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    Home » Recipes » Holiday Recipes

    Published: Aug 24, 2022 · Modified: Sep 1, 2023 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliates

    Labor Day Recipes (2023)

    Four image collage with orange text overlay featuring desserts for Labor Day.

    If you're in need of no-fuss, crowd-pleasing ideas for Labor Day, this post is for you. Full of sweet and savory Summer recipes for this holiday weekend. This post is updated every year with the most relevant content.

    Table of Contents Open
    Why do we commemorate Labor Day?
    Make ahead recipes
    Recipe roundup
    Mango Corn Salsa
    Easy Little Smokies
    Eggplant Hummus
    Tomato Focaccia
    Blue Cheese Burgers
    Easy Baked Ricotta
    Homemade French Onion Dip
    Fresh Peach Chutney
    Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
    Quick Pickled Cucumbers
    Best Chimichurri Sauce
    Mushroom Leek Quiche
    Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
    Best White Wine Sangria (easy summer recipe)
    Passion Fruit Iced Tea (4 ingredients)
    Homemade Lemonade
    Cucumber Lime Water
    Best Rosé Sangria (easy recipe)
    Buckeye Fudge
    Peanut Butter Brownies
    Mexican Wedding Cookies
    Chocolate Nut Cookies
    Lemon Crinkles
    Cheesecake Raspberry Brownies
    Walnut Chip Oatmeal Cookies
    Dump Cake Recipe
    Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
    Caramel Apple Dump Cake
    Chocolate Sheet Cake
    Zucchini Bundt Cake
    Peach Dump Cake
    Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie (no bake)
    Strawberry Jello Pie
    Cheesecake Pie
    Black Forest Tarts
    Frozen Strawberry Pie
    Banoffee Pie
    Oreo Ice Cream (no-churn recipe)
    Condensed Milk Ice Cream
    No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream (best recipe)
    Homemade Lemon Ice Cream (no-churn recipe)
    Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream (easy no-churn recipe)
    Creamy Cheesecake Ice Cream (best no-churn recipe)
    Glass dish with half eaten peaches in syrup, biscuit topping and silver spoon.


    Why do we commemorate Labor Day?

    It's a holiday that dates back to the 19th century and celebrates worker's movements and their achievements and honors workers in general for their contributions to society.

    Worldwide is mostly known as May Day and is celebrated on the 1st of that month.

    Make ahead recipes

    Several of the recipes in this post can be made ahead and either kept refrigerated or frozen.

    Even if you make them a few days before you plan to serve them, it's a great way to divide the task over several days and have more time to entertain and enjoy the holiday weekend.

    Check out our Freezer Baking and Desserts guide for more details about freezing baked goods.

    Recipe roundup

    I find that this is the perfect event for a great display of easy recipes full of summer colors and bursting flavors.

    SAVORY

    Close up of mango corn salsa in a grey bowl with lime wedge and chips.

    Mango Corn Salsa

    A flavorful, fresh, and healthy salsa that is the perfect combination of sweet and savory with a little kick. Use it as a dip with tortilla chips, a topping for tacos and grilled meats, or a side dish.

    Get the recipe
    Wooden board and grey napkin with white bowl full of cocktail sausages, fork, mustard and props around

    Easy Little Smokies

    The easiest sweet and smoky appetizer ever! There's hardly any prep work (4-ingredients!) and less than 5 minutes on the stove are needed to enjoy this appetizer.

    Get the recipe
    White bowl with eggplant hummus on wooden board. Parsley and olive oil garnish.

    Eggplant Hummus

    Whether you char or bake the eggplant, this dip has a smoky, deep, fabulous flavor! An easy recipe that is ready in 45 minutes.

    Get the recipe
    Close up of round tomato focaccia bread cut in squares on white surface

    Tomato Focaccia

    Sometimes called focaccia bread, this is a simple dough with few ingredients. The result is spectacular: golden crust, salty and oily in the best possible way, with unparalleled crunchiness.

    Get the recipe
    Burger with blue cheese stuffing and mushrooms on a golden bun. Wooden board and white background.

