26 Memorial Day Desserts to Start the Summer Sweet Celebrate the coming season with cold treats, grillable desserts, and all the fresh fruits. By Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout Hannah Walhout is freelance writer-editor formerly on staff at Food & Wine. She was also, for many years, a print editor at Travel + Leisure, where she covered the food & beverage beat. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 16, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Make the start of summer even sweeter with seasonal pies, trays full of brownies and lemon bars, frozen desserts, and treats you can grill once the hot dogs and burgers have had their turn. Turn fresh blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon into picture-worthy panna cotta, fruity pie fillings and toppings, and nostalgic ice pops. Enjoy these fun and festive Memorial Day dessert recipes all holiday weekend — and all summer — long. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 26 Lemon Bars Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco For lemon bars packed with bright, tart flavor, spread this recipe's intense lemony custard over a buttery, lightly salted shortbread crust. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 26 No-Churn Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Make this rich, creamy, fluffy frozen yogurt with whole vanilla bean and Greek yogurt, which has a high percentage of milk fat. Plan for at least 4 hours of freezing. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 26 Lemon Chiffon Cake with Blueberry-Coriander Buttercream Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis This fluffy chiffon cake's spiced blueberry buttercream, offset by floral Meyer lemon curd, will add an unmistakable pop of pink to your Memorial Day spread. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 26 Sugared Melon with Cardamom and Mint Cedric Angeles With this simple fruit salad from chef Vishwesh Bhatt, all you need to transform ripe melon into a long-weekend dessert is sugar, cardamom, and fresh mint. Serve it over ice cream for an extra-special treat. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 26 St. Louis–Style Cheesecake with Blueberries Johnny Autry Chef Andrae Bopp tops a luscious cheesecake with a sweet-tart sauce of blueberries or huckleberries — use whichever is fresh near you to celebrate the season. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 26 Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines Chef Taffy Elrod sandwiches an easy no-churn cream cheese ice cream between cakey red velvet cookies for a surefire crowd-pleaser that can be prepared in advance. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 26 Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Serve slices of this traditional pie from David Page and Barbara Shinn of Shinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse to showcase juicy summer blueberries in a flaky pastry crust. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 26 Grilled S’mores Pie Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Reimagine the joy of s'mores with a graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache filling, and gooey toasted marshmallow topping, cooked in a skillet on a closed ceramic grill so you can stay outdoors all weekend — no need to run in and check the oven. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 26 Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto Victor Protasio In this creative, ultra-flavorful frozen dessert from chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, a granita of sweet, juicy, tangy strawberries is paired with honey-sweetened basil and mint pesto and whipped cream. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 26 Blueberry Panna Cotta with Blueberry Chia Pudding Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee This creamy dessert from 2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez is a combination of blueberry panna cotta, a blueberry–chia seed pudding, and a pile of fresh blueberries — delivering bursts of texture and lots of bright blueberry flavor. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 26 Whole-Fruit Rocket Pops Jennifer Causey Gail Simmons distills the taste of summer with these strawberry, banana, and blueberry ice pops, a reinterpretation of the classic frozen treat. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 26 Tropical Jackfruit–Ginger Ale Sorbet with Charred Pineapple Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Jackfruit, ginger, and pineapple meld seamlessly in this zesty, dairy-free treat from chef Sam Fore, who calls for the spicy Kentucky-made ginger ale Ale-8-One. Substitute whichever ginger ale you prefer. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 26 Old-Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp Diana Chistruga When summer fruit is starting to appear, but rhubarb is still going strong, it's time to make this crisp from chef and educator Rollie Wesen, who complements the tangy filling with a crunchy, buttery oat topping. Serve it warm with ice cream. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 26 Grape-Margarita Paletas Johnny Autry / Food and Prop Styling by Charlotte Autry Chef and cookbook author Fany Gerson roasts grapes in the oven until they begin to burst — caramelizing the fruit and concentrating its flavor — before pureeing them and stirring in blanco tequila and lemon juice for these frozen cocktail pops. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 26 Strawberry Icebox Cake with Maple-Ginger Cream Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray Streett / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas If you've ever wanted something more from strawberry shortcake, this icebox cake may do the trick. It needs hours of chilling time, so feel free to prep it a few days in advance and allow yourself time to chill too. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 26 Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor's Juneteenth celebration features this cake, which gets a lift from bubbly Moscato. The sweet Italian white wine helps aerate the crumb, making it lighter than a typical pound cake. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 26 Strawberry Slab Pie Food & Wine / Photo by Andrew Purcell This pie from pastry chef Joanne Chang is a perfect transition from spring to summer, with a sweet, jammy filling of strawberries and orange zest tucked inside a buttery crust. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 26 Raspberry-Hibiscus Sorbet Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Christine Keely This super-refreshing summertime sorbet has a creamy texture thanks to the addition of corn syrup (or honey), which increases the sugar content and helps make the final product richer, less icy, and more scoopable — no dairy in sight. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 26 Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Freeze-dried strawberries bring the ultimate vibrant color and concentrated flavor to these sweet and tangy cupcakes, while fresh berries ensure ripe summery notes shine through as well. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 26 Pineapple-Coconut Soft Serve Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Christine Keely / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer It takes 15 minutes and only five ingredients to pull together this soft serve. (Well, six, if you'd like to add rum and make this an adults-only treat.) Get the Recipe Save 21 of 26 Salted Watermelon Ice Cream Jen Causey Slices of salted ripe watermelon, coconut, and lime bring a juicy taste of summer to this simple yet striking ice cream from F&W's Paige Grandjean. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 26 Skillet Brownies on the Grill Victor Protasio Chef Valerie Gordon cooks these fudgy brownies with a charcoal grill, pouring the batter into a buttered cast-iron skillet over hot coals. It yields a lightly smoky treat that deepens the flavor of the unsweetened chocolate. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 26 Summer Pavlova with Fresh and Grilled Berries Con Poulos A mix of fresh and grilled summer fruits tops this crunchy, airy pavlova. Grilling the fruits helps release their flavorful juices while also slightly caramelizing the natural sugars. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 26 Cast-Iron Blackberry Galette with Whipped Mascarpone Food & Wine / Photo by Abby Hocking This galette is sure to be a hit with its golden-brown crust, brown sugar crumble, and lush whipped mascarpone in lieu of whipped cream. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 26 Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Fresh Blueberry Compote Con Poulos Panna cotta, served chilled, doesn't melt the same way ice cream or sorbet will, making it an excellent showcase for summer flavors like sweet corn and blueberry. Get the Recipe Save 26 of 26 Mixed Berry Dutch Baby Hallie Burton Utilize any available summer fruit to make this puffy skillet pancake from Grace Parisi. Bonus: It's as good for breakfast as it is for dessert. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions Memorial Day Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit