There’s no better way to celebrate summer than with a potluck party. It’s less stress for the host, allows for a wide variety of foods to meet everyone’s preferences, and it’s a great way to feed a crowd without taking on the financial responsibility of the whole meal. Plus, who doesn’t love having their dish be the one that everyone wants the recipe for? The best summer potluck ideas are those that are portable but memorable, and won’t break the bank. That means leaning on wallet-friendly ingredients, like pasta, beans, potatoes, and value-pack meats, while also grabbing in-season veggies while they’re at their lowest cost, like zucchini, corn, cherries, and herbs. We’ve rounded up 16 summer potluck ideas that save time and money, but are still dressed to impress.
Caesar Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is synonymous with great summer potluck ideas. It’s an affordable potluck staple, but it can feel boring without a little creativity. So, why not pair the hearty ingredients of a pasta salad with the knockout flavors of a Caesar? Romaine hearts provide a little green and crunch, and a homemade dressing brings tangy and savory elements. Caesar croutons seal the deal for knockout pasta salad that you’ll want to make whether or not there’s a potluck occasion at hand.
Get the recipe: Caesar Pasta Salad
Grilled Potato Salad with Herbs
Potato salad gets next level when you cook the potatoes on the grill, a savvy move in what is otherwise an inexpensive and easy dish. This cooking method adds a gentle smokiness and creates a stunning look that’s sure to make this stand out among the potluck fare. A simple oil and vinegar dressing with plenty of herbs completes the dish for a bright, light, and dynamic version of potato salad.
Get the recipe: Grilled Potato Salad with Herbs
Layered Southern Cornbread Salad
Traditional seven-layer salad doesn’t stand a chance against this masterpiece. Never have so many ready-made components come together so easily in such a visually impressive display. Prepared cornbread and pinto beans provide a hearty base for tomatoes, onions, red bell peppers, and fresh corn cut off the cob, dressed with zingy buttermilk ranch and finished with reduced-fat cheddar. Bonus: opt for boxed homemade cornbread for an even more wallet-friendly treat.
Get the recipe: Layered Southern Cornbread Salad
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad
Healthy, hearty, and delicious, this plant-based bean salad gets a flavor and color boost from low-cost sweet potatoes and corn. Store-bought salsa thinned with olive oil makes for an easy-as-can-be dressing, with fresh jalapenos and cilantro to kick it up a notch. Appropriate for everyone at the party, this simple salad will be one you return to time and again.
Get the recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad
Berry Skewers with Cheesecake Dip
Cheesecake, but make it dip! This easy dessert has life-of-the-party vibes, with simple fruit and pound cake skewers to accompany cheesecake in dip form. The dip here has all of cheesecake’s rich and tangy flavor with just four ingredients: reduced-fat cream cheese, lemon, confectioners’ sugar, and milk. A dynamite dessert that won’t break the bank, and better yet, it comes together in just 15 minutes.
Get the recipe: Berry Skewers with Cheesecake Dip
Slow Cooker Pork BBQ Sliders
Flavor that tastes like you were cooking all day, but you don’t need to tell anyone that the slow cooker actually did the heavy lifting. These sliders are a potluck showstopper (make extra!) that all ages will love. Out of the slow cooker, juicy pork tenderloin is mixed with prepared barbecue sauce. Once you arrive at the party, assemble on Hawaiian rolls with creamy coleslaw. Bonus: Buy value packs of pork to make this even more cost-friendly, and keep the leftovers at home for dinner tomorrow.
Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Pork BBQ Sliders
Bacon and Cheddar Loaded Potato Salad 
Another inspired take on classic potato salad, this recipe starts with prepared potato salad and amplifies it with “loaded” fixings. It’s a great option when you’re pressed for time but still want to contribute something special. Fully cooked bacon, extra sharp cheddar, and crunchy veggies take a simple tub of potato salad and turn it into something worthy of entertaining with without breaking the bank.
Get the recipe: Bacon and Cheddar Loaded Potato Salad
Veggie Italian Pasta Salad
In this Italian-style pasta salad, crunchy vegetable salad from the deli is a great flavor and texture shortcut when mixed with rotini pasta, halved grape tomatoes, tangy goat cheese crumbles, and bottled Italian dressing. It’s a pasta salad worthy of a party, that saves you both time and money, whether you are hosting or just contributing.
Get the recipe: Veggie Italian Pasta Salad
Mexican Corn Macaroni Salad
Mexican corn is fun for a party, but can be labor-intensive and not as easily portable as a one-bowl dish. Fortunately, a Mexican corn approach can easily perk up a tub of basic macaroni salad: just add loads of fresh corn, crumbly cotija cheese, a kick of chili powder, and fresh lime juice to brighten it up.
Get the recipe: Mexican Corn Macaroni Salad
Cheesy Zucchini and Rice Casserole 
Sometimes the best summer potluck ideas are something other than a salad. Zucchini is the star of summer, and here’s a way to put it to terrific use. A simple 5-ingredient, cheesy rice casserole, featuring zucchini for a pop of color, is a low-effort but high-reward contribution that everyone will want seconds of.
Get the recipe: Cheesy Zucchini and Rice Casserole
Dump Cherry Cobbler
A stunning dessert sure to earn raves, but one that you only spent 10 minutes prepping? Yes, please! Fresh cherries are another summer staple, mixed with the zest and juice of oranges to make them pop. Yellow cake mix stands in for homemade cobbler batter (nobody needs to know), simply sprinkled over the cherries and moistened with butter and milk. Tip: Cherries are at their best during the peak of summer, so check your local store for lower prices or deals on bulk fruit.
Get the recipe: Dump Cherry Cobbler
Pasta Salad Skewers
Pasta salad gets deconstructed for maximum portability. Cheese tortellini, dressed with a white balsamic vinaigrette, join forces with all the traditional Italian pasta salad fixings: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, mozzarella, salami, and basil. You might have just as much fun making these skewers as you do at the party itself.
Get the recipe: Pasta Salad Skewers
Everything Deviled Eggs
Can you even call it a potluck if nobody brings deviled eggs? Better not chance it. The classic deviled egg approach gets an upgrade here with a fun and simple “everything” treatment: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dried minced onion add additional flavor and texture, not to mention a serious craveability factor.
Get the recipe: Everything Deviled Eggs
Grilled Sausage-Stuffed Mini Peppers
Mini peppers are good for more than just a crudité platter. Here they become the vessel for a memorable, two-ingredient bite that is as impressive as it is easy. Already seasoned sausage, like sweet or hot Italian sausage, is used to stuff the pepper halves, which are then skewered and simply finished on the grill.
Get the recipe: Grilled Sausage-Stuffed Mini Peppers
Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken Drumsticks
Drumsticks are a secret weapon in the poultry department: both affordable and portable, and perfect for a party. For these hot chicken drumsticks, spicy and tangy hot sauce gets amplified for even more flavor by garlic powder and cayenne, plus a hit of smoked paprika to emphasize that summertime grill flavor.
Get the recipe: Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken Drumsticks
Lemon Bars
A classic dessert that’s appropriate for any potluck in summer, these lemon bars are like lemonade in dessert form. The food processor does the heavy lifting for a simple, gluten-free crust. A bright and tangy custard comes together with just four ingredients: lemons, eggs, cornstarch, and sugar. You’ll not only be a hit at the potluck, you’ll likely be making these lemon bars throughout the year.
Get the recipe: Lemon Bars
