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15 Easy and Cheap Picnic Recipe Ideas

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Planning a picnic at the park? Here are 15 cheap picnic ideas, and all of them are delicious family favorites! Make these recipes for easy picnic sides and main dish meals to enjoy with family or friends on your fun day out!

Collage of 15 cheap picnic sides and main dishes.

Our Favorite Cheap Picnic Ideas

Having a picnic at the park is a great way to spend quality time with family and friends without breaking the bank. With some simple planning, you can create a fun and memorable experience without spending a lot of money.

One of the best ways to save money is by bringing your own food! Using leftovers is an easy way to put together some cheap meals.

Consider making a crockpot ham or Dutch oven carnitas, then use the leftovers to create sliders or sandwiches. This is a kid-friendly, delicious, and budget friendly idea.

You could also take along a few of your favorite portable desserts. Just be sure to pack them in a cooler to keep them fresh.

overhead: people having a picnic in the park.

If you’re looking for cheap picnic ideas, consider simple snacks like fresh fruit, nuts, and crackers. You can even create a DIY trail mix by combining your favorite roasted nuts, dried fruits, and some chocolate chips or candies like M&Ms.

When it comes to picnic side dishes, there are plenty of options! Some of our favorite easy picnic sides are cold salads and pasta side dishes like cowboy salad and zesty Italian pasta salad. These dishes are not only easy to make, but they can also be made ahead of time, so you don’t have to worry about preparing them on the day of your picnic.

5 Cheap Picnic Ideas for Your Picnic at the Park

  • Make and bring your own food.
  • Pack simple snacks.
  • Bring along games and activities that everyone will enjoy.
  • Find ways to enjoy the great outdoors.
  • Go geocaching or have a scavenger hunt.

If you’re looking for some park picnic ideas, consider bringing some games and activities to keep everyone entertained. You can bring a frisbee, a football, or even a board game to play. Another fun idea is to bring a kite and fly it in the open space.

wooden tables with seats in a serene wooded area next to a lake.

With these tips, you can create a fun and budget-friendly picnic experience that everyone will enjoy.

Picnic Side Dish Ideas That Are Easy to Make in Bulk

Tuscan Bean Salad
This Tuscan white bean salad is bright, fresh, and full of vegetables. You'll love the bold flavors combined with the creamy white beans. Enjoy this salad on its own, as a side, or with pita chips!
Check out this recipe
a white bowl of tuscan bean salad with silverware to the right and a striped napkin on the left with the corner of another bowl of white bean salad showing on the top right
Quick Pasta with Peas
Pasta with Peas is a 20-minute recipe for a flavor-packed meal of pesto pasta with veggies! Also delicious cold as a rotini pea pasta salad!
Check out this recipe
Fork in a serving bowl of pesto pasta with veggies, garnished with fresh basil.
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
This Macaroni and Cheese is simply crazy good! It's rich and creamy with the perfect blend of cheesiness.
Check out this recipe
National Pasta Day Recipe Roundup
Casserole dish of baked white cheddar mac and cheese.
Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon
This Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon recipe is the best tender, delicious, and nutritious southern comfort food ever that is made in a slow cooker.
Check out this recipe
a square photo of a green bowl of slow cooker pinto beans with bacon.
Cowboy Salad
Fresh cowboy salad is a fun mix of classic chopped salad and homemade bean and corn salsa (cowboy caviar). The delicious Tex-Mex taste and crisp crunchiness will make this vegan salad a favorite at your spring and summer gatherings.
Check out this recipe
a platter of cowboy salad ready to serve

5 Easy Picnic Sides with Fruit

Think outside of the bowl here- fruit doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of a salad to be portable!

Strawberry Blueberry Salad
Strawberry Blueberry Salad is an easy mixed berry salad with marshmallows tossed in a bright citrus poppy seed dressing. Perfect for July 4th!
Check out this recipe
Small cups filled with mini marshmallows and red and blue berries.
Bisquick Banana Bread
Banana bread recipes don't get easier than this winner! Not only is this Bisquick banana bread nearly effortless to prepare in just 10 minutes (with or without nuts!) but it bakes up as a perfectly tender, moist and flavorful loaf every time.
Check out this recipe
a loaf of sliced banana bread on a wooden cutting board
Cheesecake Salad
Red White and Blue Cheesecake Salad is the perfect fruity, no-bake dessert for summer. Make this 4th of July salad recipe- it’ll be a hit!
Check out this recipe
cheesecake 4th of July salad in a large serving bowl next to a 4th of July table cloth.
Layered red white and blue fruit salad on a table next to red white and blue checked kitchen towel.
Fruit and Cheese Skewers using our Christmas Tree Appetizer Board Ingredients)
Make the most festive appetizer this Christmas with the Christmas Tree Cheese Board Appetizer! It's easy to create and makes a stunning presentation that will impress your guests.
Check out this recipe
Christmas Tree Cheese Appetizer on a wooden board with a dark background.
German Apple Cake
This authentic Sunken Apple Cake recipe (also known as Versunkener Apfelkuchen or German Kuchen) is a sweet, rustic treat to enjoy with coffee or tea.
Check out this recipe
Sunken Apple Cake.

Main Dish Recipes for Your Picnic at the Park

Tortellini Caprese Salad
This tortellini Caprese salad is like a fancy macaroni salad but better! The pesto makes for a bright and refreshing pasta dish you can serve anytime! Cheesy pasta is tossed with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and lots of basil.
Check out this recipe
a white bowl of tortellini caprese salad with tomatoes and salt in the background
Garlic Sourdough Bread
Look no further than this recipe for the perfect roasted garlic sourdough bread to go with dinner or your next BBQ or potluck. This sourdough recipe is easy and forgiving and virtually foolproof. Add in some cheese for a tasty loaf of garlic cheese sourdough that everyone will love!
Check out this recipe
a loaf of garlic roasted sourdough on top of a checked cloth napkin
Grilled Burgers on Homemade Hamburger Buns
These quick and easy buns take just 30 minutes to make. Plus they're freshly baked and taste amazing.
Check out this recipe
hamburger buns recipe
Calico Bean Casserole with Bacon
These baked calico beans are perfect for a hearty dinner, potluck dish, or a summer barbeque. Canned beans make this hamburger and bean casserole a tangy and delicious but super easy dinner that's ideal any night of the week.
Check out this recipe
a casserole dish of calico beans with bacon
Better Than Chick Fil A Grilled Nuggets
Chick Fil A grilled nuggets are brined and seasoned for deliciously juicy bites. Use this copycat recipe to grill chicken nuggets at home!
Check out this recipe
Platter full of grilled chicken bites.
3 Ingredient BBQ Sauce
Make this tangy, honey BBQ sauce with 3 simple ingredients! It's perfect for dipping chicken tenders, fries, and so much more. Just stir and serve with this no cook recipe.
Check out this recipe
basting chicken with 3 ingredient bbq no cook sauce
Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken
Learn how to bake juicy, extra crispy, breaded Shake and Bake chicken in the oven or air fryer for panko chicken tenders in 25 minutes!
Check out this recipe
shake and bake chicken tenders placed on a parchment paper on top of a wood serving plate
shake and bake chicken tenders placed on a parchment paper on top of a wood serving plate
Spicy Honey Mustard
Hot honey mustard sauce is creamy, tangy, sweet and spicy, and perfect for dipping chicken tenders, fries, and so much more. Best of all, this classic recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients!
Check out this recipe
a weck jar of hot honey mustard sauce
Crowd Pleasing Italian Sliders
Italian Sliders are the perfect mini sandwiches for game day, tailgating, holiday parties and potlucks. This recipe is a crowd pleaser!
Check out this recipe
Baked Italian sliders in a white baking dish.

Supplies to Take Along

titled graphic of cheap picnic ideas.

Mixing chopped red cabbage and cukes with creamy dressing in a large bowl.
Crunchy Cucumber Slaw PREVIOUS
Plated slice of sourdough cake with remaining apple cake in a baking dish behind it.

Easy Chicken Recipes

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Easy Chicken Recipes

Get our free digital cookbook with TFN’s favorite easy chicken recipes!