    Blue Cheese Burgers

    Juicy burgers stuffed with melted blue cheese, cooked in a skillet and served with a delectable mushroom and caramelized onion mixture on a warm bun! These are the ultimate blue cheeseburgers.

    Get the recipe
    Grey round dish with baked ricotta topped with tomatoes, white linen underneath, olives in background.

    Easy Baked Ricotta

    This simple recipe is a great appetizer that is quick and easy to make. It can be mixed by hand or in the food processor if you want a smoother texture.

    Get the recipe
    Yellow shallow ramekin with caramelized Onion Dip surrounded by potato chips

    Homemade French Onion Dip

    This is the ultimate game day and barbecue appetizer with a fantastic dip with caramelized onions. Easy to make and flavorful!

    Get the recipe
    Peach chutney - GWS Cover

    Fresh Peach Chutney

    Spicy, sweet, and tangy, this fresh peach chutney has a quality of freshness and is a perfect companion for meats and sandwiches. Make a large batch and take advantage of summer peaches!

    Get the recipe
    Dripping glass jar of barbecue sauce on wooden table, a spoon beside

    Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

    Two amazing recipes for the best homemade barbecue sauce. With lots of flavors, easy to make, and they keep for weeks!

    Get the recipe
    Fork with Pickled Cucumbers, jar underneath, white table, kitchen cloth

    Quick Pickled Cucumbers

    These are super easy to make and exactly what their name implies: a quick, delicious pickle that keeps very well.

    Get the recipe
    Top view of glass jar with chimichurri sauce and silver spoon, white surface

    Best Chimichurri Sauce

    Authentic recipe from Argentina. Super flavorful, with garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, and vinegar, it's the perfect sauce for barbecued meats.

    Get the recipe
    Hands holding square mushroom quiche

    Mushroom Leek Quiche

    Quiche is a fancy tart, with a buttery crust and a rich creamy filling. Mushrooms and leeks make this recipe an extraordinary one, full of flavor.

    Get the recipe

    DRINKS

    With and without alcohol.

    Two tall glasses of spiked blueberry lemonade with lemon slices and rosemary sprigs. Beige background.

    Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

    This simple blend of homemade blueberry lemonade and vodka creates a refreshing drink that's a bit sweet, tangy and boozy, the perfect cocktail for sipping on a hot summer day.

    Get the recipe
    A stem glass with white wine sangria, orange slice. Grey surface, fruit pieces.

    Best White Wine Sangria (easy summer recipe)

    Making sangria takes 10 minutes and lasts for hours, making it a perfect drink for hot day gatherings and brunch. It's a great pitcher cocktail to make during the summer months.  

    Get the recipe
    Two tall glasses with passion fruit tea on white marble board. Passionfruit halves, long spoon, grey background.

    Passion Fruit Iced Tea (4 ingredients)

    A unique twist to your regular iced tea, this refreshing Passionfruit Tea uses few ingredients, comes together quickly and can be made ahead. 

    Get the recipe
    Jar of lemonade with lemon slices being stirred on a light wooden table.

    Homemade Lemonade

    Lemonade is refreshing and super easy! Making it at home allows for customization of the sweetness and tartness levels to suit your taste. It's typically chilled and served over ice, making it perfect for hot weather. 

    Get the recipe
    Cucumber mint lime water in a glass on a peach surface with whitish background; a tray with ingredients.

    Cucumber Lime Water

    Look no further than this cucumber lime agua fresca for a refreshing and hydrating drink. You can have a large jug prepared in the fridge all day.

    Get the recipe
    Glasses of rosé wine sangria with strawberries and orange slices on a wood board. Mint leaves.

    Best Rosé Sangria (easy recipe)

    Let me introduce you to this wonderful rose sangria recipe, the perfect summer drink that takes 10 minutes to prepare and lasts several hours.

    Get the recipe

    BARS & COOKIES

    No holiday cookout or gathering can be without brownies and cookies.

    Three squares of peanut butter chocolate fudge on a white paper and white surface.

    Buckeye Fudge

    This is an easy peanut butter chocolate fudge recipe, a creamy confection similar to the ever-popular buckeye candies. It's a no-bake recipe that uses few ingredients and keeps very well.

