Our 29 Best Recipes for 4th of July

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Need some inspiration for your Fourth of July menu? EatingWell has all the recipes, whether you’re hosting a fancy barbecue, dining picnic-style or keeping things casual at home. You’ll find everything you need in this collection, from flavorful salads and grilled meats and veggies to sweet desserts. Even better, EatingWell readers love these recipes so much that they’ve all earned four- and five-star reviews. Enjoy our Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad or Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad and catch your local fireworks display while savoring our fruity Lemon-Blueberry Trifle and a tasty Frozen Key Lime Pie Margarita.

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01 of 29

Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad

a recipe photo of the Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

This bacon-ranch potato salad is a versatile and crowd-pleasing side that complements just about everything, making it a perfect choice for bringing along to potlucks, barbecues and family gatherings.

02 of 29

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado & Walnuts

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Serve this summery strawberry spinach salad alongside soup or a half sandwich, or top with grilled chicken or roasted salmon for a complete and easy healthy meal.

03 of 29

Bruschetta-Topped Crispy Baked Chicken

Bruschetta-Topped Crispy Baked Chicken

A fresh tomato-and-basil topping on panko-crusted chicken cutlets makes an easy meal for family or casual entertaining.

04 of 29

Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos

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Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.

05 of 29

Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad

Overhead view of a bowl of Elote-Inspired Pasta Salad recipe with a fork

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Anna Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—Mexican grilled corn on the cob that's smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime. Corn kernels blister in the hot pan and a sprinkle of smoked paprika brings out the flavor. If you can't find cotija cheese, grated Parmesan is a good substitute.

06 of 29

Lemon-Blueberry Trifle

a recipe photo of the Lemon Blueberry Trifle

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling

This lemon-blueberry trifle is a stunning yet simple dessert that features layers of lemon-flavored pastry cream, store-bought angel food cake and fresh blueberries. Fresh-picked blueberries are hard to beat in this easy dessert, but feel free to use any seasonal fruit you may have on hand.

07 of 29

Light Lemon Meringue Pie

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Smooth and soothing; a great classic pie right down to the crust, this one is redefined with a generous amount of lemon and fewer egg yolks in the filling.

08 of 29

Tomato & Smoked Mozzarella Sandwiches

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Take a classic combination like fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, add a couple of flavor-packed ingredients like olives and sun-dried tomatoes, put it between two pieces of crusty bread and you'll have a satisfying weekend lunch or an easy warm-weather supper.

09 of 29

Sautéed Corn with Basil & Shallots

a recipe photo of the Sauteed Corn with Basil & Shallots

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This sautéed corn recipe is a fresh and easy way to highlight summer’s most iconic vegetable. We add just a touch of butter, shallot and fresh basil to let the flavor of sweet corn straight from the cob do the talking.

10 of 29

Strawberry Fruit Salad

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This summer berry fruit salad recipe makes enough for a crowd. Serve with granola and yogurt at brunch, as a healthy potluck side, or halve the recipe to serve 4.

11 of 29

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture, then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.

12 of 29

Whipped Frozen Lemonade

two glasses of whipped frozen lemonade
Casey Barber

Whipped frozen lemonade combines the creaminess of a milkshake with the thirst-quenching tanginess of freshly squeezed lemonade for an incredibly refreshing treat. And this simple frozen lemonade treat comes together with just four ingredients and a blender.

13 of 29

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

a recipe photo of the Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, prop stylist: LIndsey Lower

This zucchini chocolate cake is a celebration of the unexpected magic that happens when humble ingredients like shredded zucchini, cocoa powder and chocolate chips come together in perfect harmony.

14 of 29

Garlic Butter Campfire Corn

Garlic Butter Campfire Corn

This flavorful corn couldn't be easier to prepare. Just cover the ears of corn in a quick garlic-and-chive-flavored butter and wrap in foil and they're ready to throw on the grill at home or over coals at the campsite.

15 of 29

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato Salad

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Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.

