This post includes a roundup of an assortment of summer cookout recipes – everything from side dishes and main courses to appetizers, drinks and desserts – and I hope something pops out at you for your next cookout. I’ve included some family favorites (I’m looking at you, summer chopped salad and paleo chicken thighs) and tried to feature recipes that aren’t your typical baked beans or potato salad side dish. The recipes below range from healthy to indulgent, so there’s something for everyone in this little collection!
Enjoy!
Summer Cookout Recipes
A large portion of this salad can be prepped ahead and I highly recommend doing this, as it makes everything come together in a flash if you already have the chicken and bacon cooked, produce chopped, etc. Then, when you’re ready to eat, all you have to do is throw everything together and slice up the avocado! We love this chopped salad recipe in our house and first fell in love with it after my aunt served it at my baby shower!
Tangy, creamy and perfectly sweet, this recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookie Icebox Cake is a no-bake dessert that’s perfect to serve for a special occasion but simple enough to make for a summertime cookout. Made with crispy sugar cookies, homemade lemon whipped cream and deliciously tart lemon curd, it’s a recipe lemon lovers everywhere will adore!
You know this recipe because I’ve shared it 5,000 times. I won’t stop anytime soon because it’s one we’ve loved for years. And, without a doubt, the blog recipe we make most often in our house. It’s also a recipe I feel confident serving to guests. Because it’s always a hit and we’ve had so many people request the recipe over the years.
Fresh cilantro, lime juice and garlic come together to create a tangy, citrusy, summery marinade for perfectly pinky-orange grilled shrimp in this recipe for cilantro lime grilled shrimp. While I love a good burger or a bratwurst loaded up with all the fixings, when given the choice, I’ll reach for grilled scallops, maple ginger grilled salmon and cilantro lime grilled shrimp every time. I’m a seafood lover through and through. And when the seafood is easy to make and comes together in less than an hour with minimal effort as it does in this recipe, I’m an even bigger fan!
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made this chicken and chickpea salad this summer. If you’re in the mood for a produce-packed salad recipe with a Mediterranean flare, look no further. This chicken and chickpea salad is protein-packed, and filled with satiating fiber. It is a beautifully vibrant salad thanks to lots of colorful veggies.
When you’re looking for a deliciously creamy dip that will be a hit at any party, this Simple Shrimp Dip is the perfect go-to dip recipe. Easy to make and packed with tiny shrimp. It’s a dip that will have you going back for more after every savory scoop!
This Black Bean and Brown Rice Salad is a cold and tasty side dish bursting with color, texture, flavor, healthy veggies and whole grains. It’s another side dish that can double as a meal especially if you add some sliced grilled chicken on top.
These Avocado Deviled Eggs are a zesty, creamy and oh-so-tasty twist on a classic party favorite! In my opinion, there are a few party favorite appetizer snacks that are almost always a huge hit but seem to be really underserved. Number one: Shrimp cocktail. Have you ever seen a single shrimp left on a shrimp cocktail platter at the end of a party? No. Number two: Deviled eggs. No one can resist this creamy, salty, protein-packed party favorite and this recipe is a winner!
This recipe is worthy of a celebration, whether it be a birthday, a fun cookout with friends or a holiday gathering. The beauty of these butterscotch birthday bars is that you can liven up the bars with multi-colored sprinkles for a birthday or specific colored sprinkles for certain holidays (red, white and blue for the Fourth of July, green and white for St. Patrick’s Day, etc.).
Each bite of this ceviche inspired shrimp and edamame salad is a flavor and texture explosion thanks to vibrant veggies, protein-packed edamame, succulent shrimp, tangy citrus and creamy avocado. Seafood lovers will enjoy this chopped salad that can also double as a delicious dip.
This simple salad is bright and refreshing thanks to the summery flavors of cucumber, pineapple and cilantro. It’s the perfect side dish for a cookout with friends. And you can easily top it with grilled chicken or shrimp for a delicious and nutritious lunch or dinner.
If we are hosting a summertime cookout, you can guarantee this simple summer pasta salad will be on the menu. Made with a homemade Italian dressing and tri-color rotini pasta for a pop of color, it’s easy to whip up in no time at all. Note: You’ll get zero judgment from me if you opt to use your favorite bottle of store-bought Italian dressing to make this side dish even easier!
A flavorful, crisp and refreshing recipe for sesame cucumber salad. This side dish is fantastic paired with so many different entrees from grilled salmon or chicken to shrimp and veggie skewers.
This recipe for edamame black bean salad is an easy one that is absolutely bursting with flavor and color. It requires minimal chopping and is always a crowd pleaser. Enjoy is as a main dish, side dish or a dip with crunchy tortilla chips!
Question of the Day
What are some of your go-to recipes that you make to bring to a summer cookout?
Looking for some more recipes to try? Here are 10 Blogger Recipes I Make Again and Again. <—Love all of these recipes so much!
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I just had an amazing orzo pasta salad and a barbecue and I’m dying to get the recipe. It was fresh and simple made with veggies and herbs – perfect for a summer day.
These all look good, but I MUST make that pineapple mint sangria, that sounds delicious 🙂
I made the brown rice salad over the weekend to bring to a cookout, it was a hit! Also I’ve been dying to make the ice box cake here. I’m making it for my birthday on the 3rd and can not wait!
