The 23 Best Foods To Bring To The Beach That Will Last All Day In Your Cooler
Fact: Food eaten at the beach just tastes so much better.
Having a picnic at the beach is the ultimate way to dine al fresco. We don't know quite why this is true, but food eaten near the ocean always just tastes so much better? It's easy to see how the salt, sand, and sun from a day at the beach can make you work up quite the appetite. But you shouldn't have to compromise on what you bring along in the cooler, or lose your prime spot to head to the snack bar. No need to sweat, though; these 23 packable recipes for your beach cooler will keep you well-fed all day long (and go perfectly well with a cheeky beach cocktail too!).
Packing food for the beach can be a little tricky, though. After all, you’ve got a bunch of different factors to consider with beach foods like the heat, cooler space, whether you actually feel like packing utensils, and sand, which has the amazing ability to end up, well, everywhere. Wraps are our go-to sandwiches for packing for the beach since they are so easy to eat, without getting sand where you don't want it. We also love freezing Prosecco grapes for a cheeky afternoon treat, mixing up a non-mayo based pasta salad, and packing plenty of everything snack mix. Packing them all securely in your favorite sturdy food containers (rather than plastic bags) will help keep your snacks safe and sound.
We are never too far from anything sweet, and your beach day should be no different. Brownies and Rice Krispie treats are great packable desserts, since there's no risk of melting and they don't need to be chilled. Whatever you choose, we have tons of easy cooler hacks to help you keep you (and your beach foods) cool all day long.
Pinwheel Sandwiches
These pinwheels are easy to assemble, look great on a platter, and are ideal for an Easter party. To make them, you'll layer flour tortillas with ranch-flavored mayonnaise, sliced cheese, deli meats, and lettuce. All that's left to do is roll them up tightly and slice. See, simple!
Get the Pinwheel Sandwiches recipe.
Greek Orzo Salad
Move aside plain ol' pasta salad—orzo is here to shake things up. While we love it in comforting, warming dishes (we're looking at you, creamy Tuscan orz0), it also makes for a great salad base. This easy, fresh recipe is filled with bright Mediterranean flavors and mix-ins, but feel free to swap in and out your faves.
Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.
Thai Watermelon Salad
The combination of peak-summer watermelon and juicy peaches is coated in a Thai-inspired dressing that hits all the right flavor notes. Finished with basil, scallions, and peanuts, the salad is perfect served alongside easy grilled main dishes, like shrimp, steak, or salmon.
Get the Thai Watermelon Salad recipe.
Strawberry Shortcake Rice Krispies Treats
We took our classic Rice Krispies Treats and made them summer-ready. The white chocolate melts into the Rice Krispies and the strawberries give them a burst of freshness.
Vegetarian Italian Sub
The king of sandwiches is the Italian Hero, a sandwich filled to the brim with all manner of cured meat, cheese, and refreshingly crisp vegetables. They’re also the ultimate party food, perfect to pair with wings, chips, and a cold beer.
Get the Vegetarian Italian Sub recipe.
Summer Couscous Salad
Here we're using couscous as the base for a confetti of colored vegetables (cucumbers! bell peppers! red onion!), doused in a creamy lemon Dijon dressing. We’ve also added tangy feta and sun-dried tomatoes, crunchy toasted almonds, and nutty, earthy chickpeas to give it a little added oomph. It’s simple and light, but still special enough for a celebration.
Get the Summer Couscous Salad recipe.
Chickpea "Tuna" Salad
A little wary of tuna fish salad? Bring this chickpea salad to your beach day instead! It hits all the same flavor notes, without any fishy smell or taste.
Get the Chickpea "Tuna" Salad recipe.
Extra-Crispy Buffalo Chicken Nugget Burrito
With chicken nuggets and a crispy shell, this burrito gives Buffalo chicken wraps a run for their money. If you love Buffalo chicken but need an easy chicken dinner or packable lunch fast, using chicken nuggets speeds up the process, soaking up all of the delicious sauce in every bite. Crisping the burrito in a skillet not only adds a crunchy texture, but also helps to seal the seam of the burrito closed. It’s our go-to trick when preparing breakfast burritos in advance for camping, and it works particularly well here.
