From fresh salads to quick dips to fruity desserts, these easy Memorial Day dishes are sure to please every cookout attendee.
Memorial Day activities with your closest friends and family should be all celebration and no stress. Whether you are going to a pool party, backyard barbecue or gathering by the water, we’ve got you covered with these last minute recipes.
Tasty Sides & Appetizers
Air Fryer Okra
Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients:
- ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup flour
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp water
- 8 oz okra, cut into ½ in rounds
- Olive oil cooking spray
Instructions:
- Stir together cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, paprika, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together egg and water.
- Coat the okra in egg mixture. Let the excess eggs drip off, and transfer the okra into the cornmeal mixture, tossing to coat.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then add the okra in a single layer. Spray the okra with the cooking spray.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes at 400º, then toss and spray once more with cooking spray. Cook for another 6-7 minutes at 400º.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Citrus Salad
Ingredients:
- Mixed citrus (2-3 lbs)
- Salty cheese, like Parmesan, sliced
- ¼ cup pistachios
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- Black pepper
Instructions:
- Peek and slice your citrus, and put it on a plate. Layer it with the Parmesan slices.
- Roughly chop the pistachios, then put them in a pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Stir as the pistachios toast, around 5 min.
- When the pistachios are toasted, then off the heat. Add the honey and rice vinegar, and stir.
- Pour the nut mixture over the citrus, as evenly as possible. Top with fresh cracked black pepper, and enjoy.
Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients:
- 1 can of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- ¼ large red onion, diced
- ½ poblano pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ avocado, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined.
- Serve with chips or as a topping on tacos.
- Feel free to play around with the ingredients—add cucumber, peaches, or any other fruit or veggie that you like!
Dill Pickle Dip
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp dill pickle juice
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- ¼ tsp minced garlic
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Serve with potato chips.
Loaded Smashed Potatoes
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients:
- Baby Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Shredded cheddar
- Bacon bits
- Chives
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 425º. Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water until they are fork tender. Put them on a parchment lined baking sheet and smash with the bottom of a glass.
- Combine all the seasonings and olive oil, then brush the mixture over the top of the potatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and brush with more of the olive oil mixture.
- Bake for another 10 minutes, then top with shredded cheese and bacon bits.
- Bake for 3-5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Plate and top with chives. Serve with sour cream.
Jalapeno Popper Corn Fritters
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients:
- 2 cups corn (approximately 4 ears)
- ½ cup flour* (or corn flour, or rice flour, etc)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- ¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 2 Tbsp oil
Instructions:
- Mix the corn, flour, egg, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, jalapeno, paprika, garlic powder, green onion, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, form into 1/4 cup patties and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
Grape Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs seedless red and green grapes
- 1 package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
For topping:
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp chopped pecans
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
- Add the sugar and vanilla, then stir until blended.
- Fold in the grapes.
- Refrigerate until serving.
- Top with brown sugar and chopped pecans just before serving.
Grilled Corn Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 ears of corn
- 2 tbsp chives, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Grill your corn until charred, and let it cool. Once the cobs are cool, slice the kernels off and place them in a medium bowl.
- Add the chives, tomatoes, and feta. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl, mix the lime juice and olive oil to make a dressing. Pour it over the corn mixture, then stir until combined.
- Mix it up by using fresh basil instead of chives, or by adding avocado chunks.
Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients:
- 6-8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and yolk separated
- ¼ red onion, chopped small
- 1 jalapeño, chopped small
- 1 cup roasted corn (I use canned or frozen corn if I’m in a pinch for time. Just warm in a pan on medium heat with salt & chili powder)
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 3 Tbsp mayo
- ½ tsp tajin (extra to dip the egg whites in)
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup cotija cheese (or Parmesan)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients except egg whites in a bowl until creamy.
- Add the mixture to a piping bag.
- Dip each egg white into Tajin, then fill with the mixture.
Masters Pimento Cheese
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
- Smoked paprika (for topping)
Instructions:
- Whip cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in mayo, sour cream, garlic powder and onion powder. Whip until smooth.
- Mix in remaining ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
- Top with smoked paprika.
Onion Dip
Time: 1 hour 30 min
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs of mixed onions (yellow, sweet, white)
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ cups plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400º. Peel, half, and thinly slice all of your onions. Place them on a small baking sheet along with the garlic cloves.
- Drizzle with olive oil and 2 tbsp of water (this will help the onions steam and caramelize.) Toss until the garlic and onions are well coated.
- Keep them in a pile on the baking sheet, and put into the oven for 50 min to 1 hour and 20 min, until onions are caramelized, tossing every 10-15 min. (Keep the onions in a pile when you toss—they won’t caramelize properly if you keep them in a single layer.)
- Once the onions and garlic are caramelized, let them cool.
- Squeeze the garlic cloves into a bowl. Chop your onions into small pieces, and add them to the bowl. A
- dd the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Serve with chips.
Pasta Salad with Homemade Caesar
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
Dressing
- 2 oz anchovies, crushed with a fork
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ to ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 egg yolk
Salad
- 1 ½ cups ditalini pasta
- 16 oz or 450 g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 oz or 120 g castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
- 8 oz or 240 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 10 pepperoncini, thinly sliced
- 100 g Parmesan cheese, coarsely shaved
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, basil or oregano or 2 teaspoon dried herbs
Instructions:
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it 1 minute less than what the packaging calls for. Drain the pasta.
- For the dressing, combine the mustard, anchovies, garlic, a tablespoon lemon juice, yolk in the serving bowl. Whisk while slowly drizzling the olive oil to emulsify. Once the oil has been incorporated, taste and season as needed. The dressing should have a thicker consistency and have a light yellow color.
