23 Summer Potluck Ideas Our Food Staff Swears By

Don’t be stumped by what to take to the picnic: Here are the recipes the staff of the Food section and NYT Cooking turn to again and again.

It’s time for park picnics and backyard potlucks, and our staff is excited this year. Whether it’s something sweet (peach cobbler, sugar cookie bars, plum torte) or savory (deviled eggs, larb, fried chicken), one of their favorites is bound to please everybody at your gathering. So load up your picnic basket and celebrate by sharing one of our favorite dishes with your loved ones — who will surely ask you to pass along the recipe.

1. Pasta and Pickles Salad

My criteria for summer potluck dishes are that they are delicious, slightly unexpected and easy to serve. For example, it shouldn’t require a spoon or bowl, or bring up any major concerns about refrigeration. This dish from Hetty Lui McKinnon brings the reliably buoyant chew of pasta salad, made even more craveable and fun with the addition of chopped pickle. CAT BALDWIN

Recipe: Pasta and Pickles Salad

2. The Store’s Green Dip

If ranch went to France, it would come back looking like this caper-and-herb green dip adapted by Sam Sifton. Surround it with crudités and it feels deceptively fancy, but its secret is simple: a base of mayonnaise and anchovies. One bite and you’re hooked! ALEXA WEIBEL

Recipe: The Store’s Green Dip

3. Spicy Watermelon Salad With Pineapple and Lime

Fresh, simple fruit and vegetable dishes tend to be overlooked as potluck fare. But they’re exactly what I need to break up all those seven-layer dips and potato salads, especially in summertime. Alexa Weibel’s spicy watermelon salad with pineapple and lime is as refreshing and light as it gets. And Sue Li’s cucumber salad with roasted peanuts and chile is spicy, bright and impossible to stop eating. MELISSA CLARK

Recipes: Spicy Watermelon Salad With Pineapple and Lime | Cucumber Salad With Roasted Peanuts and Chile

4. Peach Cobbler

I love bringing Genevieve Ko’s Rice Krispies treats with chocolate and pretzels to block parties. They are a sweet-and-salty treat to please both kids and adults. Alexa Weibel’s zucchini salad with pecorino and basil is also a wonderful dish for a potluck. It uses raw ingredients, so no cooking involved, and the taste is fresh and delicious! Finally, fruit desserts are my favorite during the summer. Alex Ward’s peach cobbler is great. It’s delicious on its own, but I like to serve it with a good vanilla ice cream. KIM GOUGENHEIM

Recipes: Rice Krispies Treats With Chocolate and Pretzels | Zucchini Salad With Pecorino and Basil | Peach Cobbler

5. Laab

I think Kwan Bellhouse’s chicken laab (or Hetty McKinnon’s tofu version!) is a perfect dish for groups in the summer. The only cooking you’ll do is browning the meat (or tofu) and making a pot of rice. Set those out with a ton of crunchy lettuces, cucumber and herbs, and let everyone assemble their own bites. BECKY HUGHES

Recipes: Laab | Tofu Laab

6. Pickle Lemonade

Give the people what they want: lemonade with pickle brine in it. I’m bringing this to my next potluck because it’s a surprising-yet-familiar twist on a classic that’s also sure to become a conversation starter. It’s hydrating, too — one commenter described it as “a more refined Gatorade” — an important bonus during the hot summer months! KASIA PILAT

Recipe: Pickle Lemonade

7. Shrikhand

Shrikhand is my summer potluck magic trick. Tejal Rao’s recipe turns a tub of yogurt into a luxurious, saffron-stained dessert that’s so refreshing and not too sweet. Any fruit pie and shrikhand is also a dreamy combination. PRIYA KRISHNA

Recipe: Shrikhand

8. Corn Salad With Tomatoes, Feta and Mint

If you want something to balance out all of the burgers and hot dogs you may be consuming this summer, give Mark Bittman’s deceptively simple yet delicious corn salad recipe a try. I’ll be bringing it to my friend’s cabin on the Fourth of July. It’s fresh, painless to assemble and a certified crowd-pleaser. ROSS LAING

Recipes: Corn Salad With Tomatoes, Feta and Mint

9. Original Plum Torte

My motto: When in doubt, make Marian Burros’s plum torte. I always have the batter ingredients on hand, and, nine times out of 10, there are a couple of apples, peaches, pears or what have you hanging on for dear life in the depths of my crisper drawer. Or, I have a bag of berries or chopped frozen rhubarb in my freezer. Don’t skip the lemon juice, both for flavor and for texture. And as long as you cool it completely, this cake travels beautifully. ERIC KIM

Recipe: Original Plum Torte

10. Deviled Eggs

As a child, I thought of deviled eggs as paprika-delivery vehicles; I would always select the ruddiest ones from the plate. While I still love a mountain of paprika on my eggs, I now know that what’s in the filling is just as important as the topping. This recipe, which is adapted from “U.S.A. Cookbook” by Sheila Lukins, a co-author of the Silver Palate cookbooks, gives you the basic framework. Try adding a smidgen of puréed chiles en adobo for a smokier experience, or swap the mustard for a dab of yuzu kosho for a zippier one. Bring the egg whites and the deviled egg mixture in separate chilled containers and assemble just before serving to ensure the perfect picnic experience. SARA BONISTEEL

Recipe: Classic Deviled Eggs

11. Baked Red Bean Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

My motivation to layer extra effort into anything takes a steep nosedive once summer hits. About as easy to make as a dump cake, this red bean version of butter mochi cake presents the ideal low effort to high joy ratio. Ideal for those who can’t decide whether to bring something savory or sweet, this dish does both and invites endless variations: Substitute summer fruit instead of the red bean or if you do want to add a bit more effort, try the lemon-honey variation. Whichever path you choose, the dish is sure to be a surprise hit. ELEANORE PARK

