40 Best Beach Food Ideas to Pack in Your Cooler

These spiraly beach-friendly snacks only take 15 minutes to assemble. Here, cream cheese is mixed with Parmesan cheese, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. The spread gets topped with baby spinach and sliced deli turkey.

Is there a more quintessential warm-weather side dish than cold pasta salad? This easy pasta salad is one we think you should know by heart.

You only need two ingredients to make this sweet and spicy party dip: cream cheese and raspberry pepper jelly. It's the perfect easy appetizer to take to the beach!

Invented in New Orleans, the muffuletta sandwich features an olive salad, Italian deli meats and cheeses. One giant sandwich is known for feeding several people.

Nothing says summer like tendrils of pasta, fresh mozzarella pearls, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy cucumber dressed in a basil pesto sauce.

The minimalist dessert gets a maximalist upgrade.

This classic, make ahead-friendly sandwich is piled with Italian cured meats, provolone cheese, tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, and picked peppers.

In-season cherry tomatoes, fresh mini mozzarella balls, and sweet basil are skewered and served with a tangy balsamic glaze.

Chex mix is the ultimate DIY snack. It’s crunchy, just the right amount of salty, and stays good for several weeks, making it the perfect snack to take to the beach. Plus, our version can be made with whatever cereal, toasted nuts, and crunchy snacks you’ve stocked up on.

This make-ahead sandwich serves up to 10 people, which means it's perfect for beach trips, summer picnics, hikes, and road trips.

This make-ahead friendly salad is packed with crunchy veggies and tossed in a garlicky oregano vinaigrette.

These gooey six-ingredient bars (made with yellow cake mix) are guaranteed to be devoured at the beach. Bonus: this easy dessert makes a big batch of 24 bars.

When you’re tackling a beach lunch for a crowd, there’s no need to make 10 turkey sandwiches to go around. One or two big ones is all you need. This is how to pull it off.

Cowboy pasta salad combines everything you love about summery cowboy caviar with al dente bowtie pasta. It's the ultimate summer side dish!

These gooey, no-bake bars are a peanut butter-lover’s dream. Here, squishy-crispy Rice Krispies treats collide with peanut butter and chocolate for the ultimate Reese’s peanut butter cup dessert.

A whole loaf of bread is filled with tender grilled short ribs, chimichurri sauce, pickled red onions, and peppery arugula before being sliced into individual sandwiches to feed a crowd.

Whipped cream cheese + prepared bruschetta topping = the dreamiest, easiest summer appetizer.

Cheesy tortellini pockets are tossed with marinated artichokes, fresh veggies, feta cheese, briny olives, and a bright lemon vinaigrette.

If you’re looking for a dessert that’s stood the test of time, look no further than magic cookie bars. Part cookie and part candy, these bars feature a graham cracker crust, chocolate and butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, and pecans, which are magically bound together with sweetened condensed milk.

This vegetarian chopped salad — packed with farro, fresh veggies, and hearty chickpeas — gets even better as it sits.

Skip the store-bought stuff — making it yourself is so easy and will be far tastier.

Ranch seasoning gives this classic snack mix a twist with it's signature blend of herbs and spices.

This star of this crunchy, veggie-packed salad is a tangy Greek-inspired dressing, which doubles as a marinade for the feta cheese and chickpeas.

Classic, deli-style turkey sandwich made with sliced, roasted turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Spread spicy or honey mustard over the mayonnaise before topping with turkey, or add strips of cooked bacon or slices of creamy avocado to this once simple sandwich.

This light and fresh summer salad is packed with fresh herbs, snappy green beans, and a sunny lemon vinaigrette.

Imagine the flavors of fire roasted s’mores — crispy graham crackers, gooey marshmallow, and creamy chocolate — packed into a bar that includes a chewy cookie-like crust and the golden-crisp exterior of a fresh-roasted marshmallow all in one tidy bar that you could eat anywhere.

The ultimate refreshing cold noodle dish of chewy noodles tossed in a tossed in a sesame-peanut sauce. Serve them with a Taiwanese cucumber salad or a Sichuan smashed cucumber salad.

This salty-sweet snack mix is packed with roasted cashews, honeycomb-shaped cereal, toasted garlic, and shichimi togarashi.

Say what you will about boiled chicken breast, this cold chicken salad with crisp cucumber, ripe mango, and a toasty sweet mustard dressing is greater than the sum of its parts.

This fun treat features a chewy sweet rice cake sandwiched between layers of buttery, honey-sweetened Rice Krispies treats.

On hot summer days, we all want a bright, vibrant pasta salad with a wide variety of flavors and textures — not a wimpy mixture of bottled Italian salad dressing and overcooked pasta. This version, perfect for the beach, takes inspiration from antipasto, the Italian first course that includes all kinds of pickled veggies, cured meats, and of course, cheese.

An easy recipe for a vegetarian hummus bowl topped with roasted eggplant, chickpeas, a soft-boiled egg, and tabbouleh. Don't forget to bring pita chips for scooping!

An easy pasta salad with cheese tortellini, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach tossed in a balsamic dressing.

Upgrade the classic back-of-the-box treat with marshmallows, chocolate, and crushed graham crackers.

This vibrant, no-wilt nutty farro salad, which is packed with buttery olives, peppadew peppers, fresh mozzarella, and more, gets even better as it sits.

Full of crunchy cucumber and carrots, these Taiwanese cold sesame noodles take under 30 minutes to make.

Yes, veggies and dip totally count as a meal at the beach!

In this easy no-bake treat, fried chow mein noodles and salty peanuts are enrobed in a delicious coating of melted butterscotch and peanut butter. The fried chow mein noodles gives the cookie Pocky stick vibes.

A beach-friendly recipe for cheese tortellini pasta salad filled with marinated vegetables, salami, cheese, and herbs.

This 4-ingredient dip tastes just like strawberry cheesecake! Serve it with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or cinnamon pita chips.