53 Memorial Day Desserts for a Sweet Start to Summer
Sure, we’re all excited to get out the grill and start cooking outdoors again, but we’d argue that Memorial Day desserts are really the highlight of the holiday. It’s the ideal moment to enjoy strawberry shortcake, anything made with rhubarb, or your first ice pop of the season. Kicking off summertime right means selecting the best Memorial Day menu—your grilled food, your salty snacks, your summery drinks, and definitely some easy homemade sweets. Here are Memorial Day desserts that’ll thrill the whole family, including simple cakes, bar cookies, ice cream sandwiches, fruit pies, and more.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart1/53Strawberry Shortcakes
Great Memorial Day desserts don’t have to require a lot of effort. These simple shortcakes bake up quickly—then all you have to do is top them with macerated fresh strawberries and a generous dollop of whipped cream.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart2/53Cherry Pie With Lattice Crust
With a flaky crust and tangy cherry filling, this is the kind of fruit pie that reminds you why it’s worth baking from scratch.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou5/53Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
This Memorial Day dessert was one of our favorite recipes from Spring Bake, and if you haven’t made it yet, you’re missing out. An easy press-in Nilla wafer crust cradles a silky layer of vanilla-scented fresh banana cheesecake, which gets topped with a light and fluffy sour cream whip. It’s a Tara O’Brady masterpiece.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart6/53Funnel Cakes
Bring the fair home with this foolproof recipe—the key is swapping out the funnel for an easier-to-use squeeze bottle.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton7/53Peach and Butter Pecan Ice Cream Icebox Cake
If peach jam and pecans don’t grab you, make this no-bake ice cream cake with blackberry and chocolate or raspberry and pistachio.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich8/53Blueberry-Nectarine Lattice Pie
This nectarine-and-blueberry pie gets even more blueberry-y with the addition of coriander, which contains compounds that accentuate the berries’ flavor.
Photo and Food Styling by Edd Kimber9/53Hazelnut Rocher Cheesecake Bars
This summer dessert is like an ice cream bar, but better. Coat frozen squares of no-bake cheesecake in a milk chocolate shell that hardens almost immediately.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton12/53Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
This is a tres leches meets olive oil cake, lightened up with a chiffon base to help soak in all of the milk.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne13/53Hello Dollies
Bar cookies have a way of disappearing at any gathering. These bars are extra brilliant because crispy, salty Ritz crackers add balance to an otherwise strictly sweet treat.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks14/533-Ingredient Creamy Coconut-Lime Ice Pops
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne16/53Gooey Butter Cake
This Midwestern favorite has a cookie-like crust and a sweet, gooey filling reminiscent of a vanilla custard.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich17/53Boston Cream Pie
Boston cream pie is a cake with a curious name (its soft, buttery layers were once baked in pie tins). Modern versions still sandwich silky vanilla pudding and get draped in chocolate.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou18/53Tahini Chiffon Cake With Burnt Honey Cream and Poached Rhubarb
This cake has the fluffy, so-light-it-could-float texture of angel food cake, with a touch of egg yolk for richness. Tahini brings pure sesame flavor and a lining of sesame seeds adds a bonus level of crunch.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson21/53Baked Alaska Saint Pierre
This orange-scented cake—layered with vanilla ice cream and orange sorbet—is frozen, covered in meringue, toasted in a hot oven, and, finally, set on fire.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton22/53Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Cones With Peanuts
Photo by Waterbury Publications, Inc.23/53Chocolate Cream Pie Squares
Made in a sheet pan, this is simply chocolate cream pie, squared. Forget dollops, the mound of whipped cream on top really makes it sing.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell24/53Coconut–Key Lime Sheet Cake
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne25/53Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich26/53Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
If you haven’t gotten your fill of rhubarb yet, now is the time to make it happen. “The cinnamon crumb topping was…a wonderful match with the sweet-tart fruit,” reports one reader.
Photo by Tara Fisher28/53Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes
This recipe calls for digestive biscuits, but graham crackers will work just as well to infuse chocolate-filled vanilla cupcakes and toasted ’mallow topping with classic s’mores flavor.
Photo by Sara Remington30/53Peanut Butter Pie
Make-ahead desserts are the way to go when you’re feeding a large gathering. This pie can be ready and waiting in your freezer; just let it warm up for 15 minutes before cutting.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton31/53French Silk Pie
The simple no-bake Oreo crust really helps this chocolate pie shine. For chocolate curls that bring the drama, use a vegetable peeler and a big, thick chocolate bar.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht32/53Peanut Butter Brownies
We’ve got a trick for making brownies that will really draw praise: Pop the pan of batter in your freezer before adding the swirl.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt33/53Angel Food Cake
This ethereal cake gets its tender crumb from whipped egg whites, cream of tartar, and cake flour. Top with whatever berries you can get locally.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart35/53Blueberry Pie
You’ll use more than just the zest and the juice of a lemon in this deeply flavorful blueberry pie. Grab a carton of vanilla ice cream for scooping on top—and consider baking two pies so you can have the leftovers for breakfast.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch37/53Chocolate–Peanut Butter Sheet Pan Ice Cream Sandwiches
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart38/53Banana Cream Pie
Top with whipped cream and even more sliced bananas right before serving. (Some readers even add a drizzle of caramel sauce!)
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell39/53Gelatina de Mosaico
This mosaic gelatin dessert recipe turns out a milky, jiggly base in which colorful cubes of three fruity Jell-O flavors are suspended—make yours with red-and-blue cubes or just choose whichever flavors you like best.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou40/53Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes
The glazes and toppings for these bite-size cakes are as limitless as your imagination. Decorate them in red, white, and blue and assemble them on a platter for a flag cake design.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart41/53Whoopie Pies With Whipped Marshmallow Filling
Dutch-process cocoa gives these little marshmallow-filled cakes rich color and flavor. You can bake them in advance, then fill right before your Memorial Day BBQ.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton42/53Blueberry Crumble Pie
Choosing between dessert ideas and can’t decide between crumble and pie? Why not both? There’s no need to fuss with lattice when you’re busy prepping everything that you want to throw on the grill.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Judy Haubert43/53Cherry Lime Rickey Float
While it’s fun to make your own Homemade Maraschino Cherries using frozen cherries, the syrup from store-bought cocktail cherries works just as well in this refreshingly tart ice cream float.
Photo by Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton45/53Pomegranate-Yogurt Ice Pops
As soon as the weather starts to get warm, we’re on the hunt for new ideas for no-bake desserts. All you need to make these pops: A bottle of pomegranate juice, some plain Greek-style yogurt, and a little honey and vanilla.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce48/53Ember-Roasted Strawberries
Don’t waste the embers in your grill or campfire—use them to prepare these sweet-and-tangy roasted berries, which go great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a slice of lemon pound cake, or a simple egg custard.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks51/53Mini Frozen Key Lime Pies
Use a muffin pan to make these individual creamy, tangy, frozen tarts up to two weeks ahead; you’ll add the topping just before serving.
Photo by Kim Sentner53/53Red, White, and Berry Cake
You could save this cake recipe for the 4th of July, but it’s also ideal if you’re seeking a red, white, and blue option to add to your table of Memorial Day desserts. The cream cheese frosting here is delicious with fresh berries.
