My ultimate collection of Memorial Day Weekend recipes with classic burgers, amazing salads, refreshing drinks, cool desserts and much more!
I’ve gathered my favorite recipes to help you plan the best Memorial Day! From grilled meat to picnic salads to refreshing desserts to cool drinks, there are over 50 delicious dishes to choose from to plan your menu. Whether you are grilling in your backyard, heading to the beach or park for a picnic, or planning an indoor potluck, this collection has what you need for the ultimate Memorial Day BBQ.
Is there a more iconic dish for a cookout than a juicy burger fresh off the grill? Make classic beef burgers with different flavors, lean and flavorful Turkey Burgers, or switch it up with fish burgers like my Salmon Burgers and Shrimp Burgers.
Bacon Bacon Burgers are the juiciest burgers for a summer cookout. Ground chuck patties filled with smoky bacon and spices, topped with more crispy bacon!
The Best Salmon Burger recipe for summer! Easy salmon patties made with canned salmon, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and fresh dill grilled to a golden brown.
Portobello Mushroom Burgers are veggie burgers that even meat lovers will enjoy, flavored with balsamic vinegar and topped with classic burger fillings.
Grilled Veggie Sandwich is a great vegetarian dish that anyone would enjoy, made with a variety of ingredients like lettuce, tomato, zucchini, and mustard.
Easy Grilled Corn is the best side dish for a 4th of July cookout! Fresh corn on the cob grilled in the corn husk for tender, crisp grilled corn every time!
Easy Brown Sugar Grilled Pineapple made in a grill pan is the quintessential side dish to any summer dishes you’re making. When grilled the pineapple gets soft, tender and melts in your mouth!
If you want to skip the summer cookout but still eat outside, sandwiches and deli salads are the easy picnic recipes you need! Or if you are heading to a potluck, crowd-pleasing slow cooker dishes like Pork and Beans, or baked sandwich recipes like Cuban Sliders, are always a hit.
The Ultimate BLT Sandwich recipe for the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Tips for the best ingredients plus delicious and easy BLT variations!
Italian Sub Sandwich is a classic deli sub loaded with salami, ham, mortadella, provolone cheese and all the fixings topped with homemade Italian dressing!
Baked Cuban Pork Party Sliders have pork shoulder, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, brown mustard & a butter whole grain mustard topping. They’re a perfect game-day treat and put the standard ham and cheese versions to shame!
Tender Pulled Pork covered in a homemade raspberry honey mustard sauce with whole mustard seeds served in a toasted pretzel roll. Perfect for your tailgate or gameday party.
5 Ingredient Tarragon Lemon Chicken Salad Sandwiches are an easy delicious cold chicken sandwich perfect for a picnic or beach day! Refreshing lemon tarragon dressing!
Slow CookerChicken Carnitas are a delicious and easy Mexican weeknight meal with fresh citrus, jalapeños, oregano, onions, and cumin that we crisp up in a skillet for the perfect carnitas!
Slow Cooker Reuben Sandwiches are perfect for leftover corned beef after your St. Patrick’s Day dinner with a quick sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing.
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken with crispy chicken thighs, fresh pineapple chunks, onions and bell pepper takes 15 minutes of prep and makes the perfect meal to come home to after a long workday!
Slow Cooker Pork and Beans is an easy BBQ side dish recipe! Dried white beans and bacon slow cooked in barbecue sauce with ketchup, brown sugar and mustard.
What better way to use fresh summer tomatoes and peppers than a delicious homemade salsa? For a fun sweet and spicy combo, try my amazing recipe for Mango Salsa. And don’t forget classic cold dips like Cold Spinach Dip with some herb crackers!
Mango Salsa is sweet, tangy, lightly spiced, and ready in minutes with mango, pineapple, red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno pepper.
Chipotle Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa is smoky and spicy, with lemon and lime juice and fresh cilantro, you can make this copycat at home in 30 minutes!
Black Bean Dip is the PERFECT savory dip to serve with tortilla chips at a party, made from black beans, sour cream, lime juice, and seasoning, ready in under 5 minutes!
Seven Layer Bean Dip is the ultimate party dip, made with seasoned refried beans and layers of cheese, olives, sour cream, and more, and only takes minutes to throw together!
Having a bunch of condiments and toppings like Homemade BBQ Sauce, Caramelized Onions, and crispy bacon lets your cookout guests build their perfect burgers and sandwiches.
