45 Easy Summer Picnic Desserts
Looking for picnic desserts that don't need refrigeration? These easy, portable treats are perfect for summer outings, backyard barbecues, road trips, and lazy afternoons at the park. From cookies and bars to hand pies, loaf cakes, and no-bake favorites, these sweet summer desserts are made to travel well - even when it's warm outside.
If you're planning a picnic, be sure to see these easy summer picnic recipes for more ideas.
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Mini Desserts & Hand Pies
Individual servings make picnics easier with no slicing or serving utensils needed. These desserts are perfect for packing in your basket:
- Blueberry Hand Pies - Flaky pastry pockets filled with spiced blueberries.
- French Apple Hand Pies - A reader favorite that's delicious year-round. Or try these apple shaped hand pies.
- Mini loaf cakes or bundt cakes - Think lemon drizzle or this easy pound cake recipe, sliced and wrapped for grab-and-go servings.
- Fruit-forward desserts - A refreshing way to end a picnic meal. Look for sturdy crumb bars, like these blackberry crumble bars recipe, or pies, gallettes or turnovers.
Planning
When planning your next picnic, whether in your backyard, at the beach, or your favorite park, bringing the right picnic desserts is essential.
The best picnic desserts should be:
- Portable and easy to carry and pack in the picnic basket
- Don't require refrigeration
- Easily made ahead
Which Desserts are Best?
When planning your picnic desserts, barbecues, pool parties, or backyard gatherings, consider treats that are easily served, hold up well in the heat, and are incredibly delicious.
- Cookies, brownies, and bars: Easy to make ahead and travel well when packed.
- Cakes, loaf cakes, and pies: Can be stored without refrigeration and are simple to pack and serve.
Do You Need to Refrigerate Pies?
Pies are a fun dessert to bring to picnics, potlucks, and outdoor gatherings. However, not all pies are well-suited to picnics: some require refrigeration, while others, such as pecan pie and fruit pies like cherry, peach, apple, and blueberry, are suitable at room temperature.
The University of Illinois Extension says, "Pies made with eggs, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, including evaporated or condensed milk need special care. Pumpkin, cream, chiffon, or custard-based pies should not be out of the refrigerator for more than two hours."
How long can you store fruit pies at room temperature?
The USDA says fruit pies are food-safe at room temperature for up to two days because they have enough sugar and acid that will retard bacterial growth.
Picnic Dessert Recipes That Don't Need Refrigeration
1
Open Face Blueberry Pie: Fresh and Easiest Pie Ever
It isn't summer until there's been a blueberry pie on the table, or picnic table. And this easiest ever Open Face Blueberry Pie is simply rustic and summer perfect. Different than a traditional blueberry pie, yet incredibly juicy and delicious.
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2
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are the ultimate blending of oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies... made incredibly easy baked into bars. Oozing with melty chocolate, chewy and crisp with oats, and irresistible with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.
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3
Spiced Blueberry Hand Pies Recipe
Old-fashioned and just sweet enough, these Spiced Blueberry Hand Pies wrap juicy summer berries and warm spices into a golden, flaky crust. A nostalgic treat that's as perfect for picnics as it is for cozy afternoon teas.
Spiced Blueberry Hand Pies Recipe
4
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe (Vonnies)
These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and packed with melty chocolate chips. An easy, one-bowl dessert perfect for bake sales, after-school snacks, or a quick sweet treat. No chilling or scooping required-just mix, bake, and enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe (Vonnies)
5
Fresh Strawberry Scones (Summer Scones)
These rustic, Fresh Strawberry Scones are a rite of summer passage. Easy to make, dotted with strawberries that bring early summer flavor. With no cutting or rolling, these are the best and easiest early summer scones.
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6
Anytime Fudgy Picnic Chocolate Cake
A quick and easy fudgy snack cake, perfect as a picnic cake!
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7
Easy S'mores Cookie Cups in Muffin Tin
These easy S'mores Cookie Cups are the answer to s'more cravings when a campfire isn't handy. Sweet tender graham crusts, roasted marshmallows, and melting chocolate. Hungry yet? These delicious bites are ready in minutes with only a handful of ingredients. Yum!
