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If you’re someone (like me), who loves the great outdoors, then picnics are definitely on your to-do list as the weather gets progressively warmer.
The combination of good food and good weather is truly something to enjoy. But planning such an interesting outdoor activity can often leave you scratching your head.
What types of foods should I bring? How long will they last? What about bugs? Etc. The questions go on and on.
If planning that perfect picnic has got you scratching your head, then worry no more. We’ve got you covered.
In this post, we’ll discuss some of the best tips for planning the perfect picnic, as well as 45 amazing picnic recipes for you to enjoy.
From salads, to sandwiches, to tasty drinks, desserts and everything in between. With these useful tips and awesome recipes, you’ll be having the best picnic you could ever imagine.
Let’s get right into it.
Tips For Planning The Perfect Picnic
Organizing the perfect picnic isn’t as difficult as it may sound. Here are a few useful tips that’ll help make the process a lot easier, and
1) Determine The Type Of Picnic You’re Having
This might seem pretty obvious, but it’s one steps that often gets overlooked. Not all picnics are created equal. The type of picnic you’ll have with your spouse or significant other is quite different from the type you’ll have with family members or co-workers.
Also, depending in your budget and/or your preferences, you may want to choose between a something simple, something elegant, or something anywhere in-between.
Be it romantic, casual, simple, elegant, social or work-related, determining the type of picnic you want to have helps set the tone for all other things you need to put in place.
2) Choose The Best Spot Ahead Of Time
This brings us to our second most important point, which is the location. One good thing about picnics is that they can be held almost anywhere. Your backyard/garden, the local park, in the woods, up on a mountain, on the beach, you name it.
Once you’ve chosen where you want to have your picnic, you can now begin to factor in the different equipment you might need.
For example, if it’s out in the open, without any shade from the sun, you might want to bring an umbrella. Bug repellants would be useful if you’re bound to deal with insects
Also, if your chosen picnic location requires you to make a reservation ahead of time, then you’ll want to take that into account too. You want to make sure you get the very best spot at whatever location you choose.
3) Draft Your Meal Plan
Now here comes the yummy part. This is where you decide what foods to carry along. As a general rule of thumb, it’s often advised to avoid carrying foods that could get messy easily.
Things like soup, your favorite juicy ribs, sloppy joes, etc usually tend to be messy, especially if your guest list includes little humans. Plus, if a bathroom or washroom isn’t exactly nearby, then cleaning up these kinds of messes may be an issue.
You should generally opt for foods that are easy to handle, like pinwheels, rollups, sandwiches, salads and so on. If your attendees have special dietary preferences, you’ll also want to note that as well.
Portion sizes are also pretty important too. You want everyone to have enough to eat. But also, you don’t want to be left with a lot of leftovers, since they can be a chore to manage, or are likely to get thrown away altogether.
4) Get All The Necessary Equipment
You want to make sure you have all the necessary stuff you’ll need at your picnic. While this list of equipment can vary depending on the situation, there are some pretty basic things you’ll find at almost every picnic table. For example;
- Plates, cups, cutleries – Disposable ones work best and involves way less cleanup. However, you could still go for the regular ones.
- Flasks and coolers – To keep the foods/drinks at the desired temperatures
- Napkins and paper towels – Whatever amount you think you’ll need. Double it.
- Picnic baskets
- Picnic blankets
- Bottle opener/corkscrew
- Cheese board/chopping board
- Disposable trash bags
Some other equipment you may need depending on the situation include;
1) Umbrellas – If your chosen picnic location doesn’t provide any shade from the sun, then you might want to bring an umbrella with you.
2) Sunscreen – speaking of the sun, you want to make sure that beautiful skin of yours is well protected, since you’ll be spending some time outside.
3) Bug repellant – No one likes bugs interfering with their meals. If you’re having your picnic in a park, garden, forest or any other insect-prone areas, you’ll want to have some bug repellent handy.
4) Foldable chairs/tables – While picnics on the ground are the norm, there’s nothing against bringing your own chairs and tables for better comfort.
5) Flowers – A little decoration never hurt anyone
5) Make It Fun
Your picnic doesn’t have to just involve a bunch of people sitting around and munching on food. There are lots of things you could do to make things a lot more interesting.
