30 Memorial Day Desserts Everyone Will Love
Make sweets the star of your get-together with these treats that feature lots of red, white and blue!
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Our Best Ideas for Memorial Day
The first backyard barbecue of the season calls for a spread of appetizers and all your cookout favorites—including desserts! Whether you’re a fan of ice cream, fruity cobblers and crumbles or something else entirely, it never hurts to give your Memorial Day dessert a patriotic twist. That’s why we’ve rounded up these easy and delicious desserts that feature plenty of red, white and blue—starting with Ina’s impressive citrus cake. She spreads generous spoonfuls of whipped cream between the layers before adding fresh strawberries, resulting in a decorative treat that easily doubles as the centerpiece of your dessert table.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Country Cake
Red, White and Blue Fruit Cups
Rachael's 10-minute dessert is chock-full of fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.
Get the Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Fruit Cups
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
You'll use vanilla and strawberry ice cream to make the creamy filling for this frozen take on classic strawberry shortcake.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Puff Pastry Cones
These crunchy and flaky cones make everything taste better. The filling possibilities are endless but, when it comes to Memorial Day, we prefer whipped cream and berries — for a perfectly patriotic treat!
Get the Recipe: Puff Pastry Cones
Cherry Pie Cookie Bars
It only takes 15 minutes of measuring and mixing to get a batch of these cherry bars into the oven. Then comes the hard part of the recipe: waiting until they’re baked so that you can eat them!
Get the Recipe: Cherry Pie Cookie Bars
Dump Cakes
All you need to make one of Ree’s Dump Cakes is a box of cake mix, canned fruit, butter – and whipped cream, for serving.
Get the Recipe: Dump Cakes
Patriotic Cheesecake Parfaits
Take all the great, rich flavor of cheesecake, layer it with summer's best berries then add a little crunch and a touch of chocolate, and you have what may just be the perfect summer dessert. Best of all, a great big, celebratory serving of this parfait clocks in at less than 400 calories. (This recipe can also be made to serve six instead of four. Just use smaller glasses and divvy the recipe up into six parfaits with less than 250 calories each. We pinky-swear it won't feel skimpy!)
Get the Recipe: Patriotic Cheesecake Parfaits
Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
Gently swirl strawberry jam into uncooked cheesecake using a wooden skewer for a colorful (and tasty) treat. Use dollops of blueberry jam too for the full red, white and blue!
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
Vanilla Ice Cream with Honey
Get the Recipe: Vanilla Ice Cream With Honey
Patriotic Berry Trifle
Sunny's trick for making this colorful trifle quick? Use store-bought angel food cake to cut down on the prep time.
Get the Recipe: Patriotic Berry Trifle
Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Get the Recipe: Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Frozen Fireworks
Just like your favorite childhood treat, these ice pops are ideal for ringing in summer. To achieve the different colors, Valerie uses a combination of coconut sorbet, raspberry sorbet and blue food coloring. The cherry on top? Star-shaped cuts of fresh pineapple!
Get the Recipe: Frozen Fireworks
Grilled Chocolate Angel Food Cake
After baking, Valerie grills her angel food cake for a caramelized flavor and grill marks that scream of summer. A dollop of whipped cream and seasonal berries add a patriotic pop of color that sends the dessert over the top.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Mascarpone Berry Bowl
You only need a handful of ingredients to make these decadent and oh-so-delicious dessert bowls. The flavor will remind you of berry cheesecake — made quicker and easier!
Get the Recipe: Mascarpone Berry Bowl
Cheesecake Tart with Berries
Get the Recipe: Cheesecake Tart With Berries
Apple Berry Cobbler
Berry cobbler is a summertime classic. Kardea bolsters hers with sweet apple and a hint of fragrant cinnamon for a homestyle dessert that everyone is sure to love.
Get the Recipe: Apple Berry Cobbler
Fast and Fruity Ice Cream
The easiest way to make ice cream if you don’t have a machine? Toss some frozen fruit and Greek yogurt into your food processor and combine until smooth and easy to scoop.
Get the Recipe: Fast and Fruity Ice Cream
Double Berry Bars
Kardea says, "These are a riff on a treat I loved as a child: little cheesecake bars with ribbons of jam and a drizzle of frosting on top. They are great to keep in the fridge when I've got a craving for something sweet or to serve as dessert for a party".
Get the Recipe: Double Berry Bars
Berry Sauce
Mix up this simple 3-ingredient sauce and a delicious dessert is never far away. Our favorite ways to use it? Spooned over slices of grilled pound cake or scoops of vanilla ice cream!
Get the Recipe: Berry Sauce
Cherry Cream Cheese Galette
Two great desserts (cheesecake and cherry pie) are rolled into one with Valerie’s delicious galette. Plus, no fussing with pretty pie-dough decorations — the crust of a galette has a simple, rustic charm instead.
Get the Recipe: Cherry Cream Cheese Galette
Pineapple Upside-Down Ice Cream Cake
Trust us — you’re going to want seconds of this fruity frozen cake. Serve on a blue dish to really emphasize the red and white colors that pop throughout the dessert.
Get the Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Ice Cream Cake
Whipped Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crust
These pretty, layered fruit and cheesecake cups are a breeze to make – just be sure to mix them up in advance so that they have time to chill completely.
Get the Recipe: Whipped Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crust
Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata
Like a pie (but easier) this free-form fruit dessert is the perfect addition to any Memorial Day cookout dessert spread.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata
Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
A dash of cocoa powder gives this summertime summer favorite a deliciously chocolatey flair.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Get the Recipe: Mixed Berry Cobbler
Frozen Lemonade Pie
Use frozen lemonade as the filling for this easy-to-make, berry-topped pie.
Get the Recipe: Frozen Lemonade Pie
Plum-Nectarine Crumble With Hazelnuts
To make the juicy filling for this refreshing fruit crumble, combine sliced nectarines with succulent plums, tart lemon juice, flour and sugar. Easy!
Get the Recipe: Plum-Nectarine Crumble With Hazelnuts
Mini Rosewater Trifles with Cardamom Cream
Blueberries, raspberries and an easy-to-make cardamom whipped cream give these individual-size trifles their patriotic colors.
Get the Recipe: Mini Rosewater Trifles with Cardamom Cream
Black Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Decadent black raspberry ice cream gets housed between buttery lemon sugar cookies to make these yummy ice cream sandwiches.
Get the Recipe: Black Raspberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Tres Leches Cake with Berries
Fluffy whipped cream and fresh berries are the perfect way to dress up sweet tres leches cake for your cookout.
Get the Recipe: Tres Leches Cake with Berries
