What Should I Bring to a Barbecue

How it works

Invited and not sure what to take? Press the button for one thing to bring to a barbecue: a side, a dessert, a drink or something that is not food at all. The list holds 65.

Read the full guide

Pick the kind of thing

After your first press, the chips narrow the draw: Sides (15), Fruit and salads (8), Snacks and dips (10), Desserts (11), Drinks (7) and Not food (14). Every card has a line on carrying or serving it. Nothing on the list needs the grill unless the card says to ask first.

What should I bring to a cookout if I cannot cook?

Press Not food or Drinks. A big bag of ice, a case of water, sturdy paper plates or a pack of buns are welcome at every cookout and need no kitchen. Text the host what you drew so two people do not bring the same thing.

Tips

Ask the host one question before you shop: what is already covered?
Bring it ready to serve, with its own spoon, so you add nothing to the host's jobs.

Questions and answers

What should I bring to a BBQ at the last minute?

Something from a store that needs no work: ice, sparkling water, chips and salsa, a watermelon or a box of ice pops. The Drinks and Not food chips hold the fastest answers.

How much should I bring?

Enough for your own group and a few more. Every guest brings something, so one dish is plenty. Ask the host how many are coming if you are unsure.

Should I bring meat?

Only if the host asks. The person running the grill has usually planned what goes on it and when. That is why this list has sides, desserts, drinks and useful extras, and no raw meat.

All 65 things to bring

Sides 15

A bag of dinner rolls The thing every barbecue runs out of.
A pot of baked beans It travels hot in its own pot and sits happily on the edge of the grill.
Coleslaw Dress it just before you leave so it arrives crisp.
Corn on the cob Shuck it at home and bring butter and salt in a small tub.
Cornbread Cut it into squares at home so nobody needs a knife.
Cucumber salad Light and cold, which is welcome beside smoky meat.
Deviled eggs Carry the filling in a bag and pipe it in when you arrive.
Garlic bread in foil Wrap it in foil and the host can warm it on the grill.
Mac and cheese A foil tray with a lid keeps it warm for the drive.
Macaroni salad Make it the night before; it tastes better on day two.
Pasta salad Bring a little extra dressing; pasta drinks it up on the way.
Potato salad Carry it in a cooler and set the bowl in the shade when you get there.
Roasted potato wedges Bring a dip and they vanish first.
Three-bean salad It needs no fridge for the afternoon and suits vegetarians.
Vegetable skewers, ready to grill Ask first whether there will be grill space for them.

Show all 65 things to bring (50 more)

Fruit and salads 8

A big bowl of berries Wash them at home and bring a spoon.
Fruit salad Leave the banana out; it browns before the burgers are done.
Grapes, cut into small bunches Small bunches mean nobody pulls the whole stalk apart.
Green salad with dressing on the side Undressed leaves last all afternoon.
Peach halves for the grill Ask the host for two minutes of grill time at the end.
Pineapple spears Good cold, better after a minute on the grill.
Tomato and mozzarella skewers One bite each, no plates needed.
Watermelon, already sliced Slice it at home. Nobody wants to carve a melon on a picnic table.

Snacks and dips 10

A bowl of pretzels Cheap, salty and fine for almost every guest.
A pickle tray Pickles, olives and peppers, with toothpicks.
A vegetable tray with dip Carrots, peppers and snap peas hold up best in the sun.
Bean dip Bring sturdy chips; thin ones snap.
Cheese and crackers Hard cheeses cope with a warm afternoon better than soft ones.
Chips and salsa Bring a bowl as well, so the bag is not passed around.
Guacamole Press plastic wrap right onto the surface to keep it green.
Hummus and pita Cut the pita into triangles before you go.
Popcorn Pop it at home and bring it in a paper bag.
Spinach dip in a bread bowl The bowl gets eaten, so there is nothing to carry home.

Desserts 11

A berry cobbler It is fine at room temperature and good with ice cream if there is some.
A fruit pie Bring a knife and a server; hosts never have a spare.
A s'mores kit Crackers, chocolate, marshmallows and sticks, if there will be embers.
Banana pudding Make it in a dish with a lid and keep it cold.
Blondies A change from brownies that travels just as well.
Brownies Cut them small. People take two anyway.
Chocolate chip cookies They need no plates, forks or fridge.
Crispy rice treats They hold up in heat better than frosted cakes.
Cupcakes Carry them in the muffin tin you baked them in.
Ice pops Pack them in the middle of a cooler full of ice.
Lemon bars Keep them in the cooler until dessert.

Drinks 7

A case of water Dull, and the most useful thing on the table by four o'clock.
A jug of lemonade Bring the ice separately so it does not water down.
Fruit punch Freeze some of it as ice cubes for the jug.
Iced tea Make one sweet and one unsweetened if you can.
Juice boxes for the kids Count the children and add two.
Limeade Tart enough to cut through smoky food.
Sparkling water A few flavors, kept in the cooler.

Not food 14

A big bag of ice Call from the store and ask if they need two.
A lawn game Something a six-year-old and a grandparent can both play.
A pack of buns Ask how many people are coming and what is on the grill.
A speaker and a playlist Ask before you plug in; the host may have one going.
A tablecloth and clips The clips matter more than the cloth on a windy day.
A tray of burger toppings Lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, sliced and ready.
An extra cooler Bring it full of ice and the host will thank you twice.
Flowers for the host In a jar, so nobody has to hunt for a vase.
Foil and containers for leftovers So the host is not left with six half-eaten salads.
Folding chairs Bring your own and one spare.
Ketchup, mustard and relish Ask first. If they have them, bring pickles.
Paper plates and napkins The sturdy kind. Thin plates fold under baked beans.
Serving spoons and tongs Put your name on them with tape.
Trash bags Set one up for cans and bottles and one for the rest.

How this list was compiled: All 65 things to bring and the line under each were written for this page on 2026-09-30; no list was copied. The lines are our own advice on carrying and serving, not facts from a source. Left out on purpose: alcohol, brand names, raw meat (the host plans the grill) and any food safety rule, which belongs to a food safety agency and not to a shuffle. Licence: own work