35 Winning Recipes for Your Next Summer Potluck
Serve the most popular dish at the party with these simple, seasonal recipes.
Consider this your summer potluck playbook: All these dishes are easy to transport, simple to serve, and can withstand the rigors of summer heat while still looking and tasting fabulous. Fresh, seasonal flavors—like juicy melon, just-picked vegetables, sweet berries, and savory herbs—add a warm-weather touch to classic potluck sides, desserts, and appetizers, while refreshing, big-batch drinks serve everyone in your social circle.
Stay-fresh salads, make-ahead sides, and no-mess mains make summer entertaining simpler than ever. Grab a few ideas, and take it away.
Related: 15 Potluck Dishes That Will Impress Your Colleagues
Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Green Beans, and Basil
Every potluck participant needs a foolproof pasta salad recipe. Consider this yours, as chickpeas, green beans, and basil provide a savory crunch in a light, lemon dressing.
Watermelon, Orange, and Feta Salad
Bright watermelon, vibrant oranges, creamy feta, and fresh parsley garnish make this dish the prettiest salad on the table (and the tastiest).
Fast Homemade Pickles
With a brine that turns cucumbers into pickles in just two hours, you can provide your potluck's most popular hamburger accompaniment, sandwich side, or crudité accent.
Marinated Peppers with Mint and Sesame
Sliced peppers, marinated with lemon juice and sesame seeds, can be prepared up to three days before your party. Toss with fresh mint before serving alongside toasts, yogurt dip, or antipasto.
Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon
While prosciutto-wrapped melon can be prepared with cured meat right from the refrigerator, this version adds a smoky grilled flavor and a crispness that complements juicy cantaloupe or honeydew.
Black-and-Pink Grapefruit Cookies
Grapefruit juice and food coloring give classic black-and-white cookies a delicate blush, while zested grapefruit rind brightens the flavor.
Cucumber-Herb Salad
This make-ahead cucumber salad couldn't be easier: Toss chopped Kirbys with olive oil, rice vinegar, and herbs, and let marinate for up to a day before serving.
Slow-Cooker Triple Chocolate Brownies
If your slow cooker typically only gets used for soups, stews, and shredded meat, turn it from the savory side to the sweet side with this recipe for triple chocolate brownies. Bonus: Not only can you make these in advance, but you can cook them without heating the oven.
Grilled Ratatouille Muffaletta
Thin slices of this New Orleans-style vegetarian sandwich will be a hit on the appetizer table at your next potluck (serve thicker portions alongside the main courses).
Coconut-Lime Bars
The lime, coconut, and macadamia flavors in these tasty bars will give your summer block party a tropical vibe that feels worlds away from the suburban setting.
Aperol Jasmine Spritz
One sunny lemon simple syrup is the base for this drink. The spritz is light with aromatic gin, fruity aperitif, and a fizzy seltzer.
Stone-Fruit Galette
In this rustic free-form tart, buttery pate brisee is folded around juicy peak-season peaches, apricots, or nectarines.
Greek-Taverna Salad
For this Mediterranean medley, whisk the Dijon vinaigrette directly in the bowl, then drop in the cut tomatoes. The dressing will marinate them and draw out their flavorful juices as they sit.
Tropical-Fruit Salad with Coconut Crunch
A platter of fruit bright as the sun will be a surefire stunner at your next potluck. Garnish with a make-ahead coconut and poppy seed crunch that adds texture and nutrients to boot.
Vanilla Sheet Cake with Malted-Milk-Chocolate Frosting
Malted milk powder adds an unexpected twist to chocolate frosting on this moist, party-perfect cake.
Creamy Macaroni Salad
Low-fat yogurt stands in for most of the mayonnaise in this summer favorite. Hard-cooked eggs, radishes, celery, dill pickle, and chives amp up the flavor and texture of the salad.
Tabbouleh with Watermelon
Watermelon replaces the traditional tomato in this Middle Eastern salad, giving it bursts of sweetness. Goat cheese, another new add-in, provides creamy contrast.
Blackberry Crumb Bars
These cake-like bar cookies are a portable handheld version of summer berry crumble. Use fresh blackberries as called for in the recipe, or try raspberries instead.
Moroccan Barley Salad
This healthy, feel-good salad features a rainbow of chopped cilantro, diced carrots, dark black olives, and fibrous barley. Seconds, please!
Creamy Artichoke Ranch
This lighter iteration of the rich and cheesy party hit is so easy, it's more of an ingenious idea than a recipe. Blend together marinated artichoke hearts, Greek yogurt, and fresh parsley, and bring along flatbread crisps or crackers.
Crudites with Pistachio-Pecorino Pesto
These vegetables—some blanched, others raw—function as finger food when served with pistachio-Pecorino pesto as a dip. To serve them as a side dish, drizzle the pesto on top.
Smoky Baby Back Ribs
Smoky, sticky, falling-off-the-bone ribs are easier than you think. No need to stand over the grill for hours: Start the ribs in the oven and finish on the grill or under the broiler.
Corn-and-Avocado Salad with Goddess Dressing
Romaine lettuce and chopped bacon give a nod to a classic Cobb salad in this farm-fresh invention. The genius part of this salad is that avocado is mixed into the briny goddess dressing, so it won't turn to an unappetizing brown color even after sitting out for hours.
Blueberry Slab Pie
Made in a 10-by-14-inch jelly roll pan, this big blueberry pie feeds a crowd. Sanding sugar adds sparkle and crunch to the top crust.
German Potato Salad
Crumbled bacon, dill, and a dash of apple cider vinegar invigorate this potato salad (you won't even miss the mayo).
Cheddar-Jalapeno Cornbread
This cornbread strikes the right balance between tender and crumbly. Jazz up the batter with cheese and peppers, and shake up the shape by baking it in muffin pans if you like.
Dill, Potato, and Egg Salad
Our food editors love a light-on-mayo potato salad, which is why they designed this mayo-free side. Instead of the classic heavy dressing, this salad gets a sharp kick of acidity from sliced cornichons, Dijon mustard, white balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice.
Raspberry-Almond Crisp
Taste the sweet juice of plump red raspberries in this easy crisp that's made for a crowd. The prep work is particularly quick thanks to an easy topping of rolled oats and raw almonds.
Classic Roasted Salsa
Roasted tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños add alluring depth to this versatile salsa. Serve it with tortilla chips or spoon it over grilled meats and vegetables.
Hold-the-Cabbage Slaw
Chopped fresh mint leaves, julienned fennel, and sliced celery create a bright crunch and flavor that's as refreshing as a summer breeze. Garnish with fennel fronds for an extra anise-y punch and hint at the flavor awaiting inside the bowl.
Kentucky Half-and-Half
A cross between an Arnold Palmer and a mint julep, this drink combines citrusy iced tea with sophisticated whiskey. It can be made a day ahead and transported in a thermos; just add ice and garnishes to serve.
Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes
A few simple tricks—soaking in warm water and vinegar, dusting lightly with cornstarch, and cooking in a very hot pan—ensure that the potatoes stay crisp for hours. They're great with grilled London broil or burgers.
Blackberry-Raspberry Hand Pies
These portable pastries are simple and rewarding to put together, even if you consider yourself all thumbs in the baking department.
Mediterranean Three-Bean Salad
In just 25 minutes, this hearty side salad comes together. The cannellini beans, pink beans, and green beans that give this salad its intriguing name will transport you to the Mediterranean coast.
Tomato-Beet Salad
Ruby-red roasted beets and an array of heirloom tomatoes make a dazzling summer salad that may just steal the show from the main course.