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8
Apple Fritter Bread Recipe
Apple Fritter Bread is a decadent treat packed with layers of sweet, cinnamon-spiced apples in a soft and moist quick bread. Drizzled with vanilla glaze, it's reminiscent of a favorite donut-shop fritter. Perfect for morning coffee or always with tea.
Apple Fritter Bread Recipe
9
Anytime Maple Banana Snack Cake
Snack cakes are perfect for picnics. They don't need to be refrigerated and without fussy toppings, they're easy to pack. This Maple Banana Snack Cake is incredibly delicious, with banana and maple flavors and a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. It's soft, tender, moist and utterly irresistible.
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10
Lavender Tea Bread
This Lavender Tea Bread is a moist and sweet tea loaf, perfect for afternoon tea or simply to celebrate when the lavender blooms. Delightfully rich with butter and lavender cream, this floral loaf cake is one of the best lavender recipes you could make!
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11
Simple Anytime Almond Cake
This simple Almond Cake is an Almond Anytime Cake. Simple, incredibly moist, and delicious. A buttery, slightly sweet snacking cake perfect for teatime, breakfast, or midnight cravings.
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12
Easy Apple Hand Pies
This French Apple Hand Pies recipe is a super easy, delicious adaptation of French Apple Pie. And are reminiscent of a favorite boulangerie. Simple and sweet, perfect with a cup of tea.
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13
Easy Berry Pinwheel Pastries
These Pinwheel Pastries are an ultimate favorite summer dessert. Each puff pastry pinwheel is filled with delicious lemon cream cheese and topped with jam and fresh berries.
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14
Mini Bakewell Tarts Recipe
These Mini Bakewell Tarts are a delightful twist on the classic British dessert, made with buttery shortcrust pastry, raspberry jam, and almond frangipane filling. Perfect for afternoon tea or anytime you want a charming, bite-sized treat.
Mini Bakewell Tarts Recipe
15
Homemade Oreo Brownies
Homemade Fudgy Oreo Brownies are the ultimate in chocolatey, rich, and thick fudgy brownie decadence. A simple recipe that delivers chocolate paradise.
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16
Easy Apple Pie Recipe
A timeless apple pie with a buttery, flaky crust and warmly spiced apple filling. Beautifully finished with a lattice top and perfect for any celebration.
Easy Apple Pie Recipe
17
Brownie Pie Recipe
This homemade Brownie Pie recipe is a simple marriage of fudgy chocolate brownies and crispy, flaky pastry crust. And it's so incredibly delicious served warm, dusted with powdered sugar, and perhaps a dollop of melting vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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18
Butterscotch Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars
Butterscotch Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars are decadently delicious, addictively chocolaty and may seem a bit familiar. A dense and chewy cookie you'll love.
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19
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
If you're a morning peanut butter banana fan, you'll love these Peanut Butter Banana Muffins! Make ahead for quick breakfasts or warm from the oven on the weekend.
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20
Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best grain free cookies ever. Soft and chewy, just like chocolate chip cookies should be, filled with the buttery and vanilla flavor we love but with lower sugar than their traditional cousins. Easy to make, they are a go-to almond flour cookie at our house.
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21
S'mores Cookies
Gooey and delicious, these S'mores Cookies are everything you love about s'mores in cookie form. Packed with 2 kinds of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.
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22
Easy Espresso Brownie Bites
These chocolate delights will satisfy even the most insistent chocolate cravings. And with a touch of espresso, well, it just puts that spring back into your step. These brownie bites are moist, tender, and utterly chocolaty!
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23
Blackberry Crumble Jam Bars with Oat Streusel
Sweet and incredibly delicious, these blackberry jam bars, or crumble bars, are made even more perfect with an easy oat streusel.
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24
Fudgy Cakey Family Size Brownies Recipe
A perfect blend of fudgy and cakey, these family size brownies are decadently delicious. Measuring an inch tall, they bake in a 9″ x 13″ size pan. Perfect for feeding your crowd.
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25
Strawberry Crumble Bars
These simple Strawberry Crumble Bars are deliciously summery with sweet fresh strawberries and an irresistible crumble topping. Perfect for backyard summer BBQ, picnics, or when you're craving a sweet treat.
