When it comes to dining al fresco, a picnic at the beach is perhaps our favorite way to do it. We don’t know quite why this is true, but food eaten near the ocean always just tastes so much better? It’s easy to see how the salt, sand, and sun from a day at the beach can make you work up quite the appetite. But you shouldn’t have to compromise on what you bring along in the cooler, or lose your prime spot to head to the snack bar. No need to sweat, though; these 25 packable recipes for your beach cooler will keep you well-fed all day long (and go perfectly well with a cheeky beach cocktail too!).

Packing food for the beach can be a little tricky, though. After all, you’ve got a bunch of different factors to consider with beach foods like the heat, cooler space, whether you actually feel like packing utensils, and sand, which has the amazing ability to end up, well, everywhere. Wraps, like our turkey lavash wraps or our buffalo chicken nugget burritos, are our go-to sandwiches for packing for the beach since they are so easy to eat, without getting sand where you don’t want it. We also love freezing Prosecco grapes for a cheeky afternoon treat, mixing up a non-mayo based pasta salad, and packing plenty of snacks, like our sushi popcorn. Packing them all securely in your favorite sturdy food containers (rather than plastic bags) will help keep your snacks safe and sound, too.

We are never too far from anything sweet, and your beach day should be no different. Brownies and blondies (especially our brown sugar Pop-Tart blondies) are great packable desserts, since there’s no risk of melting and they don’t need to be chilled. Whatever you choose, we have tons of easy cooler hacks to help you keep you (and your beach foods) cool all day long.

delish!