Looking for Picnic Salads for your next backyard party? Check out our collection of 31 delicious recipes that are perfect for summer celebrations. Whether you prefer fruity salads or the classic potato salad, we've got you covered. These ideas will definitely be a hit at your potluck.
Jump to:
When it comes to potlucks and BBQs, my favorite thing is choosing what to eat. I absolutely love picnic salads. Whether they're creamy, crunchy, or sweet, I can never pick just one. Just pile it all onto my plate because tasting everything is absolutely necessary!
What are Picnic Salads
Picnic salads are a variety of salads that are enjoyed outdoors during summer picnics, barbecues, or other gatherings. They often combine vegetables, fruits, proteins, and grains, creating a balanced and flavorful dish.
These salads are convenient for travel, easy to serve, and can be doubled or tripled for a crowd. Whether heading to the park or the beach or having a backyard BBQ, a delicious cold salad is a great addition to the activity.
Different Kinds of Picnic Salads
There are various styles of picnic salads available to cater to everyone's taste. Some have fresh veggies, while others have cold fruit. You could have a salad with pasta or potatoes. Top them with a creamy dressing or season them with olive oil. As you can see, the options for easy picnic salad ideas are endless.
- Pasta and Macaroni Salad - These use pasta as the primary ingredient. Add other toppings, such as cheese, vegetables, and some creamy or vinegar dressings for additional flavor.
- Potato Salad - Made with boiled potatoes, this salad is mixed with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette, along with ingredients like chopped celery, onions, hard-boiled eggs, and herbs.
- Tuna or Chicken Salad - These salads incorporate canned tuna or cooked chicken mixed with mayonnaise or yogurt, vegetables, and sometimes fruits or nuts.
- Vegetable Salad - Different vegetables make great salads. Broccoli salad, cucumber salad, or caprese salad are popular choices.
- Fluff Salad - These delicious salads are more like a dessert. They have a cream cheese or whipped cream base with fruit, cookies, or chocolate.
- Fruit Salad - A refreshing option, fruit salads feature a mix of fresh fruits like berries, melons, citrus, and more in citrus-based syrup or yogurt.
When preparing salads for picnics, it's important to consider food safety. Use fresh ingredients, keep perishable items cold, and try to serve them within a reasonable time frame so they are safe to eat.
Basic Ingredients for Picnic Salads
To create the best picnic salads, you'll need a variety of fresh salad ingredients. Here's a list to get you started before your next picnic.
- Fresh Vegetables - Broccoli, chopped red bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, red and green onions, baby spinach, celery, avocado, zucchini, corn, jalapenos.
- Fresh Herbs - Fresh cilantro, chopped parsley, basil, dill, mint, pesto.
- Fruits - Watermelon, berries, grapes, pineapple, melons, dried cranberries.
- Pasta - Macaroni, penne, rotini, shells, orzo, or Farfalle cooked al dente.
- Beans - Black beans, small red beans, garbanzo beans.
- Potatoes - Russet, red potatoes, gold, Yukon.
- Meats - Bacon, ham, grilled chicken, beef, pepperoni, tuna, shrimp, smoked sausage, eggs.
- Whole Grains - Quinoa, brown rice, farro, cauliflower rice, couscous.
- Dressings - Mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, Greek yogurt, honey balsamic dressing, red wine vinegar.
- Nuts and Seeds - Pine nuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts.
- Cheeses - Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella, cheddar cheese, and goat cheese.
- Additional Flavorings - Honey, kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder.
- Oils - Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, avocado oil.
With these ingredients, you can create the perfect picnic salads for your next outdoor adventure. Whether you prefer a crunchy vegetable mix or a creamy pasta, these picnic salads will be a hit among friends and family.
How to Store Picnic Salads
Most salads taste best when served cold. Salads that contain dairy, hard-cooked eggs, or meat products need to be kept cold, or they will go bad. Keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy it.
If serving at a picnic, keep it in a cooler with ice until it is time to eat.
Picnic Salad Recipes
Some of the best picnic salad recipes for your next backyard BBQ or potluck.
Eggs, pickles, and celery gives Mom's Classic Potato Salad a delicious flavor that everyone loves. Bring this tried and true potato salad recipe to your next summer picnic or barbecue. You won't be disappointed.
This Banana Split Fluff Salad is an easy fruit salad loaded with all your favorite banana split toppings. Stir everything into one bowl, and it's ready to go.
Egg noodles and your favorite veggies tossed in salad dressing makes this Veggie Pasta Salad an easy and delicious side dish. It's the perfect meal to bring to any picnic or barbecue.
The sweet crunch of summer corn and crisp slices of zucchini are brightened with a zesty dressing in this Zucchini Corn Salad.
This Cranberry Zucchini Slaw is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy your favorite summer vegetable. Dried fruit and sunflower seeds add a delicious and sweet twist, while the creamy yogurt sauce holds it together and gives it a great flavor.
