23 Memorial Day Desserts That Make the Cookout

Memorial Day cookouts run on grilled food and good dessert, but the dessert table is usually an afterthought until someone shows up empty-handed. These 23 recipes cover every format that actually works at a cookout: bars that portion themselves, cookies that pack into a container in five minutes, pies and cupcakes that feed a crowd without a serving utensil situation, and a few make-ahead showstoppers for hosts who want to look like they had it all planned. Every one of them can be made the day before or the morning of, which is exactly when cookout prep happens.

Pecan Pie Bars

With a buttery shortbread base and a filling of corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, and 2½ cups of chopped pecans, Pecan Pie Bars deliver all the sticky, caramel-rich depth of a classic pie in a format that travels in a pan and slices into clean squares at the cookout table. They bake in 1 hour and hold at room temperature for hours, which makes them one of the most practical things you can bring to a Memorial Day spread.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars

Banana Pudding Brownies

Built on a fudgy chocolate brownie base with a layer of banana pudding cream cheese swirled through, Banana Pudding Brownies pull together in 40 minutes using boxed brownie mix, instant banana pudding, and cream cheese. They cut into bars that stack in a container and stay moist even after sitting out. Bring these when you need something that hits two dessert categories at once and doesn’t require a serving fork.
Get the Recipe: Banana Pudding Brownies

Basque Cheesecake

Burnished dark on top and creamy through the center, Basque Cheesecake is a make-ahead cheesecake that skips the water bath and the fussy springform release; the cracked, caramelized top is the whole point. Made with cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream, and just enough flour to hold it together, it needs about 5 hours total (including chill time) and slices into clean wedges. Keep it in a cooler until dessert time; it holds beautifully and looks more intentional than anything from a box.
Get the Recipe: Basque Cheesecake

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Packed with cream cheese, creamy peanut butter, whipped topping, and a layer of chocolate ganache in a graham cracker crust, Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie is a no-bake dessert that comes together in under 2 hours (mostly chill time) and gets topped with mini-Reese’s cups. It needs to stay cold, so bring it in a cooler and pull it out right before dessert. It slices cleanly and consistently disappears before anything else on the table.
Get the Recipe: Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Best Pecan Pie Cobbler Recipe

Where classic pecan pie has a pastry shell, Best Pecan Pie Cobbler Recipe builds from the inside out: butter and a batter of flour, sugar, and milk go into the pan first, then chopped pecans and brown sugar go on top, and boiling water poured over the whole thing creates a self-saucing caramel layer as it bakes. Ready in 45 minutes, it serves well warm with a scoop of ice cream or at room temperature once it’s set. A good option for hosts cooking at the cookout location.
Get the Recipe: Best Pecan Pie Cobbler Recipe

Buckeye Brownies

A layer of fudgy brownie, then a thick spread of peanut butter and powdered sugar, then a topcoat of semisweet chocolate; Buckeye Brownies are what you bring when you want something that looks like it came from a bakery but took 45 minutes and used a box of brownie mix. They cut into bars that stack cleanly, hold at room temperature, and satisfy the peanut butter-chocolate crowd completely. Make them the night before for best results.
Get the Recipe: Buckeye Brownies

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

Made with dark chocolate and dark chocolate chips rather than cocoa powder, Chewy Chocolate Brownies have a deeper, more complex flavor than the standard boxed version; fudgy through the center, slightly crisp at the edges, and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt. They bake in 45 minutes and hold their texture at room temperature for a full day. Bring these when you want the brownie on the table to actually require a second piece.
Get the Recipe: Chewy Chocolate Brownies

Easy Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Five ingredients, a box of yellow cake mix, two eggs, vegetable oil, water, and chocolate chips, go into one pan and bake into Easy Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars in just under an hour. They’re soft, chewy, portable, and cut into as many pieces as the crowd needs. This is the recipe for when you committed to bringing dessert on Friday and it’s now Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Yellow cake mix and canned apple pie filling form the base of Apple Pie Cupcakes, topped with a brown sugar cinnamon buttercream that tastes like the filling made its way into the frosting too. They’re individually portioned, which makes them easy to hand out without plates, and the cinnamon-spiced topping makes them feel seasonal and intentional at a May cookout. Make them the day before and store in a covered container.
Get the Recipe: Apple Pie Cupcakes

Best Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake

Layers of Biscoff cookie and graham cracker crust, a vanilla cheesecake filling, and a spiced apple topping baked together give Best Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake the structure of a cheesecake and the flavor of an apple pie in every slice. It takes about 1 hour active and requires refrigeration before slicing, so plan to make it the day before and transport in a cooler. This is the kind of dessert that makes the cookout host look extremely organized.
Get the Recipe: Best Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Buttermilk cake cupcakes filled with a scratch-made vanilla custard and finished with a glossy chocolate glaze, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are individually portioned and travel well in a cupcake carrier. They take 1 hour start to finish and make enough to share with a full cookout crowd. This is the dessert that earns the most questions about where you got them; bring the recipe card.
Get the Recipe: Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cookies

Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg and loaded with shredded carrots and walnuts, Carrot Cake Cookies bake in 30 minutes and make 20 cookies, each finished with cream cheese frosting. They pack into a container without the structural concerns of a full cake and hold up well at room temperature for the day. A good option for the cookout guest who wants something a little less expected than another brownie.
Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies

Cookie Cake

A full-size chocolate chip cookie baked in a round pan and piped with chocolate buttercream, Cookie Cake is done in 30 minutes and serves a crowd straight from the pan; no plates required if you go big with the slices. It’s the cookout dessert that reads as both casual and impressive, especially if you pipe a message on top. It travels flat, cuts clean, and leaves no one wishing there were more brownies.
Get the Recipe: Cookie Cake

Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Halved strawberries and thinly sliced rhubarb cook down with sugar, lemon, and cornstarch into a jammy filling that balances sweet against tart, all wrapped in puff pastry or pie sheets and baked in 55 minutes; Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe is a Memorial Day standard because peak strawberry season lands right on the holiday. It slices cleanly into 8 wedges and holds at room temperature for hours without getting soggy.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies Recipe

Brown butter dough rolled with a cinnamon sugar swirl and topped with cream cheese frosting, Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies Recipe bake in 37 minutes and deliver the bakery-style thickness and cinnamon flavor that makes people reach for a second one before finishing their first. They pack into a container in a single layer and hold well for a full day. Bring them when the cookout needs a cookie that needs no explanation.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies Recipe

Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Recipe

A thick peanut butter cookie base topped with peanut butter frosting and a swirl of strawberry preserves, Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Recipe takes 35 minutes and produces oversized cookies that look exactly like the $5 bakery version. They’re individually portioned, require no cutting equipment, and travel in a single layer in any container. A crowd favorite for cookouts where the kids-to-adults ratio skews heavily toward adults who still want something fun.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Recipe

Creme Brûlée Cheesecake

Smooth cream cheese filling baked into a graham cracker crust, chilled for 5 hours, and finished with a layer of caramelized sugar on top, Creme Brulee Cheesecake requires a kitchen torch for the brûléed top; which means it’s best finished at home before transport rather than at the cookout. Slice it there, keep it cold in a cooler, and it slices into clean wedges that hold their shape. The brûléed crust adds a texture contrast that a standard cheesecake doesn’t have.
Get the Recipe: Creme Brûlée Cheesecake

Funnel Cake

Mixed from flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, and milk, and fried in 25 minutes, Funnel Cake is the fair-food dessert that works at a backyard cookout if you have a pot and some oil; the batter takes minutes to mix and fries fast, so it’s less a make-ahead and more a live cookout station that attracts a crowd. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. This one’s for hosts who want an activity, not just a dessert table.
Get the Recipe: Funnel Cake

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Fresh lemon juice and zest go into both the buttermilk cupcake batter and the frosting layer, and Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe bake in 1 hour and make 14 cupcakes; enough for a standard Memorial Day crowd. The raspberry buttercream adds a berry brightness that makes these feel like a seasonal choice rather than an all-purpose option. They travel well in a cupcake carrier and hold their frosting without wilting.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Lemon Meringue Pie

Tangy lemon curd filling in a pastry shell and topped with cloud-soft toasted meringue, Lemon Meringue Pie is a cookout classic because it photographs well, slices cleanly, and balances the heavier desserts on the table with its citrus brightness. It keeps at room temperature for a few hours and travels flat in a pie carrier.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie

Marry Me Cookies

Brown butter, oats, white chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips go into Marry Me Cookies, which bake in 23 minutes and produce thick, chewy cookies with enough going on that they hold interest past the first bite. The oats add chew, the double chocolate keeps them from being too sweet, and the brown butter gives them a depth that plain chocolate chip cookies don’t have. They pack into a container in a single layer and travel without issue.
Get the Recipe: Marry Me Cookies

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Buttermilk biscuits baked from scratch in 37 minutes, split and layered with macerated strawberries and whipped cream, Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe is the Memorial Day dessert that signals the start of summer more reliably than anything else on the table. The biscuits can be baked the morning of the strawberries macerate while you drive, and assembly happens on-site in minutes. The lime zest in the biscuits adds a brightness most shortcake recipes skip.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies Recipe

Dark cocoa dough with espresso powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips, baked in 25 minutes and finished with a cream cheese chocolate frosting, Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies Recipe produce oversized, bakery-thick cookies that taste closer to a brownie than a standard chocolate chip. The espresso powder deepens the chocolate without making them taste like coffee. Pack them in a single layer and they hold all the way to the cookout without losing their structure.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies Recipe