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10 Father’s Day Meals to Show Your Dad Some Love

"I love dad" spelled out with pancakes in a skillet.
Rimma Bondarenko/Shutterstock

Shopping for your dad can be challenging, but cooking up his favorite meal is a sure way to put a smile on his face! From juicy burgers to fancy lobster meals, here are 10 dad-approved dishes you can serve up this Father’s Day.

Selecting the perfect recipe, gathering ingredients, and crafting a meal for someone is a sure way to show how much you care. So, this year, take the time to whip up any one of these delicious selections to celebrate dads!

Breakfast of Champions

A seared bone-in rib eye steak, topped with fresh chimichurri sauce, with a side of two sunny-side-up eggs.
The Tasting Table

If breakfast is your dad’s favorite meal, then take the time to make him his favorite. You can keep it simple, with some fluffy scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, or take it up a notch with any of these morning-meal ideas.

Eggs Benedict

If you’re looking for a spectacular meal that screams “I love you,” eggs benedict with a homemade hollandaise sauce will do the trick.

You’ll learn to make the creamy mother sauce and a trick for poaching eggs without the whites dispersing into the hot water. It’s a bit of an involved recipe, but every bite is truly worth every minute you spend making it.

Get the Recipe: NY Times

Belgian Waffles

If your dad has more of a sweet tooth, then homemade Belgian waffles will undoubtedly do the trick. These thick, fluffy works of genius offer flawless indented holes (or squares) to hold the syrup (and dad’s other fave toppings) in place.

Finish them off with classic, pure maple syrup, or take it up a notch with some sliced fruit, freshly made whipped cream, caramel sauce, or chocolate syrup. You know your dad best, so embellish your waffles accordingly.

Get the Recipe: The Salty Marshmallow

Chimichurri Steak and Eggs

Here’s another breakfast of champions! This one features that famous duo: steak and eggs. A seared bone-in ribeye is topped with a minty, herbed chimichurri, and accompanied by a few eggs cooked the way your dad likes them.

This meal will certainly impress your pops if he’s a steak kind of guy. We recommend you ask him how he likes his steak cooked beforehand. Understanding the degrees of doneness is essential when cooking a mighty steak. Here’s how to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of any meat.

Get the Recipe: The Tasting Table

Light Lunch Options

Two tacos stuffed with grilled shrimp and avocado salsa next to a slice of lime.
Once Upon a Chef

Maybe mornings are too hectic, or dad just wants to sleep in for once. If that’s the case, try grilling up any of these light-yet-flavorful lunches.

Grilled Caprese Quesadillas

If you haven’t had the opportunity to munch on some crunchy grilled quesadillas, now’s your chance. This is the fancy version, but anything goes! If your dad loves chicken and cheese with a side of sour cream, then go that route.

If he loves tasting new and exciting foods, though, these caprese quesadillas might be just the meal for him. Serve these tortillas delights with a side salad or tomato basil soup.

Get the Recipe: Taste of Home

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Here’s another casual, yet tasty, treat to grill up for dad this Father’s Day. You’ll learn to make a spicy salsa from scratch using avocado, lime juice, minced jalapeños, and diced tomatoes.

Then, you just toss the shrimp in some chili powder and a pinch of cayenne to create a mouthwatering lunch.

Get the Recipe: Once Upon a Chef

Grilled Veggie Naan-Wich

Keep things simple with a grilled sandwich made with fresh veggies and homemade cheese spread.

This stuffed sandwich includes mushrooms, squash, zucchini, and fresh garlic, making each crunchy bite both healthy and delicious.

Get the Recipe: Food Network

Dinner for the Win

A beefy burger, filled with blue cheese crumbles, topped with whiskey caramelized onions, with arugula on a pretzel bun.
The Chunky Chef

Here are four specially concocted meals your dad or husband will rave about—especially since you made it for him.

Whiskey Glazed Blue Cheese Burgers

Taking the time to build a behemoth burger is yet another sure way to show your love. You craft the patties with a blue-cheese-crumbled center. Once they’re seared and cooked to the desired degree of doneness, you can start the build.

This tasty, Irish-inspired burger is smothered with Guinness-infused, caramelized onions and a Jameson whiskey glaze. If your dad or husband is a burger and beer kind of guy, this meal is perfect for him.

Get the Recipe: The Chunky Chef

Steak and Lobster with Spicy Garlic Chimichurri

Surf-and-turf is another fan favorite, and if you don’t mind spending a pretty penny, give this recipe a try. A flawlessly seared ribeye and half lobster tail, topped with a melted chimichurri compound butter will, without a doubt, amaze your dad.

No need for steak sauce—these are full of flavor and pair nicely with homemade french fries topped with sea salt.

Get the Recipe: Half Baked Harvest

Garlic Butter Steak Tips

If you love the idea of an impressive steak dinner but don’t have the funds for a full-on surf-and-turf, these steak tips will do the trick.

This steak-bites recipe calls for well-priced sirloin steak, which is lean, yet still pretty tender. You can also upgrade to a ribeye or New York strip, if you like. Serve this meaty dinner with corn on the cob and loaded baked potatoes.

Get the Recipe: Dinner at the Zoo

Grilled Pizza

Here’s a pretty neat idea for all the pizza-loving dad’s out there. You can use the outdoor grill to cook up one of his favorite meals. This recipe is pretty versatile, and you can choose dad’s desired toppings.

Get the Recipe: Epicurious


Father’s Day is just around the corner, and if you still haven’t gotten a gift, run out and get the necessary ingredients to make him a meal to remember. And, don’t forget the secret sauce—love!

Emilee Unterkoefler Emilee Unterkoefler
Emilee Unterkoefler is a freelance food writer, hiking enthusiast, and mama with over ten years of experience working in the food industry. Read Full Bio »
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