Picnic Food Recipes

These easy picnic food recipes are perfect for a Sunday lunch in the park, at the lake, or for any outdoor event. Make picnic food the night before and then fill the picnic basket the next day - so you can enjoy a relaxing and stress-free time.

Kid Picnic Tip: Instead of just ordinary sandwiches, make your picnic interesting and fun by serving roast pork or ham, turkey or chicken with soft bread rolls or buns. Sweet fruity muffins or corn muffins are a big hit for kid picnics, too. Sandwiches made in advance get soggy. Bring finger foods in small containers that are easy to eat such as carrot slices, olives, avocado slices, grapes, cherries, strawberries with homemade (or store-bought) dips. Bring along plastic wine or champagne glasses and serve non-alcoholic drinks to kids for fun.

This makes delicious barbecue sandwiches for a picnic or just for fun when people come over. Great with pickles, relish, or just some sauce on the meat.

Pull Apart Pork

2 1/2 pounds pork roast (sirloin) boneless
1/1/2 pound boneless chuck or rump roast

Barbecue sauce:
1/2 cup barbecue spice powder
1 large can tomato sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 300F (150C) degrees. Mix all ingredients together and rub on roast. Cut up in large pieces. Put in dutch oven. Cook slowly for 5-7 hours until meat falls apart and can be stirred easily. Cook for 5-7 hours until very tender and can be pulled apart. Serve on buns.


These healthy snack bars are great for picnics.

Chewy Apple Snack Bars

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup raw (Turbinado) sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 cup oats

Preheat oven to 325F degrees (160C). In a saucepan over low heat, add a little butter, then add apple. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. When apples become soft, add remaining butter, sugar, honey, and cinnamon. Cook on low until all the butter has melted. Next stir in seeds and oats. Spoon mixture onto 9X12" glass baking dish. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, soft, and chewy (be careful not to overcook). Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into square slices.


Vanilla Squares

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vanilla pudding mix
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a baking pan. Measure the butter in mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and pudding mix in with the butter. Mix thoroughly and then add the vanilla extract.

Add the flour and knead the mixture with your hands until it forms one smooth lump. Press the dough into baking pan and smooth with spatula. Prick the dough lightly with a fork.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven using oven mitts. Allow to cool.

Cut into squares and serve. This recipe was created by Madison, age 10, of the United States.

Picnic Apple Muffins

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped (should measure about 1 cup)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Muffin Topping:

1/2 cup pecans, shelled and chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F degrees (180F). In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, add eggs, milk, and butter and stir together. Next add apple pieces and stir. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir.

Brush muffin pan with butter. Pour muffin mixture into each muffin cup so it is about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Mix topping ingredients together, then spoon over muffin batter.

Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Take tray out of oven and remove muffins right away and let cool. These apple muffins are perfect for an afternoon picnic.

Roast Pork Shoulder Picnic Recipe

4 pound pork shoulder
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 405F degrees (220C). Score the skin with a knife to make incisions. Rub oil, sea salt and pepper over pork skin (and into incisions). Push garlic cloves deep into incisions (this adds massive flavor to your pork roast). Place on a rack in a roast pan and cook for 25 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350F degrees (180C) and cook for another 2 hours. Remove from oven and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes before carving. Place sliced pork in airtight container to serve at your picnic.

More picnic food recipes coming soon!