Our greatest Memorial Day recipes! We have rounded up summer season salads, sides, dips, desserts, and extra—all the things you want for a scrumptious cookout.
The unofficial begin of summer season is only a few days away—it’s time to plan your Memorial Day menu!
I’ve rounded up our greatest Memorial Day recipes beneath. They embody recent appetizers, salads, facet dishes, drinks, desserts, and extra. They’d all be excellent for a Memorial Day cookout…and cookouts all summer season lengthy. I do know I’ll have many of those recipes on repeat this summer season. I hope you additionally discover some you like!
Memorial Day Appetizer Recipes
Antipasto Platter
Carry an Italian trip to your individual yard with this aperitivo-inspired platter! It’s loaded with marinated mozzarella balls, gigante beans, olives, and extra. Sip a bubbly Aperol spritz when you snack.
Caprese Skewers
The basic salad in bite-size kind! Use a mixture of cherry tomato colours to make these look extra-fun and festive.
Summer season Fruit Platter
Fruit + cheese = the simplest Memorial Day appetizer ever. And it’s scrumptious! Set it out on a cute platter with nuts, olives, and crackers, and visitors will adore it.
Mango Salsa
This recent, fruity tackle pico de gallo is ideal for early summer season. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping!
Guacamole
A crowd pleaser at any event, Memorial Day picnics included!
Straightforward Bruschetta
It’s summer season—deliver on the tomatoes and basil! This basic Italian appetizer is one in every of my favourite methods to take pleasure in them. As a result of it’s so easy, it lets their recent flavors shine.
Summer season Pasta Salads
Straightforward Pasta Salad
What’s a summer season bbq and not using a pasta salad? This recipe is a reader favourite—it has over 500 5-star critiques!
Pesto Pasta Salad
For those who (like me) can’t get sufficient basil pesto within the summertime, this recipe is for you! It’s pesto pasta in picnic kind—vibrant inexperienced, herbaceous, and tremendous recent.
Italian Pasta Salad
My home made Italian dressing, olives, and pepperoncini pack this pasta salad with tangy, zesty taste.
Macaroni Salad
My twist on this nostalgic picnic dish is full of crunchy veggies and tangy dill pickles and tossed in a creamy dressing. Positively make it forward—the flavors get higher the longer it sits within the fridge!
Extra Memorial Day Aspect Dish Recipes
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Serve it slathered with butter or gown it up with elote fixings. No house on the grill? Make boiled corn on the cob as a substitute.
Greek Salad
Stuffed with a refreshing jumble of crisp and juicy veggies, this basic salad tastes like summer season. You may assemble it forward, however maintain the mint leaves till simply earlier than serving in order that they don’t wilt within the dressing.
Greatest Potato Salad
This basic potato salad is creamy, pickle-y perfection! I take advantage of pickle brine within the dressing and add chopped dill pickles to the salad for an additional tangy pop. Tip: Combine two peeled and chopped laborious boiled eggs into the salad to make it extra-creamy.
Greatest Broccoli Salad
A more energizing twist on the Midwest basic! As a substitute of utilizing the normal bacon, I high this reader favourite salad with smoky roasted nuts.
Cucumber Salad
I crave this candy and tangy salad all summer season lengthy. Fortunately for me, it couldn’t be simpler to make. Simply toss cucumbers and crimson onions in a 3-ingredient dressing and high them off with recent herbs. Easy and scrumptious!
Mexican Road Corn Salad
This elote-inspired salad will get RAVES at any time when I deliver it to a summer season gathering. Make it on Memorial Day weekend, and I assure that will probably be the star of any cookout you’re taking it to!
Creamy Coleslaw
The key to nice coleslaw? An incredible home made coleslaw dressing! Mine is creamy, candy, and tangy, made with mayo, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and just a little celery seed for savory depth of taste.
Pink Potato Salad
If creamy potato salad isn’t your factor, do that ultra-herby one as a substitute. L&L reader Tracy commented, “Husband isn’t a potato salad fan. Made this and he LOVED it and I believe it’s my favourite ever.”
Avocado Salad
Okay, guacamole lovers—this avocado salad is the Memorial Day recipe for you! Tossed in a zesty lime dressing, it’s principally a deconstructed guac with some chopped cucumbers thrown in for crunch.
Watermelon Feta Salad
This salad is my favourite recipe to make on a scorching summer season day! The mixture of juicy watermelon, cucumbers, salty feta, and mint is so cooling and refreshing.
Broccoli Slaw
A scrumptious mashup of coleslaw and broccoli salad! Make it forward in order that the crunchy broccoli matchsticks have time to marinate within the creamy dressing.
Grilled Greens
Can’t select between grilled corn and grilled zucchini? You don’t need to! These colourful veggie skewers are a flavorful and festive addition to any summer season cookout. I like to serve them with a facet of tzatziki sauce.
Memorial Day Predominant Dishes
Greatest Veggie Burger
Severely, the most effective ever. Sautéed mushrooms, tamari, balsamic, and mirin give these patties an unbeatable umami taste. Tip: Assemble them as much as a day forward, cowl, and refrigerate till you’re able to grill!
Straightforward Black Bean Burger
These one-bowl burgers are prepared in half-hour!
Portobello Mushroom Burger
Don’t underestimate humble mushroom caps! Grilled with balsamic and tamari, they develop into juicy, meaty, and savory—an ideal plant-based “patty.”
Mushroom Tacos
Not within the temper for warm canine or burgers? Make these mushroom tacos to your Memorial Day cookout! They’re tremendous easy, full of meaty, savory grilled mushrooms, avocado salsa, and pickled onions.
Summer season Drinks
Selfmade Lemonade
Made with recent lemon juice and easy syrup, this home made lemonade is sooo a lot better than store-bought.
Pink Sangria
The right cocktail for a crowd! Chill it in a single day for the most effective fruity taste.
Margarita
Margaritas at a summer season gathering are by no means a foul name. Preserve it basic with this recipe or make watermelon margaritas or strawberry margaritas for a enjoyable twist.
Mojitos
Backyard overrun with recent mint? Put it to work on this fizzy rum cocktail. L&L reader Elizabeth referred to as it the “greatest cocktail for a scorching summer season day!”
Memorial Day Desserts
Strawberry Shortcake
You may’t make a roundup of Memorial Day recipes and never embody strawberry shortcake! Different recent fruits can be great right here too—strive including blueberries, blackberries, and even recent peaches.
Greatest Selfmade Brownies
Nobody will complain about brownies at a cookout. 🙂 These ones are chewy, fudgy, and filled with wealthy chocolate taste.
Lemon Bars
Lemon desserts = the most effective summer season desserts! With a buttery shortbread crust and pucker-y lemon curd filling, these lemon bars are the most effective of the most effective.
Rhubarb Crisp
Memorial Day falls within the coronary heart of rhubarb season. Make this straightforward crisp to point out it off at its greatest! Tip: Don’t overlook the vanilla ice cream for serving. Its sweetness actually makes the tart rhubarb pop.
Selfmade Vanilla Ice Cream
Do you might have a summer season bucket listing? I hope making home made ice cream is on it. It’s straightforward to make with 5 fundamental substances, and it’s simply too good to overlook out on. I’m making some over Memorial Day weekend…it is best to too!

Greatest Memorial Day Recipes: Italian Pasta Salad
Serves 8 to 12
This Italian pasta salad is one in every of our favourite Memorial Day recipes!
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in keeping with the package deal directions, cooking till barely previous al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to stop sticking. Put aside to chill to room temperature.
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Switch the cooled pasta to a big bowl and add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, crimson pepper, cucumber, crimson onion, olives, pepperoncini, and parsley. Toss to mix, then add the dressing, salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper and toss once more.
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Stir within the basil and season to style. Garnish with extra basil and serve.