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 Stewart2/53
Cherry 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 Kaitlin Wayne3/53
Elvis Presley’s Favorite Pound Cake
This cake is fit for a king. Actually, it’s fit for The King—Elvis’s friend and neighbor made it for him every Christmas. Pair with whatever fresh fruit puts you in a summertime mood.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart4/53
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Dress up your cheesecake with a festive swirl of tart-and-sweet raspberry purée and a dash of Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou5/53
Banana 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 Stewart6/53
Funnel 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 Gatton7/53
Peach 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 Jurkevich8/53
Blueberry-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 Kimber9/53
Hazelnut 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 Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone10/53
Mixed Berry Pie Bars
A Memorial Day cookout calls for a dessert you can eat with your hands—this berry-stuffed pie recipe, baked in an 8" square baking pan, is just the ticket. The crust is perfectly buttery and flaky, and the filling can include whichever berries look best to you.
- Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell11/53
Easy Blueberry Cobbler
Bringing dessert to a barbecue? This cobbler requires just 10 minutes of active prep time, and can be served at room temperature.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton12/53
Tre 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 Wayne13/53
Hello 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 Sacks14/53
3-Ingredient Creamy Coconut-Lime Ice Pops
These refreshing pops blend two kinds of coconut for an extra rich, creamy flavor, and lime zest lends a lovely floral note.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova15/53
Fancy Dirt Cake
In this updated version of the childhood favorite, everything—except the gummy worms—is made from scratch.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne16/53
Gooey 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 Jurkevich17/53
Boston 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 Chou18/53
Tahini 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 Rhoda Boone19/53
Our Favorite Key Lime Pie
We found the secret to the perfect Key lime pie. It’s lemon juice. (Shhh, don’t tell the limes.)
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova20/53
Strawberries-and-Cream Pretzel Tart
Salad, tart, pie—whatever you want to call this retro dessert, it’s worth revisiting as you kick off summer.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson21/53
Baked 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 Gatton22/53
Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Cones With Peanuts
Drumroll please! This homemade tribute to the Drumstick is as good from the first bite of creamy chocolate-covered ice cream as it is to the last nibble of chocolate-coated cone.
- Photo by Waterbury Publications, Inc.23/53
Chocolate 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 Purcell24/53
Coconut–Key Lime Sheet Cake
The creamy topping for this Memorial Day dessert is made by folding coconutty lime curd into lime-scented whipped cream. You can bet everyone is going to want seconds.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne25/53
Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
Go ahead and dress up this Memorial Day cake with a flurry of sprinkles in whatever colors feel festive to you.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich26/53
Strawberry-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 Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich27/53
Louisiana Crunch Cake
This cake boasts a crunchy, coconutty exterior and rich, pound-cake-like crumb. Be sure to use unsweetened coconut flakes here.
- Photo by Tara Fisher28/53
Toasted 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 Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks29/53
Lemon-Blueberry Poke Cake
Put a friend in charge of slicing into this cake, so they can be surprised by the bold stripes of bright blueberry filling inside.
- Photo by Sara Remington30/53
Peanut 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 Morton31/53
French 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 Fosnocht32/53
Peanut 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 Schmidt33/53
Angel 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 Stewart34/53
Fresh Strawberry Cake
There’s no need for frosting here—the strawberries really are the star of the show.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart35/53
Blueberry 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 Drew Aichele36/53
Rhubarb Crisp
Rhubarb doesn’t always require strawberries by its side. Here it’s accented by ginger and orange and topped with a brown sugar-pecan crumble.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch37/53
Chocolate–Peanut Butter Sheet Pan Ice Cream Sandwiches
You can swap out the peanut butter here for any creamy nut butter. The ice cream flavor is dealer’s choice as well.
- Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart38/53
Banana 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 Purcell39/53
Gelatina 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 Chou40/53
Glazed 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 Stewart41/53
Whoopie 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 Morton42/53
Blueberry 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 Haubert43/53
Cherry 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 Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich44/53
Philly Fluff Cake
This light and fluffy cake gets even better as it sits, so you can bake it at the start of your Memorial Day weekend. “Lovely texture,” writes one reviewer. We agree.
- Photo by Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton45/53
Pomegranate-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 Max Milla46/53
Butter Toffee Bars
These gooey, blondie-like English toffee squares are just like the ones Grandma used to make.
- Photo by Galdones Photography47/53
Chocolate Peanut Butter-Covered Cheez-It S’mores
Hear us out: The best s’mores are actually made with Cheez-Its crackers, not grahams. Somehow the combination ends up tasting miraculously close to a candy bar.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce48/53
Ember-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 Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne49/53
Lemon Meringue Pie
This sweet-tart dessert brings a sunny color to your backyard picnic table. Be sure to spread the meringue to the very edges of the pie to seal it properly before you slide it back in the oven.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova50/53
Homemade “Dole Whip”
As any Disney Park fanatic can tell you, it’s not a visit to the Magic Kingdom without a helping of this tropical, dairy-free, soft-serve-like dessert. Now you can make the magic at home.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks51/53
Mini 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 Rick Martinez52/53
Caramelized Plantain Parfait
When pan-fried, the outside of a ripe plantain caramelizes while the inside becomes soft and custardy. Complete the parfait with tangy yogurt and a handful of toasted nuts or seeds.
- Photo by Kim Sentner53/53
Red, 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.
