We are rapidly approaching Spring which means we can almost go outside for longer than three minutes without freezing! The first thing I cannot wait to do this Spring is go on a picnic! Breathing in the fresh air, laying in the green grass, and eating delicious food. I know many of us love picnics- but often times find ourselves lost when it comes to filling the basket! I’m not only here to help give you ideas but more new and yummy ones! Make your date or day out with friends more special with these 14 unique picnic menu ideas!
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First I want to share a few essentials to have the perfect picnic! To have a perfect picnic you need a few specific items!
Checkered Waterproof Picnic Blanket
Picnic Basket with Utensils and Insulated Sections
Utensils (if you don’t get a picnic basket with them)
14 Unique Picnic Menu Items
With that, let’s get started!
1.) CROISSANTS
Instead of crackers or bread a favorite of mine is croissants. These can be made into sandwiches or a pastry using fruits, chocolate spreads or something similar. This makes for a more romantic look to the picnic as a whole if that is the aesthetic you are going for.
2.) Pretzels
Another option for an item of grains and bread. If sandwiches, crackers or croissants aren’t your way to go- adding this unique bread product can make the menu that much more interesting, unique and delicious!
3.) Walnuts, Peanuts, Etc.
Making sure your friends or date aren’t allergic to nuts first this one is a great snack. Working good with salami and cheese platters, on salad or on their own this sort of addition works well with a variety of picnic menu ideas. Something like this uses up less space but serves a basket well.
4.) Homemade pizza’s
A favorite of mine is to make a meal at home with those I am attending the picnic with. We will make the yummy meal customized to ourselves and head out! Pizzas and calzones are a really easy and fun alternative to cheese platters or sandwiches!
5.) Rose Petal Garnish
If you are looking for romance or simply to bring the tastes of Summer or Spring to the plate using a rose garnish will do the trick. Dried and crushed rose petals can be found online as most roses are edible! (They can be found on Amazon here!) This is just another way to add detail and uniqueness!
6.) Sprouts
A beautiful addition to cucumber sandwiches or a green salad. Sprouts are delicious, refreshing and shows more quality and effort towards a nice meal.
7.) Cucumber SandWiches
To continue with the sprouts, as I mentioned: cucumber sandwiches are a good swap to a traditional meat sandwich. This is a lighter meal, adds southern charm and is unique!
8.) Rolled Wafers
A simple yet nice dessert that is so tasty. If you are looking for more finger foods or a sweet addition to your picnic this is my favorite unique picnic menu ideas! They look just as aesthetically pleasing as they taste. Making the day all the more important even to the details of yummy treats.
9.) Soups
Spring isn’t always warm and picnics are held all year long, so I thought a fun one to include would be soup! Bringing a Stanley cup full of soup with some toasted French bread can warm up a fun picnic date on low temperature days.
10.) Hot Coco Ingredients
Bringing hot water in a thermos (like the one above) can make a fun activity for any cold day picnic. Bringing coco mixes, chocolates, marshmallow, and more will allow for a fun bonding through the food by making your own customized hot chocolates!
11.) ItaLian SoDa Bar
On the same note, different Seasons, an Italian soda bar is a good hot coco bar alternative for warmer weather. Packing two sparkling waters with a bottle of flavoring and some berries or mint to garnish this can make for a really thoughtful memory for your friends, family, or partner that appreciate moments and deeds like this one! One that allows memory building together as you feast on your picnic goods!
12.) Tarts
As Generation Z has gotten into picnicking they brought a new food to the scene- making me miss the picnic classics. Replacing cheesecakes and light desserts as such with cups of cake for the past three years has been the trend. But it’s time to bring back classics- though we can still add a twist! Picnics are known for pastries not cake products, but if you still want to mix it up tarts are the dessert for you! They can be shared as one large tart or made small in serving sizes! This is a romantic and delicate dessert to include at your picnic.
13.) Shrimp Skewers
If you are looking for alternatives to a meat and cheese platter or a pastrami sandwich a good and classic one is shrimp skewers!
14.) PEPPERONI
Lastly for unique picnic menu ideas is pepperoni sticks! I’m talking made locally at a butcher shop, nice pepperoni sticks. It’s a good extra coverage to a cheese platter, and they come in different flavors to match the scene and the rest of the food display. They are usually a fan favorite and adds some extra protein as an extra side- not enough though that it takes away from the meal!
Thank you so much for reading, do you have your own favorite picnic foods? Comment them below with any other questions or comments you may have!
