What are the best picnic side dishes?

May 21, 2026 by
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This weekend is a holiday in the US that marks the unofficial start to summer. People will be firing up their grills and enjoying the warm spring weather. Family reunions, ball games, and other outdoor activities mean potlucks and picnics are on tap. There are classic side dishes that are ‘must haves’ for every picnic or outdoor eating event, although the options vary a bit by region. As of today, the Kitchn’s homepage says that the three best Memorial Day side dishes are macaroni salad, potato salad, and cowboy beans. But are those really the best?

Grilled corn on the cob (Elotes) from Delicious Magazine (Aus) by Rosa Cienfuegos

I agree that potato salad belongs in the top three – it is quintessential summertime fare and is pleasing to almost everyone. However, I think that a more traditional baked bean side dish (sans beef) is better than cowboy beans because it is simpler and therefore more appealing to a broader range of eaters. I also think that regular baked beans have a superior texture – the ground beef in cowboy beans adds a coarseness that I don’t love.

I’m also going to quibble with the macaroni salad, and my preferred substitution might sound pedantic: I believe pasta salad is better. What’s the difference, you might wonder, noting that both have cooked pasta, a dressing, and a few vegetables tossed in. Tasting Table dived into the distinction between the two, noting that pasta salad usually has a vinaigrette-style dressing whereas macaroni salad has a mayonnaise-based one. That’s the key for me – potato salad already fills the creamy, mayo-centric side dish position.

My biggest problem with naming these three side dishes as the best is that they leave out the queen of all picnic sides: corn on the cob. Sure, it’s messy to eat, but nothing else screams summer in the same way as corn on cob smothered with butter and sprinkled with a healthy dose of salt – or better yet, gussied up like elote. Alas, freshly picked corn on the cob (the only kind worth getting) is not going to be available on Memorial Day for most of the country. We will have to wait until July or August for that treat.

I also want to give an honorable mention to coleslaw as a great picnic side dish. It’s tangy, crunchy, and has the bonus of getting people to eat a green that they would normally avoid. Coleslaw is great because you can eat it as a side dish and you can use it to top hot dogs and BBQ sandwiches. Hooray for versatility! What are your favorite picnic sides?

Category: Holidays & Celebrations

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11 Comments

  • JimCampbell  on  May 22, 2026

    I am generally not a fan of warm bean dishes at a picnic. Coleslaw would certainly be in my top three. Potato salad is on the list. My third choice would be an ice-cold, sweet-and-tangy, seven bean salad.

  • lkgrover  on  May 22, 2026

    I agree: potato salad, pasta salad (with vinaigrette), and coleslaw. Corn on the cob would good in an ideal world — but dental problems prohibit me from eating it on the cob. Also, watermelon is the perfect summer picnic food.

  • Rinshin  on  May 22, 2026

    I am not a fan of sweet beans so cowboy style beans for me. I have already started soaking pinto beans today to make ALTA’S PINTO BEANS – FRIJOLES DE ALTA from Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips by Yvette Zuniga Jemison.

  • Rinshin  on  May 22, 2026

    Here in Northern California we can get 8-10 fresh white corn for $1.00 since beginning of May.

    • Darcie  on  May 25, 2026

      You can get everything in Northern California – no fair!

  • FJT  on  May 24, 2026

    Potato salad or pasta salad, but not both, grilled veggies tossed in a tangy vinaigrette and Mexican-style street corn (if you can get good sweetcorn – not always possible in the UK).

  • FuzzyChef  on  May 25, 2026

    Hear me out: tabouleh.

    • Darcie  on  May 25, 2026

      Ooh, that’s great!

  • LeilaD  on  May 25, 2026

    Watermelon. Cool, refreshing after being out in the sun, and seed-spittin’.

    • Darcie  on  May 25, 2026

      Yes! I didn’t think of it as a side dish or I would have listed it. My favorite!

  • hillsboroks  on  May 25, 2026

    About 15 years ago I discovered a marvelous sweet potato salad on Epicurious that has become my go to picnic side dish. It’s called Sweet Potato Salad with Chili Lime Dressing. I use the yellow sweet potatoes and bake them whole until just soft, cool them and continue with recipe. You add chopped sweet red pepper, sliced green onions and cilantro. The dressing is simply olive oil, chili powder, lime juice (I use Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice for extra pizzazz) and salt and pepper. There is nothing to cause issues if set out in the heat and is just plain delicious!

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