Easy Picnic Side Dishes You Need To Try

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You won’t want to miss out on these easy picnic side dishes! They are delicious, easy to make, and combine the perfect summer flavors.

We love heading out to the park and enjoying a nice lunch with the family. We try to do it at least a few times over the summer. If I had it my way, we’d be at the park enjoying a nice lunch with some easy picnic sides every week.

Unfortunately, summers are busy so we don’t get to picnic as much as we’d like. Each year we try to plan more and more picnics so hopefully one day we will get to where we picnic weekly throughout the summer.

What Kind of Side Dishes Are Great for Picnics?

Really, you can take any of your favorite sides to a picnic. Some of the most popular picnic sides include salads, vegetables, chips, or appetizer like dishes.

Easy Picnic Side Dishes You Need To Try

How can I keep my side dishes for picnics cold?

If you need to keep your picnic sides cold, there are a lot of great products you can purchase to keep them nice and chilled. Ice packs work great when you need to keep things cold. Plus, there’s no cleanup and you can reuse them over and over.

One of our favorite ways to keep the food cold is to place your container in a slightly larger bowl that has been filled with ice. As the food sits on the ice it’ll keep it cold.

The only crappy part about this is when the ice melts it’s easy to spill. Just make sure to keep an eye on it and if your ice has completely melted and the water is no longer chilled, pour it out and either get more ice or serve the dish.

Easy Picnic Side Dishes

These delicious and easy picnic sides are great for enjoying at the park. You can make them ahead of time, put them in your picnic basket, and head out to the park to enjoy a lunch with the family.

Serve these easy picnic side dishes with your favorite sandwiches (I’m a sucker for a good egg salad sandwich) and you have the perfect picnic meal.

1. Cold Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad Cold

This cold broccoli salad is a delicious take on the original salad you’re used to. The secret ingredient: eggs… but don’t let that stop you from trying it! It’s oh so good!

Want more broccoli recipes? Check out these tenderstem broccoli recipes and vegan broccoli recipes!

2. Green Beans with Brown Sugar Dijon

Green Beans with Brown Sugar and Dijon Mustard
Easy Dijon Mustard Green Beans with Brown Sugar

A delicious summer picnic side dish the family can enjoy, these brown sugar green beans with Dijon mustard are easy to make.

3. Cucumber Salad with Dill

CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE WITH SOUR CREAM AND DILL

Cucumbers are mixed with sour cream, dill, and onions to create a delicious an easy picnic side. Friends and family will enjoy this cucumber salad recipe!

Love cucumbers? Check out these other easy and delicious cucumber recipes:

4. Mini Stuffed Buffalo Peppers

Mini Buffalo Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed with a spicy cream cheese filling, enjoy these stuffed mini peppers while enjoying a picnic with the family.

5. Italian Chopped Salad

Easy Picnic Side Dishes for summer

Doesn’t this Italian chopped salad just scream summer? It’s full of summer veggies and has an unforgettable Italian flavor.

6. Coleslaw

KFC Coleslaw Easy Picnic Side Dishes for summer

Coleslaw is a summer staple for any picnic and this easy coleslaw recipe is a copycat from the famous restaurant that made coleslaw so popular.

7. Easy Deviled Egg Pasta Salad Recipe

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad Recipe

You can’t go wrong with deviled eggs for a picnic! This deviled egg pasta salad will make one of the best easy picnic side dishes this summer.

If you enjoy deviled eggs, we have a whole collection of interesting deviled egg recipes worth trying.

8. Classic Potato Salad

Classic Potato Salad

Such an easy to make side that is perfect for any picnic, this classic potato salad makes the perfect summer picnic side.

9. Fruit Salsa

Fruit Salsa Recipes

Fruit salsas are always a great picnic side for summer! This collection of fruit salsa recipes are delicious and easy to make.

10. Easy BLT Pasta Salad 

BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

The perfect summer picnic side! This easy to make BLT pasta salad will be a go to dish that you won’t be able to resist!

11. Hawaiian Pineapple Dip

Easy Ham Pineapple Dip

Add some sweetness to the picnic with this flavorful Hawaiian pineapple dip. Serve it with your favorite crackers and you have a tasty picnic side.

Easy Picnic Side Dishes

Easy picnic sides will make your summer picnic even better! As you spend time with family in the park or at your favorite picnic spot, you can enjoy these delicious sides.

More Summer Dishes That Are Great for Picnics

Even More Summer Picnic Sides & Easy Picnic Side Dishes

We couldn’t get enough of the easy picnic side dishes so we’ve found a few more summer picnic sides we think you’ll like!

Mediterranean Green Beans and Tomatoes from Veggies Save the Day. Bring some Mediterranean flavors to the picnic with this easy and flavorful picnic side dish.

Apple Radish Salad from Through the Fibro Blog. Healthy fruits and veggies are topped with a sweet honey dressing.

Honey Butter Rolls from Joyous Apron. A sweet honey flavoring is what makes these rolls so delicious!

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob from Mason Jars and Me. Make this corn on the cob ahead of time so that you can enjoy it during your summer picnic with the family!

Summer Picnic Sides

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