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So glad you liked the brown rice salad! Thanks for letting me know!
Ah perfect timing! I’m having a get together today with some ladies and wanted to make a summery sangria…but could only find white ones with apples which I’m just not feeling for June! This Pineapple Mint Sangria is perfect!
This is a great collection. Absolutely love the pineapple mint sangria for this weekend get together.
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the sangria if you decide to give it a try! 🙂
Oh gosh shrimp dip and butterscotch bars are now on my list! I usually make big greek salads!
I love the no bake chocolate icebox cake for summer part-ay – seems easy enough to make which is my kind of baking!! 🙂 I love to make Italian Macaroni salad for cookouts (pasta, black olives, green peppers, tomatoes, cheese, and Italian dressing), yummmm.
Love macaroni salad!! But only the way you make it — with Italian dressing as opposed to the mayo-based dressing that seems to be quite popular!
One of my go-to’s is your black bean and edamame salad. I serve it with tortilla chips – delicious!
I just moved to a small apartment without much kitchen space, and the brown rice/black bean and cold quinoa salads are just the dishes I’ve been looking for – simple, filling, and flavorful. Thanks so much!
The summer is FLYING by! Make it stop!!
I love cold summer salads – can’t wait to try a few of these out.
I usually bring a huge fresh fruit salad to cookouts, served in my Mickey bowl that is meant for popcorn I bought years ago at Target. My family now always asks me if I am going to bring the “fruit filled Mickey bowl” to every cookout, party, or gathering we have. I am definitely going to try to make some of these…especially the double chocolate icebox cake! Looks so delicious!! Xoxo
This is a great list. Definitely a wide range, perfect for any 4th of July celebration. I am going to check out the Must Make CHOCOLATE CHIP ALMOND BUTTER BAR
This was actually too perfect as I was browsing for a big salad to bring to a baby sprinkle/cookout!!
Yum! The pineapple mint sangria looks delicious.
Canada Day is on Saturday and it’s a big one because Canada will be 150 years old. I hope you have a great 4th of July!
I still need to try the lemon Paleo muffins! Yum! All of our friends are out of town for the holiday except for us, so it may be a cook-out for two. hehehe!
How is Sadie doing? Saw the Instagram story yesterday 🙁
Thank you so much for checking in on her. She is doing pretty well, all things considered. She’s clearly not a fan of the cone and can’t really seem to comfortably do much other than rest and walk around the house (in short spurts) but our vet said she should heal very quickly! She’s definitely getting a lot of extra love right now!
Peanut Butter pie is my summer go to for cookouts. (cream cheese, peanut butter and cool whip combined and thrown into a store bought oreo pie crust!). No cooking involved and everyone LOVES it!
I also make a Greek couscous salad. (Couscous, tomatoes, cukes, red onion, olives and feta tossed with a Greek vinaigrette. ) So easy and tastes good!
Hi, Julie! This is unrelated to your current post, but I checked out your Instagram story. I love how you’re wearing your eyebrows these days. Can you post a tutorial of your technique?
Thank you! I actually began filling them in after a blog reader told me they needed a little help — haha! I would feel a little silly doing a tutorial only because I have no idea what I am doing, but I have been using ka-BROW! — an gel eyebrow cream to just go over my naturally super-light/blonde brows to make them a little more defined/darker! Here’s a link to the kind I use: http://bit.ly/2rYehjx — I tried it out in the store at Ulta before buying it since I’m such a novice but it’s fantastic because you can slowly increase the intensity/color of your brows.
That chopped salad! Can’t wait to give it a try! My family is famous with all our friends for the chocolate chip cookies we bring to everything–I think they’re always a little bit disappointed when they learn the recipe isn’t actually some special family tradition. It’s straight off the Crisco box!
Okay the butterscotch brownies and the Icebox cake looks amazing!! My go-to snack is always homemade guacamole! But I might have to try some of those fun desserts!! 🙂
Thank you for posting this!! I need to get my act together for the 4th!! It’s crazy that its going to be here so fast!
hey! fellow summer/bbq fan girl over here, and I remember you mentioning how much you guys grill. I’d love a post or recap of your favorite things to grill and how you prep them and grill them. I LOVE grilled meats and veggies, but my mother in law or hubby always make them, and I’d love to know how you guys make them!
I’m dying to try the cold quinoa salad and pineapple mint sangria!! I personally love making big pasta salads for BBQs.
I have got to try those almond butter bars, they sound so good!
Love this roundup and the reminders of all these recipes! Must make that icebox cake especially! Yummy, yummy, yummy.
I always love a good potato salad for a summer feast (specifically, my mom’s and grandma’s recipe – sadly neither of those two wonderful ladies are around anymore, but their potato salad makes me feel connected to them! <3) If you ever need to feel close to Mimi, just whip up her sugar cookies – it helps. (Plus, you get COOKIES in the end!)
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Love the chopped salad idea. I like to take a healthy side to eat along with the protein at the cookouts. This way I can have a treat and keep it a little more balanced =)
We made the icebox cake for Memorial Day and it was SO good! And so easy! Will definitely have to make it again.
Yum I’ve got to try someof these, those lemon cupcakes look delicious!