Recipe: Baked Red Bean Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

12. Chile Crisp Dumplings

My new summer potluck go-to is Genevieve Ko’s chile crisp dumplings. The filling is incredibly easy to make and packs a ton of flavor. The browned base adds crunch, while the steamy top provides chewiness. They’re highly portable and always a favorite among my friends and family. GINA FERNANDEZ

Recipe: Chile Crisp Dumplings

13. Chickpea Salad With Fresh Herbs and Scallions

My picnic favorite is Lidey Heuck’s chickpea salad with fresh herbs and scallions. It has potato salad vibes, but without the now-I-need-a-nap side effect. I like to bring a big container of it to the park along with a stack of red Solo cups and plastic forks for sharing. For dessert, Nell Lewis’s Kentucky butter cake is foolproof: There’s no separating wet and dry ingredients. Just dump everything into the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat until smooth. For transport, I pop it back into the Bundt pan after it cools, slice it, wrap with aluminum foil, then unmold again, or serve slices directly from the pan with juicy berries. MARGAUX LASKEY

Recipes: Chickpea Salad With Fresh Herbs and Scallions | Kentucky Butter Cake

14. Caramelized Scallion Sauce

Francis Lam’s caramelized scallion sauce is a bit time-consuming to prepare but can be done well in advance, and I often triple it for an outdoor feast. It does not have to be served hot. It’s great with cooked chicken, grilled tofu or shrimp and corn off the cob. I usually skip the egg, and a splash of chile oil doesn’t hurt. FLORENCE FABRICANT

Recipe: Caramelized Scallion Sauce

15. Furikake Snack Mix

I have yet to bring furikake snack mix to any sort of gathering — potluck, picnic, fancy dinner party, Thanksgiving — and not receive raves and requests for the recipe. It’s sweet, spicy and salty with a serious umami base from the toasted nori. Kids love it. Adults love it. And I really love it, which is why I always make extra, so I can have some all to myself. MIA LEIMKUHLER

Recipe: Furikake Snack Mix

16. Watermelon and Feta Salad

I’m bringing watermelon; it’s what the people want. This simple salad from Eric Kim is just about perfect and only takes a few precious minutes of your time to make. But sometimes I’ll just cut a watermelon up into slices, layer it on a platter and serve it with chile powder on the side — think cayenne, Tajín or Rancho Gordo’s Stardust dipping powder. EMILY WEINSTEIN

Recipe: Watermelon and Feta Salad

17. Sugar Cookie Bars

I’m 200 percent more motivated to go to the barbecue if someone is bringing these sugar cookie bars that Margaux Laskey adapted from an American Girl cookbook. Once there, I casually position myself close to them, and try to eat as many as I can without anyone noticing that I’ve maybe had more than my share. EMILY FLEISCHAKER

Recipe: Sugar Cookie Bars

18. Make-Ahead Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is the best picnic food, full stop. Melissa Clark has engineered a recipe that’s designed exactly for this situation. Make it the night before (or early in the morning, if you are really ambitious) and pack it in a charming box. I like to pack a big container of Whitney Otawka’s snap pea and Calabrian chile salad, which is easy to riff on with celery or other crunchy vegetables that will stand up to the rigors of picnic travels. KIM SEVERSON

Recipes: Make-Ahead Fried Chicken | Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Calabrian Pepper and Fennel

19. Potato Salad With Sweet Relish

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a bean dip girl — nay, a bean dip woman. I’d toss some white beans, garlic, basil, lemon and maybe Parmesan in a blender, and run to the party. But last pandemic summer left me finding frequent comfort in potato salad. I’d make a big batch, or buy some from the store, and chip away at it. This year, I can’t wait to share, and it’s Millie Peartree’s recipe, which came from her mother, Millie Bell, that I want to share with everyone I know. KRYSTEN CHAMBROT

Recipe: Potato Salad With Sweet Relish

20. Onion Finger Sandwiches

The best potluck dish is surprising, relatively easy and delicious enough to tempt second and third helpings. I have a friend who insists that a bucket of KFC satisfies all three of those requirements, but I prefer Tejal Rao’s adaptation of James Beard’s onion finger sandwiches. They’re already near-perfect for summer, but I add just a tiny bit of Dijon and white pepper to the mayo. BRIAN GALLAGHER

Recipe: Onion Finger Sandwiches

21. French Lentil Salad

This gorgeous vegetarian French lentil salad from Lisa Donovan will be my new picnic go-to. It’s supremely portable — it shines at room temp — and is crunchy, colorful and fragrant with an array of as many herbs as I care to wash. My veggie friends would be delighted to have it as a light main, but I think it will also make a great side dish for the meat-eaters in my crew. CATHY LO

Recipe: French Lentil Salad

22. Potato-and-Radicchio Tart

My absolute favorite recipe for a summer potluck is Natasha Pickowicz’s potato-and-radicchio tart. The recipe, which Natasha originally developed as a “family meal” for the staff at Café Altro Paradiso, where she was the pastry chef, makes the best use of any pantry odds and ends, cheese nubbins or greens on their last legs. It turns out most ingredients work well together when snuggled up in a tart. The result is more impressive than an excuse to clean out the fridge (which it really is). ELEANORE PARK

Recipe: Potato-and-Radicchio Tart

23. Margarita

I hate drinking water (Sorry, Mom!), but I love a fun beverage, especially in the summer. Anything bright and zippy, like classic lemonade or Brazilian limonada, are refreshing crowd pleasers for all ages. This year though, I’m bringing batched cocktails to the potluck — definitely tequila-leaning, most likely margaritas. SHARON ATTIA

Recipe: Margarita

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