Memorial Day is the unofficial official start of summer. And while I love a kitschy red, white and blue cake as much as the next person, I’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate all the in-season fruit and warm weather treats that make the season spectacular. With that in mind, here are 51 Memorial Day desserts that delve way beyond the classic flag cake, from cherry slab pie to grilled pineapple split sundaes. I’m super into these recipes because they’re easy, fast, festive and put seasonal produce in the spotlight.
51 Memorial Day Desserts That Aren’t Just Flag Cake
Bring on the summer produce
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Published Apr 30, 2024
Katherine Gillen
1. Strawberry Upside-Down Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Frosting? In this heat? No way—I’m decorating our cake the easiest (and prettiest) way I know, with fresh berries. "As it bakes, the berries form a sweet, caramelized layer," explains PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen. "So all you have to do is invert the cake onto a platter and…you’re done."
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
They’re crowd-pleasing, easy to assemble and kids can’t resist them. Just keep them in the fridge until ready to devour. "To keep things quick and easy (and to let the fresh bananas shine), I went with a cornstarch-thickened pudding instead of an egg-based custard," says senior food editor Katherine Gillen. "You could swap the classic vanilla cookies for graham crackers, speculoos or even Oreos if you want to go wild."
3. Cheater’s Mini Strawberry-Vanilla Galettes
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
If you want to feel fancy but put in very little effort, this is the recipe for you. "We love the way vanilla paste flecks the galettes with vanilla beans, but you can substitute extract if that’s all you have," assures senior food editor Katherine Gillen.
4. Strawberry Delight Ice Cream Pie
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 35 minutes (includes chilling)
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
This is a modern riff on the Jell-O and pretzel-based strawberry “delight” our grandmas used to lovingly dish up, and yep, it’s just as delicious. "Sticking with tradition, it calls for less than ten ingredients and minimal baking, because some things never go out of style," raves senior food editor Katherine Gillen.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
"The orange yogurt cake is tender and the pink glaze is faintly boozy and just sweet enough, much like its namesake," explains senior food editor Katherine Gillen. Are you in Italy? No. Does it matter? Not when there’s dessert.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly,
These rainbow cuties are surprisingly easy to make, thanks to a store-bought jam filling. "I'm usually all for short-cutting with frozen pie crust, but in this instance, it’s worth it to make your own," urges senior food editor Katherine Gillen.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes (plus chilling)
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, no cook, crowd-pleaser
Like standard tiramisu, this simple-yet-sophisticated treat can be assembled minutes before serving or kept in the fridge for up to eight hours. Since there's no ice cream involved, you can brew (or buy) the espresso ahead and store it in the fridge until dessert.
8. No-Churn Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 12 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
While I love the nostalgia of strawberries and cookie crumbles, any fruit will work here, from bananas to blueberries to peaches and cream.
9. Coffee and Brown Sugar Granita with Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes chilling time)
- Why I Love It: less than 500 calories, <10 ingredients, no cook
A sugar rush and a caffeine boost in one dish, aka the ultimate pick-me-up.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, one pan
Roasting marshmallows on a stick one at a time is fun and all, but I'm in it for the end game: digging in and getting chocolate all over our hands.
11. Lemon Berry Sheet Pan Trifle
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Ripe summer berries don’t need much, but a bit of fluffy meringue and whipped cream never hurt.
12. Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Want to know a secret? The cake is store-bought. (What? I'm not turning on the oven until September.)
13. Mini Strawberry Ice Cream Pies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Roasting the strawberries really concentrates their flavor, so don’t skip that step. The rest is as easy as scooping a pint of vanilla ice cream.
14. No-Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 5 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
If you can make whipped cream, you’re already halfway there. And you can use store-bought chips if you want, but the homemade ones are *chef’s kiss*.
15. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes, no cook, kid-friendly
Psst: It’s ready in ten minutes. The rainbow sprinkles are nonnegotiable, if you ask us.
16. Cherry Slab Pie
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, special occasion–worthy
A fancy lattice pie is nice, but I'm all about the higher crust-to-filling ratio of a slab pie. (Plus, there’s more leftover for breakfast the next day.)
17. Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Cake
- Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Alright, you caught us. I couldn’t resist a little patriotic flair. The best part? All you need to do is assemble.
18. No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
Most cheesecakes fall under the “delicious but fussy” category. Not this beauty. There’s no water bath and you don’t even have to turn on the oven.
19. Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Crust
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
The trick to a pretty pink crust is to add freeze-dried strawberries. Pick them up at Trader Joe’s or order some online.
20. Lemon Pie with Blueberry Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Whatever you do, don’t forget to snap a picture before you slice in. (You know, for your Instagram followers.)
