Our Best Memorial Day Recipes for 2022

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You need Memorial Day recipes? We’ve got Memorial Day recipes. But allow us to make one thing clear: Yes, we’re going to refer to this time of the year as summer. Yes, we know that summer doesn’t actually start until the solstice in late June. No, we don’t care. Because while it may actually still be spring, we’ll be spending the holiday like it’s the first days of golden rays and beach vacays…and campsite stays…and, well, you get the picture. Here’s to the (unofficial) start of summer!

<cite class="credit">Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen</cite> — Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen

Grilled fish tacos are just the start. Our collection of Memorial Day grilling recipes has all the barbecue ribs, burgers, and skewers you could want at a cookout (or anywhere else). Think crispy grilled chicken with lemon and thyme; the Ultimate Veggie Burgers made with a mushroom, barley, and black bean patty on squishy sesame seed buns; and spice-forward lamb kebabs with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Get the recipes→

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More grilling inspo:

Marinate Your Meat After You Grill It — Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Amy Wilson

Healthy Recipes for the Grill — Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou

Don’t have a grill? You can still kick it summer style. How about a picnic fried chicken recipe? The best burgers you can make indoors? A caramelized leek tart? Or even a dinner that requires no cooking at all? Here are a few more of our favorite summer recipes, no matter your cooking set up.

Cold Roast Salmon With Smashed Green Beans — Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Amy Wilson

Cod Cakes With a Zesty Jalapeño-Cilantro Sauce — Photographs by Elizabeth Cecil, food styling by Danielle Pattavina

Greek Wings With Lemon and Feta — Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown

<h1 class="title">potato-salad-with-old-bay-and-potato-chips</h1><cite class="credit">Alex Lau</cite> — Alex Lau

Memorial Day food isn’t all about marinated and barbecue sauce–slathered meats. What you serve on the side matters, too. Coleslaw? A necessity. Watermelon? If you’re lucky enough to live in a place where it’s already ripe, you do have an obligation to consume. We’ve cobbled together 60 of the best Memorial Day sides we know. These recipes include our favorite pasta salad with romesco sauce, grilled baby artichokes, a juicy tomato salad with melon and feta, crisp cucumber wedges with a garlicky almond sauce, and plenty more. Get the recipes→

Go straight to the sides you need:

Vegetarian Recipes for Summer — Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D’mytrek Brown

Our Best Potato Salad Recipes — Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones

Summer Salads We Love — Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Sue Li

<cite class="credit">Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio</cite> — Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

I scream, you scream, we all scream for summer to be here already! We’re also not done yelling about our super-simple, truly delish strawberry shortcakes, or this Spanish-style burnt cheesecake (which you could also serve with fresh strawberries because ‘tis the season), and, yeah, this no-churn chocolate ice cream (or its raspberry-almond, or cookies ‘n’ cream, or Thai tea, or granola-loaded siblings) which we JUST. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. Any of the desserts in this collection will close out your Memorial Day weekend nicely. Get the recipes→