Picnic Salad Recipes

Whether you’re heading to the park, the beach, or a backyard barbecue, a great picnic salad is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. It travels well, can be made ahead, and honestly? It often tastes better after a few hours in the cooler.

Here are 21+ easy picnic salad recipes — from classic pasta and macaroni salads to fruity dessert salads and fresh veggie options — so you can find exactly what works for your outing. These aren’t just great picnic salads; they’re also perfect for potlucks, lunches, and summer BBQs all season long

Packable picnic salads are easy to put together and are so transportable and have lots of healthy vegetables! These are not only great salad recipes for a picnic, but they are also all great for lunches, brunches, and barbecues too.  When packing salads for picnics or outings, my carrier of choice is this insulated carrier. 

Easy Picnic Salad Recipes to Pack and Go

We’ve got lots of salads from pasta salads, vegetable salads, and fruit salads.

Orange Fluff Salad

Grape Salad with Cream Cheese

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Cold Green Beans Recipe

Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad from Girl with the Iron Cast

Mexican Pasta Salad

Cucumber Salad “Gurkensalat” from Strength and Sunshine

Strawberry Almond Salad

Grinder Pasta Salad

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad from Food Meanderings

Classic Pasta Salad

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Low Carb Recipe from the Endless Appetite

hawaiian cheesecake Salad – so creamy and tasty!

Yellow Pole Bean Salad from Sustain My Cooking Habit

Greek Pasta Salad from Food Meanderings

Creamy Macaroni Salad from Organized Island

Pepper Broccoli Salad from Organized Island

Pear and Feta Salad from Organized Island

This Strawberry Fluff salad is a wonderful sweet dessert salad. A classic from childhood that goes great with literally all picnic food.

This Pistachio Fluff salad (also known as Seafoam salad, is another wonderful dessert salad idea.

No dessert salad list would be complete without an easy Ambrosia salad recipe.

More Picnic Salad Recipes

• Pineapple Pecan Salad from The Kitchen is My Playground
• Chopped Brussel Sprouts Salad from Produce Gathering
• Chicken Poppy Seed Fruit Salad from I Should Be Mopping the Floor
• Summer Berry Salad with Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette from Funny Money Momg

Tips for Packing Salads for a Picnic

Keep it cold – Use an insulated carrier or cooler with ice packs to keep salads fresh.
Pack dressing separately – For leafy or grain salads, add dressing just before serving so nothing gets soggy.
Choose the right container – Mason jars work great for individual portions; wide-lid containers make serving easy.

There are some pretty awesome picnic salad recipes here. I am wanting to pack a picnic lunch and head to the beach or concert now that the weather is warming up. When I was a kid, at picnics and barbecues we always had potato or macaroni salad and while those are wonderful, there are so many other choices to change things up.

Be sure to include some fruits in your summer menu planning. We have some delicious and easy banana recipes for summer. 

I love collecting great easy salad recipes and this time of year, I am really into salads. During the winter, I have to say that I do not eat as many salads. I usually prefer some comfort food that time of year. Now that the weather is warmer, I say bring on the salads!

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What is your favorite picnic salad?