Backyard BBQs Are Back & These Memorial Day Recipes Are Here To Help You Celebrate
Oh, how we've missed you, BBQ.
Summer might officially start in late June, but as far as we're concerned, Memorial Day is the real opener to the summer season. Memorial Day signals the opening of the beaches, a long weekend off of work, and the first big excuse of the season to get together with friends for a warm weather, summery cookout. Whether you’re just celebrating the return of BBQing or remembering those who died serving in the military, take this holiday as an opportunity to get your grill on. It’s also a great time for a picnic or potluck—don’t be that person who just brings a stack of cups (unless you’re also bringing a big-batch summer cocktail for sharing)! Instead, check out this list of 91 delicious Memorial Day sides, mains, salads, and more for ideas.
We’ve included tons of burgers and hot dogs, of course, including some fun spins on the classics like our Big Mac hot dogs, our caprese turkey burgers, our firecracker burgers with strawberry-miso salad, our pigs in a quilt, and our hot dog Cubans. Not a bun fan? No worries, we’ve got tons of chicken, seafood, and steak recipes that are perfect on the grill too, like our butterflied grilled chicken drumsticks, our cowboy steak, our grilled honey-chipotle salmon foil packets, our carne asada, and more.
Lots of salads here as well, and we don’t just mean the green ones (though we love leafy summer salads like our grilled plum & pancetta panzanella salad and grilled peach salad). We’ve got tons of potato salad recipes, pasta salads, and bean salads here as well, like our black bean & corn salad, our cowboy pasta salad, our tzatziki potato salad, and our antipasto potato salad.
Speaking of greens, don’t be tempted to skip the veggies at your BBQ. While everyone loves the meaty options, it’s the vegetarian sides and mains recipes they consistently ask for, like our Thai-inspired cauliflower steaks, our tomato gnocchi skewers, our grilled broccoli, or our veggie kabobs. Plus, your plant-based friends will be SO thankful you thought of them!
Now you’ve got all your savory options down, don’t forget about dessert! Check out our fave grilled fruits (if you’ve never had a grilled peach, get ready), our best summer desserts, and our top easy fruit desserts too.
Copycat Raising Cane’s Chicken & Sauce
If there is one copycat recipe I wanted to get absolutely perfect, it’s this one. Cane’s juicy, fried chicken strips dunked in tangy, peppery sauce is the kind of fast food meal I dream about. Plus, this recipe is so easy to scale-up for a large party.
Caprese Turkey Burgers
We’ve Caprese-d everything from pasta salad to focaccia to stuffed peppers, but these Caprese turkey burgers are something special. Crowned with melty mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and basil, this fresh twist on America’s perennial favorite will be a smash hit at every backyard BBQ and cookout around.
Get the Caprese Turkey Burgers recipe.
Broccoli Caesar Pasta Salad
If Caesar salad took a vacation to the Midwest, she would become this broccoli Caesar pasta salad. Bright green crisp-tender broccoli is tossed with cavatappi, shredded parm, and shards of crispy croutons in a silky homemade Caesar dressing for an unforgettable spin on the classic cookout staple.
Get the Broccoli Caesar Pasta Salad recipe.
Pigs In A Quilt
Pigs in a blanket are one of the best make-ahead party bites, but it’s time they get an upgrade. Here, we swap crescent dough wrapped around the hot dog with a quilt made with woven crescent dough. All you need is some hot dogs, classic crescent dough, and egg wash for a shiny golden finish.
Get the Pigs In A Quilt recipe.
Carne Asada
Carne asada is an undisputedly delicious, classic Mexican preparation for steak where the marinade is as important as the meat. This recipe employs the must-haves of garlic, cilantro, citrus, and chipotle chiles in adobo, which will come alive and bring wild flavor to your grilled meat.
Get the Carne Asada recipe.
Thai Sweet Chili Turkey Burger
A classic beef cheeseburger (smashed, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, ketchup, and mayo on a toasted potato bun) will always have its place in my heart, but sometimes you gotta branch out of your standard burger operation and switch up the flavor palate. This Thai-inspired sweet chili turkey burger is just the break from boring you’ve been waiting for.
Chicken Burgers
These patties are spiced with smoked paprika and loaded with crunchy, bright coleslaw. We promise these burgers rival even the best hamburgers.
