Holidays & Occasions Memorial Day 25 Last-Minute Desserts To Make For Your Memorial Day Cookout By Grace Haynes Grace Haynes Grace is a former Associate Homes Editor for Southern Living. She covered a variety of topics for print and digital, from design and flower arranging to cottage gardens and pets. Before moving to the Homes team, she joined Southern Living as a copy editor. Off the clock, find her strolling through neighborhoods around the South to admire the houses and snapping photos of colorful front doors. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on December 22, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Memorial Day celebrations with your family and friends this year should be all fun and no stress. Lucky for you, there is no need to sweat it if you've waited until the last minute to decide what dessert to make for a backyard barbecue, pool party, or lakeside gathering that you'll be attending this Memorial Day. These quick and easy last-minute Memorial Day recipes can come together in a breeze on the day of your patriotic celebration. There are even several options that don't even require you to turn on the oven for baking and a few of these easy recipes only require a handful of ingredients to pull together. From fruity pies like our No-Bake Strawberry Pie to chocolaty treats like Cream Cheese Brownies and many more, these summery desserts are sure to be crowd-pleasers. Looking for more inspiration? Check out this collection of no-bake desserts you'll want to make all season long. 01 of 25 No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas Though it requires a couple of hours to set, this no-bake pie is a simple-to-make treat. Whip together cream cheese, condensed milk, and lemon juice and pour into the gingersnap crust. If desired, top with whipped cream, gingersnap crumbs, and lemon peel twists. 02 of 25 Cakey Strawberry Cobbler Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Desserts made in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish are ideal for cookout crowds. Though the dessert takes about 45 minutes to bake, there are just 10 minutes of prep time before you pop it in the oven. Cut into squares and serve with a generous dollop of sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 03 of 25 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Jennifer Causey You can never go wrong whipping together a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Plus, you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand in your kitchen. The browned butter is adds a nutty flavor and is what really sets these cookies apart from your standard chocolate chip cookies. 04 of 25 Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Turn the box of white cake mix in your pantry into 24 summer-ready cupcakes. Then frost with a homemade strawberry-jam buttercream. Garnish with fresh berries, lemon slices, or pink and yellow sprinkles and serve at your cookout alongside a tall glass of lemonade. 05 of 25 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Caitlin Bensel Pull together a refreshing ice cream cake in just 20 minutes and with six ingredients. This recipe layers store-bought ice cream sandwiches with whipped cream. Drizzle chocolate syrup and crushed cookies on top. 06 of 25 Mixed Berry Slab Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen This pie is not only patriotic in color, but making it on a sheet pan instead of in a regular pie plate make sure there is plenty to go around. We provide a recipe for homemade Slab Pie Crust, though you could buy refrigerated crust—we won't tell. 07 of 25 Cream Cheese Brownies Micah A. Leal Upgrade homemade brownies with a cream cheese mixture. These ultra-gooey brownies are dense, chocolatey, and swirled with cream cheese for an extra rich and tangy layer. Bake for 35 minutes and allow to cool before cutting. 08 of 25 Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream Caitlin Bensel Wow your guests by pulling this homemade ice cream out of the freezer when dessert time comes around. This is also an egg-free, no-cook dessert, and all you need is your electric ice cream maker and a little freezing time. 09 of 25 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey This tropical take on pound cake requires just 15 minutes of hands-on time. You can focus on preparing the rest of the meal while it's in the oven. Then whisk together a Key Lime glaze and brush the top and sides for citrusy flavor. 10 of 25 Real Banana Pudding Jennifer Davick Homemade banana pudding is a dessert that's welcome at any summer gathering. Much of the preparation involves assembly. The homemade pudding cooks quickly, and dessert can be served shortly after its brief time in the oven. 11 of 25 Lemon-Lime Poke Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis A poke cake is exactly what it sounds like—poking holes all over the top of a baked cake, creating channels through which filling can seep down into the cake. In this recipe for Lemon-Lime Poke Cake, we use mixture of citrus-spiked sweetened condensed milk and buttermilk to add a double-dose of moisture to standard white cake. Cool for an hour and add whipped topping right before serving. 