Delicious Labor Day Recipes You Can Make in a Blender

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. It's our last chance to soak up the warm weather and enjoy a classic summertime celebration with friends and family. A Labor Day cookout is a delicious yearly tradition, but the fun can be dampened when you have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing for it.

This is where your Blendtec blender becomes your most valuable tool. You can create a huge variety of fresh, flavorful dishes in a fraction of the time it would normally take. This guide is filled with easy Labor Day recipes designed specifically for your blender. We will help you build a complete Labor Day menu that is perfect for any potluck or backyard gathering.

Effortless Blender Appetizers and Sauces

A great party always starts with fantastic appetizers. Instead of reaching for a store-bought dip, you can use your blender to create something fresh and memorable in just a few minutes. These recipes are perfect for serving with chips, veggie sticks, or as toppings for your main courses.

5-Minute Blender Guacamole

Guacamole is a classic cookout favorite, but getting the right texture can mean a lot of mashing and stirring. Your blender does all the work, creating a perfectly creamy dip in seconds. It is the fastest way to get a fresh, crowd-pleasing appetizer on the table.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed
• ¼ red onion, roughly chopped
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into your blender jar.
2. Secure the lid and pulse 4-5 times until the ingredients are combined but still have a slight bit of texture. Be careful not to over-blend into a puree.
3. Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.

Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce

Making your own BBQ sauce is a game-changer for any grilling menu. It allows you to control the flavor and avoid the high sugar content of many bottled sauces. The blender makes the process completely foolproof, combining all the ingredients into a perfectly smooth sauce with zero lumps.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in your blender jar.
2. Secure the lid and blend on high for 30 seconds until the sauce is completely smooth.
3. Use immediately as a marinade for BBQ chicken or brush it onto burgers and ribs during the last few minutes of grilling.

Fresh and Flavorful Blender Side Dishes

Every main dish needs a great partner. These blender side dishes are the perfect complement to classic grilling recipes like burgers and chicken. They are fresh, flavorful, and incredibly easy to prepare, making them ideal for a potluck or a large gathering.

Creamy Feta Vinaigrette for Summer Salads

A homemade vinaigrette is so much better than anything from a bottle. This recipe uses the blender to create a rich, creamy dressing that is perfect for a simple tomato salad or a more complex summer salad. The feta cheese gets emulsified, creating a smooth texture you could never get by hand.

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in your blender jar.
2. Secure the lid and blend on high for about 30-45 seconds until the dressing is perfectly smooth and creamy.
3. Pour over your favorite mixed greens, a simple tomato salad with mozzarella, or use it as a light dressing for a pasta salad.

Quick Blender Corn Salad Base

This is a fresh take on a classic corn salad. Instead of just mixing ingredients, you use the blender to create a creamy, flavorful base that coats every kernel of corn. It is a fantastic side for tacos, grilled fish, or as a dip on its own.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• ½ cup cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• ½ jalapeño, seeds removed
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups of grilled corn kernels

Instructions

1. Place the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, and salt into your blender jar.
2. Secure the lid and blend until smooth.
3. Pour the blended mixture into a bowl and stir in the remaining 2 cups of whole corn kernels. You can also add diced red onion or black beans for more texture.
4. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Satisfying Main Dishes

To make sure everyone leaves your Labor Day BBQ with a full stomach, you can make these quick, delicious, and satisfying main dishes with the help of your Blendtec blender.

Savory BBQ Chicken Sliders With Tangy Coleslaw

These BBQ chicken sliders will be a hit at your Labor Day barbecue this year. The real secret to these unbelievably easy sliders is your blender. It does all the work for you, creating perfectly shredded chicken in seconds. 

The slow-cooked BBQ chicken is incredibly tender and flavorful, and when you pile it on a soft slider bun with that creamy, tangy coleslaw, you get a bite that is absolutely out of this world. This is the kind of recipe that will make you feel like a master chef, even though it’s almost ridiculously simple to make.

Ingredients For BBQ Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken breast
• 1 recipe Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce
• ½  medium yellow onion, grated
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Slider buns
• Optional: mozzarella cheese for topping

Ingredients For Tangy Coleslaw

• 6 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 2 medium carrots, sliced thinly into peels or ribboned
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey or real maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare BBQ Chicken: Begin by grating the yellow onion. Whisk Smoky Homemade BBQ Sauce, grated onion, juice, and brown sugar together in a bowl. Place chicken breast in a slow cooker, and evenly cover with BBQ sauce mixture. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
2. Prepare Coleslaw: In your Blendtec, blend mayo, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey or real maple syrup, celery seed, salt, and pepper. In a large mixing bowl, combine green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix until evenly coated. Let the coleslaw marinate in the fridge while the BBQ chicken cooks for a more impactful flavor.
3. Shred Chicken: Once your chicken has cooked, use tongs to remove one chicken breast and place it in your Blendtec blender. Pulse 2-3 times, pausing between each pulse to check the texture and ensure it isn’t being over-processed. Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker and repeat with each chicken breast. Thoroughly mix the shredded chicken with the sauce. This method will save you from the tedious, time-consuming process of shredding chicken by hand.
4. Assemble Sliders: Use tongs to put chicken on the bottom slider bun, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the chicken, and top with the tangy coleslaw. Secure the top bun to the slider with a toothpick and serve.

Chipotle Lime Grilled Shrimp Kebabs With Chimichurri

Using your blender makes whipping up both the smoky chipotle-lime marinade for the shrimp and that vibrant, fresh chimichurri sauce super easy. In minutes, you'll have perfectly marinated shrimp ready for the grill and a delicious sauce to go with it. 

These skewers are grilled in just a couple of minutes, making them the perfect main dish for your Labor Day barbecue. They look gourmet but are low-effort to pull off, leaving you with more time to relax and enjoy the long weekend instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Ingredients for Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kebabs

• 2 pounds shrimp
• 1/3 cup adobo sauce
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
  

Ingredients for Blender Chimichurri

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Make Chipotle Lime Shrimp Marinade: In your Blendtec blender, blend chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, red onion, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt until smooth.
2. Marinade Shrimp: In a large bowl, pour the marinade over raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp. Mix thoroughly to ensure the shrimp is evenly coated in the marinade. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for an hour.
3. Make Chimichurri Sauce: In your Blendtec blender, combine all ingredients and pulse, scraping the side between pulses to ensure even texture. Pulse the ingredients until the chimichurri reaches your desired texture.
4. Grill Shrimp: Prepare your grill and aim for 450- 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Skewer shrimp and place on the grill for two minutes on each side.
5. Serve: Either brush the chimichurri sauce directly on top of the shrimp skewers, or serve on the side.

Make Your Labor Day Recipes Extra Delicious With Blendtec

At Blendtec, we have all of the tools you need to spend less time in the kitchen, all while enjoying incredibly delicious recipes. Our collection of high-powered blenders opens the door to a whole new level of ease during meals and cleanup. With our top-of-the-line blenders and a huge variety of different recipes, Blendtec will transform the way you cook. Shop our collection of blenders today and experience the difference for yourself.