Watermelon Quinoa Salad
We love to snack on bites of watermelon all summer long, but one of our favorite ways to enjoy the juicy, sweet fruit is in a refreshing salad. With mint, feta, red onion, cucumber, and a balsamic glaze, this one's got everything you love about traditional watermelon salad, but with an additional protein boost from one of our favorite grains, fluffy and nutritious quinoa.
Get the Watermelon Quinoa Salad recipe.
Air Fryer Crunchy Chili-Spiced Chickpeas
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these snack-able chickpeas are delicious as a crunchy topper for salads, creamy soups, or grain bowls, too. You can also toss them with hot popcorn for a pretty killer, protein-packed movie snack.
Best Chocolate Brownies
If you have a sweet tooth, brownies are one of the best ways to satisfy it at the beach. Since they're baked through, they won't melt like other chocolatey treats, and they don't need to stay in the cooler if you're short on space.
Get the Best Chocolate Brownies recipe.
Antipasto Potato Salad
Potato salad is about as classic a summer side as it gets, and we love experimenting with different flavor combinations. If you’re looking to lighten up your usual potato salad, look no further—this version is bursting with all the flavors of your favorite antipasto.
Get the Antipasto Potato Salad recipe.
Fruit Salad
Fruit salad is the quintessential beach day dessert, so much that you might not think you need a recipe. Trust us, you do. Here, sweet syrupy honey, fresh tart orange juice, and bright lemon zest come together to elevate your fruit (even if they're out of season) to new heights.
Get the Fruit Salad recipe.
Ham & Cheese Sandwich
This ham sandwich is great for many reasons. It's got a beautiful golden crust (thanks mayo!), a quick and simple honey mustard sauce, and briny pickles for crunch. It's a simple favorite that will keep you going all day.
Get the Ham & Cheese Sandwich recipe.
Greek Chickpea Salad
We’re no strangers to a great chickpea salad, so coming up with a Greek-inspired one was a no-brainer. It’s got all the flavors you love from Greek salad, turned into something more substantial and filling that pairs well with almost anything.
Get the Greek Chickpea Salad recipe.
Best Chicken Salad
We'd argue that our balance of add-ins here is the pinnacle, but once you nail the chicken and the dressing, you can feel free to spread your wings and give it your own personal flair. Whatever you add, chicken salad is just as perfect eaten on its own as it is piled on a croissant with a side of pasta salad at a BBQ, or dolloped on a bed of leafy greens at brunch.
Get the Best Chicken Salad recipe.
Hummus
Carrots and cucumber spears make a crisp, refreshing snack, especially when you pair them with a dip that can withstand the heat, like hummus. Just store them in a sturdy plastic container so they don’t get squished.
Get the Creamy Garlic Hummus recipe.
Thai Chicken Peanut Pasta Salad
This pasta salad has a creamy peanut dressing and is full of fresh, crunchy veggies with no mayonnaise in sight. It’s super-simple to make and is as delicious hot as it is cold, which means you can easily make it ahead of time (and that leftovers are BOMB).
Prosecco Grapes
Cold, sweet grapes are one of our favorite beach day snacks. So why not give them a festive upgrade? Soaking the grapes in vodka and Prosecco infuses them for just enough of a cheeky buzz, and we love freezing them on skewers to turn them into Prosecco grapesicles too.
Get the Prosecco Grapes recipe.
Chicken Taco Tortilla Hack
Meet another truly genius TikTok recipe. This one involves a simple trick of folding your tortilla to create a wrap that will give you a perfect bite all throughout. Each bite will be crispy, cheesy, and include all of the toppings. We made a chicken taco with the hack, but the toppings are endless. You can even go sweet like you would in a crepe and fill each quadrant with Nutella, bananas, and other fun toppings.
Get the Chicken Taco Tortilla Hack recipe.
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