Holidays & Occasions Father's Day 32 Father's Day Cookout Recipes Dad is Sure to Love By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 1, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez Celebrating Dad is serious business. From keeping us laughing (and cringing) at the dinner table to executing every one of Mama's spring to-dos, he works hard all year long. Show him how much you appreciate him with this array of spectacular Father's Day dinner ideas that he's sure to love. We've covered everything you'll need to host an impressive cookout with the whole family, and they're sure to ask you for these Father's Day recipes before they leave. So what's on the menu? All the good things, like Loaded Hot Dogs with Everything Hot Dog Buns, plenty of steak options (of course), sides (mac and cheese and dips to rival the meat and potatoes), plus desserts. Cool trifles of the fruit and chocolate variety, popsicles, and cake line the sideboard. With such a thoughtful and tasty menu, Dad is sure to feel love and appreciation with these recipes straight from the heart. 01 of 32 Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings Bring the heat with wings that use a little Gochujan and fresh ginger for their spicy kick. 02 of 32 Hot Crab-and-Artichoke Dip Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey Recipe: Hot Crab-and-Artichoke Dip This dip might just steal the thunder of Dad's favorite steak or burger. Make it and you'll find out! 03 of 32 Banana Pudding Cake Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Banana Pudding Cake If Dad loves banana pudding, this cake is an absolute must on your Father's Day cookout menu. 04 of 32 Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing This salad is a great way to add some greens to the cookout table. Pair juicy slices of pork with grilled peaches on a vibrant bed of baby arugula and call it good. 05 of 32 Rotel Sausage Dip Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Rotel Sausage Dip Just six ingredients and incredibly easy, it's not hard to whip up a batch of this beloved dip for Dad. 06 of 32 Banana Pudding Southern Living Recipe: Banana Pudding This dessert mainstay is super simple but never fails to please. Watch Dad (and everyone) come around for seconds. 07 of 32 Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad Packed with fresh okra, crunchy bacon, bright corn, and heirloom tomatoes, our spin on the cobb salad is a welcome side dish. 08 of 32 Pickled Watermelon Rind Slaw Southern Living Recipe: Pickled Watermelon Rind Slaw Summer without watermelon? Never heard of it. Make sure to serve this Pickled Watermelon Rind Slaw at the Father's Day cookout. 09 of 32 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Chocolate Delight As the name implies, this creamy dessert will elicit squeals of delight. Cut us an extra slice and we'll be right over. 10 of 32 Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese What's better than plain mac and cheese? Not much, but the addition of pulled pork sure does pack a nice, meaty punch. 11 of 32 Sweet Onion and Bacon Dip Micah A. Leal Recipe: Sweet Onion and Bacon Dip If Dad loves French onion dip, be sure to serve him this homemade rendition on Father's Day. 12 of 32 Peach Shortcake Trifle Pam Lolley; Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Shortcake Trifle If you want a truly show-stopping Father's Day cookout dessert, look no further than our Peach Shortcake Trifle. It makes good use of the summer's ripest peaches, which are tucked between tender wedges of cake and pillowy whipped cream. 13 of 32 Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak Bring a restaurant-quality steak to the Father's Day picnic table with our Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak. It's a juicy, bone-in cut with minimal effort. We're sure Dad will love it. 14 of 32 Chocolate-Banana Custard Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Chocolate-Banana Custard Pie Chocolate cream pie and banana pudding got together and the result is this luscious dessert featuring a rich chocolate custard, fresh sliced bananas, and a whole mountain of whipped cream. 15 of 32 Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce Instead of slinging burgers at the Father's Day cookout, how about these Grilled Chicken Sandwiches? Our Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce delivers a sweet, tangy note without smothering the meat, and it stores well, too. 16 of 32 Dad's Mac and Cheese Anisha Sisodia Recipe: Dad's Mac and Cheese If you had to serve only one side for Father's Day, make it Lazarus Lynch's recipe for Dad's Mac and Cheese. So the story goes, this dish never lasted long at the family restaurant. Watch it fly off the picnic table. 17 of 32 Caramelized Onion Dip Getty Images / 7886565 Recipe: Caramelized Onion Dip This delicious dip also couldn't be easier to prepare. The most difficult step? Turning those onions golden brown and translucent, which yields a sweet, rich flavor. 18 of 32 Red Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Red Potato Salad Loaded with bacon, fresh herbs, and zingy dressing, this variation of the mainstay potato salad will fly off the picnic table. 19 of 32 Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter Sure, grilled chicken and corn are good by themselves or with a nice, tangy barbecue sauce. But, may we suggest some Charred Scallion-Lime Butter for Dad's special day? It's pleasantly smoky and can be prepared in advance, making for an effortless main dish. 20 of 32 Brownie Trifle William Dickey; Styling: Cari South Recipe: Brownie Trifle Elegant, rich, convenient. With the help of some brownie mix, this trifle is a breeze to throw together. One taste, however, and you'll find that it's no trifling matter. 21 of 32 Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad One way to garner plenty of praise at the Father's Day cookout? Show up with this potato salad. It's all in the name. 22 of 32 Watermelon-Braised Pork Shoulder Steaks Stephen DeVries; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Watermelon-Braised Pork Shoulder Steaks With miso, Sambal sauce, mirin, and summer watermelon, this dish will be an unexpected delight on the cookout table. 23 of 32 Grilled Chicken Thighs with Alabama White Sauce Southern Living Recipe: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Alabama White Sauce Sure, you could grill your chicken and call it a day. Or, you could serve it up with a batch of famous Alabama White Sauce. That's a winning combination right there. 24 of 32 Spinach-Artichoke Dip Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Spinach-Artichoke Dip Southerners know an exceptional dip is a one-way ticket to hostess Heaven. Here's the one that'll get you there. 25 of 32 Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese Hector Sanchez Recipe: Southern Pimiento Mac and Cheese Chef's tip: Undercook the pasta by a minute. That way, it'll be just the right consistency when you take it out of the broiler. 26 of 32 Root Beer Float Ice Pops Photography and Prop Styling: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Root Beer Float Ice Pops If Dad loves a root beer float, put these popsicles on the menu. Creamy and refreshing, it's a dessert that'll be a hit with the kids, too. 27 of 32 Fresh Fruit Salad Jen Causey Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad Bright, light, and refreshing, this simple salad will give everyone a much-needed break from all the meat and potatoes. 28 of 32 Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak If you want a superior crust, the key is to use a piping hot skillet right off the grill—just don't forget those mitts. 29 of 32 Alabama Hush Puppies Southern Living Recipe: Alabama Hush Puppies The lore of the hush puppy is rich, varied, and positively delicious. There'll be no complaints if a basket of these land on the Father's Day cookout picnic table. 30 of 32 Grilled Potato Salad Oxmoor House Recipe: Grilled Potato Salad If you're firing up the grill for burgers and dogs, throw on some potatoes, too. The flavor and smoke add a new spin on the classic salad that Dad's sure to love. 31 of 32 Tangy Rainbow Slaw Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Tangy Rainbow Slaw For some much-needed crunch on the cookout table, try this Tangy Rainbow Slaw. Purple cabbage, carrots, and cilantro create a colorful, flavorful medley dressed with olive oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, and a little sugar. 32 of 32 Husk BBQ's Cheesy Collard Green Dip Andrew Cebulka Recipe: Husk BBQ's Cheesy Collard Green Dip Give the average cheese dip a Southern spin with some collard greens. We don't think it gets any more Southern than that. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit