26 Showstopping Memorial Day Cookout Ideas (Burgers, Ribs, Salads & Desserts!)
May 18, 2026
These are the Memorial Day recipes I come back to every single year, the ones that have earned their permanent spot on my summer menu.
From incredibly juicy burgers (including a turkey one that will genuinely shock you with how tender it is), to fall-off-the-bone ribs, crispy wings, bright make-ahead salads, and a whole lineup of summer desserts that are honestly reason enough to host the whole thing!
The trick to a stress-free Memorial Day dinner menu is advance prep and having a handful of recipes you trust completely. Scroll through, save what you love, and let’s make this the easiest, most delicious Memorial Day cookout yet.
1. Juicy Mushroom Burgers with Swiss
I’ve been blending mushrooms into beef burgers for years, not for any virtuous reason, just because the flavor and added moisture is incredible. The mushrooms in these Juicy Mushroom Burgers with Swiss lock in moisture and add a rich, umami-packed quality that makes everyone ask what your secret is. Fire these up first and watch them disappear.
2. Turkey Burger
Turkey burgers have a bad reputation for being dry and sad, and I am on a personal mission to fix that. My trick in this Turkey Burger recipe is mixing a little mayonnaise right into the patty. It sounds simple because it is, and it makes them turn out moist, ultra juicy, and totally failproof every time.
3. Ground Chicken Burgers
These Ground Chicken Burgers are the recipe that converts the chicken-burger skeptics. Cooking the onions first breaks them down and helps them hold onto moisture, and a little mayonnaise mixed right into the patty keeps everything juicy. Stack them high with whatever toppings you love.
4. Moist and Flaky Salmon Burgers
These Moist and Flaky Salmon Burgers will be the best you’ve ever had, and I mean that. You only need a handful of ingredients, dinner (or in this case, the whole cookout spread) comes together in minutes, and the fresh avocado and crunchy slaw on top make them feel seriously special.
5. Easy Sloppy Joes
From-scratch Easy Sloppy Joes in one skillet in 30 minutes. The trick is browning the tomato paste for two minutes before adding everything else. It develops this deep, caramelized flavor that makes the sauce taste like it’s been simmering for hours. Way better than anything from a can.
6. Ham & Cheese Sliders
My Ham and Cheese Sliders layer Swiss, deli ham, and sharp cheddar under a buttery Dijon-poppy seed glaze. The trick that takes them next-level: pre-baking the bottom buns so they stay crisp instead of soggy. Worcestershire in the butter mixture adds the savory backbone people can’t quite place but would miss if it was gone.
7. Tender Beef Ribs
My Tender Beef Ribs come out of the oven so soft the meat slides right off the bone, no smoker required. The secret is wrapping them tightly in foil so the steam stays in, then finishing under the broiler with BBQ sauce for that sticky, caramelized bark. Plan for naps after.
8. Spare Ribs
My oven-baked Spare Ribs are fall-apart tender with a smoky dry rub and finger-licking BBQ glaze. The collagen breaks down low and slow in a sealed foil packet, then the brown sugar in the sauce caramelizes into a sticky crust under the broiler. You can cut them apart with a butter knife. That’s how soft they get.
9. Oven-Baked Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
You only need five ingredients to make my Oven-Baked Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks and you’ll dirty exactly one baking sheet. I mix the sticky homemade sauce directly on the parchment, toss the drumsticks in it, and let the oven do everything else. The glaze caramelizes into something seriously addictive.
10. Light and Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
My Light and Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken gets its shatteringly crisp coating from baking powder in the flour mix. Tiny bubbles puff up the crust as it fries, which is the secret behind why restaurant fried chicken always feels lighter than homemade. Make a giant platter, eat it warm or cold.
11. Tandoori Chicken Wings
My Tandoori Chicken marinade is yogurt-based, which tenderizes the meat while infusing it with garam masala, ginger, garlic, and a little cayenne. The drumsticks version is what’s on the recipe page, but the same marinade works just as beautifully on wings. Broil them at the end for that signature charred-in-spots finish.
12. Baked Buffalo Wings
Skip the deep fryer. My Baked Buffalo Wings get perfectly crispy in the oven, then tossed in a buttery hot sauce and served with the best homemade blue cheese dip you’ll ever make. Lemon juice in the dip is non-negotiable. It’s the secret that takes it from ordinary to vibrant.
