If you’re looking for sweet inspiration to make your Memorial Day weekend low-stress, look no further than these 15 best Memorial Day desserts.
(Don’t forget “stressed” is just “desserts” spelled backwards, so here’s your chance!)
It’s your turn to relax, too, so if you’re going for homemade but ready to save some time AND money, this is for you. Go for easy, budget-friendly sweet treats made with shortcuts like boxed cake mix, Rice Krispies treats, pudding, fruit, cookies, and whipped topping. You’ll find red, white, and blue desserts, no-bake sweets, party bars, festive cupcakes, and simple summer desserts that are easy to prep for a BBQ, potluck, or backyard cookout, at your place or the Memorial Day weekend block party.
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Easy, Fun + Budget-Friendly Memorial Day Desserts
Red, White & Blue Cheesecake “Salad”
If you’re looking for a sweet and patriotic treat, this one doubles as a side dish in the south and midwest and every dessert table elsewhere. Fold in your favorite berries with cream cheese, and you’re practically done.
Looking for a gorgeous bowl to hold this dessert? I recently fell for a Mackenzie-Childs Abundant Bowl, and this large floral serving bowl (aff link) makes my heart flutter.
No Bake Very Berry Cheesecake Pie
Red, white, and blue by trade, you’ll get a burst of strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and even cranberry in every bite. Fresh berries are part of my love language, so I decided to use up a Keebler Pretzel Crust I had in the pantry and pile it high with all the good things. Want to save time? Skip the cranberry puree’ since it requires cooking and straining out the seeds/peels.
White Chocolate Popcorn
This delicious snack is the perfect addition to any patriotic party, whether you’re celebrating the 4th of July or just feeling particularly patriotic. The recipe is simple: just pop some popcorn, drizzle it with creamy white chocolate, and add colorful sprinkles for an extra festive touch.
Beach Bum Cupcakes
Kick off the holiday weekend with some serious vacation vibes! The cupcake base is a simple box mix (or use one of our recipes), but a handful of easy-to-find decorations (Fruit by the Foot, peach rings, Teddy Grahams, cocktail umbrellas) brings these cupcakes to the next beachy level. Memorial Day cookouts made even more fun for the kids and adults alike!
Patriotic Rice Krispies Ice Cream Sandwiches
Easy-peasy, as they say: I bought the packaged rice krispies treats and some Tillamook vanilla, plus FANCY brand red, white and blue sprinkles to make these easy, 3-ingredient cool, sweet treats. Easy to pass out to the kids on the way out to the pool. You may even want to add these to your July 4th treat list too.
4-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
This easy strawberry ice cream cake is a no-bake wonder, layered with strawberry cheesecake-flavored ice cream sandwiches from the store, Cool Whip, strawberry sundae topping, and fresh strawberries. The perfect summer dessert for parties or a sweet treat any time, but a real winner for a cool Memorial Day finish.
Same idea, different ingredients: Standard ice cream sandwiches, M&Ms, and chocolate sauce.
Banana Pudding Cups
Layers of pudding, cookies and whipped cream, topped with sliced bananas and the nostalgia of every southern picnic and cookout. But these are nestled into individual cups so there’s no digging into a big pan (and all the mess that ensues). Or think of it like portion control for Memorial Day festivities!
Cherry Danishes
So I think the great thing about danishes is that they are good everywhere, all the time: breakfast, snack, with coffee, tea, alone, for kids, for potlucks, picnics, warmed or room temp, you name it. These ARE open-faced, so they aren’t as napkin-friendly as a pop-tart or anything, but they are so good and start with ready ingredients like puff pastry and a can of cherry pie filling. It’s a versatile recipe, so swap in whatever pie filling flavor you want.
Apple Dapple Cake
Man o’ man, this is one of our most popular recipes on the site. It’s easy but indulgent, full of apple and caramel flavor. It’s entirely from scratch, but if you want a shortcut, start with a yellow or spice cake mix. It’s a glazed wonder that is welcome everywhere as your “what can I bring” potluck dessert.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Here’s another “salad” – the summertime picnic table diva of the south and midwest. Salty, sweet, creamy, and fruity, this one is a slice of heaven on a hot day. Fits the Memorial Day dessert category well, don’t you think? Just look at those colors.
Strawberry Shortcake “Puppy Chow“
I share this recipe a lot, and it’s just SO GOOD. I wish it got more love, but I don’t hear from our readers often on this one. If you happen to make it, will you leave me a comment or share it? The recipe makes a big bowl of snack mix: Golden OREOs, dehydrated strawberries, white chocolate-coated Chex cereal, yummo. If you love a sweet snack, but not a fan of the choc/pb of regular Puppy Chow, this is to die for.
Cookie Bars (Made with Cake Mix!)
Creaming sugar and butter then scooping cookies out one at a time can be the real time suck when trying to make something homemade and delicious. But we’ve solved that for you with this sheet pan cookie recipe! You get all the chocolate chip cookie goodness but in a bar, made with an easy box cake mix starter. One and done is hard to beat if you are juggling a lot of goodies in the kitchen.
4-Ingredient Lemon Cookies
I love to cook, but when I’m cooking for a Memorial Day crowd, I am always on the lookout for shortcuts! Just four ingredients: Lemon cake mix, a container of Cool Whip, an egg and powdered sugar. You end up with a lovely crackle top on a chewy, lemony cookie that will disappear fast.
No Bake Lemon Sherbet Pie
This Lemon Sherbet No-Bake Pie is a bright and refreshing dessert with a creamy lemon filling and a buttery graham cracker crust. It’s tangy, sweet, and perfect for spring and summer gatherings—no oven required!
Tropical No Bake Pie
One of the first desserts we ever decided to put on CookingChew, this is a mix of pineapple, coconut and pudding mix, spooned into a graham cracker crust. Serve chilled, this one is a crowd-pleaser dessert that can be made ahead.
BONUS RECIPE: Cherry Pie Bars
I’m sharing my go-to cherry pie bars recipe that transforms classic cherry pie into easy-to-serve squares with a buttery sugar cookie base and sweet vanilla glaze. Super good without all the stress of traditional pie crust.
The bottom line
Did you see a couple of Memorial Day Desserts you’ll be trying soon? I think you’ll love the fun Beach Bum Cupcakes made with Teddy Grahams and peach rings. You can even buy cocktail umbrellas for a finishing touch!
