A Dozen Recipes Our Editors Are Excited to Cook in May

We're sneaking up on summer, brandishing carrots and rhubarb stalks.

By Megan O. Steintrager
and
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
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Published May 01, 2025
A plated carrot okonomiyaki topped with garnishes and sauces, viewed from above

Serious Eats / Kelsey Hansen

May is here, which means we're properly in spring mode—even those of us who are up in Massachusetts and Vermont! So, what are we cooking? Carrots. Lots and lots of carrots. We're swapping them for cabbage in okinomiyaki and roasting them and tossing them with tons of fresh spring herbs. Spring herbs brighten up many of the other dishes we're cooking this month, including British-style mushy peas and the appropriately named Herby Egg Salad. Dips, spreads, salads, and plenty of desserts round out our list of dishes we're excited to cook this month—check out our dozen picks below.

  • Muhammara

    A bowl of muhammara garnished with walnuts, pomegranate arils, and a mint leaf, next to pita bread on a green tile surface

    Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

    "One of my very few food quirks is that I dislike roasted red peppers. This is why I was so thrilled to see that our new muhammara recipe calls for raw red peppers instead of roasted ones. This Middle Eastern dish looks so delicious and so easy to make, it is at the top of my list for the many picnics I am trying to get on my calendar this month. " - Amanda Suarez, associate visuals director

  • Peach Upside Down Cake

    Overhead view of finished peach upside down cake with a slice removed

    Serious Eats / Morgan Glaze Hunt

    "If you want to wow people at a cookout, bring an upside down cake. They look stunning and taste great too. This peach upside down cake will no doubt be a regular in my potluck rolodex this season." - An Uong, writer

  • Lane Cake

    Alabama lane cake, with a slice placed on a red plate, on a red marble tabletop. 2 Magenta glasses of bubbly water, and a magenta fabric draped in the background.

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    "Look, I'm not even a cake person and I can't tear my eyes off this thing. I was lucky enough to taste it while visiting our Birmingham test kitchen, where this recipe was developed by my talented colleague Nicole Hopper, and I can attest: It is incredibly delicious, even to a non-cake-person like me. Will I definitely bake it this May? Hmm, I don't know, I don't bake much. But I aspire to! And so should you." - Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

  • Mushy Peas

    A plate with mashed peas, mashed potatoes, a sausage, and a fork resting on the edge

    Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

    "In the U.K., mushy peas are typically served with fish and chips, but I'm happy enjoying a big bowl of mushy peas on their own. They're deeply savory and so comforting—just like a hug in a bowl." - Genevieve Yam, senior editor

    Continue to 5 of 12 below

  • Herby Egg Salad

    Egg salad sandwich on bread, served on a plate

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    "When I was a studying abroad in London, my go-to, broke-college-student lunch was a Sainsbury's lunch meal deal: an egg salad sandwich with cress and a bag of crisps. Even after eating this week in and week out, I still have a deep love for egg salad. I'm eyeing this recipe from Daniel, which is much snazzier than my Sainsbury's special (their sandwich most definitively did not feature crème fraîche and pickled onions)—and I'm here for it." - Grace Kelly, senior editor

  • Classic Cobb Salad

    A Cobb salad served on a decorative platter, featuring rows of ingredients including chicken, bacon, cherry tomatoes, eggs, avocado, and blue cheese

    Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

    "Ever since our visuals director, Amanda, gave me a sneak peek of the photos for our new recipe for a classic Cobb salad, I knew I would be making it. I’m not generally a salad girlie, and to the dismay of my coworkers, I do not even own a salad spinner, but this salad has captivated me. The beautiful, neat lines of toppings speaks to me in such a way that must indicate that I am, in fact, a Virgo after all." - Kelli Solomon, senior social media editor

  • Carrot Okonomiyaki

    A plated carrot okonomiyaki topped with garnishes and sauces, viewed from above

    Serious Eats / Kelsey Hansen

    "I love love love okonomiyaki, and make it often at home. I have a five-pound bag of carrots in my fridge right now, and this recipe seems like the perfect way to use them up." - Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

  • Honey-Roasted Carrots

    A dish of roasted carrots topped with herbs and a glaze

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    "I tend to forget about carrots—they're so ordinary that they're easy to overlook, but when prepared well, they can be truly delicious. In this recipe, they're roasted with butter, honey, miso, and sherry, then tossed with tons of fresh herbs, for a certifiably special carrot dish I'm excited to make over and over this month." - Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director

    Continue to 9 of 12 below

  • Taquero-Style Guacamole

    taco with mean topped with guacamole, with bowl of guacamole. Plate of tortillas, and 2 cocktails, and small dishes of onions and limes, on colorful floral printed tablecloth

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

    Every since we did a taste test of tortilla chips, I've been thinking about what I can dip our winning chip into. This three-ingredient guac is the answer. –Megan

  • Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

    Overhead view of a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    "I have two rhubarb plants and they are wildly fruitful every year. I already have a ton of rhubarb! While I'm not a big pie person (sorry!), I do want to try this strawberry-rhubarb version. As I'm sure you know, the duo is an elite pairing." -Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, associate editorial director

  • Rhubarb Crisp

    20170414-rhubarb-crisp-vicky-wasik-4.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    "I'm celebrating spring with this super simple dessert. There isn't much fresh locally-sourced produce in Vermont yet (give it another month!), but the rhubarb patch in my yard is popping!" - Rochelle Bilow, editor

  • No-Bake Fudgy Chocolate Squares

    A plate of layered chocolate squares with a fudgy and textured appearance topped with sea salt

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    "What can I say? I love a chocolate dessert, especially one that's rich and fudgy. The best part is you don't even need to turn on the oven to make these." - Genevieve

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