A balsamic dressing and grilled chicken adds so much flavor to this easy Spinach Caprese Salad. This is a delicious salad to bring to picnics or to serve on busy nights.
Just one bite of this Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad and you will know these vegetables were made to be together!
This delightful chilled Grain Salad is chock full of nutty brown rice, herbs, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and red onions with a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing.
Enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner with this Chicken Salad with Grapes. Loaded with savory dill, crunchy nuts, and juicy fruit, this chicken salad recipe is a winner of a chicken dinner. Serve it on bread, wrap it up, or add it to a salad - you can't go wrong.
If you are looking for an easy fruit dish that doesn't require much work, this Ambrosia Fruit Salad is the perfect choice. Just mix together the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until dinner. This simple ambrosia dessert will be sure to please everyone at your next holiday dinner party.
This easy Potato Salad recipe is a twist on a classic! It is tossed in a lemon Dijon vinaigrette dressing and made with fresh herbs and no mayo. Light, healthy, and great for summer grilling!
This bodacious Broccoli Crunch Salad will take your tastebuds by storm. The crunchy broccoli is mixed with a light creamy dressing and loaded with lean bacon and cheese.
This sweet pink Strawberry Fluff Salad has pudding, whipped topping, angel food cake, and fresh strawberries. A dessert salad recipe is the perfect treat to share at picnics or barbecues.
This Creamy Crab Salad recipe is filled with plump crab meat (or imitation crab) in a creamy and tangy sauce that’s perfect on a toasted roll or served by itself.
This Dill Yogurt Cucumber Salad is coated with a lightened up dressing and has a refreshing flavor. It only takes 10 minutes to prepare this creamy cucumber salad, and it's the perfect side for grilled chicken, steak, or fish.
This raw Zucchini Salad is an easy side dish to make for summer picnics or dinners. Made with zoodles, tomatoes, and bacon, it's a low-carb option that tastes awesome too.
This Mediterranean Salad comes together with just a handful of ingredients for an easy chopped vegetable salad.
A creamy homemade dressing, meats, and veggies make this easy Bacon Broccoli Tortellini Salad a delicious pasta salad for summer picnics.
The dressing on this Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw has the perfect blend of heat and sweet. Sriracha and honey give it a delicious sweet and spicy flair.
This kale quinoa salad is so amazing! It is made with hearty kale and fluffy quinoa mixed with crunchy pepitas, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, and fresh herbs.
Get ready for a taste of summer with our Lemon Fluff! This easy-to-make, fluff salad is bursting with lemon flavor and fresh strawberries. It's the perfect side dish to bring to summer picnics and parties.
Green chiles and avocados give this easy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad a spicy twist that everyone will love. This pasta salad recipe is an easy side dish to share at summer picnics or barbecues.
This Dorito Taco Salad is the perfect quick and easy, veggie-packed dinner! It’s made with a fresh, crisp romaine, topped with ground beef, black beans, tomato, corn, red pepper, and shredded cheese, then finished off with nacho Doritos and Catalina dressing!
A bowl of creamy Orange Fluff comes together in less than 5 minutes. This 5 ingredient dessert salad recipe is fluffy and refreshing, and it can be served as a dessert or side dish at any meal.
Fresh veggies, chicken, and an avocado dressing makes this creamy Southwest Pasta Salad one of our favorite summer meals. This easy pasta salad comes together in minutes and will be the hit of any summer picnic or barbecue.
This Rocky Road Fluff Salad is a great no bake recipe for summer picnics and potlucks. The easy chocolate mousse is loaded with nuts, chocolate, and marshmallow goodness. If you love Rocky Road ice cream, you will love this pudding dessert.
Ranch dressing, eggs, and peas make this easy macaroni salad a great side dish for any picnic.
This easy Pizza Pasta Salad is full of different pizza toppings. It is the perfect salad for after a busy day or for summer picnics.
Who remembers this Watergate salad? Pistachio Fluff is a retro dessert made with crushed pineapple, instant pudding mix, and whipped topping. This delicious Jello salad recipe comes together in minutes and is the perfect side dish for any occasion.
If you’re looking to make the very best coleslaw recipe, this copycat Chick-fil-A Cole Slaw is made for you! Creamy and delicious, it’s the perfect potluck recipe.
This easy Italian Veggie Salad is a delicious and healthy addition to your meal plan. Feel free to change it up with your favorite veggies.
FAQs
The best way to keep salads cool is by using a well-insulated cooler. Place ice or frozen gel packs in the cooler and put your salad containers on top. Add more ice packs around the sides and top of the salad. Tightly seal containers to prevent any water from melting ice from getting into the salad.
Keep the cooler and table in the shade to minimize exposure to direct sunlight, which can heat up the contents quickly. Remove food before serving and place the bowls in a tray of ice.
Leave a Reply