Easy Summer Cookout Ideas

I’ve hosted a lot of parties over the years and they sometimes take weeks or even months to plan. The thing I’ve noticed though, is that some of the most fun parties have been the ones we pulled together at the last minute where everyone pitches in for a potluck party.

You can accomplish these ideas and menu on 24 hours notice like we did, or start planning the week ahead. As hosts we provided the grilling meats, potato salad, and a simple dessert, while friends filled in with other side dishes and sweets. Here are the details and recipes that are great for a summer cookout. 

What to Bring to a Cookout Last Minute

Although this party plan is focused on a 24-hour timeline, sometimes you have even less notice. In that case here are some easy last minute foods you can bring to a cookout.

• Watermelon – Fresh sliced watermelon is a summer favorite and can act as a snack or a dessert.
• You can make easy baked beans with ground beef in less than 2 hours, making it a terrific hot dish idea.
• Vegetable Platter – Bring fresh, sliced vegetables and Ranch dip or hummus. People love to nibble on a veggie platter, and it suits all diets.
• Chips – You can never have too many chips at a backyard party. Bring interesting flavors of potato chips, or tortilla chips with salsa. People can snack on them before the meal and eat them with their burgers and hot dogs. You can elevate them with this blue cheese & balsamic kettle chips recipe.
• Caprese Salad – Slice some tomatoes and combine it with fresh basil, mozzarella, and a little balsamic vinaigrette for a simple caprese salad everyone will love.
• Slaw – You can pick this up in the deli section or from a restaurant. It doubles as a side dish, and as a hot dog and hamburger topper.
• Brownies or Cookies – Stop at the bakery and pick up a box of cookies or brownies. No matter how many homemade desserts there are, people will always go for those.
• Fresh fruit – Another easy food is fresh fruit. Just as watermelon is great on its own, a fruit salad, a bowl full of berries, or sliced fruit with caramel dip are easy and delicious.
• Family Friendly Drinks – Bring a gallon of iced tea or lemonade for everyone to drink. Pour them into your own pitchers or bottles for prettier display.

PARTY TIP: If you’re bringing a bound salad (ie: potato or pasta salad) for an impromptu party, make sure you have at least 2 hours to let the flavors blend together.

Easy Cookout Menu

For a cookout, the obvious choice is to use grilling recipes. Stick with classics like burgers, hot dogs, brats, chicken, or kabobs.

You can start with a grilled appetizer. These bacon wrapped chicken bites are a family recipe that’s so good we’re all scrambling to get the last one.

For the main entrée, grill the best juicy burgers for a crowd and top them with all the fixings. You can also incorporate alternative choices like veggie burgers or Impossible Burgers for special diets.

• Other flavorful burger recipes include Asian-style burgers that I usually make with ground chicken or turkey. Top with sweet chili sauce for the perfect bite.
• My sun dried tomato burgers have feta cheese and are like a combination between Mediterranean and Italian flavors. They taste great on ciabatta rolls with lettuce and red onion.
• Not to be overlooked, these Greek burgers with tzatziki sauce are so good with lettuce and tomato on pita bread. Use ground lamb or beef to make them.

Include a good ole fashioned hot dog roast because nothing goes together quite like hamburgers and hot dogs.

I recommend sticking to the hot dogs and burgers plan, but if you want you can add chicken skewers or prepared beef kabobs.

Side Dishes for a Cookout

Keep in mind that people love variety at a cookout, so the more you have, the better. These are some of the best summer party side dishes for hamburgers and hot dogs.

If you’re already firing up the grill why not use it for grilled corn on the cob too? It’s a crowd favorite, it’s easy to do, and it tastes great.

I reach for this creamy potato salad recipe time and time again. You can even make it a day ahead. Equally prevalent is this creamy pasta salad with hard boiled eggs and crunchy cabbage added. This is one of those fantastic recipes that’s been handed down and shared over and over again.

