The unofficial start of summer is here 🌞
Memorial Day marks the arrival of summer, and with it comes one of the best excuses to gather with your loved ones, fill up your backyard, and fire up the grill. It’s a day to come together, honor, and enjoy really good food!
This roundup of the best Memorial Day party recipes will be your go-to guide for creating the perfect menu, customized to your tastes and your guests. From fresh-off-the-grill mains and summery desserts to cool, refreshing drinks, everything you need to make your party spread truly unforgettable. Whether you’re looking for potluck recipes, firing up the grill in your backyard, or just enjoying time with your close family, we’ve got you covered!
Scroll on for everything you need to make your Memorial Day spread one to remember!
The Best Memorial Day Party Recipes for an Unforgettable Summer Cookout!
🌮 Appetizers & Finger Foods
Best Corn Salsa | Ambitious Kitchen
⏰ 15 mins • serves 4
Colorful, fresh, and zesty! Packed with colorful veggies, a spicy kick from jalapeño, and a hint of sweetness from honey, it pairs perfectly with any grilled dishes or as toppings or with crunchy chips.
Summer Cracker Appetizer Bites | Crowded Kitchen
⏰ 15 mins • serves 32
From mini avocado toast to peach and ricotta, red pepper pesto, and caprese, these bite-sized summer themed crackers are perfect for any cookout, BBQ, or party spread.
30-Mins Grilled Chicken Wings | Plays Well With Butter
⏰ 10 min prep • 20 min cook • serves 6
Juicy, tender chicken wings brined in beer and grilled to crispy perfection using a two-zone method. Plus, the recipe has variations for dry-rubbed and marinated wings.
Grape Jelly Meatballs | The Cookie Rookie
⏰ 10 min prep • 3 hours 15 min cook • serves 18
Juicy, oven-baked meatballs slow-cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce made with just four simple ingredients. This might be the easiest appetizer for your Memorial Day spread!
Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos | Krolls Korner
⏰ 15 min prep • 15 min cook • serves 8
Loaded with shredded chicken, lots of cheese, plenty of beans, and all your favorite toppings. Perfect shareable appetizer for Memorial Day!
Corn Ribs | Sunday Table
⏰ 15 min prep • 15 min cook • serves 48 ribs
Smoky, juicy, and full of flavor! Grill or bake these corn ribs, then drizzle with spiced garlic butter, these are the perfect party appetizers!
BBQ Chicken Sliders | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
⏰ 20 min prep • 35 min cook • serves 6
Loaded with tender shredded chicken tossed in a sweet and savory barbecue sauce, topped with gooey melty cheese. Perfect for sharing at Memorial Day party!
🥗 Fresh Summer Sides
Cheesy Green Chile Sweet Corn | Heartbeet Kitchen
⏰ 10 min prep • 10 min cook • serves 5
Cheesy, bold, and zesty! This easy skillet dip is perfect as a side dish for any grilled mains. Everything’s better with it.
Smashed Buffalo Potatoes | Platings + Pairings
⏰ 10 min prep • 1 hour 10 min cook • serves 4
These crispy smashed potatoes are a mix of buffalo wings, nachos, and tater tots. For an extra kick, they’re topped with creamy blue cheese dressing and vinegary, spicy buffalo sauce.
Creamy Coleslaw | Two Peas & Their Pod
⏰ 20 mins • serves 6
The perfect side for BBQ, burgers, or tacos. Whatever grilled mains you’re making this Memorial Day, this creamy coleslaw with a tangy-sweet dressing is a must.
Baked Beans and Franks | The Epicurean Mouse
⏰ 10 min prep • 50 min cook • serves 6
Sweet, smoky, and seriously satisfying! Packed with tender beans, caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and juicy hot dogs, this dish is a must for your Memorial Day spread.
Best Potato Salad Ever | Damn Delicious
⏰ 4 hours 25 min prep + chill • 15 min cook • serves 8
Ultra creamy and incredibly delicious! This might just be the easiest potato salad ever and you can even make it ahead of time.
Watermelon Salad with Feta & Mint | Cookie and Kate
⏰ 10-15 mins • serves 6 to 8
Sweet, salty, and refreshing! This watermelon salad with feta, mint, pistachios, and tangy pickled shallots is the perfect side dish for your Memorial Day cookout.
BLT Pasta Salad | Midwest Foodie
⏰ 30 mins • serves 8
Your new favorite summer backyard BBQ pasta salad! With all the flavors of a BLT sandwich and a tangy balsamic dressing, it’s just perfect!
🔥 Must Try Memorial Day Mains
Club Hot Dogs | Carolyn’s Cooking
⏰ 10 min prep • 10 min cook • serves 8
Club sandwich + snappy hot dogs, stacked with fresh delicious toppings, making them a fun and satisfying Memorial Day main.
Grilled Chimichurri Steak Kabobs | Butter Be Ready
⏰ 10 min prep • 50 min cook • serves 6
Juicy, tender, and packed with herby chimichurri flavor. Meat + veggies grilled on skewers for the ultimate party-friendly bite.
Grilled Fish Tacos | The Defined Dish
⏰ 50 mins • serves 6
Fresh, light, and full of citrusy flavor! These grilled fish tacos with citrus slaw and green sauce are perfect for a chill Memorial Day cookout.
Easy Smash Burger | Kitchen Sanctuary
⏰ 20 min prep • 5 min cook • serves 4
Thin yet juicy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious! Made on a BBQ flat top or flat griddle, perfect with special sauce and all the fixings.
Mojo Chicken Legs | So Much Food
⏰ 20 min prep • 1 hour cook • serves 6-8
All the summery good vibes in this marinade! A mix of fresh herbs, citrus, and loads of garlic, perfect for welcoming summer!
Best Grilled Shrimp| The Recipe Critic
⏰ 15 min prep + 1 hour marinate • 5 min cook • serves 4 people
Savory, tangy, and smoky! Takes just 5 minutes to cook, so prep and marinate ahead of time, then grill whenever you’re ready.
🌱Vegetarian / Vegan Memorial Day Mains
Vegetarian Tacos | Two Peas & Their Pod
⏰ 15 min prep • 10 min cook • serves 4
Quick, easy, and vegetarian! These tacos are filled with a rainbow of vegetables, hearty black beans, and loaded with fresh, delicious toppings.
Vegan BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich| Rainbow Plant Life
⏰ 30 min prep • 20 min cook • serves 4
All the meaty, smoky, sticky goodness of classic BBQ but plant-based! Chewy, umami-packed soy curls tossed in a sweet-tangy BBQ sauce and topped with fresh slaw.
Grilled Barbecue Tofu Skewers | Crowded Kitchen
⏰ 45 min cook • serves 4
No reason your plant-based friends should miss out on grilling season. These BBQ tofu skewers are smoky, loaded with BBQ flavor, and perfect for the grill!
Portobello Mushroom Burger | Love and Lemons
⏰ 5 min prep • 15 min cook • serves 4
Juicy, meaty, and packed with rich, savory flavor. This grilled portobello burger comes together with just 6 ingredients in 20 minutes!
BBQ Tofu Sandwich with Smashed Avocado | Thank You Berry Much
⏰ 15 min prep • 20 min cook • serves 4
Fully loaded with BBQ pulled tofu, smashed avocado, vegan slaw, and pickled onions. Easy, fresh, and perfect for summer BBQs (plant-based friendly!).
🍉 Easy Desserts for Memorial Day
Spicy Watermelon Margarita Popsicles | Half Baked Harvest
⏰ 10 min prep • 4 hours chill • serves 8
Boozy, citrusy ice pops with a spicy kick! Made with tequila, a splash of orange liqueur, and sweet watermelon, then finished with a slice of kiwi. Not completely a dessert, but something fruity and cooling is always a hit!
Mixed Berry Trifle | Olive & Mango
⏰ 15-20 min prep • 4-24 hours inactive • serves 6-8
This easy, no-bake dessert bursting with berry flavor is a crowd favorite at any party. Plus, it’s customizable, scalable, and absolutely delicious!
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars | The Recipe Rebel
⏰ 15 min prep • 25 cook • serves 20
A buttery graham cracker crust topped with a tangy cheesecake layer, swirled with homemade strawberry filling. Creamy, tangy, and fruity!
Strawberry Brownies | Addicted to Dates
⏰ 2 hours 30 minutes • serves 12
Rich, fudgy, and perfectly gooey, these vegan strawberry brownies are no-bake, gluten-free, and completely flourless!
Berry Icebox Cake | Sally’s Baking Addiction
⏰ 15 min prep • 3 hour chill • serves 12
A layered, sheet-style cake with fresh berries, graham crackers, and homemade vanilla whipped cream. One of the easiest no-bake desserts when you need to feed a crowd!
🍹Refreshing Drinks for Memorial Day
Peach Lemonade | Britney Breaks Bread
⏰ 20 min prep • 40 cook • serves 6
Made with fresh peaches and lemon juice, this refreshing peach lemonade is the perfect summer bbq drink! Sweet, tangy, and sunkissed!
Grapefruit Beer Sangria | The Cookie Rookie®
⏰ 10 min prep • serves 6
Bright, citrusy, and seriously delicious! Grapefruit shandy, orange juice, and club soda is all you need. Plus, you can easily scale it up for a crowd!
Vodka Punch | Dinner at the Zoo
⏰ 5 min prep • 1 hour chill • serves 12
A blend of fruit punch, pineapple juice, orange juice, vodka and lemon lime soda, just add some fruit for garnish while serving, you are good to go!
Summer Berry Mojito Pitcher | The Crumby Kitchen
⏰ 10 min prep • 4 hours chill • serves 8
Traditional mojito with a twist! Summery flavors of fresh berries and raspberry seltzer, to cool you down on hot days!
Pineapple Margarita | Diethood
⏰ 10 min prep • 4 hours chill • serves 8
A mix of tequila blanco, pineapple juice, Cointreau, and lime, shaken over ice. Don’t forget about the salt rim!