    Get the recipe
    Close-up of peanut butter brownie square on gold wire rack, white surface

    Peanut Butter Brownies

    Incredibly gooey and delicious, this recipe takes these little morsels up a million notches! They keep for days and can be frozen.

    Get the recipe
    Crumbly round butter cookie, bitten, white surface with crumbs and powdered sugar

    Mexican Wedding Cookies

    Melt-in-your-mouth, easy-to-make almond cookies using 4 ingredients that will bring raves.

    Get the recipe
    White and pink surface with chocolate walnut cookies, whole and half

    Chocolate
    Nut Cookies

    These are intense chocolate cookies. They have nuts, a shiny, crackly skin, and a fudgy center with chocolate chips that is gooey and incredibly rich.

    Get the recipe
    Stack of lemon crinkle cookies, white cloth with color dots, green leaves in background

    Lemon Crinkles

    Since Lemon Crinkle Cookies are a crowd-pleaser, let me tell you this is the only recipe you'll ever need. They’re simply sensational!

    Get the recipe
    Top view of cheesecake brownie squares with raspberries on a wooden board.

    Cheesecake Raspberry Brownies

    A layer of chocolate batter is swirled with a cheesecake mixture and raspberries. Fudgy and scrumptious.

    Get the recipe
    Close up of eaten oatmeal chip cookie on top of stack of cookies on grey surface.

    Walnut Chip Oatmeal Cookies

    Chewy, soft oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts. An easy one-bowl cookie dough recipe that can be made ahead and frozen! 

    Get the recipe

    CAKES & DESSERTS

    I narrowed down my favorite dessert recipes for this time of year, which was difficult.

    Striped blue white kitchen towel with white bowl containing serving of cherry cobbler with ice cream. A gold spoon, white marble surface.

    Dump Cake Recipe

    Also known as a cobbler with cake mix, this effortless fruit dessert comes together quickly. This recipe is the classic, original dump cake, with a layer of canned pie filling and a topping made with a boxed cake mix.

    Get the recipe
    Glass dish with half eaten peaches in syrup, biscuit topping and silver spoon.

    Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

    A simple peach cobbler with a juicy fruit layer and a simple buttery biscuit topping. A quick and easy recipe that's out of the oven in an hour and can be frozen.

    Get the recipe
    Caramel topped ice cream scoop over apple dump cake in white bowl, white napkin

    Caramel Apple Dump Cake

    This is a very simple recipe. A layer of apple pie filling is topped with the easiest 2-ingredient crumble for a cobbler-like dessert everyone will rave about.

    Get the recipe
    Dripping iced chocolate cake squares on metal pan.

    Chocolate
    Sheet Cake

    An old-fashioned sheet cake with great chocolate flavor. The top layer is crackly outside but remains gooey and rather soft inside.

    Get the recipe
    Partial view of glazed bundt cake on white cake stand, silver cake server, white background

    Zucchini
    Bundt Cake

    It has a crunchy cinnamon streusel that you'll want more of and the crumb is fluffy and bursting with grated zucchini. It keeps very well for several days and needs no more than a simple glaze.

    Get the recipe
    A white bowl with peach dump cake, blue spoon

    Peach Dump Cake

    An easy dessert, similar to a cobbler, that includes a shortcut: cake mix. A layer of juicy peaches with a crunchy topping that bakes to a golden brown and is fantastic!

    Get the recipe

    PIES & TARTS

    Traditional pies and wonderful desserts that your pickiest eaters will approve of.

    Light grey background with slice of pineapple cheesecake pie on a white cake server.

    Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie (no bake)

    Meet the mouthwatering pineapple cheesecake pie – a dessert that's as easy to make as it is to devour. It's an incredibly delicious dessert with a cookie crust and a 5-ingredient, no-bake filling.

    Get the recipe
    One slice of strawberry pie on two white plates

    Strawberry
    Jello Pie

    A great seasonal dessert with homemade crust, a sweet, well-balanced filling, lots of strawberry flavor, and cream topping.

