Classic and Creative Memorial Day Food Ideas

Memorial Day heralds the beginning of summer break for many, and the 3-day weekend is the perfect time to catch up with friends and family over a picnic, party, or cookout. Plan a delicious Memorial Day with these 20 food ideas to spend less time prepping and more time enjoying the sunshine.

Memorial Day menu planning

Enjoy a stress-free holiday by planning your Memorial Day menu ahead of time with these handy tips:

• Depending on the number of guests, choose your recipes and list the corresponding ingredients you’ll need.
• Add the ingredients to your cart and schedule your delivery through the Insacart app or website.
• Prep the ingredients by washing and chopping the veggies, preparing the salad sans dressing, marinating meats, and making all dressings, sauces, and dips ahead of time. You can even make some recipes ahead of time! Remember to store everything in air-tight containers in the fridge.
• Dust off your plates, cutlery, and glassware for this pre-summer shindig and set up the day before so you can be stress-free on the day of.

Grab it now on Instacart:

Corn ()

Mini Sweet Peppers (1 lb)

WHOLE CHICKEN SPLIT (per lb)

Watermelon (1 lb)

Yellow Squash (1 each)

Lobster Tails (8 oz)

Memorial Day recipe ideas

From cookouts to potlucks, we’ve got you covered. These Memorial Day food ideas are classic, uncomplicated, and can be prepped ahead of time.

1. Star-spangled layered dip

This beautiful dip is made with layered refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa spooned in a stripe formation, with black olive “stars”.

2. Hamburgers

Hamburgers are always a crowd-pleaser. From an impossible burger with vegan apple slaw to a seared ahi burger with pineapple and teriyaki sauce, there’re an endless number of tasty options!

3. Spicy corn

Kick your classic grilled corn up a notch with chili sauce, Sriracha, garlic, and lime juice. The mix of acidity and heat give you the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and tangy.

4. BLT potato salad

This delicious potato salad is a combination of cherry or grape tomatoes, arugula leaves, and cooked bacon tossed in sour cream and mayonnaise—the perfect accompaniment to any summer meal! It pairs especially well with the spicy corn above.

5. Curried shrimp lettuce wraps

Curried shrimp over lettuce leaves and topped with bell pepper, snow peas, and basil. Get ready for an influx of potluck invitations after serving this recipe.

6. Grilled sausages

Fire up the grill for sausages and split rolls. Set up a toppings table with sweet and sour pickles, grilled peppers, caramelized onions, marinated horseradish slaw, and other favorites.

7. Cheese stuffed baby peppers

For a crunchy vegetarian appetizer, make these stuffed baby peppers with only 3 ingredients: baby sweet bell peppers, cream cheese, and chives.

8 Grilled chicken

Cook chicken wings, juicy thighs, whole split chickens, or chicken kebabs. Try jerk chicken, Greek-style chicken, chicken satay, or chicken with lemon, herb, and black pepper.

9. Grilled pork chops

Cook pork marinated in honey, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes for 8 minutes on each side and serve with a refreshing salad.

10. Fried chicken sandwich

Everyone loves fried chicken, so why not serve these mouth-watering easy-to-make sandwiches? They’re made with crispy buttermilk fried chicken thighs in burger buns. Fill sandwiches with crunchy coleslaw and fried onions, and top with spicy chipotle mayonnaise.

11. Watermelon salad with feta

A sweet and savory salad goes with burgers, sandwiches, or grilled meat. Mix cubed watermelon and diced cucumber with feta, avocado, sliced onions, and mint leaves, with a simple olive oil and lime juice dressing.

12. Grilled beans

Cooked canned kidney beans with onions, green peppers, tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, and any other veggies you’ve got in your fridge. Serve with your favorite meat and some crusty bread.

13. Chipotle Chicken or tofu and pineapple skewers

Need a vegetarian option? Grill tofu skewers marinated in chipotle and guajillo chili with pineapple chunks. Serve de-skewered tofu and pineapple with flour or corn tortillas.

14. Cornbread salad

This salad is perfect for a hot summer evening, made with black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, sour cream, and cheese layered with cornbread.

15. Southwestern salmon Cobb salad

Grill adobo marinated salmon and serve with a salad of tossed greens, avocado, tomatoes, and blue cheese. Drizzle with a sour cream-chipotle dressing.

16. Grilled pizza

Cook pizza dough on the grill and top with tomatoes, thinly sliced mozzarella, fresh ricotta, and any toppings your heart desires. Serve with chopped basil, pepper flakes, and a drizzle of oil.

17. Grilled summer squash

A quick and uncomplicated vegetarian grill recipe for yellow squash and zucchini lovers. Dress in a sweet and tangy grilled lemon and scallion vinegarette.

18. Beef-vegetable kebabs with orzo

Skewer top sirloin or tri-tip steak pieces between chunks of bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and cherry tomatoes. Toss them on the grill and serve with cooked orzo pasta.

19. Shrimp salad stuffed avocado

Another refreshing recipe for the summer festivities. Scoop avocados and fill with cooked shrimp, diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, and corn. Top with Greek yogurt and lemon juice.

20. Classic lobster rolls

Don’t miss out on these decadent chilled lobster rolls. Toss lobster meat in mayonnaise, freshly squeezed lemon juice, chives, and Dijon mustard. Chill in the fridge and serve on split toasted butter rolls along with lettuce.

Celebrate Memorial Day

Whether you’re firing up the grill for outdoor festivities or having an intimate family dinner indoors, you can get all your Memorial Day weekend groceries through Instacart.

Make your life easier this holiday by planning ahead. Order your Memorial Day essentials through Instacart, and schedule your delivery at check out.

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