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26
Rhubarb Pie Recipe
This Rhubarb Pie recipe is the essence of spring and the taste of summer to come. It's fresh, bright, fantastically delicious, and just like Grandma used to make.
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27
Blueberry Peach Pie
When the farmers' market baskets are filled with summer's bounty of blueberries and peaches, this is a great recipe to combine both. My mom's Blueberry Peach Pie.
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28
Chocolate Chip Rolo Blondies
This Chocolate Chip Rolo Blondies recipe is a decadently delicious bar cookie, packed with chocolate chips and oozing, melty caramel. It's, um, rather incredibly yummy!
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29
Salted Butterscotch Blondie Bars Recipe
This Salted Butterscotch Blondie bars recipe is a buttery, soft, and utterly delicious bar cookie. Super simple to make with a bowl and spoon. They are my favorite blondies. You will love these!
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30
Coffee House Vonnie's Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
A coffee-house-style chocolate chip cookie bars that is decadent, chewy, buttery, deliciously chocolatey, and incredibly delicious. And kid approved!
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31
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect way to celebrate zucchini season. Rich and dense and chocolaty muffins are so delicious, you'll want to make a double batch!
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32
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies are a bit different than your average cookie. Deliciously moist and chewy with zucchini, healthy with whole wheat flour, and utterly yummy with warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And, chocolate chips, of course!
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33
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
A simple Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe made from a lighter, healthier version of classic banana bread. Yet still moist and rich; infused with chocolatey decadence that's perfect for snack time or teatime.
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34
Double Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Espresso
An ultimate chocolate lover's dream - Double Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Espresso. With it's rich, moist texture and superb banana chocolate flavor, and that hint of energizing espresso, it's a treat you'll make often.
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35
Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
Strawberry Rhubarb Cake, a favorite seasonal cake recipe. A buttery batter filled with strawberries and rhubarb and flavored with vanilla and nutmeg. Delicious!
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36
Nordstrom Coconut Royale Cookies with Macadamia Nuts and Chocolate Chips
Much like those famous Nordstrom Royale Cookies, these Coconut Macadamia Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies are sweetly chocolaty and chewy with a tropical vibe that tastes a bit like paradise.
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37
Pear Upside Down Cake Recipe
This Pear Upside Down Cake is an incredibly moist and tender cake with amazing fall-inspired flavors of maple, cinnamon, and cardamom. It's a simple cake with a delicious flavor you'll love during pear season.
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38
Plum Cake
This is a Plum Cake you'll want to make time and time again. I have... and do. Beginning in September and for as long as the fresh plums show up in my market.
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39
Decadent Dark Chocolate Pecan Espresso Brownies
Dark Chocolate Pecan Espresso Brownies are not your average brownie. They're just a bit more… of everything.
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40
Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe
A family-favorite, this zucchini bread recipe is one I've baked for years. It's quick to make, extra moist, and flavored with a cozy blend of warm spices. This 1-bowl recipe makes 2 loaves-perfect for sharing, gifting, or freezing.
Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe
Packing Tips
Pack Like a Pro:
- Use airtight containers lined with parchment for easy stacking.
- Avoid cream-based frostings unless you can keep them chilled.
- Pre-slice cakes and bars for easy serving.
- Layer cookies with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.
Picnic Gear Ideas
As you plan for a season of al fresco dining, backyard patio meals, and picnics, here are some items I'm loving and putting in our Picnic Gear Amazon Shop.
Picnic Desserts FAQs
What desserts don't need refrigeration for a picnic?
Cookies, brownies, blondies, hand pies, and loaf cakes are all sturdy options that stay fresh at room temperature.
Can I bring cheesecake to a picnic?
Only bring cheesecake, like this Basque cheesecake recipe, if you can keep it in a cooler. Otherwise, opt for something travel-friendly such as Blueberry Hand Pies or Picnic Chocolate Cake.
How far in advance can I make picnic desserts?
Most cookies, bars, and loaf cakes can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container. Hand pies also hold up well if made the day before.
What's the best way to pack desserts for a picnic?
Use sturdy containers, separate layers with parchment paper, and wrap individual servings for easy grab-and-go convenience.
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