- Add the cooked pasta and all remaining ingredients to the bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt as needed.
Crowd Pleasing Mains
Chicago Dog
Ingredients:
- Hot dog
- Bun
- Butter
- Poppy seeds
- Tomato
- Sweet relish
- White onion
- Dill pickle spear
- Sport peppers
- Yellow mustard
- Celery salt
Instructions:
- Melt the butter, and brush the top of your hot dog bun. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Open the bun, and add your hot dog. T
- op with tomato slices, sweet relish, diced white onion, a dill pickle spear, and sport peppers.
- Add a drizzle of yellow mustard, and sprinkle with celery salt.
Cucumber Shrimp Boats
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- White rice
- Cucumber
- Olive oil
- Seasoning
- Sriracha
Instructions:
- Cook your rice according to instructions. Toss shrimp in olive oil, salt, pepper, and your seasoning of choice—we used smoked paprika. Place in a single layer in your air fryer and cook at 400º for 8 minutes.
- While the rice and shrimp are cooking, cut a cucumber in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
- When the rice and shrimp are finished cooking, fill the cucumber with rice.
- Top with shrimp, and drizzle with sriracha.
Hotdog Bites
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients:
- Hot dogs
- Shredded cheese
- Puff pastry
- Butter
- Toppings of choice
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400º. Cut your hot dogs lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through. Cut into 1 inch segments, opening up each piece.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make equal sized piles of shredded cheese, leaving room between each pile.
- Top with the hot dog segments, cut side down. Cover with a square of puff pastry. Brush with butter, then bake 14-17 minutes or until golden brown.
- Flip each piece of puff pastry and add your toppings of choice.
Low Country Boil
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ lbs peeled shrimp
- 5 ears of corn, cut in half
- 2 lbs of small new potatoes, whole
- 1 lb of andouille smoked sausage
- 1 sweet onion
- 8 qt of water
- 1 cup of Old Bay seasoning
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- ½ cup melted butter
Instructions:
- Fill a large stockpot with 4-6 quarts of water and place on the stove over high heat. Pour in the Old Bay Seasoning, lemon slices, and garlic cloves and bring the water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the corn. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the sausage, onions, and potatoes. Boil for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Turn the stove off, then add the shrimp to the pot. Stir and cook the shrimp until they turn opaque, about 3 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pot, then pour melted butter over the top.
- Toss to coat the sausage, shrimp, and vegetables.
- Serve with cocktail sauce.
Spicy Honey-Baked Chicken Nuggets
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients for the chicken:
- 6 cups cornflakes
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 Tbsp hot sauce
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Ingredients for hot honey:
- ½ cup honey
- 2-3 Tbsp hot sauce
- 1-3 tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp chipotle chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- sea salt
- fresh thyme, cilantro, or parsley, for serving
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine the cornflakes, parmesan, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can crush the crumbs in a ziplock bag by stepping on them. Dump the crumbs into a shallow bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the hot sauce and chicken, and toss well to coat.
- Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Place on the prepared baking sheet. For a thicker coating, dip the chicken back through the eggs, then through the crumbs a 2nd time. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp all around.
- Just before the chicken is done cooking, make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together the honey, hot sauce, cayenne, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, plus a pinch of salt.
- Drizzle the warm sauce over the chicken. Top with herbs. If the sauce thickens, warm for 5 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!
Celebratory Desserts
Apple Pie Bites
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- Crescent rolls
- Apple
- Brown sugar
- Pecans
- Butter
Instructions:
- Unroll and separate your crescent rolls.
- Sprinkle one side with brown sugar, then add a layer of chopped pecans.
- Tops with an apple slice, then roll up. Brush with butter, then cook at 375º for 10 minutes.
- Once baked, dust with powdered sugar.
Banana Pudding
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
- 1 (12 oz) container cool whip
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (5 oz) box instant French vanilla pudding mix
- 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
- 2 bags of chessmen cookies
Instructions:
- In a bowl, use a mixer to combine the milk and pudding mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk and mix until smooth. Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture.
- Pour the pudding mixture into the cream cheese mixture and stir until well blended.
- Crush some of the chessmen cookies, and sprinkle some into the bottom of a mason jar.
- Next, add a layer of banana slices. Add a few dollops of the pudding mixture, then repeat the layering process until you reach the top of the jar.
- Repeat in each jar until you use all of the mixture. (If you prefer, you can keep the cookies whole and layer everything in a 13×9 baking dish instead.)
- Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it.
Strawberry Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pre-made pie crust
- 1 lb strawberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg (for brushing)
Instructions:
- Slice strawberries and mix in a bowl with sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.
- Unroll your pie crust on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Spoon strawberry mixture into the middle of the crust, leaving a 2 inch border.
- Fold the pie dough over the edges of the strawberry mixture, crimping as you go to minimize leaks.
- Beat an egg, and brush the edges of the dough, then sprinkle sugar over the egg-washed crust.
- Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream
S’mores Pops
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
- Large marshmallows
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
Instructions:
- Insert a popsicle stick into the center of a marshmallow.
- In a small bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted.
- Dip the marshmallow halfway into the chocolate, then into the graham cracker crumbs.
- Refrigerate for a few minutes to set the chocolate before serving.
Frozen Yogurt Bark
Cook time: 5 min
Freeze time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- Vanilla yogurt
- Mixed berries
Instructions:
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Dollop yogurt onto the paper, and spread into a thin layer, between ¼ and ⅛ inch.
- Sprinkle berries across the top, pressing into the yogurt. Freeze for at least one hour, then cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
- You can try it with other types of fruit, nuts, chocolate, or any other fun toppings! It’s a great, simple recipe to make with young kids.
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