• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Southern Discourse

Southern Discourse

Food, Faith & Southern Hospitality!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Casseroles
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Collections
  • Hospitality
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Everyday
  • Shop
  • About
  • Subscribe
Home › Holidays
Rate & Comment

Picnic Salad Recipes For Labor Day

Stacey Pirtle

by Stacey Published: Aug 23, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links.

Still looking for something utterly delicious to bring to that Labor Day get-together you’ve been invited to? These classic picnic salad recipes make quick and easy cookout side dishes with loads of showstopping flavor.

4 piece collage of picnic salad recipes that make great cookout side dishes for your Labor Day celebration.

You never have to worry about what to bring to a summer cookout or backyard BBQ when you have recipes like these 25 picnic salads at your fingertips! With everything from classic Southern Macaroni Salad and 7 Layer Pea Salad, to creamy potato salads, light pasta salads and even sweet fruit salads, there is something here to make sure your dish gets noticed and you bring home an empty bowl!

RELATED RECIPES: 7 Best Summer Cookout Desserts

Best of all, each recipe is easy to whip up, pairs perfectly with all your favorites off the grill or at a fish fry and is just begging to become your new cookout holiday tradition! In fact, these recipes are so good, you might forget you’re saying good bye to summer at the season’s last big bash.

My #1 Picnic Salad Tip

When cookout temps are hot and I need my salad and dressing to stay cool, I place my salad bowl in a larger bowl or tray and fill in with ice all around it. Also, when searching for a place to put my dish on the cookout table, I find a place that isn’t in the direct sunlight.

Make & Take Salad Serving Essentials

You’re salad deserves to look as great as it tastes! Here are some of my favorite salad bowls, tongs and servers. They’re perfect for taking your delicious salad to a cookout, potluck, or tailgate and will look stunning on your own dinner table too! This post contains affiliate links.

salad serving essentials
  1. Pedestal Trifle Bowl
  2. Locking Kitchen Tongs
  3. Salad Servers
  4. Glass Serving Bowl with Lid
  5. Olive Wood Salad Set
  6. Cherry Finished Salad Bowl

25 Picnic Salads for Your Labor Day Cook Out

Mexican Street Corn Pasta with cool mayo & sour cream chile lime dressing

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

refreshing summer watermelon salad with cucumbers, feta, strawberries & jalapenos

Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad

Southern black eyed pea salad made with bell peppers, onion and marinated in Italian dressing

Southern Black Eyed Pea Salad

Sliced peaches, blackberries, blueberries, walnuts, mint and a honey lime dressing.

Berry Peach Fruit Salad

Deviled egg potato salad texture, ingredients and garnish of papriks

Southern Deviled Egg Potato Salad

7 layer pea salad

Classic 7 Layer Pea Salad

Frito Corn Salad overhead view

Confetti Frito Corn Salad

Easy, Creamy Bacon Salad with Homemade Ranch

Bacon Tomato Pasta Salad

This quirky layered salad is a southern classic that never fails to be a true hit at cookouts, potlucks and family gatherings. Ridiculously and surprisingly delicious, Southern Cornbread Salad is a stunner, loaded up with layers of cornbread, marinated black eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, green onions and bell pepper, bacon, cheddar cheese and a cool and creamy buttermilk Ranch dressing.

Southern Cornbread Salad

light and easy pesto pasta salad with cheese tortellini and artichokes

Artichoke Pesto Pasta Salad

Similar to a Waldorf Salad, this apple cheese celery salad is the perfect crisp side dish.

Apple, Cheese, Celery Salad

creamy dill potato salad made with red potatoes and sour cream

Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Image for Southern Tomato Cucumber Salad with Vinegar Dressing

Southern Tomato Cucumber Salad with Vinegar Dressing

Upclose of green pea salad to size and texture of cheese, red onion, bacon, chopped pecans and lemon zest.

Classic Pea Salad with Cheese & Bacon

creamy coleslaw with a tangy homemade mayo based dressing is a southern favorite

Creamy Southern Coleslaw

An overhead look at a classic potluck or cookout salad with crunchy broccoli and a tangy, creamy homemade dressing.

Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Strawberries

A creamy macaroni salad filled with pickles, red bell pepper, onion and celery

Southern Macaroni Salad

chunks of watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mint and a honey lime dressing to serve as a side dish or dessert.

Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad

A bowl of potato salad inspired by a loaded baked potato.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

A close up of a bowl of tortellini pasta salad.

Tuscan Tortellini Salad

Cucumbers and red onion marinated in a fresh and spicy vinaigrette to create a crisp summer salad.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Broccoli Slaw Title

Broccoli Slaw with Apples & Brussel Sprouts

Layered Muffaletta Salad in a trifle dish

Layered Muffuletta Salad

Tex Mex Pasta Salad is loaded with seasoned ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, corn and jalapenos, then tossed in a cool, creamy avocado cilantro dressing with lime.

Taco Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing

Creamy shrimp pasta salad with mayonnaise dressing seasoned with lemon, cajun seasonings and dill.

Shrimp Pasta Salad

Share this!

  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipe Collections

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Subscribe today to never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Rate & Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Never miss a new post!

Reader Favorites

  • A finished skillet of Dirty Rice.Louisiana Dirty Rice
  • traditional chicken and dressing for a southern holiday mealSouthern Chicken and Dressing
  • Whipped Feta Dip with honeyWhipped Feta with Honey Dip
  • A forkful of sweet potato casserole to show the fluffy texture of the potatoes.Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
  • pecan pie bars turn traditional pie into an easy dessertBest Ever Pecan Pie Bars
  • upclose of fried cornmeal coatingHomemade Cornmeal Fish Fry Mix

Recipes by Category

  • Appetizers
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Casseroles
  • Desserts
  • Main Dishes
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Sauces & Dessings
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups
Southern Discourse
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Mail

Join Southern Discourse

Subscribe today to never miss a post!

© 2026 · Southern Discourse · Privacy · Cookies