Memorial Day Desserts to Start a Sweet Summer

Blueberry Pie Recipe — Photo:
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee

Make the start of summer even sweeter with an all-American pie, crowd-pleasing lemon bars, frozen treats, and desserts you can grill. These sweet ideas include red, white, and blue tributes and celebrations of the fruits of the season. Turn fresh blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon into picture-worthy panna cotta, fruity pie fillings and toppings, and nostalgic popsicles, with these fun and festive Memorial Day dessert recipes to enjoy all weekend — and all summer long.

01 of 13

Whole-Fruit Rocket Pops

Gail Simmons celebrates summer and the simple pleasure of frozen treats with these strawberry, banana, and blueberry popsicles.

Get the Recipe

02 of 13

St. Louis–Style Cheesecake with Blueberries

Andrae Bopp tops a luscious no-fuss cheesecake with a blueberry or huckleberry sauce — use whichever is fresh near you to celebrate the season.

Get the Recipe

03 of 13

Strawberry Slab Pie

Pastry chef Joanne Chang has the perfect pie for transitioning from spring to summer with a a sweet, jammy filling of strawberries and orange zest with a buttery crust.

Get the Recipe

04 of 13

Grilled S’mores Pie

Recipe developer Ali Ramee reformats 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.

Get the Recipe

05 of 13

No-Churn Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Recipe developer Adam Dolge shares the keys to rich, creamy, fluffy frozen yogurt using a whole vanilla bean and higher milk fat percentage Greek yogurt. Plan for four hours of freezing.

Get the Recipe

06 of 13

Lemon Bars

Recipe developer Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman spoons sweet-tart lemony custard atop buttery, slightly salty shortbread crust for lemon bars packed with bright, tart flavor.

Get the Recipe

07 of 13

Skillet Brownies on the Grill

Chef Valerie Gordon butters a cast-iron skillet for these fudgy, smoky brownies cooked over hot coals with a charcoal grill.

Get the Recipe

08 of 13

Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto

Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson makes the most flavorful granita pairing sweet, juicy, tangy strawberries with honey-sweetened pesto and whipped cream.

Get the Recipe

09 of 13

Old-Fashioned Blueberry Pie

Serve slices of this traditional pie with a flaky pastry crust showcasing summer's blueberry bounty with this recipe from David Page and Barbara Shinn of Shinn Estate Vineyards and Farmhouse.

Get the Recipe

10 of 13

Grape-Margarita Paletas

Fany Gerson concentrates and caramelizes grapes by roasting them in the oven until they begin to burst. Then she processes them into a grape juice mixture and stirs in Blanco tequila and lemon juice for this cocktail popsicle.

Get the Recipe

11 of 13

Blueberry Panna Cotta with Blueberry Chia Pudding

Pastry chef Paola Velez delivers a creamy dessert with pops of texture and bright berry flavor combining blueberry panna cotta, a blueberry and chia seed pudding, and a pile of fresh blueberries.

Get the Recipe

12 of 13

Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Red Velvet Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches — Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines

Chef Taffy Elrod sandwiches no-churn cream cheese ice cream between cakey red velvet cookies for a sure crowd-pleaser that can be prepared in advance.

Get the Recipe

13 of 13