Baked beans is always a winner at cookouts. This recipe for baked beans with sausage and bacon is a little sweet, a little spicy, and a lot of flavor. Another go-to dish is this Doritos corn salad. It’s unique and the flavor is addictive!

Easy Desserts

I don’t suggest anything too fancy. In fact hand-held items or make-your-own bars are perfect for a backyard party.

• Bars – lemon bars or Rice Krispies treats are ideal.
• Cookies – peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, shortbread cookies are easy to make ahead.
• Cupcakes and Brownies – mini sizes are great for young kids or for guests who want to try more than one thing.
• Hand pies – easy pie pops look cute but are simple to make.
• Interactive dessert station – build your own shortcakes, and an ice cream sandwich bar are super fun!
• Cobblers and Crumbles – Make simple individual cobblers using canned fruit pie filling and my crumble topping recipe.
• Sheet Cakes – easy dump cakes and simple sheet cakes serve a crowd.

Set up a Buffet Table

Place the food on a large serving table so guests can help themselves. Follow these ideas for setting up a stylish food buffet, and remember to save room for guest contributions.

Find a creative way to serve the main dish. Here we used a 2-tiered wire stand to hold burgers on the top tier and sausage dogs on the bottom. It adds height and interest to a simple display of food.

Serve gourmet condiments like chipotle or dill flavored mustard for an updated twist, along with ketchup and mayonnaise. Serve them inside small glass jars and line them up on a wood board.

You can use craft store popsicle sticks to label each condiment. And the sticks double as spreaders! Use a stamp set or a Sharpie pen to write on the stick.

Use scrapbook paper to make toppers for drink jars. This will help keep flies and insects out. Cut the paper to fit under the lid and then punch a hole in the top for a straw to fit through. Eight-ounce jars make perfectly sized drinking glasses.

PARTY TIP: Make yummy fizzy sherbet sodas by adding 2 scoops of sherbet to a glass and topping with ginger ale. Kids love them and adults can add a splash of vodka.

Outdoor Table Setting

• Setting up a table for 6 or 8 is pretty easy. Use a piece of fabric right off the bolt and layer it onto the table.
• Use white melamine plates with colorful napkins. Red and white makes a wonderful color combination for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.
• Bamboo forks are kinder to the environment than plastic. And you can actually wash them by hand and reuse them a few of times.
• Create an easy and inexpensive summer centerpiece with seasonal flowers, clean cans, and white spray paint. This is a great way to recycle or “up-cycle” household goods; they make fantastic DIY flower vases.

24-Hour Timeline

Here’s a quick rundown of tasks to do leading up to the cookout.

24 Hours Ahead

• Make a quick trip to the store for groceries and pick up the meat to make burgers. Grab some hot dogs, or sausages to serve with sautéed peppers and onions. TIP: You can make the burgers smaller and serve on slider buns so people can have a burger and a sausage dog without getting too full.
• Purchase jugs of iced tea or lemonade and serve it from your own bottles, pitchers, or drink dispenser. 
• Pick up a bouquet or two of mixed flowers so you can make simple flower centerpieces.

Morning of Party

• Make any creamy bound salads so the flavors can mingle and develop all day.
• Get a watermelon and slice it into single-serve portions. Cover and chill it until you’re ready to serve it.

3-4 Hours Ahead

• Prepare hamburger patties and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix together the crumble topping and assemble easy berry crumbles.
• Set up the outdoor party space with folding tables and tablecloths, chairs, grill, ice tubs and coolers. Wait to add the ice when the party is about to begin.

Here’s the recipe for my all-purpose crumble topping – it makes the easiest dessert for a last minute party. Just sprinkle it over canned fruit pie filling and bake. You can make six mini desserts, or a 9 x 9 pan. Double the recipe as needed.

TIP: I like to use this over fresh cut and peeled peaches. Just layer the slices about 2 layers deep (about 6 to 8 peaches) in the baking dish, cover with the crumble, and bake.