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Plan the ultimate cookout with these easy and delicious Memorial Day recipes! From barbecue favorites and refreshing salads to crowd-pleasing desserts, these Memorial Day weekend recipes have everything you need to kick off summer in the tastiest way possible.
For more ideas to try, check out these 50+ Grilling Recipes to Save for Summer and 21+ Summer Cookout Side Dish Ideas.
Why you’ll love these Memorial Day weekend recipes!
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and that means it’s time for cookouts, patio dinners, and backyard barbecues.
Whether you’re hosting a big gathering or keeping things simple with family and friends, these Memorial Day dinner recipes will help you create a menu everyone will love.
From refreshing salads and grilled favorites to patriotic desserts, these recipes are guaranteed to make your holiday weekend delicious.
- Perfect for Feeding a Crowd: These recipes are easy to make for backyard parties, potlucks, and family gatherings.
- Classic Summer Favorites: Burgers, pasta salads, grilled chicken, and patriotic desserts never go out of style.
- Easy Make-Ahead Options: Many of these recipes can be prepared ahead of time for stress-free entertaining.
- Something for Everyone: From appetizers and side dishes to barbecue recipes for Memorial Day and desserts, there’s something for every guest.
Table of Contents
Memorial Day Appetizers & Salads
Start your Memorial Day menu with easy appetizers and fresh summer salads everyone will snack on before the grill is even ready.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
The Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe is made with 5 simple ingredients – chicken, creamy ranch dressing, cream cheese, hot sauce, and cheddar cheese. This is an easy buffalo chicken dip that is a favorite game day appetizer!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Buffalo Chicken Nachos
If you’re looking for a quick and easy appetizer recipe, this Buffalo Chicken Nachos recipe is it!
Buffalo Chicken Nachos
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
Fruit Salsa is a perfect summer dessert dip! Loaded with fresh fruit and a side of baked cinnamon chips, this is the ultimate party dip! All you need for this delicious fruit salsa is fresh fruit, tortillas, cinnamon, and sugar.
Fruit Salsa
Spicy Sausage and Cheese Crock Pot Dip
This Sausage Cheese Dip full of two kinds of cheese, black beans, corn, tomatoes and green chilis that is sure to please any crowd!
Sausage and Cheese Dip
Avocado Dip
Avocado Dip made with only 3-ingredients – avocados, greek yogurt, and ranch! This easy dip recipe will be one of your go-to party appetizers in no-time!
Avocado Dip
Chili Cheese Dip
With only 2-ingredients, this Chili Cheese Dip is always a hit! Make this quick & easy appetizer in the slow cooker or microwave for a crowd-pleasing dip!
Chili Cheese Dip
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip is a delicious, lighter, no-guilt version of your favorite game day appetizer!
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ever wonder how to make spinach artichoke dip perfectly creamy? I’ll share my secrets to flavorful and perfect baked spinach artichoke dip.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Caesar Salad Dressing
An easy, healthy recipe for homemade creamy Caesar dressing that comes together in minutes! This classic salad dressing recipe has the best flavor!
Caesar Salad Dressing
Easy Broccoli Salad
This easy broccoli salad is crisp, creamy, and packed with bacon, cheddar, and fresh broccoli—perfect for potlucks, BBQs, and summer meals.
Easy Broccoli Salad
Macaroni Salad
This easy Macaroni Salad recipe combines macaroni noodles and cheese with a sweet relish and creamy mayonnaise dressing. Quick and easy to make, it's perfect for a cookout, potluck, picnic, or summer get-together!
Macaroni Salad
Easy Pea Salad
This easy pea salad is a classic creamy green pea salad made with simple ingredients. Perfect for potlucks, holidays, and make-ahead meals!
Easy Pea Salad
Bow Tie Pasta Salad Recipe
This easy bow tie pasta salad recipe is quick and pleases everyone! It’s perfect for potlucks, picnics or as a side dish to any weeknight meal.
Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
This watermelon feta and mint salad recipe is a fresh, easy summer recipe perfect for a light meal or side dish. Great for parties too!
Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad
Southern Deviled Eggs
These Southern Deviled Eggs are packed with a creamy, lightly spiced filling that is ultra flavorful! Great on the buffet table or as an appetizer anytime.
Southern Deviled Eggs
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Crispy air fryer buffalo cauliflower is a tasty snack that’s healthy too! Cauliflower is tossed with hot sauce then cooked in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Memorial Day Side Dish Recipes
No cookout is complete without classic barbecue side dishes. These recipes pair perfectly with burgers, grilled chicken, ribs, and more.
Pasta Salad
This is the perfect Easy Pasta Salad Recipe! Loaded with veggies, it's dressed with creamy bottled dressing to make your life even simpler. Don't wait to make this classic, go-to summer side dish that never goes out of style!
Pasta Salad
Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Super easy and only a few ingredients, which makes this Broccoli Casserole the perfect side dish for back to school nights!
Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Creamy Bacon Mac & Cheese
This Creamy Bacon Mac and Cheese makes the perfect side dish for any meal and its simple to make at home with only a few ingredients!
Bacon Mac and Cheese
Cheesy Potatoes
This easy cheesy potatoes casserole recipe is loaded with potatoes, sour cream, and cheese with a corn flake topping for perfect holiday side dish!
Cheesy Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes made with tender sliced potatoes and a rich cream sauce are the perfect make-ahead holiday side dish!
Scalloped Potatoes
Easy 5-Ingredient Corn Casserole
This 5 ingredient corn casserole is made with Jiffy and creamed corn for an easy side perfect for holidays, potlucks or weeknight dinners.
Corn Casserole
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
These crispy roasted Brussels sprouts are perfectly golden, tender, and made with just 4 simple ingredients. The ultimate easy side dish!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Scalloped Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy scalloped potatoes made with tender sliced potatoes and a rich cream sauce are the perfect make-ahead holiday side dish!
Scalloped Potatoes
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes Recipe
You're going to love this simple and delicious Crockpot Cheesy Potato Casserole recipe – the perfect dish that’s cozy and comforting without ever heating up your kitchen!
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Southern Green Beans With Bacon
These Southern green beans with bacon are tender, flavorful, and slow-cooked with garlic and onions for the ultimate easy Southern side dish.
Southern Green Beans
Homemade Corn Muffins with Honey Butter
Homemade corn muffins are light and tender, with an incredibly sweet flavor. Honey butter is the perfect finishing touch!
Homemade Corn Muffins
Asparagus Casserole
This creamy, cheesy asparagus casserole is the best way to use fresh springtime asparagus! You’ll love it as an Easter side dish, but it’s just as good for a Sunday dinner.
Asparagus Casserole
Dinner and Barbecue Recipes for Memorial Day
These barbecue recipes for Memorial Day are hearty, flavorful, and guaranteed to be the stars of your cookout.
California Grilled Chicken
California Grilled Chicken – marinated chicken breasts, grilled to perfection and topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocado then drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Perfection!!
California Grilled Chicken
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Crock Pot Pulled Pork! A delicious pork loin is slow roasted in the crockpot and topped with a delicious homemade barbecue sauce for an easy meal idea!
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Baked Chicken Thighs
This one-pan, baked chicken thighs recipe is the easiest way to get moist, flavorful, crispy, chicken thighs every time with only a few ingredients.
Baked Chicken Thighs
Ham and Swiss Sliders
These ham and Swiss sliders are baked on sweet Hawaiian rolls with melty cheese and a buttery Dijon topping. Ready in 25 minutes!
Ham and Swiss Sliders
All-American Burger
Make these All American Burgers for the Fourth of July and your backyard barbecue will be the neighborhood party of the season!
All-American Burger
Grilled BBQ Chicken
This easy grilled BBQ chicken recipe is an easy way to grill chicken. This barbecue chicken recipe results in tasty and juicy chicken every time! Use your favorite bbq sauce and let that the flavor of the grill come through!
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
These grilled chicken kabobs are juicy, flavorful and easy to make with Italian dressing marinade, vegetables and simple ingredients.
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Grilled Shrimp Tacos
These grilled shrimp tacos will be your new favorite Taco Tuesday dinner! Juicy shrimp are marinated with lime juice, garlic, and spices, then grilled to perfection and tucked into soft tortillas with a creamy sauce.
Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Memorial Day Desserts
Memorial Day desserts should be fun, easy, and perfect for warm weather gatherings.
No Bake Oreo Cheesecake Dessert
This No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake is the perfect summer no-bake dessert! Made with Golden Oreos, cream cheese, pudding, and cool whip!
Oreo Cheesecake Dessert
No-Bake Oreo Dessert
This easy no-bake Oreo dessert is creamy, chocolatey, and layered to perfection. A crowd-pleasing favorite made in minutes—no oven required!
No-Bake Oreo Dessert
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake is the perfect quick and easy, no-bake dessert!
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake
No-Bake S’Mores Bars
S'Mores Bars made with only 4-ingredients – Golden Grahams cereal, Hershey chocolate bars, marshmallows, and butter! It's the EASIEST no-bake dessert bar recipe ever!
No-Bake S’mores Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Full of delicious creamy peanut butter and delicious chocolate, these easy cake mix cookies are sure to please!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
Heath Bar Cake
My Heath Bar Cake is a rich chocolate poke cake soaked in caramel and topped with Cool Whip and crushed toffee all ready in just 30 minutes!
Heath Bar Cake
7UP Cake
This 7UP cake recipe is a family favorite that uses a yellow cake mix for an easy, foolproof dessert. Light, moist, and bursting with lemon-lime flavor, it’s perfect for potlucks or holidays.
7UP Cake
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is the most delicious and easy dump cake recipe you’ll ever try! Made with only 4-ingredients – just dump all the ingredients into a baking pan, bake and eat!
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
Blueberry Bundt cake
This Blueberry Bundt Cake recipe is an easy, super moist, and tender bundt cake made with sour cream and bursting with fresh blueberries!
Blueberry Bundt Cake
Red, White, and Blue Trail Mix
Red, White, and Blue Trail Mix is the perfect 4th of July snack! For every patriotic holiday when you are getting together to celebrate someone and their service to this country, make this crunchy, sweet-salty, festive treat to share with friends and family.
Red White and Blue Trail Mix
Banana Split Pie
Banana Split Pie? Yes! Because the only thing better than a banana split from your favorite ice cream shop is an easy, no-bake Banana Split Pie from your very own kitchen.
Banana Split Pie
Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake
Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake is a quick and easy way to get this classic dessert on the table in less than 20 minutes!
Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Cobbler
Strawberry cobbler is the perfect recipe to make in spring, when fresh strawberries are cheap and plentiful! Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream while it’s still piping hot and you’ve got yourself a winning dessert.
Strawberry Cobbler
Red White and Blue Popsicles
These homemade red white and blue popsicles are made with fresh fruit, yogurt, and just a little bit of extra sugar. They are a great choice for kids and adults!
Red White and Blue Popsicles
Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake
This Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake is an easy dessert made with cake mix and colorful Jello for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.
Red White and Blue Poke Cake
Blueberry Hand Pies
These sweet, fruity blueberry hand pies are the perfect summer treat. They are easy to make and also very easy to eat!
Blueberry Hand Pies
Fresh Fruit Tart
This easy Fresh Fruit Tart recipe features a buttery crust, vanilla pastry cream, and fresh berries for a beautiful bakery-style dessert.
Fruit Tart
Fruit Pizza
Try this semi-homemade fruit pizza on a soft sugar cookie crust and topped with a cream cheese frosting today!
Fruit Pizza
Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake
This Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake is an easy frozen dessert made with strawberry and vanilla ice cream, Cool Whip, and a crunchy topping.
Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake
Shark Bait Ice Cream Floats
For a fun Shark Week kids drink idea, try this Shark Bait Ice Cream Float made with vanilla ice cream, blue kool-aid, and gummy sharks and life preservers
Shark Bait Ice Cream Floats
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These 12 Red, White & Blue Desserts Will Steal the Show on the 4th
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Thank you for sharing I plan on make a few
Thanks so much for including me. Scheduling some social shares now. Better late than never right? 🙂
🙂 Happy you shared!