30 Ways to Spoil Dad With Chef John's Best Father's Day Recipes (2024)

Mancakes

Start Dad off with these sweet and savory pancakes with the bacon built right in. "Sweet/savory hybrids can be tricky sometimes but I think this worked beautifully," says Chef John. "We are talking about bacon, cheese, and onions after all, so it wasn't that big of a shock. The way the chipotle-spiced maple syrup brought everything together was a risk well rewarded."

Bacon and Egg Doughnuts

Crispy bits of bacon are incorporated into an eggy doughnut dough and fried into light and airy dough balls of awesomeness served hot with maple syrup. Chef John says you should make them for Father's Day, and when is he ever wrong? Watch the video to get step-by-step instructions.

Chef John's Monte Cristo Benedict

"Imagine the best French toast you've ever had, combined with the best ham and cheese sandwich you've ever had, topped with perfectly poached eggs. You don't need any Hollandaise because the poached egg yolks are the sauce." — Chef John

Candied Bacon

Make any Father's Day breakfast or brunch dish that much more special with a plate of candied bacon on the side. "Amazing. A must try, says Ang D. "Made this for Fathers Day and bagged 4 pieces tied with ribbon and attached to a bottle of beer for the godfathers. So cute and the godfathers raved!"

• We Tried 7 Brands of Bacon to Find the Best

Chef John's Grilled Mojo Beef

Grilled steak is one of our most popular Father's Day dishes, and we think Dad would eat this up with gusto. (Or with black beans and rice.) Beef skirt steak is soaked in a citrusy marinade of orange and lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and onion, and quickly grilled. "Only change I made was to use flap steak since I couldn't find hanger steak,: says Teacherlinda. "Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. It was great! Great flavor, and the meat was soooo tender! Husband loved it, too."

Beerbecue Beef Flank Steak

"Beer: It's the bacon of beverages," says Chef John. "It makes everything better." Here he uses it to make a deeply flavored barbeque sauce for grilled flank steak.

• Chef John's Best Steak Recipes

Garlic Steak with Garlic

Chef John calls this a Father's Day special, saying, "What father doesn't love steak, and what father wouldn't like steak even more with tons of garlic on it?" In case you're worried about garlic breath, this garlic is low-roasted in olive oil until it turns soft, sweet, and golden brown.

Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip Beef

For another take on grilled beef, try this tri-tip roast dry-rubbed with spices and grilled with a garlic-vinegar basting sauce. "My whole family enjoyed this," says laxandbaseeballmom48. "It was a real treat and worthy of a special dinner."

• The Best Side Dishes for Steak

Grilled Salmon with Bacon and Corn Relish

Chef John describes it best: "You are really going to love this exciting and vibrant new way to use salmon. It's dressed up with an easy and summery relish. Did I mention there will be bacon? Oh, yeah."

Grilled Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

Be sure to get the right kind of short ribs to make these Korean-style kalbi ribs. Chef John advises, "Go talk to your friendly neighborhood butcher, tell them you want some flanken-style beef short ribs, and give this great grill technique a try."

Grilled Greek Chicken

"The secret to this simple grilled chicken is a very powerful marinade and 'roasting' it slowly over semi-indirect heat on the grill." — Chef John. Glen Sarvis adds, "This is simply fantastic. Neighbors living near me came out and asked for recipe on the basis of delicious cooking smoke."

Chef John's Barbecue Chicken

Chef John shows you how to make BBQ chicken without the sauce burning into a charred crust. Because no one wants that, especially on Dad's special day.

Chef John's Grilled Bacon Meatloaf Burgers

"Just made this recipe," says chonica. "Oh my lord it's amazing!! The sweet maple bacon and jalapeño ketchup I used gave it the perfect flavor. A must try!" If you want to go all out to spoil Dad, serve the burgers on Chef John's Homemade Hamburger Buns.

Chef John's Grilled Garlic and Herb Shrimp

"This was one of the best grilled shrimp recipes I've ever made!! My family loved it and said it was restaurant quality. I made the shrimp pretty close to what was written using fresh herbs from our garden. I did not have lemon thyme so I used plain thyme. Delicious. A must make again!!" — tcasa

• Get easy tips to devein and cook shrimp.

Crispy Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings

In this recipe, Chef John shares his secret for getting oven-baked wings to come out with a crispy finish that you'd expect from a deep fryer. Check out the recipe and the video to discover his trick.

