25 Vegetarian Picnic Recipes
Summer is here! Hurrah! At this time of year, my tastes definitely change. No more hearty, cheesy casseroles – now, it’s all about summer recipes. I’m thinking fresh salads, picnic food, and easy cold lunches.
And of course, summer is the perfect excuse to eat outside whenever you can. Whether it’s a proper picnic in the park or just a few nibbles in the garden, everything tastes better in the sunshine. I always have a few easy vegetarian recipes up my sleeve that are easy to pack up and take out – things like pasta salads, picnic nibbles, and quiches.
I love how summer food often feels super relaxed and thrown together (in the best possible way). A bit of this, a handful of that, whatever fresh ingredients you’ve got in the fridge… somehow it all just works, even without a lot of forethought. Sometimes our meals are as simple as a slice of crusty bread with some hummus and grilled veggies, or a colourful salad topped with crumbled cheese and a zingy dressing – it’s the kind of food that feels light but still totally satisfying.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Recipes
- They’re all light and summery – perfect for eating in the warm weather.
- These recipes are easy to pack up and take outside, whether that be as part of an elaborate picnic, or a simple picnic lunch.
- As with all of my vegetarian recipes, they’re all simple to make, with no hard-to-find ingredients.
- Plus, these recipes are big on flavour and low on faff – just how I like it.
🧺 Vegetarian Picnic Recipes
Without further ado, onto the recipes!
Lentil Sausage Rolls
These vegetarian sausage rolls are stuffed with a seriously tasty lentil and mushroom filling, wrapped up in flaky puff pastry. They’re perfect to batch cook, and can be served cold as part of a picnic. We also love them packed up in lunch boxes!
Vegetarian Lentil Sausage Rolls
Parmesan Baked Fava Bean Chips
These crispy fava bean chips make a great crunchy snack, as an alternative to nuts or potato chips. Flavour them however you like – I made cheesy ones!
Parmesan Baked Fava Bean Chips
Tex-Mex Tortilla Roll-Ups
Tortilla roll-ups make such a fun alternative to a sandwich for picnics and lunch boxes, or just to eat at home for a quick lunch.
Easy Tex-Mex Tortilla Roll-Ups
Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Rocket
Juicy peaches work so well in this tasty vegetarian salad, along with creamy mozzarella, crunchy homemade croutons, and a simple balsamic dressing. This one is a real favourite of mine.
Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Rocket
Mediterranean Vegetable Flatbreads with Goat Cheese
One of my favourite summery dinners – a tasty mixture of vegetables and soft goat cheese, wrapped up in a flatbread. These are so adaptable, so they make great fridge clearers!
Mediterranean Vegetable Flatbreads with Goat Cheese
Spinach and Goat Cheese Self-Crusting Quiche
A big slice of this self-crusting quiche is great packed up for a picnic or lunch on the go. The fluffy egg mixture forms its own crust as it cooks – you won’t miss the pastry!
Spinach and goat’s cheese self-crusting quiche
Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
This creamy chickpea salad can be served on its own, scooped up on tortilla chips, or inside some crusty bread to make the perfect high protein vegetarian sandwich!
Creamy chickpea salad sandwiches
Easy Homemade Flatbreads
These homemade flatbreads require only 3 ingredients (and no yeast!). Pack them up in your picnic basket with a variety of fillings, and let everyone construct their own lunch.
Easy Homemade Flatbreads (Italian Piadina)
Cheesy Veggie Fritters
These cheesy vegetable fritters are great served warm or cold, and they’re such a tasty way to clear out any veggies from the fridge! Serve them with some tzatziki for dipping, if you’re feeling fancy.
Cheesy Veggie Fritters
Carrot and Cheddar Bites
These cheesy bites are one of my all-time favourites for packing up into a picnic. They’re super easy to make, and far more tasty than they sound!
Carrot and Cheddar Bites
Cheesy Lentil and Veggie Slice
A slice of this tasty, cheesy slice is beautiful served cold – plus, it’s packed with protein and fresh vegetables!
Cheesy Lentil and Veggie Slice
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is a versatile meal that can be packed up for picnics, or kept in the fridge so you can dig into it throughout the week. I love to add chickpeas, feta cheese, and heaps of fresh veggies.
