Roll out the red, white, and blue, fire up the grill, and invite your family and friends to the ultimate 4th of July celebration!
Whether you are cooking for a crowd or just a few folks, be sure to check out my round-up of 38 top-rated 4th of July recipes for 2021. This round-up includes easy sides and salads, BBQ favorites, backyard cookout classics, potluck favorites, and scrumptious desserts.
These all-time patriotic and classic recipes are kid-approved and sure to wow your family and friends!
1 The Best and Easiest Grilled Chicken – Grits and Pinecones
Nothing brings out the flavor of chicken like grilling, and this recipe for The Best and Easiest Grilled Chicken is finger-licking good. It’s the perfect 4th of July recipe for your cookout or BBQ.
2 Lemony Lentil Asparagus and Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese – From a Chef’s Kitchen
Lemony Lentil, Asparagus, and Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese is light, healthful, and will go with just about anything!
3 Broccoli Salad with Pineapple, Bacon and Spiced Pecans – The View from the Great Island
Don’t be surprised if everybody skips the main course altogether and heads straight for this salad! This classic broccoli salad gets an extra burst of sweetness from fresh pineapple and lots of crunch from the bacon and chili-rubbed pecans. The perfect 4th of July recipe!
4 Miss American Flag Pie – Jenn’s Farm Table
Patriotic Pie for Independence Day. American Flag pies are my favorite red, white and blue dessert and perfect for your backyard cookout.
5 Smoked Burgers – Grits and Pinecones
Smoked Burgers, which are prized for their rich meaty flavor, feature ground chuck patties that are smoked low and slow in a grill or smoker. Then they are reverse-seared in a cast-iron skillet to give them a great crust on the outside and juicy, tender beef on the inside.
6 Red, White, and Blue Sangria Sparklers – A Fork’s Tail
These Red, White, and Blue Sangria Sparklers would be a perfect way to kick off the 4th of July festivities. They taste just as good as they look and are super easy to make.
7 Fall off the Bone Tender BBQ Ribs – West Via Midwest
Grilled low and slow yields fall off the bone tender BBQ Ribs, brush with a tangy BBQ sauce for lip-smacking deliciousness. Perfect for summertime entertaining!
8 Amazing Smoked Beef Short Ribs – Grits and Pinecones
Whether you are a smoked meat aficionado or just a backyard griller, you will love this easy recipe for big, beefy, Smoked Beef Short Ribs.
9 Fresh Tomato Tart in Puff Pastry – Pudge Factor
Fresh Tomato Tart is a luscious creamy based tart topped with flavorful garden fresh tomatoes in a flaky puff pastry crust. It’s a snap to make and is an absolutely delicious way to use the bright red tomatoes from your garden.
10 5-Minute 4th of July Appetizer-Stars Spangled Skewers – Stacy Homemaker
Star-Spangled skewers are the easiest 4th of July recipe that you’ll ever make! They only take 5 minutes to assemble, and you can store them in the fridge until party time! Vegetarian and gluten-free.
11 Red White and Blue Summer Fruit Salad – Grits and Pinecones
Bring on the sparklers and fireworks and celebrate the 4th of July with this cold and refreshing Red, White, and Blue Summer Fruit Salad!
12 Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers – Salt and Lavender
These grilled honey mustard chicken skewers are sure to become a family BBQ favorite this summer! The 3-ingredient marinade is super easy and tastes amazing.
13 Southern Potato Salad – Grits and Pinecones
The 4th of July or summer picnics wouldn’t be the same without a tasty helping of potato salad. Like Grandma used to make, this old-fashioned potato salad recipe is easy and loaded with dill pickles and hard-boiled eggs!
14 Jalapeno Popper Corn Salad – 4 Sons’ R’ Us
Throw a few ears of corn on the grill and toss the cooked kernels into a bowl. Stir in some tasty mix ins like bacon, jalapeno, and cheddar cheese until you’ve got this fresh and creamy Jalapeno Popper Grilled Corn Salad. It’ll be your new go-to side salad dish.
15 Red White and Blue Ice Cream Pie – Grits and Pinecones
16 GRILLED CHILI LIME SHRIMP KABOBS – SIMPLY SO HEALTHY
These spicy Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp Kabobs make a great main course for a summer barbecue. They are suitable for low-carb, ketogenic, Atkins, gluten-free, Paleo, and Banting diets.
17 Creamy Southern Coleslaw – Pudge Factor
Creamy Southern coleslaw is full of creamy goodness, with the perfect blend of sweet and sour. It’s consistently amazing and goes well with so many dishes. What’s even better is that the food processor does most of the work.
18 Smoked Baked Beans – Grits and Pinecones
A quintessential BBQ side dish, Smoked Baked Beans made with brown sugar and bacon are smoked low and slow in a cast-iron skillet for a rich smoky flavor. Absolutely delicious and supremely easy to prepare, this foolproof recipe always gets rave reviews.
19 Surf n Turf BBQ Board – My Kitchen Love
This is what Summer is all about. Fresh produce, grill marks, and dinner where all the dishes can go into the dishwasher. So many things to get excited about. This board is perfect for outdoor entertaining.
20 Patriotic Snack Mix Cones – Pudge Factor
Patriotic Snack Mix Cones are a perfect treat for your summer patriotic festivities. They’re simple to make and impressive enough for your pickiest eater. Store-bought waffle cones are topped with white chocolate and red, white, and blue sprinkles and filled with an awesome snack mix.