Homemade BBQ Sauce is an easy recipe for a smoky sweet barbecue sauce with no ketchup or liquid smoke. The best sauce for grilling, slow cooker and more!
Blue Cheese Sauce is extra rich and creamy. It’s perfect to spoon over steak and made in just 10 minutes with onion, heavy cream, and blue cheese crumbles.
Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a tangy spicy mayo-based BBQ sauce. Creamy easy white sauce with mayo, vinegar, horseradish, and spices is perfect for grilling!
Peri-Peri Sauce is a thick, flavorful traditional African sauce perfect for chicken and made with bird's-eye chilies, paprika, oregano, garlic, and onion.
Beer Battered Onion Rings are the perfect combination of crispy, light and fluffy with a hint of sweetness from the beer. A great side for your summer bbq!
Caprese Chicken Tortellini Pasta Salad is the perfect and quick pasta salad for your summer cookout with chicken, fresh mozzarella, tortellini and quick balsamic dressing.
Southwestern Potato Salad made with avocados, black bean, corn and cheese with a creamy southwestern dressing that's the perfect side dish for your BBQ.
Thai Beef Salad is a tangy, slightly spicy salad with plenty of flavorful veggies and tender steak topped off with ginger, sriracha, and lime dressing.
Taco Salad is a quick, easy, and delicious salad. Romaine lettuce topped with taco beef, black beans, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips and a creamy dressing.
Mexican corn salad is an easy no-cook side dish for your summer bbq with corn, mayo, lime juice, chili powder, cilantro and cotija cheese that gives you elote flavors without the cob!
Summertime is the perfect time to make desserts packed with fresh berries and summer fruits like lemon, peaches and tropical fruits. Try a classic summertime dessert like Peach Cobbler with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or try a simple no-bake dessert loaded with juicy berries like Fresas con Crema.
No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream is the easiest ice cream recipe with no ice cream maker. Rich and creamy, made with just heavy cream, condensed milk and vanilla!
S’mores Ice Cream is the perfect summertime treat! Easy, rich chocolate homemade ice cream recipe with chocolate chips, marshmallows, and graham crackers.
Ice Cream Sundae Casserole is a great way to serve sundaes to a crowd. Ice cream, cherries, peanuts, and more all combined over easy graham cracker crust.
Make a big pitcher of Sangria for adult guests to serve themselves or have some refreshing Cucumber Waterfor guests of all ages to enjoy. Try my Classic Mojitos for a cool, tasty poolside drink!
Quick cooking dishes like burgers and steaks along with family-style sides, let guests serve themselves so you can enjoy the party along with them. Choose side dishes you can make ahead of time, like pasta salads and potato salads, so all you have to do is throw one or two dishes on the grill.
The best cookout dishes are made with simple ingredients like fresh herbs, seasonal berries and fruits, and summer garden vegetables.
What are summer flavors?
Summer flavors are bright fresh flavors from the garden, bold tangy citrus flavor, and smoky flavors from grilling. – Try fresh herbs with bright flavors like fresh basil, dill, and parsley. – Garden vegetables like sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, bell peppers, spinach and tomatoes. – Seasonal fruits and berries like strawberries, peaches, limes, mangoes, and cherries are used in sweet and savory summer recipes. – For bold flavors from citrus, toss some fresh lime juice or lemon juice in the marinade for your grilled and smoked dishes.
Why do people BBQ on Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is usually celebrated with a cookout for a couple of reasons. First off, it’s a National holiday so most folks have at least Monday off, if not the whole weekend. This means more people are able to get together. It’s also the unofficial start to summer, with warm weather is perfect for being outside. A BBQ or cookout is a low-hassle way for everyone to gather and enjoy beautiful weather and delicious food!
The following images and recipes were included in earlier versions of this post:
Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.
Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.
She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.
She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.
As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.
Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.
As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.
Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.
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This looks really wonderful. I do think spaghetti squash is a great option for enjoying traditional noodle dishes on a grain-free diet. Thanks for posting this on Food Flicks Friday.
Regards
rose
![These baked beans are sticky, salty [from the delicious bacon!] and sweet and a perfect addition to your BBQ or picnic](http://dinnerthendessert.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Honey-Bacon-Baked-Beans-side-e1444891869364.jpg)
This looks really wonderful. I do think spaghetti squash is a great option for enjoying traditional noodle dishes on a grain-free diet. Thanks for posting this on Food Flicks Friday.
Regards
rose
Thank you so much! Yes, it is a great pasta substitute!