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Indian Naan Bread Pizza with Paneer
Pizza is one of our favourite summer dinners, sliced up for everyone to share, and served with a green salad, coleslaw, and crunchy veggie sticks. This Indian-inspired pizza is topped with paneer cheese and a curry-infused pizza sauce.
Indian Pizza with Paneer (Naan Bread Pizza)
Feta and Roasted Vegetable Crustless Quiche
This roasted vegetable crustless quiche is packed with tasty ingredients, and since there’s no pastry, it’s a light and healthy meal that’s perfect for warmer weather.
Feta and Roasted Vegetable Crustless Quiche
Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas
I make quesadillas at least once a week, as they’re such an easy meal! For these roasted veggie quesadillas, try cooking up a big batch of roasted vegetables at the start of the week, which you can dig into throughout the week for salads, pasta dishes, etc.
Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas
Extra Special Tabbouleh Salad with Halloumi
Tabbouleh is another vegetarian salad that’s great to have on hand in the fridge all summer long! This version is extra special, with all sorts of bonus tasty ingredients. I love to serve it as part of a light lunch, with pitta bread and hummus.
Extra Special Tabbouleh with Halloumi Cheese
Coronation Chickpeas
Coronation chickpeas are a vegetarian version of a traditional British recipe, with a lightly curried creamy sauce. There’s so much flavour, and they are wonderful served with toast or salad, or packed up into a picnic.
Coronation Chickpeas
Cold Spinach Dip with Greek Yogurt
This cold spinach dip can be whipped up in minutes, and is so tasty served with crackers for dipping. This one’s great for lunch boxes too!
Cold Spinach Dip (with Greek Yogurt)
Easy Baked Mushroom Tikka
One of my all-time favourite lunches! These juicy roasted mushrooms have so much flavour, in a tasty tikka coating. I love them served with naan bread, salad, and a yogurt dip.
Mushroom Tikka
White Bean Hummus with Feta Cheese
Homemade hummus is so easy to make, and makes a wonderful addition to picnics or summery meals. This version uses white beans, lemon juice and feta cheese for maximum flavour.
White Bean Hummus with Feta (No Tahini)
Air Fryer Pitta Bread Pizza
I love making pitta bread pizzas in the air fryer for a quick and easy lunch that doesn’t heat up the whole house. These ones have two layers of toppings and cheese!
Air Fryer Pitta Pizza
Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
Homemade hummus is so quick and easy to make, and I love adding my own flavourings. This one is made seriously tasty with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and toasted pine nuts.
Sun-dried tomato hummus
Creamy Cowboy Caviar with Avocado Dressing
Cowboy caviar is a simple vegan bean salad that’s absolutely packed with fresh, crunchy vegetables. My version is coated in a creamy avocado dressing for extra deliciousness! I love this scooped up on tortilla chips.
Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)
Easy Cheesy Chickpea Burgers
What could be more summery than a veggie burger?! These chickpea burgers are easy to make, and great stacked up with fresh toppings.
Easy Cheesy Chickpea Burgers
Roasted Vegetable Fattoush
Fattoush is a tasty salad made with crispy pitta bread croutons. My version also has roasted vegetables and plenty of other tasty mix-ins!
Roasted Vegetable Fattoush
🧾 Top Tips for a Perfect Vegetarian Picnic
- Don’t overcomplicate things – not everything needs to be elaborate and homemade. Try to aim for just one ‘main’ element (such as vegetarian sausage rolls or crustless quiche), plus one fun salad (like a pasta salad or bean salad). You can then augment your picnic with fresh veggies, fruit, and shop-bought snacks like potato chips or tortilla chips.
- Make sure everything is well chilled before being packed up, to avoid warm, soggy food. You can also use ice packs to keep things fresh on the go.
- Try to make sure you include at least one or two protein sources, to make sure everyone feels satisfied, even without any meat. Beans and chickpeas, boiled eggs, hummus and cheese are all great vegetarian protein sources that work well for picnics.
Just what i was looking for, the sun is around and the kids love picnics. The Sour cream and onion dip with feta looks amazing.
that mushroom tart…. drooool! What a great list of veggie foods, I might tackle my way through them all!
Excellent round-up!!! So many great new recipes to try :)
Excellent round-up of recipes!!! So many great ones to try out :)