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: less than 500 calories, no cook, low sugar
Our motto? You’re never too old to enjoy an ice pop. These are made with real fruit (and no dye), so they’re a little more grown up.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Skip the obligatory fruit salad and head straight for the fruit cake. The base is versatile, so you could use another berry if your heart desires.
23. No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling time)
- Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
With a press-in crust and easy filling, you’ll hardly have to lift a finger to reach this level of dessert bliss.
24. Berry Galette
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
The hardest part is choosing whether to eat this freeform pie with ice cream or whipped cream (or both).
25. Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
You likely already fired up the grill for dinner, so why not keep the flames burning? The cherry sauce can be made ahead, if you’re savvy like that.
26. Raspberry Prosecco Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Sorry, kids. These babies are for adults only. (I’ll take any excuse not to share dessert.)
27. Slow Cooker Cherry Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead
If it’s too warm to turn on the oven, no worries. This entire dish comes together in your slow cooker, and all you have to do is press a button.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Dare I say it? They’re even better than the ones from the ice cream truck.
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 15 minutes (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
You don’t need a clunky ice cream maker to whip up a batch. You’re welcome.
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Buy five ice creams in various shades, wait for them to get a little melty and layer each in a pan to make a multicolored frozen masterpiece.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
You only have so many days to get your fill of this classic summer dessert, so why not get the ball rolling as early as possible?
32. Peaches-and-Cream Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Peaches are really at their peak later in summer, but I love them so much I'm eating them now. Besides, a quick roast in the oven can make even ho-hum fruit taste delicious.
33. Blackberry Jam Pie Crust Straws
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
You’re 35 minutes away from a chic, pie-like dessert. (Take that, double crust.)
34. One-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet
- Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
I didn’t think there could be a more refreshing way to enjoy watermelon than eating it freshly cut...and then I tried this beauty.
35. 30-Minute Angel Food Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Typically, angel food cake is finicky to make at home, but when you scale it down to cupcake size, it’s surprisingly simple.
36. Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Soufflés
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
These soufflés are “choose your own adventure”—make raspberry, blueberry, blackberry or all three. You can use frozen fruit to keep things super simple.
37. Strawberry Shortcake Skewers with Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
They’re just as fun to make as they are to eat, and the biscuit dough is store-bought. (Don’t tell anyone.)
38. Chocolate Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Skip the box from the freezer section and make your own—it’ll be so worth it. Save the leftover waffles for a breakfast treat in the morning.
39. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
These are ready in less than an hour, so you can get on to more important things…like eating them.
40. Strawberry-Mango Hawaiian Shave Ice
- Time Commitment: 5 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy
Here’s that beach vacation you ordered. One bite of this Insta-worthy treat and you’ll be immediately transported to Maui. Better yet, you don’t even need a shave ice machine to make it.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
It’s the perfect mashup between lemon meringue pie and a sugar cookie. The key is rubbing lemon zest into the sugar before you start for extra citrus flavor.
42. Peach Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Summer’s most delicious stone fruit doesn’t need much help in the flavor department. So, all you do is coat the peaches in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, then top them with dollops of biscuit dough before baking.
43. 3-Ingredient Blood Orange Granita
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 15 minutes (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
All you need to pull this refresher off is a fork and a freezer.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Between the backyard barbecue and the kids playing in the sprinkler, MDW always makes us feel super nostalgic. Up the ante with this homemade take on the best lunchbox snack of all time.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, less than 500 calories
So delicious, it’ll make you finally cave and buy an ice cream maker. Did I mention all the recipe calls for is the ripest cantaloupe you can find, fresh mint and a bit of sugar?
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
I can hear the kids squealing over these handhelds already. Picture layers of vanilla and chocolate ice creams separated by homemade Oreo crust, all topped with fresh whipped cream.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion–worthy
America’s most quintessential dessert is even more mouth-watering served in mini mason jars. How cute are those tiny crimped crusts?
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead, kid-friendly
Go the extra mile by topping each popsicle mold off with fruit jam for a pretty finishing touch. Tart raspberry jam is a great contrast to the sweet coconut milk, but blueberry jam or orange marmalade would also taste divine.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, one pan, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
The mélange of berries makes this dessert red, white and blue without it being too campy. Bonus, the recipe calls for store-bought ladyfingers and raspberry jam, so all you’ll have to do is assemble the ingredients.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
When the fruit is in season, take advantage of the bounty. Pair this simple, lightly sugary cake with a bowl of sweetened (or unsweetened ricotta) on the side.
51. S’mores Rice Cereal Treats
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes (includes cooling)
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Who needs a campfire when you have a box of cereal in your pantry? To keep them light and fluffy, don’t pack the mixture too tight in the pan.
