13 Simple Recipes for Memorial Day Side Dishes

By Jennifer A. • May 14, 2024

Bring on the cookouts! Round out your Memorial Day picnic with these 13 Simple Recipes for Memorial Day Side Dishes. From beans to pasta salad to coleslaw and guacamole — there's a recipe tailored for every taste bud!

1. Bacon Potato Salad

A really good potato salad is hard to beat at any potluck or picnic. Intelligent people are partial to many different varieties of potato salad, so you never know which is the true, astute winner. But this Bacon Potato Salad is sure to push to the front of the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth class of the potato salad elite. The crispness of the highly demanded bacon paired with the exceptionally well-rounded, tender red potatoes are chased by a cream-of-the-crop, savory, and delicious mayo brilliance. There will be no contest when this Bacon Potato Salad graduates with high honors at your next event. Be resourceful and set the potato salad bar high for all your food-focused gatherings from now on. It's a no brainer!

2. In-A-Pickle Coleslaw

Don't get yourself in a bind (AKA a pickle) and not have "the dish" for your next picnic. Be prepared for greatness with In-A-Pickle Coleslaw. Crisp, thickly sliced cabbage is covered with a sweet mustard and mayonnaise dressing, along with the debut of your favorite pickle and its juices to liven things up a bit. Get yourself out of the pickle and don't take just any old boring dish to your next shindig. In-A-Pickle Coleslaw solves all of your problems and will be the hit of the party. Get your pickle on!

3. Summer Strawberry Salad

Summer just isn't complete without the taste of fresh, vibrant strawberries. You'll want them for every meal of the day while they're ripe and fresh... and with this Summer Strawberry Salad, you can do just that! The salad puts strawberries front and center, with some sunny oranges added to complement their sweet flavor, all resting on a platform of garden-fresh spinach! Goat cheese adds some creaminess, while the dressing adds a balance of sourness and tang to keep things interesting. Embrace the season to its fullest with this Summer Strawberry Salad!

4. Grilled Rainbow Veggie Skewers

If these summertime favorites were at the end of a rainbow, you'd be happier than if you found a pot of gold! Grilled Rainbow Veggie Skewers immediately catch the eye with their vivid display of colorful vegetables. Then your tastebuds get to enjoy the vibrancy for themselves: the crispy, savory char from the grill mixes with the juicy, bright, and sweet bell peppers and zucchini, and the spicy red onions. Every bite is infused with a fragrant garlic herb sauce that only adds sparkle to this rainbow. Grilled Rainbow Veggie Skewers puts a bow on your barbecue and adds a little extra color to your cookout!

5. Backyard Baked Beans

You don't need a cookout or even a backyard to enjoy a classic barbecue side dish! You just need beans, bacon, and the right fixings! Backyard Baked Beans are a wonderful balance of sweet and savory, with plenty of pork flavor throughout. With tangy mustard and Worcestershire sauce for greater depth of flavor, Backyard Baked Beans bring any occasion to a cookout-level of fun!

6. All-In-The-Crunch Salad

When a wimpy lettuce bowl won't do, this mighty medley will become a new favorite. And with a name like All-In-The-Crunch Salad, it's no surprise! When you take savory bacon, fresh broccoli, and roasted cashews and coat them with a tangy mayo-cider vinegar dressing, you've got yourself the perfect meal or side dish! Fresh, flavorful, and crunchy, All-In-The-Crunch Salad is just so versatile and easy, you will never think of salad the same way again. Crunch on!

7. Mae's Broccoli & Grape Salad

We have to admit, when Mae first shared her idea for this salad, we had trouble believing it could work. Broccoli and grapes? Really? Yet, upon trying Mae's Broccoli & Grape Salad, we now have to admit we were wrong to be so hesitant... this salad is to die for! The garden-fresh broccoli provides a nice backdrop and support for the juicy grapes and the succulent bits of bacon mixed in! Almonds and celery add a refreshing crunch, and the creamy and tangy dressing just heightens the whole thing. Credit where credit is due, Mae's Broccoli & Grape Salad changed our minds on what a great salad could be, and it will change yours too!

8. Tex-Mex Potato Salad

Bring some south of the border flavor to this beloved barbecue side dish. Tex-Mex Potato Salad is also made with eggs for a dash of extra protein. But what really makes it sing is the spicy dressing made with chipotle pepper. Tex-Mex Potato Salad can even be used as a dip with tortilla chips.

9. Perfect Corn Salsa

Everyone thinks of tomatoes when it comes to salsa, but a good corn salsa can really change up your Tex-Mex game. Perfect Corn Salsa goes even further, blowing almost any tomato salsa out of the water! Tangy, vibrant, sweet, a hint of spice, Perfect Corn Salsa has it all! Whether you're serving chips and salsa as a snack or as a topping for salads or burrito bowls, this salsa does it all!

10. America's Potato Salad

When you have a patriotic spread of burgers, hot dogs, and barbeque chicken all laid out before you, you need the right side dish by their side. It's time to call on America's Potato Salad! Chunks of fluffy potato and hearty egg mix and mingle in creamy and tangy mayonnaise for a refreshing side that's ready to be plated up alongside ribs and poultry. It even has crunchy bites of bell pepper for extra freshness and color! America's Potato Salad brings a flavor to the table that the nation can be proud of.

11. Loaded Guacamole

Just when you thought guacamole couldn't get any better, it did! Loaded Guacamole gives regular guac a makeover with hearty black beans, onions, sharp cheese, and tomatoes. It’s your favorite creamy, tangy, and spicy appetizer dip with some extra bright pizzazz. Loaded Guacamole is so delicious, you won’t have to worry about leftovers!

12. Million Dollar Deviled Eggs

Our Aunt Debbie was always in charge of that one thing for each family gathering, and even though we loved her and her famous dish, these little nuggets might just surpass her regular old fare. Million Dollar Deviled Eggs take everything Aunt Debbie did and kick it up a million notches. Hard-boiled eggs become notable and even more delicious when those yolks join in a creamy mixture with yellow mustard, sweet relish, and mellow mayo, all topped with crispy crumbled bacon and freshly chopped chives. You can almost taste these Million Dollar Deviled Eggs before you even make them! Make Aunt Debbie proud (and yourself famous)! Go ahead and make some today because secretly, Aunt Deb is ready to pass on the "deviled egg torch" anyway. And you've got just the bucks, ahem, we mean just the eggs to do it! We bet you a million dollars that you are going to love them!

13. Best Caprese Salad

Do you want loads of flavor for your salad in a "caprese" sort of way? Best Caprese Salad is the winner, winner (with chicken in it) for your dinner! Balsamic marinated chicken is grilled to heavenly excellence and then tossed with crisp romaine lettuce, creamy avocado slices, juicy cherry tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella balls, then drizzled with more of that mouth-watering balsamic dressing for just the "caprese" combination you adore! The Best Caprese Salad satisfies and has all the "caprese-ness" you crave. It's certainly a winner!