11 Picnic Food Ideas That Aren't Sandwiches!

Who doesn't love a good picnic! These 11 picnic food ideas are perfectly portable - to make your picnic feel really special!

Collage of 4 images showing some picnic food ideas.

To be perfectly honest, I love a tasty sandwich as part of my picnic basket! But sometimes a special picnic calls for something a little bit different.

Our favourite portable picnic recipes:

Cornish Pasties

4.96 from 23 votes

Cornish Pasties - moist and tender traditional hand pies filled with steak, onion, potato and swede (rutabaga)

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

5 from 2 votes

A simple pasta salad with mozzarella and veggies plus an easy Italian dressing. Customize with whatever you've got in!

Large bowl filled with pasta salad on a light background

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Coronation Chicken Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Coronation chicken - cooked chicken in a creamy, spicy sauce with sultanas and apricots. It makes a fantastic sandwich filler, jacket potato topper or serve with a lovely crisp salad.

Coronation chicken on a bed of salad, topped with flaked almonds

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Easy Creamy Potato Salad Recipe

5 from 14 votes

Easy Creamy Potato Salad - My dad’s recipe that I’ve been eating (and making) for over 30 years!

Creamy potato salad in a blue bowl on a wooden table. Chopped vegetables in the background.

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls That Meat-Eaters Love Too!

4.85 from 20 votes

A simple pastry treat for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Really easy to make at the same time as meaty sausage rolls - to keep all your guests happy.

Vegetarian sausage rolls piled up on a cooling rack

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Cheese and Tomato Tarts Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Cheese and Tomato Tarts with a rich tomato ragu and creamy béchamel sauce encased in shortcrust pastry. The best vegetarian lunch!

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Homemade Coleslaw

5 from 13 votes

A quick and easy creamy coleslaw with plenty of crunch - just like those luxury supermarket versions. Made at home in 5 minutes.

creamy coleslaw in a bowl. Cheese and cherry tomatoes in the background

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Chorizo Scotch Eggs Recipe

5 from 2 votes

These Chorizo Scotch Eggs are epic! Crispy and smoky on the outside with a perfect runny-egg filling!

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Sausage Rolls Recipe

5 from 16 votes

Buttery golden pastry with a delicious meaty filling. Three ingredients are all you need to make a plateful of fantastic sausage rolls.

Square image of sausage rolls on a cooling rack on a dark blue background

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Portable Apple Crumble Jars

5 from 1 vote

Portable Apple Crumble Jars - with a custard core!! Eat them hot or cold for a fab picnic treat!

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

5 from 9 votes

These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are so quick and easy! Great for picnics and packed lunches. Gluten Free instructions included.

Square image of individual blueberry and blackberry cheesecakes in mason jars on blue background.

Made by: Nicky Corbishley

That's my top 11 picnic food ideas! I Also need to do a special callout to some of my other picnic food ideas that didn't quite make the top 11:

Do you have any picnic favourites? Let me know in the comments below.

What if I want a sandwich recipe?

Try my French Pressed Sandwich Bites!

Do I need to bring cutlery on a picnic?

Only for the dessert recipes!

Can I make these recipes ahead?

Yes, all of these recipes can be made ahead.

This post was first written in July 2017. Updated in Aug 2021 with new recipe ideas.

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Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.