ups (a Minnesota favorite!)
- Pecan, grape, and blue cheese bites
- Homemade animal crackers
- Ranch veggie cups
- Simple deviled eggs
Slow-Cooker Recipes
Warm foods can be a delightful surprise at a picnic. If you have access to an outlet at your picnic spot, consider making one of these recipes and keeping it warm in a slow cooker:
- Baked beans
- Oven-baked sloppy joes
- Crockpot salsa chicken (used to make homemade tacos)
- Three-bean potluck hotdish
- Slow-cooker German potato salad
- Scalloped potatoes and ham
- Scalloped peaches
- 30+ hotdish recipes (can be kept warm in a slow cooker)
Dips and Other Snacky Picnic Foods
Be sure to pack chips, crackers, and veggies for these dips:
- Homemade hummus and dippers
- Roasted cauliflower and Greek yogurt dip
- Spicy banana salsa (a twist on pineapple or mango salsa)
- Sun-dried tomato and chickpea dip
- Homemade tortilla chips
- Green pea “guacamole”
Picnic Desserts
The perfect picnic dessert is one that is easy to transport and not messy. Here are some low-effort picnic desserts:
- Moist banana cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting
- Million dollar bars
- Mini party cupcakes (like the kind you get at the grocery store, except homemade!)
- Peanut butter-filled dates
- Raw espresso bean cookie dough bites
- Norwegian almond cake
- Raw carrot cake (use cupcake liners for less mess)
- Copycat State Fair chocolate chip cookies
- Brown butter-almond brownies
- Three-ingredient Nutella brownies
- Chocolate-covered strawberries made in an ice cube tray (keep cool until ready to eat)
- Fruit pizza
- Peach pie
- Whiskey brownies with chocolate whiskey ganache
Picnic-Appropriate Drinks
Bringing bottled or canned drinks may be the easiest option. But if you’re looking to make a homemade drink, here are some to try:
- Sangria slushies (alcoholic – keep frozen in cooler until ready to serve)
- Lemon drops (alcoholic)
- Bourbon Arnold Palmers (alcoholic)
- Homemade lemonade
Planning a Budget-Friendly Picnic
A picnic is generally not an expensive event. But here are some additional tips to keep your budget in check:
- Potluck! The easiest way to keep your costs down is to plan a potluck picnic. Every guest/family should bring one dish to share. The fewer menu items you have to prepare yourself, the cheaper your picnic will be.
- Choose budget-friendly ingredients: To keep costs down, choose dishes that are made from cheap ingredients like pasta, potatoes, eggs, beans, and in-season produce.
- Know where to shop: If you’re watching your food budget, where you shop matters. ALDI is usually one of the cheapest grocery stores, but do your own research to identify the grocery store nearest you with the best deals on food.
- Keep it simple: There’s no need to over-plan your picnic. Just make sure to have a few dishes to choose from – one salad, sandwich, and dessert option will do. Less cost+ less stress = better picnic.
Yum! These are some great ideas. I need to plan a picnic now!
Nice list, a lot of good ideas for church picnic and similar.
Thank you for all these great ideas! I’m always looking for something different to bring to picnics, and there are plenty here! Thanks for sharing!
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Wow, so many great choices! I don’t even have to think about what to do for my next picnic. I’ll just come here!
What a fantastic list! Our family loves to picnic – even if it just in our backyard. Definitely pinning this list for future reference.
So many great ideas!!!
Such sweet memories of picnics in the park! Thank you!