Over 90 Recipes for Picnic Desserts

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Picnic Desserts are perfect for any spring and summer occasion. You can bring these easy party desserts to picnics, but also barbecues, pool parties, backyard blasts, and all kinds of other fun outdoor gatherings. Cakes, cookies, brownies, and more, these easy desserts for a crowd will be a sweet ending to your day, and there are plenty of gluten free options too!

Over 90 Easy Party Desserts for Spring and Summer 

When the weather gets warmer, everyone wants to bring their parties outside! Sometimes it’s a picnic for two or just bringing along the kids, other times it’s a huge gathering or friends or family. And these occasions call for sweet treats! Typically in warm weather, we might want cool treats, but ice cream and popsicles aren’t the most portable party desserts when outdoors. Even fudge will get a little melty and messy. So…

What are the best easy picnic desserts for spring and summer?

• Brownies and Bars – you can make a pan, cut them into squares, and everyone can just grab one in between innings of a baseball game or after a swim.
• Cakes – while they may be a little harder to serve while outdoors, if you are celebrating a special occasion, sometimes you just need a cake. Layer cakes and bundt cakes may incorporate summer flavors, and sheet cakes in a pan are easy to pack and transport.
• Cupcakes – everything you love about cake in an individual serving, and probably the kids’ favorite dessert.
• Cheesecake Desserts – cool and creamy on a hot day, cheesecake is a favorite during any season. And you can take that classic flavor and use it in a dip, fruit salad, bars, or another type of dessert that is easy to serve and eat at a picnic.
• Cookies – just like the brownies and bars, one batch of cookies makes a ton and there are no utensils needed.
• Fruit Desserts – in the spring and summer, fresh fruit is perfectly ripe and in season, so it’s definitely the time of year to serve pies, crisps, crumbles, and other fruity sweets.
• Desserts in a Jar – take a dessert that might not be easy to serve outdoors and layer it up in a jar, twist on the cap, pack it in your cooler, and bring some spoons and everyone can enjoy puddings, parfaits, and other treats.

Picnic Dessert Recipes

Bars and Brownies

Flourless Peanut Butter Cup Swirl Brownies | GF

Gluten Free S’Mores Magic Bars | GF

Flourless Nutella Cheesecake Swirl Brownies | GF

Butter Pecan M&M’s Magic Bars

Monster Cookie Bars | GFO with certified gluten free oats

Flourless Turtle Cheesecake Brownies | GF

More bars and brownie recipes:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Bake Eat Repeat
• Gluten Free Apple Pie Bars from What the Fork | GF
• Funfetti Cookie Dough Truffle Bars from Beyond Frosting
• Praline Brownies from Call Me PMC
• Strawberry Lemonade Bars from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• M&M’s Cookie Bars from Simple Joy
• Peach Pie Bars from Shugary Sweets
• Brown Butter Churro Crispy Treats from Well Plated | GFO with gluten free crispy rice cereal

Cake Recipes

Reese’s Poke Cake | GFO

Strawberries and Cream Cake or Gluten Free Strawberries and Cream Cake | GFO

Banana Chocolate Chip Nutella Cake | GFO

Peanut Butter Cup Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll | GF

Lemon Pound Cake or Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake | GFO

More cakes:

• Orange & Almond Coffee Cake from Diethood
• Cherry Lime Bundt Cake by OverTime Cook
• Peach Blueberry Upside Down Cake from Crumb Blog
• Sweet Creme Lemon Cake from Sugar Dish Me
• Lemon Yogurt Cake from Yummy Healthy Easy
• Classic Pound Cake from The Kitchen Is My Playground
• Chunky Apple Snack Cake from Noble Pig
• Skinny Texas Sheet Cake from The Recipe Critic

Cupcakes

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes | GF

Coconut Cupcakes

Lucky Charms Cupcakes | GFO

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes | GF

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Rocket Pop Cupcakes or Gluten Free Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes | GFO

More cupcake recipes:

• Margarita Cupcakes from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes from Mama Knows Gluten Free | GF
• Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes from Cupcake Diaries
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting from Oh Sweet Basil
• Almond Joy Cupcakes from Beyond Frosting
• Cherry Limeade Cupcakes from Cooking Classy
• Lemon Cupcakes from The Bitter Side of Sweet

Cheesecake Desserts

No-Bake Peach Cheesecake Bars | GF

Blueberry Maple Mini Cheesecake Parfaits | GF

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Dip | GF

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries | GF

More cheesecake dessert recipes:

• Strawberry Shortcake No Bake Mini Cheesecakes from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Lemon Cheesecake Bars from The Creative Bite
• Dairy Free Mini Cheesecakes from Tasty Yummies
• Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos
• Hawaiian Cheesecake Salad from The Slow Roasted Italian | GF
• No-Bake Turtle Cheesecake Dip from Back for Seconds | GF

Cookie Recipes

Flourless Fluffernutter Cookies | GF

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies | GF

Worms and Dirt Cookie Cups

M&M’s Macaroons | GF

Trail Mix Monster Cookies | GFO with certified gluten free oats

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cookies | GF

More cookies:

• Glazed Lemon Cookies from Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Caramel Apple Toffee Cookies from Chocolate, Chocolate and More
• Meyer Lemon Vanilla Shortbread Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Chewy Key Lime Coconut Cookies from Will Cook For Smiles
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Well Plated
• Mega Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cooking On The Front Burner
• Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies from Food Faith Fitness | GFO with certified gluten free oats
• Soft Sugar Cookies from One Sweet Appetite

Fruit Desserts

Red, White, and Blue Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad | GF

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcakes | GF

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Apple Nachos | GF

Red, White, and Blue Berry Pound Cake Bites | GFO with gluten free pound cake

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie | GF

Waldorf Fruit Salad | GF

Healthy Apple Candy Bar Salad | GF

More Fruit Dessert Recipes:

• Strawberry Coconut Oatmeal Crunch Pie from Diethood
• Sweet Grape Salad from Nutmeg Nanny | GF
• Nectarine Galettes from One Sweet Appetite
• Blackberry Mango Lemon Poppy Seed Fruit Salad with Earl Grey Whipped Coconut Cream from With Food & Love | GF
• Banana Pudding from The Weary Chef | GF
• Peach Cobbler from Grandbaby Cakes

Desserts in a Jar

Rainbow Fruit Gel Parfait Cups | GF

Banana Berry Cheesecake Quinoa Parfaits | GF

Peanut Butter and Jelly Yogurt Parfaits | GF

Carrot Cake Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Parfaits | GFO with gluten free carrot cake recipe

More Dessert Recipes in a Jar:

• Vanilla Panna Cotta from The Adventure Bite | GF
• Key Lime Pie in a Jar from Kitchen Treaty
• Strawberry Shortcake In A Jar from Suburban Simplicity
• Mason Jar Cherry Crumbles from The View From Great Island
• Rhubarb Crisp in a Jar from Kitchen Treaty
• Grape Jam Bars in a Jar from An Edible Mosaic
• No Bake Banana Cream Pies in a Jar from Inside BruCrew Life
• Pina Colada Pie in a Jar from Cooking on the Front Burners