Eat well
Healthiest cheeses ranked
Eat well
The 10 best recipe ideas for a healthy picnic lunch
There could be high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar lurking in your favourite homemade picnic dishes or ready-made buys. Discover how to make healthy swaps that are still delicious, plus 10 easy recipes, including potato salad and hummus.
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Few rituals say summer more than a delicious picnic, where you dine outdoors in beautiful surroundings and enjoy lovely, fresh food at a relaxed pace.
Picnics are often thought of as a healthy meal option – and they can be, providing you choose your menu wisely.
Popular picnic basket foods, like sandwiches, sausage rolls and coleslaw, can often contain hidden saturated fats, sugar and salt, while shop-bought, pre-prepared options can be ultra-processed.
Classic drinks like lemonade can also be high in sugar, as can smoothies and juices, while alcohol tends to be high in calories.
How can I make my picnics healthier?
If you’re planning an al fresco lunch or party, there are some easy swaps to make the menu more heart-health friendly, while still remaining tasty.
Start by replacing white, refined versions of starchy carbohydrates like breads, pasta and rice with wholegrain versions.
These contain more fibre, which is good for your digestive system, keeps you fuller for longer to prevent overeating, and also helps to maintain a more stable blood sugar level.
If you include potatoes, such as in a potato salad, keep the skins on – peeling them means you lose out on some important fibre, as well as nutrients such as vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and iron.
Also try nutritious wholegrains like bulgur wheat and quinoa as a base for a dish, or a bean-based salad, which will add extra protein.
When it comes to sandwich fillings, opt for healthy proteins that are lower in saturated fats, like tinned tuna in spring water, egg, reduced-fat cheese, prawn and chicken, rather than processed meats like bacon and ham.
Add slices of lettuce, baby spinach, cucumber, tomato or avocado for a veggie boost.
Salads will help you reach your 5-a-day, but beware of the dressings you choose.
Instead of creamy, pre-prepared options like Caesar or full-fat mayonnaise, favour a homemade recipe with an olive oil or vinegar base, or choose a low-fat mayo or natural yoghurt one.
These will have less saturated fat and avoid the added salt and sugar often found in shop-bought ones.
Pies, pastries, samosas and sausage rolls are staple additions to the picnic plate, but can be high in unhealthy fats.
Good alternatives could be falafel, a Spanish omelette or hard-boiled eggs. Also consider making healthier versions of favourites, such as our baked vegetable samosa recipe, below.
If you want a sweet treat to finish the meal, choose fresh fruit, low-sugar jelly or natural yoghurt instead of biscuits, cakes and shop-bought tubs of mousse or trifle.
Also, try making a healthier home bake, using banana or dried fruits like dates to add that sweetness you’re craving instead of sugar.
| Picnic foods to avoid |
Picnic foods to include |
|---|---|
|
White bread sandwiches White pasta salads, especially with creamy sauces Salads based on white rice or white couscous Creamy ready-made coleslaw Creamy salad dressings, sauce or full-fat mayo Cheeses high in fat, like Parmesan, Stilton, brie and Red Leicester Creamy ready-made dips, like sour cream and chive or thousand island Processed and fatty red meats, like bacon, cocktail sausages and ham Smoked salmon Sausage rolls, pasties, pies and samosas Shop-bought quiches and Scotch eggs Crisps, or salted, dry-roasted or flavoured nuts Biscuits, ready-made cakes or cake bars, doughnuts, muffins Chocolate pudding pots, mousses or trifles Fizzy drinks, smoothies and juices Alcoholic drinks |
Wholemeal bread sandwiches Wholewheat pasta salads with a tomato sauce or oil dressing Salads based on brown rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat or wholewheat couscous Low-fat ready-made coleslaw or a homemade alternative Olive oil or vinegar-based salad dressings, low-fat mayo Lower-fat cheeses like edam, feta, mozzarella and reduced-fat Cheddar Lean roasted chicken pieces, skin off Tinned tuna (in spring water), tinned or fresh salmon, prawns Dips like hummus or salsa, ideally homemade Bean-based salads (chickpeas, kidney beans and green beans) Hard-boiled eggs, Spanish omelette, falafel Plain popcorn or unsalted nuts, plain crackers and rice cakes Veg sticks, like carrots, pepper and cucumbers, or olives Fresh fruit or fruit salad Lower-sugar yoghurts or jellies Diet drinks, fizzy or still water (flavoured with cucumber, mint or lemon if desired), low-sugar squash Low- or no-alcohol alternatives |
10 picnic recipes to try
If you want to avoid the cost and hidden fat, salt and sugar that could be lurking in ready-made picnic dishes, try some of these simple-to-make, home-cooked options - all approved by our BHF dietitians.