Chef John's Pulled Pork BBQ

Want to impress Dad without a whole lot of work? Try this recipe. A pork shoulder gets a dry-rub spice massage followed by a low and slow oven roast. Finish with your favorite store-bought or homemade barbeque sauce and pile up on soft buns to feed a Father's Day crowd. You're going to want some snappy coleslaw on the side, yeah?

Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

No grill? No problem. These oven-baked baby back ribs will still get a sticky thumbs-up from Dad. Baking Nana says, "This is a 10 star recipe - the best & easiest method to make ribs."

Chef John's Copycat McRib® Sandwich

Tickle his ribs with this take on that famous boneless baby back rib sandwich from you-know-where, but without the mystery ingredients. Chef John suggests serving it with his Sweet, Hot Mustard Slaw on homemade sesame buns formed into rectangles instead of rounds.

Grilled German Potato Salad

Yukon Gold potatoes are grilled until tender, then tossed with bacon, onion, and a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing. Plus more bacon. Because bacon. Dad will be delighted.

Chef John's Classic Macaroni Salad

"Whether it's sitting next to some smoky ribs or just a humble hot dog, this deli-style macaroni salad will always be a crowd favorite, as long as you pay attention to a few key details," says Chef John. What are the details? Take at look at the recipe and all will be revealed.

Mexican Grilled Corn

You could serve up your regular corn on the cob, or go for the wows on Father's Day with this Mexican-style grilled corn brushed with melted butter and ancho-lime mayonnaise, and sprinkled with Cotija cheese. Chef John says, "I consider this to be the greatest corn-on-the-cob recipe of all time." ALL TIME!

S'more Ice Cream Pie

"We're turning s'mores into the perfect Father's Day-inspired dessert. Your father will associate this pie with so many things men love: building fires, carving pointy sticks, scaring things, and so forth. This has the classic three layers of the s'more: the graham crackers, chocolate, and toasted marshmallows." — Chef John

Chef John's Classic Strawberry Shortcake

What better way to celebrate Father's Day than with a dessert recipe handed down from Chef John's own grandfather? "For this strawberry shortcake recipe, I modified the way my grandfather made his and used self-rising flour and toasted butter for a nutty flavor," says Chef John. "I'm hoping Armand Cianfoni would approve."

Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie

Here's another family recipe from Chef John, showcasing seasonal rhubarb and strawberries. He says, "One of the most delicious and easiest pie recipes I know. I got this wonderful recipe from my mother Pauline, who I believe got it from my Aunt Angela. I love all their pies, but this might be my favorite."

Chef John's Peach Pie

"Above and beyond beautiful, this lattice design is also very practical. When you're making pie with something like peaches, the relatively open top allows for lots of moisture to evaporate, which helps prevent the dreaded 'watery-pie syndrome.' That's also the reason we boil the excess juices down to a syrup." — Chef John

New York-Style Cheesecake

Want to indulge Dad with something a little extra rich on his special day? Give this beauty a try. "This is my favorite recipe for New York-style cheesecake, and includes a great technique for letting the citrus-kissed cake finish in the oven, so that no crack forms when the cake cools." — Chef John

The Ultimate Berry Crumble

Father's Day coincides with the start of fresh berry season, so take advantage of nature's bounty and make this easy dessert. Chef John says, "I don't tack the word ultimate onto just any recipe. This berry well may be my favorite summer dessert, with the perfect balance of sweet and tart, tender and crisp, fruit and crumble. Some ice cream on the side is highly recommended."

Chef John's Lemon Bars

"This is one of my favorite cookies of all time, although technically they're closer to a pie than a cookie. Nothing prepares you for that intense, awesome sweet-tart lemon flavor and custard, perfectly contrasted against that crisp, sweet buttery shortbread cookie." — Chef John

Chef John's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chef John describes these as "crispy around the edges, chewy and chocolaty in the middle, and thin, oh so thin."

"Awesome recipe!" raves Lori. "Husband absolutely loved these chocolate chip cookies, he said they're the best I've ever made!"

The Perfect Margarita

Let Dad kick back with a refreshing co*cktail in hand. He's earned it. And for the young ones in the crowd, try a cool and colorful Watermelon Agua Fresca.

More Father's Day Recipes

• 15 Top-Rated Brunch Recipes for Father's Day
• 18 Father's Day Cakes Your Papa Will Surely Love
• Father’s Day Coffee Mugs Dad Will Love — or Laugh At