13. Creamy Potato Salad with Egg
My Creamy Potato Salad with Egg is the one I bring to every barbecue. A few food science tricks make all the difference: salt the water like pasta, cube the potatoes before boiling so they cook evenly, and let them cool fully before dressing so the mayo doesn’t break. The dressing is lemony, tangy, and lightened up with Greek yogurt.
14. World’s Best Macaroni Salad
After a lot of testing, this is the Macaroni Salad I think wins it all. It’s simple but well-seasoned (never bland), creamy without being a mouthful of mayo, and has just the right crunch from grated carrots and finely chopped celery. Add an extra splash of mayo right before serving if it sat in the fridge overnight.
15. Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
My Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is on repeat all summer. Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and rotini tossed in a bright homemade Italian vinaigrette. Cook the pasta just to al dente and rinse it under cold water so it stays bouncy and doesn’t soak up all the dressing.
16. Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
All the flavor of elote, none of the corn-stuck-in-your-teeth situation. My Mexican Street Corn Salad chars sweet corn in a hot pan to develop those golden, slightly blackened bits that taste like the grill, then tosses everything with cotija, lime, cilantro, and just enough mayo to bring it all together.
17. Strawberry Caprese Salad
Fresh strawberries, creamy mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of good olive oil. This Strawberry Caprese Salad is summer on a plate. It comes together in about five minutes and looks absolutely stunning on a picnic table. Honestly, it might be the dish that gets the most compliments of the whole afternoon.
18. Thai Noodle Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
This herby, veggie-packed Thai Noodle Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing is one of those sides that somehow manages to upstage the main. It’s brilliant made ahead since the flavors just get better as it sits, and it pairs beautifully alongside anything coming off the grill.
19. Kale Caesar Salad
I love raw shredded kale in a Caesar because the hearty leaves stand up so well to strong flavors and, crucially, won’t wilt into a soggy mess while you’re busy grilling. The garlicky dressing on this Kale Caesar Salad with parmesan and bacon is unbeatable. Make it ahead, it only gets better.
20. Crockpot BBQ Chicken
This Crockpot BBQ Chicken is the embodiment of “low effort, high reward.” By letting the chicken simmer low and slow, you achieve a level of tenderness that’s impossible to reach any other way. The meat essentially bastes in its own juices and the caramelizing sugars of the sauce, resulting in a dish that is succulent, rich, and fall-apart tender.
21. Flaky Buttermilk Onion Rings
My Flaky Onion Rings get a buttermilk soak with hot sauce and Creole seasoning that softens the onions and adds gentle heat. The coating is thin, flaky, and shatteringly crisp, not the heavy puffy batter most onion rings come in. Fry hot at 375°F and salt them the second they come out.
22. Cornbread Casserole
My Cornbread Casserole is the softer, more tender cousin of regular cornbread, studded with juicy corn kernels. The blend of cornmeal and flour gives it a moist, almost pudding-like texture in the middle with crisp golden edges. Stays soft for days if you somehow have leftovers.
23. Fruit Pizza with Sugar Cookie Crust
Make my Fruit Pizza into a patriotic flag for Memorial Day. A soft sugar cookie base, topped with a whipped cream cheese filling that’s lighter than typical frosting and closer to a cheesecake. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top however you want. Kids love decorating it themselves.
24. Strawberry Icebox Cake
My Strawberry Icebox Cake is six ingredients, no baking, 15 minutes of work, and four hours in the fridge. The graham crackers soften into a tiramisu-like texture, the cream cheese filling stays fluffy, and the strawberries release just enough juice to make every bite taste like summer.
25. Philadelphia Cheesecake
A classic Philadelphia Cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker base and a creamy three-ingredient filling. The food science trick: beat the eggs in on low speed only until just combined, since whipping air into the batter is what causes cheesecakes to crack. Bake until the centre reads 145°F for the silkiest texture.
26. Blueberry Pie
There’s no more perfect ending to a Memorial Day cookout than a homemade Blueberry Pie. Mine is filled to bursting with fresh berries tucked inside a flaky all-butter crust, and it’s the kind of dessert that makes people go quiet for a moment after the first bite.