    Get the recipe
    A slice of cheesecake pie on grey plate, bite of cheesecake on a silver fork.

    Cheesecake Pie

    This is an easy cheesecake recipe. You'll get more crust and less filling than with a regular cheesecake, and trust me, it's fantastic!

    Get the recipe
    Hand holding small chocolate cream tart with whole cheeries on top

    Black Forest Tarts

    These tarts have the perfect chocolate crust, a layer of raspberry jam, sweet cherries, whipped cream, and chocolate shards!

    Get the recipe
    White ceramic dish with eaten strawberry cheesecake pie topped with fresh strawberries.

    Frozen
    Strawberry Pie

    A no-bake strawberry dessert, similar to an icebox pie. It has a graham cracker crumb crust, a layer of strawberry sauce, and condensed milk in the filling.

    Get the recipe
    Close up slice of banoffee pie on grey plate, another serving in background

    Banoffee Pie

    A cookie crust, gooey dulce de leche, a mound of whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. Easy to put together and delicious!

    Get the recipe

    ICE CREAM (no-churn)

    Super easy and a crowd-pleaser!

    Metal loaf pan with Oreo ice cream and a silver ice cream scoop.

    Oreo Ice Cream (no-churn recipe)

    A no-churn vanilla ice cream base with crushed cookies, a smooth and creamy texture and an irresistible cookies-and-cream flavor. 

    Get the recipe
    Scooping vanilla ice in a beige bowl. Pink and light blue background.

    Condensed Milk Ice Cream

    This no-churn vanilla ice cream is smooth, creamy, and irresistible. With only 3 ingredients, it is easy to make and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

    Get the recipe
    Scoops of strawberry ice cream in white bowl, more strawberries around, white surface, grey background.

    No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream (best recipe)

    This is the easiest homemade ice cream with an outstanding fresh strawberry flavor! A no-churn, 4-ingredient recipe made mostly in the blender (no need for an ice cream maker) that also works with frozen berries. 

    Get the recipe

    Homemade Lemon Ice Cream (no-churn recipe)

    This homemade lemon ice cream recipe is very easy to make and big in flavor. With a ripple of lemon curd, it has a smooth, velvety texture and irresistible taste.

    Get the recipe
    A waffle cone with scoops of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. Grey background, vintage spoon.

    Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream (easy no-churn recipe)

    This homemade chocolate ice cream recipe is very easy to make with a deep chocolate flavor. With just 4 ingredients and no added sugar, it's a no-churn recipe with a smooth, velvety texture and irresistible taste.

    Get the recipe
    Mint green background with vanilla ice cream being scooped into a glass.

    Creamy Cheesecake Ice Cream (best no-churn recipe)

    If you're looking for a homemade vanilla ice cream that tastes like cheesecake, this frozen treat combines the best of both worlds with its creamy texture and irresistible taste.

    Get the recipe

    So, these are recipes to celebrate the last of summer days. Enjoy the day and eat deliciously!

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    More Holiday Recipes

    • Light grey plate with serving of green bean casserole. Two silver forks.
      Green Bean Casserole (without mushroom soup)
    • Top view of wooden board with dulce de leche squares.
      Dulce de Leche Fudge
    • Two glasses of cranberry sangria with orange on a metal tray. White bowls with cranberries.
      Cranberry Sangria
    • Streusel topped apple bread slices on a wooden board. White surface with cloth and green apples.
      Dutch Apple Bread (with cinnamon crumble)

    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. Liz says

      September 03, 2017 at 1:55 pm

      SO many terrific suggestions, Paula! I may have to rethink our holiday menu!!! xo

      Reply
    2. Abbe@This is How I Cook says

      September 02, 2017 at 2:53 pm

      What great end of summer ideas. Between the plum tart and the potato salads, I am full!

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        September 02, 2017 at 7:25 pm

        Thanks Abbe!

        Reply
        • Bertha Eastwood says

          September 01, 2022 at 7:30 am

          Thanks for the great recipes and easy to make

        • Paula Montenegro says

          September 01, 2022 at 6:17 pm

          Thanks for stopping by Bertha!

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    Hi, I'm Paula!

    A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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