Best Memorial Day Recipes

The unofficial start of summer is here: Memorial Day Weekend! Feel good as you gear up for the social season with these Memorial Day recipes, keeping you energized for all the summer activities. Whether you’re on the grill or winning the side dish game, this lineup will provide plenty of inspiration for your Memorial Day menu.

It’s the season of summer entertaining, weeknight grilling, weekend BBQs, and picnic gatherings! We’ve got you covered with these Memorial Day recipes. When life gets busy, it’s easy to forget about eating well, but this collection of recipes is not only easy to prepare and simple to make, but they’re also totally delicious!

What do Americans eat on Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is about honoring military personnel who lost their lives protecting the country. Because Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May, when warm weather arrives, most Memorial Day food is centered around BBQ and summer foods. This is great news if you want some Memorial Day recipes, as there are many options for BBQ and sides!

Memorial Day side dishes

The side dish game is serious business, and we’ve got some winning recipes for the summer season. Incorporate fresh, seasonal fruits like bright peaches, bursting fresh berries, abundant greens, broccoli salad, and fresh herbs.

Tossing fruit into your salads is a refreshing way to celebrate the sunshine. This blueberry coleslaw recipe packs a punch with broccoli, cauliflower, blueberries, and chopped almonds. Nothing says “SUMMER IS HERE” like a grilled peach salad – it’ll steal the show! These fresh salads work as appetizers or side dishes.

Corn on the cob is a Memorial Day classic, and our chili lime corn on the cob recipe adds chili, lime, and fresh herbs. Summertime is about freshness, and this broccoli coleslaw understands the assignment. Herby grilled potato salad will have the whole family going back for seconds.

Blueberry Coleslaw Recipe

Ditch the store-bought coleslaw mix and enjoy a variety of fresh tastes and textures with this easy blueberry coleslaw! Crisp raw veggies, crunchy roasted almonds, and fresh (or frozen) blueberries are tossed in a creamy homemade dressing. It's the perfect side salad for picnic season, and it's ready in just 15 minutes!

4.96 stars (44 ratings)

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Grilled Peach Salad with Curry Pecans & Honey Vinaigrette

Life's about to get a whole lot peachier thanks to this summery grilled peach salad! Have you tried grilling peaches before? The natural sugars caramelize, making the peaches smoky and extra sweet. They meld with peppery arugula, bursting blueberries, candied curry pecans, and a honey vinaigrette. Add some goat cheese or diced avocado, and you'll be counting down until peach season all year long!

4.86 stars (48 ratings)

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Grilled Corn on the Cob (with chili lime seasoning)

When corn makes its short seasonal appearance, you'll find us in our backyard making this chili lime grilled corn on the cob on repeat. It's smoky and sweet, with a little heat, and dripping with the flavors of chili-infused butter, fresh lime, and cilantro. It's easy, delicious, and takes only 20 minutes to make!

5 stars (33 ratings)

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Classic Broccoli Coleslaw with Buttermilk Dressing

This classic broccoli coleslaw recipe uses fresh chopped broccoli, cranberries, slivered almonds, and red onions. The lightly sweet and tangy lemon buttermilk dressing is easy to make and delicious. You definitely want to make this!

4.98 stars (38 ratings)

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Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Pesto

This mayo-free grilled potato salad is tossed in a homemade scallion pesto. It's herby, full of flavor, and perfect for the summer grilling season. It's easy to make and it's ready in just 45 minutes!

4.95 stars (19 ratings)

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Memorial Day mains

Now it’s time for the star of the show: the main meals! These recipes taste so divine that you’ll forget they’re good for you. Grilled chicken, juicy burgers, refreshing tacos, and smoky hot dogs are coming right up!

Impress your guests with the best grilled chicken breast – perfecting something simple is an art, and this recipe comes out perfect every time!

The best burgers are so juicy they burst out of the fresh buns, and this guacamole burger celebrates fresh avocados and is ready in just 20 minutes! Nothing says summer like pineapple, and these Hawaiian hot dogs marry succulent smokey with tropical sweetness.

We’ve got seafood, too! For hand-held bursts of flavor, whip up these crowd-pleasing baja fish tacos. Or for the ultimate way to prepare salmon on the barbecue, wow your guests with this grilled cedar plank salmon with avocado peach salsa.

Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe

This is the BEST grilled chicken breast recipe! The chicken breasts are marinated in an easy to make wet rub using pantry staple spices then grilled until juicy and crazy delicious. With a few tips, learn how to grill chicken breast so it is juicy and delicious every time.

4.98 stars (40 ratings)

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Guacamole Burger Recipe

You can't beat a homemade guacamole burger! These delicious burgers are grilled to juicy perfection and then loaded with guacamole and pepper jack cheese. They're easy to make with just a handful of ingredients, and they're ready in 20 minutes!

4.94 stars (15 ratings)

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Hawaiian Hot Dogs Recipe

These delicious Hawaiian hot dogs with grilled pineapple and teriyaki mayo are the perfect summer meal. They're sweet, smoky, and as spicy as you want them to be. They're also easy to make and ready in just 20 minutes!

4.91 stars (21 ratings)

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Baja Fish Tacos Recipe

Keep things fresh and flavorful with these Baja fish tacos. Perfectly seasoned white fish is tucked into warm tortillas with a colorful southwest slaw and creamy avocado dressing. This weeknight dinner is simple to make and ready in 30 minutes!

4.98 stars (36 ratings)

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Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon with Avocado Peach Salsa

This cedar plank salmon recipe is the ultimate way to prepare salmon on the barbecue. It's cooked low and slow, resulting in fish that's moist, smoky, and full of flavor. I top it with an avocado peach salsa for an easy summer meal that's ready in just 35 minutes!

4.95 stars (19 ratings)

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Memorial Day desserts and drinks

These Memorial Day recipes are perfect for when your sweet tooth is calling but you want a lighter approach. Coconut raspberry popsicles and coconut lemon ice cream both use coconut milk, and this banana nice cream is made from a base of frozen banana.

Sip away on this refreshing homemade blackberry lemonade, which is ready in just ten minutes and can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd when entertaining.

Coconut Raspberry Popsicles Recipe

Lightly sweetened coconut milk is sandwiched between two layers of tangy, fresh raspberry puree, creating bliss in the form of coconut raspberry popsicles! Tart raspberries and creamy coconut is a delicious combo and an elegant, adult way to enjoy a frozen treat. No doubt the kids will like 'em, too!

4.82 stars (22 ratings)

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Coconut Lemon Ice Cream Recipe

This homemade coconut lemon ice cream is creamy, refreshing, and completely dairy-free. It's naturally sweetened with honey and makes the most delightful treat on a hot day. It's simple to make and uses just six ingredients!

4.88 stars (25 ratings)

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Banana Nice Cream Recipe

Here's a nice cream recipe that keeps things simple while satisfying your sweet tooth. It's smooth, creamy, and tastes just like chocolate soft serve. Plus, you only need three ingredients and 5 minutes to make it!

4.96 stars (45 ratings)

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Blackberry Lemonade Recipe

This homemade blackberry lemonade is the perfect refreshing cold drink for a hot day. It's a fun twist on lemonade using ripe summer blackberries that the whole family will love. It's a visually pretty drink with deep purple hues that takes just 10 minutes to make, and can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.

4.84 stars (31 ratings)

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