21 Grilled Basil Pesto Potato Skewers – Lord Byron’s Kitchen
Grilled Basil Pesto Potato Skewers are parboiled and then grilled, which gives them a smooth texture on the inside and a slightly soft outside with just the right amount of grilled bits. And, of course, lastly, there’s the awesome flavor of basil, garlic, and parmesan cheese from the basil pesto.
22 Skinny Berry Cheesecake Bars – A Healthy Cusine
Skinny Berry Cheesecake Bars are creamy, dreamy lemony cheesecake no-bake filling on top of a gluten-free nutty almond crust and topped with healthy berries. The perfect 4th of July recipe!
23 Grilled Beer Can Chicken – Grits and Pinecones
Grilled Beer Can Chicken is a fun and different way to achieve perfect grilled chicken that will have your friends and family thinking you are a prize-winning BBQ Pit Master!
24 HEALTHY LOW-CARB PARMESAN CAULIFLOWER SALAD – GARDEN IN THE KITCHEN
Healthy Low-Carb Parmesan Cauliflower Salad slightly steamed for a softer and more digestible texture, mixed with flavor-boosting parmesan cheese and topped with fresh tomatoes and blueberries.
25 Corn Tomato and Avocado Salad – Grits and Pinecones
This delicious and healthy Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad is the very essence of summer eating! You know those days when the temperature is soaring, and all you want is something light, cool, and refreshing to eat.
26 Strawberry Cheesecake Bars – The Seaside Baker
These strawberry cheesecake bars will be the hit at your next summer picnic! Creamy, rich, and piled high with fresh glazed strawberries.
27 Red White and Blue No-Bake Ice Box Cake – Grits and Pinecones
This Red, White, and Blue No-Bake Icebox Cake is a dream to make and just as dreamy to eat. And, it’s the perfect dessert to take to a 4th of July celebration.
28 Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub – Grits and Pinecones
This recipe for the Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub is for you if you love BBQ ribs but don’t love standing outside for several hours over a hot grill or are looking for an easy way to cook them in the oven!
29 Grain-Free Red, White, and Blueberry Tart – What a Girl Eats
This Grain-Free Red, White, and Blueberry Tart is filled with a tangy lemon cream cheese filling.
30 Greek Potato Salad – Pinch and Swirl
With this Greek Potato Salad, every bite is different. Choose your combination from buttery potatoes, briny olives, salty capers, sweet tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and crunchy cucumbers!
31 Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail – Lemon Blossoms
Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail combines the flavors of fresh strawberries, lemon sorbet, and vodka into one amazing mixed drink! This simple and refreshing vodka lemonade is one of our favorite party cocktails!
32 No-Bake Coconut Strawberry Jars – The Flavor Bender
No-bake coconut cheesecake + fresh strawberry pie filling make for the PERFECT summer and Fourth of July dessert! There’s no artificial coloring or flavoring in these No-Bake Coconut Strawberry Cheesecake Jars, and they can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan too!
33 Summer Pasta Salad – Grits and Pinecones
Summer Pasta Salad is a delicious, garden-fresh veggie-filled salad loaded with summer squash, zucchini, carrots, scallions, edamame, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes! It’s topped with a simple light and fresh dressing.
34 Grilled Peaches with Honey Whipped Mascarpone Cream – Ramshackle Pantry
This Grilled Peaches with Honey Whipped Mascarpone Cream is decadent, delicious, and a beautiful summer dessert!
35 Frozen Lemonade Pie – Grits and Pinecones
Easy Frozen Lemonade Pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors, all wrapped up in a crunchy graham cracker crust. Light and refreshing with a sublime lemony flavor, it’s a perfect no-fuss dessert that will quickly become a family favorite.
36 Easy Watermelon Lemonade Ice Pops – Grits and Pinecones
Easy Watermelon Lemonade Ice Pops has to be the easiest recipe ever! With only two ingredients, fresh yummy watermelon, and frozen lemonade concentrate, and two steps, you can have a delicious, light, and refreshing 4th of July dessert that both kids and adults will love.
37 Seven Layer Flag Dip – Pudge Factor
7-Layer Flag Dip is a traditional Mexican-inspired dip with layers of refried beans, guacamole, salsa and sour cream mixed with taco seasoning. It’s topped with grape tomatoes for the red stripes, shredded Monterey Jack cheese for the white strips, and crushed blue tortillas with sour cream for the stars. It’s perfect for Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July or any time you want to share your summer patriotic festivities with family and friends.
38 Red, White and Blue Yogurt Popsicles – The View from the Great Island
Show your colors this summer with these healthy patriotic Red White and Blueberry Yogurt Popsicles! Kids of all ages love these berry-licious frozen treats, so layer up a batch this Memorial Day or 4th of July!
More menu ideas:
Do you need even more menu ideas or inspiration? Check out all of my 4th of July recipes at this link.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July, everyone.
**This post was updated and republished on June 29, 2021, with the addition of five new recipes.
Thanks for including me! Pinned, yummed and tweeted.
There is something for everyone here. Great round-up of recipes for July 4th. Better get the grill all cleaned up in preparation.
Hey Mark, thanks so much! I think I like the 4th of July better than Christmas and love nothing better than grilled anything!
Beautiful Round up! Thanks for including our Hamburger bean casserole. Shared on all my social networks.
Thanks Diane! And, thanks so much for sharing!