Board games, card games, bird/animal watching, drawing, singing, etc. are all fun activities you can do on your picnic. Plus the kids (if any) are sure to love them. There are also lots of adult-only games to enjoy as well.
These 5 simple tips will help you plan and organize the perfect picnic your guests (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) will love.
Now, let’s dive into some amazing picnic recipes you’re going to want to try. From sandwiches to salads to desserts, drinks, and more.
45 Delicious Picnic Recipes
This collection is divided into 3 sections
- Savory Meals
- Sweet Treats
- Drinks
Savory Picnic Recipes
1) Italian Pinwheels
Get the recipe at – Tornadough Alli
2) Pressed Italian Picnic Sandwiches
Get the recipe at – The Stay At Home Chef
3) Healthy Sweet Potato Salad
Get the recipe at – The Girl On Bloor
4) Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls
Get the recipe at – Little Broken
5) Cowboy Caviar
Get the recipe at – Love And Lemons
Also See: 25 Delicious Pasta Salads That’ll Make Your Mouth Water
6) Classic Tuna Pasta Salad
Get the recipe at – A Couple Cooks
7) Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Get the recipe at – The Modern Proper
8) Chick-fil-A Crispy Chicken Sandwhich copycat
Get the recipe at – Tastes Better From Scratch
9) Cuban sandwich
Get the recipe at – Kevin Is Cooking
10) Italian Chicken Wrap
Get the recipe at – Foodie Crush
Also See: 25 Healthy Chicken Dinners That’ll Satisfy Your Cravings
11) California Turkey Club Wrap
Get the recipe at – Tastes Lovely
12) Strawberry Quinoa Salad With Feta
Get the recipe at – Walder Wellness
13) Antipasto Skewers
14) Spicy Sausage Rolls
Get the recipe at – African Bites
15) Falafel Sandwich
Get the recipe at – Fufu’s Kitchen
Also See: 20 Mouthwatering Vegan Dinner Recipes You Need To Try
16) Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings
Get the recipe at – Café Delites
17) Popeyes Buttermilk Biscuits Copycat
Get the recipe at – Izzy Cooking
18) Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Get the recipe at – Favorite Family Recipes
19) Spring Rolls
Get the recipe at – Dinner Then Dessert
20) Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Get the recipe at – Dinner At The Zoo
Also See: 30 Healthy Grilling Recipes You Need To Try This Summer
21) Cobb Egg Salad
22) Beef Empanadas
Get the recipe at – The Modern Proper
23) Vegetarian “BLT” Sandwich
Get the recipe at – Cookie And Kate
24) Thai Chicken Salad
Sweet Treats And Desserts
25) Ambrosia Salad
Get the recipe at – Life In The Lofthouse
Also See: 25 Tasty Fruit Salad Recipes You’ve Got To Try
26) No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
Get the recipe at – Sally’s Baking Addiction
27) Blueberry Pie Bars
Get the recipe at – Chocolate With Grace
28) Chocolate Covered Oreos
29) Raspberry Lemon Bars
30) Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Get the recipe at – Creme De La Crumb
Also See: 20 Delicious No Bake Keto Desserts To Enjoy Without Guilt
31) Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs
Get the recipe at – Sugar Apron
32) S’Mores Pops
Get the recipe at – Gimme Some Oven
33) Blueberries & Cream Popsicles
Get the recipe at – A Simple Pantry
34) Funfetti ‘Dunkaroo’ Cheesecake Bites
Get the recipe at – Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
35) Blueberry Baked Donuts
Get the recipe at – A Classic Twist
Drinks
36) Peach Lemonade
Get the recipe at – The Cookie Rookie
37) Easy Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade
Get the recipe at – Chelsea’s Messy Apron
38) Strawberry Pineapple Shaker-Upper
Get the recipe at – Something Swanky
Also See: 20 Refreshing Summer Cocktails To Satisfy Your Cravings
39) Paloma Cocktail
Get the recipe at – Love And Lemons
40) Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
Get the recipe at – Damn Delicious
41) Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
Get the recipe at – Cooking Classy
42) Sparkling Citrus Pomegranate Mocktail
Get the recipe at – One Lovely Life
43) Sparkling Apple Ginger Mocktail
Get the recipe at – Marisa Moore
44) Tropical Orange Punch
Get the recipe at – Real Housemoms
45) Blue Lagoon Mocktail
Get the recipe at – Savor The Flavour
Bon appetit.