Get the Chicken Burgers recipe.
Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs
Inspired by the bold and creamy flavors of elote, these Mexican street corn deviled eggs are the perfect bite-sized twist on a classic appetizer. With smoky paprika, adobo chile sauce, charred corn, lime, cotija, and a sprinkle of hot Cheeto dust, you’re going to wonder why elote hasn’t been made into deviled eggs all these years.
Grilled Fish Sandwich With Slaw & Tzatziki
This fish sandwich not only has everything going on, but it comes together in a flash. The marinade is made with ginger, garlic, paprika, and turmeric, the latter lending the fish a beautiful golden hue when cooked. This is the perfect summer grilling recipe to shake up your burger and hot dog game.
Best-Ever Burger
There are about a million ways to top a burger, and we're not here to tell you what goes into yours. We just want to make sure that you're cooking your burgers as deliciously as possible. With our few super-simple techniques and shopping tips, you'll be a burger master in no time.
Get the Best-Ever Burger recipe.
Sonoran Hot Dogs
This tasty Mexican-inspired hot dog is one of our favorites, and it’s not just because it’s bacon-wrapped… it’s also the condiments, like warm pinto beans, fresh jalapeño salsa, onion, tomato, mustard, and mayo.
Get the Sonoran Hot Dogs recipe.
Coconut Shrimp Burger
To make this unforgettable app-turned-entrée, ground shrimp are spiked with garlic, ginger, and scallions, then coated with coconut flakes and deep fried. The crispy patties are layered onto a toasted potato bun, topped with cabbage slaw, and smothered in spicy-sweet chili mayo.
Get the Coconut Shrimp Burger recipe.
Italian Pasta Salad
In our opinion, pasta salad is a Memorial Day must. We have plenty of beloved variations of this staple side dish, but this Italian-inspired recipe is our guaranteed go-to when we need a reliable BBQ side.
Get the Italian Pasta Salad recipe.
Summer Squash Sheet Pan Tacos
Put squash, hummus, and pickled shallots in front of us, and we'll make one mean taco. These vegetarian tacos have layers of tender summer squash, whipped garlicky hummus, smoky tahini sauce, and za’atar pickled shallots layered in warm corn tortillas.
Get the Summer Squash Sheet Pan Tacos recipe.
Watermelon Caprese
During the summer, we can’t get enough of simple, refreshing salads that put fresh fruit at the forefront. Two of our favorites? The classic caprese, and our watermelon feta salad. We loved these two summer sides so much, we decided to combine them into one refreshing recipe.
Get the Watermelon Caprese recipe.
Elote: Mexican Street Corn
Elote is an unbelievably popular antojito that you can find sold on the street in Mexico. It's often served on a stick, though you could skip the skewer and make it the same way you'd boil or oven bake regular corn on the cob.
Get the Elote: Mexican Street Corn recipe.
Grilled Plum & Pancetta Panzanella Salad
Since plums are their best in the summer, it’s only right to toss them on the grill. The lightly-charred plums get tossed with crispy pancetta, tangy goat cheese, fresh cherry tomatoes, and grilled sourdough bread, then drizzled with a maple-Dijon dressing, turning this humble salad into a work of art.
Firecracker Burgers With Strawberry-Miso Salad
This burger is everything there is to love about a summer cookout, all in one. Beef patties, chili-jam brushed thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, a slightly spicy Korean-inspired aioli, and a umami-rich dressing, all combine for one powerhouse burger worthy of Memorial Day celebrations.
Get the Firecracker Burgers With Strawberry-Miso Salad recipe.
Honey Lime Grilled Corn
Nothing says summertime like the smell of corn on the grill. It also happens to be the easiest side you’ll make all season. For this recipe, juicy ears of corn get some char on a hot grill, then get brushed with an irresistible honey-lime butter that you'll want to put on everything.
Get the Honey Lime Grilled Corn recipe.
Korean BBQ Cheesy Corn
There’s nothing more exciting than the cheese pulled from a warm corn dip. We love our recipes filled with cheese, and I can assure you this one is loaded. Korean BBQ cheesy corn is the gooiest side dip to your grilled pork tenderloin or BBQ entrées.
Get the Korean BBQ Cheesy Corn recipe.