1. Tuna and cherry tomato pasta salad
This pasta salad recipe makes a perfect packed lunch as well as a lovely addition to a picnic spread, packed with fresh veg and low-fat tinned tuna.
The dressing is also based on passata, vinegar and oil instead of creamy mayo, and the wholewheat pasta adds fibre.
- Get the recipes for tuna and cherry tomato pasta salad.
2. Thai sweet chilli chicken wraps
Sweet chilli sauce is the perfect complement to lean chicken in this easy lunchtime option, while the spinach, tomato and coriander make the wraps wonderfully fresh.
Opt for wholemeal wraps to get extra fibre into this chicken wrap recipe.
- Get the recipe for Thai sweet chilli chicken wraps.
3. New potato and green bean salad
This substantial potato salad recipe is packed full of garden vegetables that are tasty and fresh.
The potato skins are full of nutrients, while the dressing is creamy but not high in saturated fat, thanks to a mix of low-fat mayo and natural yoghurt.
- Get the recipe for low fat potato and green bean salad.
4. Chicken and pepper pitta pizzas
Round pittas create the perfect base for these tasty on-the-go mini pizzas.
If you opt for wholemeal ones, they will have more fibre, while creating your own sauce and topping means they’re lower in salt and sugar, and more nutritious.
- Get the recipe for chicken and pepper pitta pizzas.
5. Red cabbage coleslaw
Regular coleslaw is full of mayonnaise which is high in fat. With just a little olive oil, plus lime juice for flavour, this recipe is lower in fat and salt than most shop-bought slaws.
This coleslaw recipe is also packed with veggies to boost that 5-a-day count – you can add it to sandwiches or enjoy it on the side.
- Get the recipe for red cabbage slaw.
6. Spiced butternut squash and red onion filo tartlets
These vegetarian tartlets are made with filo pastry, which is the lowest-fat pastry by far, with a double whammy of veggies from the butternut squash and red onion.
This makes it a great alternative to a classic quiche Lorraine, plus they’re bite-sized and easy to eat with your hands – no cutlery needed!
- Get the recipe for spiced butternut squash and red onion filo tartlets.
7. Baked vegetable samosas
Changing the way you prep a picnic favourite can make it a healthier choice, such as baking instead of frying. This swap makes these samosas lower in fat than traditional ones.
This vegetable samosa recipe can be enjoyed cold as well as warm, making them a perfect, spice-infused addition to your basket.
- Get the recipe for baked vegetable samosas.
8. Bulgur wheat salad with broccoli
This bulgur wheat salad recipe can be made without going soggy and limp, so it’s the perfect option for a picnic. You can also add cooked chicken, salmon or reduced-fat feta if you want to make it the centrepiece.
Bulgur wheat is a good alternative salad base to refined white pasta because it is a wholewheat, making it richer in fibre.
- Get the recipe for bulgur wheat salad with broccoli.
9. Beetroot hummus
While hummus is a picnic favourite, supermarket versions often contain lots of oil, so it can be high in calories and fat.
Why not give this lower-fat beetroot version a go for something a bit different? It’s quick to whip up with a food processor and is perfect with vegetable sticks or wholemeal pitta bread, while the extra veg adds sweetness.
- Get the recipe for beetroot hummus.
10. Chocolate and banana cake
Indulgent does not need to mean unhealthy! This loaf cake recipe is easy to make and transport, with banana and dates adding a sweet kick instead of refined sugar.
The milled flax and porridge oats also boost the fibre intake in each slice.
- Get the recipe for chocolate and banana cake.
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