12 of 25 Fresh Peach Cobbler PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED HARDY II, FOOD STYLIST: EMILY NABORS HALL, PROPS STYLIST: CHRISTINA BROCKMAN Grab some fresh peaches and combine them with some pantry staples for a classic summer dessert that will please any crowd. Our easiest peach cobbler ever is quick to throw together and can be served warm or cold. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream. 13 of 25 Strawberries-And-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez This easy-to-make sheet cake delivers not only a pretty presentation but also enough servings to feed a larger crowd. Strawberry gelatin and buttermilk are whipped into the batter for mouthwatering flavor. Ice with our fresh Strawberry Frosting and decorate with whole berries. 14 of 25 Lemon-Almond Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez These best-loved bars will fly off the dessert table. Ginger adds spice to the typical lemon bar, while the almond crust adds crunch. For quick cleanup and easy serving, line the bottom and sides of the pan with foil before adding the dough. 15 of 25 Chewy Peanut Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez All you need is a microwave to whip up these quick-fix chocolate-peanut butter bars. This is really a blondie at heart, but topped with semi-sweet chocolate and salted peanuts. And it only requires 15 minutes of cooling time before serving. 16 of 25 Easy Blackberry Cobbler John O'Hagan This delicious summer dessert comes together in less than hour—no chopping or stovetop cooking required. Use fresh fruit from the farmers' market, your local fruit stand, or even the grocery store. We like eating it warm with a healthy scoop of ice cream. 17 of 25 Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Two of our favorite summer flavors come together in a grab-and-go version of a classic dessert. The toffee-glazed pecan pieces add a streusel-like crunch. Bakes for one hour; cool before cutting. 18 of 25 Egg Custard Pie Antonis Achilleos This homey, old-fashioned pie deserves a comeback not only because it's delicious, but also because it's so easy to pull off. Use refrigerated pie crusts for quick results in this otherwise traditional recipe. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. 19 of 25 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Dump cakes derive their name from the method in which they are made—dumping ingredients into a pan to make a delicious (and oh-so-easy) cake. This dump cake combines a can of cherry pie filling and a drained can of pineapple tidbits with a box of yellow cake. Add a melted stick of butter, and you've done all the necessary preparation for a dessert that's sure to please the crowd. 20 of 25 Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake Alison Miksch Quick to prepare and easy to transport, this fruit-filled dessert is certain to be popular at your Memorial Day gathering. Good thing it serves 12. The vanilla-flavored cornmeal batter provides a not-too-sweet base for fresh fruit, and some freshly whipped cream finishes it off. 21 of 25 Blueberry Galette Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck This jammy, fruit-filled dessert is even easier than pie. You don't even have to make dough—it's always a good idea to keep frozen puff pastry in the freezer for occasions like this. Our jammy blueberry filling includes culinary lavender, which can be omitted if you don't have it on hand. 22 of 25 S'Mores Pie Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray No oven is required for this cooling version of everyone's favorite campfire treat. This rich and creamy recipe brings together the key components—graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chunks, marshmallow crème—but in a no-bake pie. Give your dessert about three hours to chill before serving. 23 of 25 Millionaire Pie Micah A. Leal In this old-school Southern dessert, pineapple, cherries, coconut flakes, and pecans are suspended in sweet whipped topping. A gelatin mixture holds this dessert together. Pour into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate for one hour. 24 of 25 Heavenly Key Lime Pie The classic Floridian pie comes together quickly with a store-bought graham cracker crust. Mix four ingredients, pour into crust, bake for 15 minutes, and allow to chill. Nothing could be simpler or sweeter. 25 of 25 Chocolate Delight Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely This dessert using chocolate and vanilla pudding mixes is easy to pull together the morning of your Memorial Day gathering. The simple pecan crust is baked before putting the layers together. Just allow two hours for chilling. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit