The quick answer: the best picnic food is easy to make ahead, easy to eat with your hands and happy to sit in a cooler bag for a few hours. We always pack four things: a savoury main, a picky cheese platter, a fruit platter and something sweet. Below are 40 easy picnic food ideas for kids, teens and grown-ups, plus exactly how we pack a family picnic so food and drinks stay cold all day, even in an outback summer.
I'm Deanna, one of the two sisters behind Spixal. Our family lives in Broken Hill, and picnics are a big part of how we spend weekends. Our favourite spots are the local parks, Sturt Park and Duke of Cornwall Park, the creek at Silverton, and a day trip out to the Menindee Lakes, about an hour away. Broken Hill summers are hot, so I've learnt the hard way that a good picnic comes down to two things: food that travels well, and a cooler bag that actually keeps it cold.
The Picnic That Taught Me to Pack a Proper Cooler Bag
One time we packed our picnic into reusable supermarket shopping bags. By the time we sat down, nothing was cold, the icing on the cupcakes had melted and the whole lot was a mess. Nobody enjoyed it. Now a leakproof cooler bag is the first thing that goes in the car. In the heat, it's the difference between a picnic everyone loves and one you'd rather forget.
What Makes Good Picnic Food?
- Make-ahead. Prep it the night before so the morning is just packing.
- Cut up and ready to eat. Finger food means fewer plates, forks and wipes, and everyone can help themselves.
- Travels well. Nothing that wilts, melts or goes soggy in an hour.
- Happy cold. Most picnic food is eaten cold, so pick food that tastes good that way, or bring a food jar for something hot.
- Easy to share. We lay everything out as a spread. My teenager eats a bit of everything when it's all cut up and ready to go, and the little ones can pick what they like.
Make-Ahead Picnic Mains
- Chicken and salad wraps. Roll them tightly, cut in half and pack them seam side down so they don't unroll.
- Pasta salad. Short pasta, cherry tomatoes, corn, cucumber and a simple dressing. It tastes better the next day.
- Sausage rolls. Bake the night before and pack them cold. Pack tomato sauce in a Midi snack box. It holds enough for the whole family, so you're not carting the whole squeezy bottle to the picnic.
- Mini quiches or frittata squares. Bake a tray of frittata with whatever vegies are in the fridge and cut it into squares.
- Rice paper rolls. Fresh, crunchy and easy to eat. Keep the dipping sauce separate until lunch.
- Sushi rolls. Make your own or pick some up on the way. Keep them cold in the cooler bag.
- Club sandwiches cut into quarters. Small pieces mean less waste when little ones only eat half.
- Cold roast chicken drumsticks. Cook them the night before and wrap the ends in baking paper for easy holding.
Easy Picnic Finger Food
- Cheese and crackers. Pack the crackers in their own compartment so they stay crisp.
- Vegie sticks and dip. Carrot, cucumber, capsicum and snow peas with hummus or tzatziki.
- Pinwheels. Spread a wrap with cream cheese, add ham or grated carrot, roll it up and slice.
- Mini muffins. Cheese and zucchini for savoury, banana for sweet.
- Boiled eggs. Peel them at home to save mess at the park.
- Arancini balls. A great way to use up leftover risotto.
- Spinach and ricotta triangles. Bake a batch and freeze the rest for the next picnic.
- Corn fritters. Good cold, and easy for small hands.
My Roundie Picnic Cheese Platter
Our picky cheese platter goes in the Roundie snackle box every time. It has six compartments around a centre dip container, so everything stays separate and it doubles as the serving platter on the rug. What goes in depends on what's in season, but these are our regulars:
- Cubed cheese and mini tomatoes.
- Twiggy sticks and sliced cabana.
- Celery and carrot sticks.
- Sakata rice crackers with a dip in the centre container.
- Pretzels.
- Cut fruit. We usually pack a separate fruit platter too, more on that below.
- Sultanas or dried apricots.
- Frozen yoghurt. Freeze a reusable yoghurt pouch the night before and it thaws by snack time while helping keep the cooler bag cold.
If you've seen the Roundie on TikTok, here's why it went viral. For a bigger spread, see our grazing platter ideas.
Snackle Box Ideas From Other Mums
I caught up with a group of mum friends recently and the Roundie came up. One mum friend bought hers for her son's school lunches, but she uses it more for herself. She takes a poke bowl style lunch to work in it, and when she takes the kids to the park it becomes their snackle box platter. Because it has six compartments, she mixes sweet and savoury without anything touching: sliced cucumber, mini tomatoes, apple slices, sultanas, carrot sticks, Oreos and choc chip cookies. Her kids love it every time.
Another mum had just done a Mexican themed picnic. She reconfigured the Roundie with guacamole in one section, salsa in another and corn chips in a bigger section. Her family loved it.
Hot Picnic Food for Cooler Days
Not every picnic is in summer. On cooler days, a hot meal makes a picnic feel like a proper lunch. Our 800ml insulated food jar keeps food hot for up to 5 hours. Fill it with boiling water for a few minutes first, then tip that out and add the hot food.
- Pumpkin or tomato soup with bread rolls for dunking.
- Spaghetti bolognese or mac and cheese.
- Fried rice with egg and peas.
- Butter chicken and rice for the grown-ups.
Need more hot food ideas? Try our 35 hot lunch ideas for food jars.
Fruit Platters and Sweet Treats
- A cut fruit platter. Watermelon, grapes, strawberries and orange wedges. We pack ours in the Core stainless steel bento so it stays cold and nothing gets squashed.
- Cupcakes. Keep them in the cooler bag. Trust me on this one, icing and outback heat don't mix.
- Anzac biscuits. They travel well and don't melt.
- Brownie squares. Bake in a slab and cut small.
- Banana bread. Slice and butter it at home.
- Choc chip cookies. A small handful in one compartment goes a long way with the kids.
Picnic Drinks
- Cans of soft drink sitting on ice.
- Fruit boxes for the kids.
- Big bottles of water. We take two 1L bottles.
- Big bottles of soft drink. Two 1.25L bottles cover the family.
- Frozen water bottles. They keep the food cold and become cold drinks by lunch.
- Hot chocolate in a food jar on cold days.
How We Pack a Family Picnic (2 Cooler Bags)
When the whole family comes, we take two Insulated Cooler Tote Bags: one for food and one for drinks. They have a leakproof PEVA lining, so you can put ice straight in, and when it melts it doesn't leak.
Cooler bag 1: the food
- 2 silicone round bentos with the savoury lunch
- The Core stainless steel bento with cut up fruit
- The Roundie with the cheese platter
- A 3 compartment bento with extra picky savoury food
- A Midi snack box of tomato sauce
- An ice pack
- Reusable plates in the front pocket, cutlery in one side pocket and a heap of serviettes in the other
Cooler bag 2: the drinks
I pour about half a bag of ice into the bottom and sit the drinks in it. Either cans of soft drink and fruit boxes, or two 1L bottles of water and two 1.25L bottles of soft drink, plus our reusable plastic picnic cups. It all fits.
How long does the ice last?
On day trips we leave early in the morning, and when we get home that evening at least half the ice is still frozen ice cubes.
More Tips for Keeping Picnic Food Cold
- Freeze what you can. Water bottles and yoghurt pouches double as ice packs.
- Keep drinks in their own bag. The drinks bag gets opened all day. Keeping it separate means the food bag stays shut and cold until lunch.
- Use containers with compartments. A bento box or snackle box keeps wet and dry food apart, so the crackers don't go soggy.
- Keep the bags in the shade and zipped until you eat.
- Bring a bag for rubbish and wipes for sticky hands.
Picnic Ideas for Every Occasion
- End-of-year school picnic. Pack a snackle box per child with their favourites so there's no sharing drama. Check the school's nut rules.
- Christmas at the park. Cold ham, prawns, salads and pavlova all need to stay cold. Use two cooler bags and keep the seafood on ice.
- Australia Day. Sausage rolls, a fruit platter and Anzac biscuits are easy crowd pleasers.
- Birthday picnics. Our kids party food ideas cover the Aussie classics, plus a Roundie lolly platter.
- School holiday beach days. See my sister Maggie's beach picnic ideas for food that copes with heat and sand.
- Road trips and day trips. Pack the cooler bags the night before, and see our road trip snacks for the drive.
Portable Picnic Food (No Fridge, No Fuss)
For long days out or picnics far from the car, pick food that copes with a few hours in the bag: wraps, sausage rolls, frittata squares, crackers, hard cheese, twiggy sticks, dried fruit, whole fruit like apples and bananas, and biscuits. Keep soft cheese, cream, mayonnaise-heavy salads and cooked rice cold and eat them first.
Play Date Snack Ideas
Hosting a play date at the park? Keep it simple. One snack box per child stops the arguments over who got more, and a shared snackle box in the middle works for grazing. Good play date snacks are fruit, cheese and crackers, popcorn, mini muffins and vegie sticks with dip. Ask the other parents about allergies first.
Picnic Checklist
- Picnic rug and a few cushions
- Cooler bag for food, with an ice pack
- Cooler bag for drinks, with ice
- Food in sealed containers
- Plates, cups, cutlery and serviettes
- Sunscreen, hats and a shade umbrella
- Wipes, hand sanitiser and a rubbish bag
- A ball, frisbee or cards
Picnic Food FAQs
What is the best food to take on a picnic?
Food that you can make ahead, eat with your hands and keep cold in a cooler bag. We always pack a savoury main, a picky cheese platter, a fruit platter and something sweet, all cut up and ready to eat.
What are easy picnic foods for kids?
Small, hand-held food in separate compartments. Cubed cheese, mini tomatoes, crackers, twiggy sticks, cut fruit, vegie sticks with dip and a few cookies all work well in a snackle box like the Roundie.
How do I keep picnic food cold in hot weather?
Use an insulated, leakproof cooler bag with ice, and keep drinks in a separate bag so the food bag stays shut. On our day trips from Broken Hill, at least half the ice in our drinks cooler bag is still frozen when we get home in the evening.
How long can picnic food stay out?
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's 2 hour / 4 hour rule is a good guide for ready-to-eat food that normally lives in the fridge. If it has been between 5°C and 60°C for less than 2 hours, it can be eaten or put back in the fridge. Between 2 and 4 hours, eat it. After 4 hours, throw it out. Keeping food in a cooler bag with ice helps it stay below 5°C for longer.
What can I take on a picnic with no fridge?
Wraps, sausage rolls, frittata squares, crackers, hard cheese, twiggy sticks, whole fruit, dried fruit and biscuits all cope well. Eat anything with mayonnaise, cream or soft cheese first.
Looking for everyday lunch inspiration too? See our 100 lunch box ideas for kids.
Less chaos, more calm.