16 of 29

Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots

a recipe photo of the Hot Honey Parmesan Carrots

Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

This sweet side dish turns up the heat with hot honey and lots of crispy Parmesan cheese crisps for a savory note. Try this easy method with other veggies like beets, turnips or Brussels sprouts too.

17 of 29

Grilled Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops & Apricots

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Toasting and grinding your own spices for a flavorful rub is the quickest, easiest way to build surefire flavor in this easy pork chop recipe. Serve with a simple tossed salad and some roasted sweet potatoes to round out the meal.

18 of 29

Big Beautiful Summer Salad

Salad with radish corn edamame and chickpeas

This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.

19 of 29

Lemon-Blueberry Crisp

a recipe photo of the Easy Lemon Blueberry Crisp

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This blueberry crisp captures a perfect balance between sweet summer blueberries and tart lemon flavors. Topped with a streusel laced with warming spices, and baked to perfection, this is the perfect summer dessert paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

20 of 29

Cucumber, Tomato & Avocado Salad

plate with cucumbers, tomato and avocado

This vibrant cucumber, tomato and avocado salad is perfect for BBQs and backyard parties. The dressing is whisked together right in the salad bowl before you add the vegetables, so it's also incredibly easy to make. Choose a fairly firm avocado so it holds its shape in the salad.

21 of 29

Jalapeño Popper Burgers

two burgers

We've taken a simple burger recipe and made it pop with an easy three-ingredient jalapeño cheese topping. Ground sirloin is lean ground beef made exclusively from the center loin cut. It has less connective tissue than regular ground beef for a super-tender burger.

22 of 29

Creamy Roasted Potato Salad

a recipe photo of the Creamy Roasted Potato Salad

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Roasted potatoes hold their shape without the risk of them falling apart, and the roasting process concentrates the flavor of the potatoes so your potato salad will be extra savory. We love the anise flavor of tarragon in the dressing but feel free to use a mix of fresh herbs to make this easy side dish your own.

23 of 29

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

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This Double Chocolate Cupcake recipe is perfect for the ultimate chocolate lover. Topped with Chocolate Frosting, these diabetes-friendly cupcakes are delicious and impossible to resist.

24 of 29

Loaded Broccoli Salad

Loaded Broccoli Salad
Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst, Prop Stylist / Holly Raibikis

This is the broccoli salad you will get special requests for. The combination of bacon, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions and Cheddar is hard to resist.

25 of 29

Frozen Key Lime Pie Margaritas

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This frozen margarita was inspired by the flavors of a cool and creamy Key lime pie. Whip up a batch of these easy frozen margaritas for a sweet and refreshingly tart treat! Freshly squeezed juice will have the best flavor, but you can also find bottled Key lime juice—just be sure to buy unsweetened juice if you go for packaged juice. If you prefer a mocktail, simply replace the tequila with water.

26 of 29

Zucchini Salad with Burrata

a recipe photo of the Zucchini Salad

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop stylist: Lindsey Lower

This zucchini salad is a taste of peak-season bliss, combining sun-kissed zucchini with the creaminess of burrata cheese. Pink peppercorns offer a sweet, fruity and slightly floral taste which pairs nicely with the citrus flavors in the dressing; however, freshly ground black pepper can be used in their place.

27 of 29

Nonalcoholic Strawberry Margaritas

Nonalcoholic Strawberry Margaritas

A frozen virgin strawberry margarita is a refreshing way to cool down on warm days. This margarita mocktail, which calls for only five ingredients, uses a bit of agave nectar to blunt the tartness of lime juice and fresh strawberries.

28 of 29

Chicken & Sweet Potato Grill Packets with Peppers & Onions

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Cook your whole meal in a packet on the grill with this easy veggie-loaded recipe. The Mexican-inspired seasoning makes the chicken and veggies taste great served with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings for a healthy dinner.

29 of 29

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

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Sweet strawberries are nestled between layers of sponge cake and a cream filling in this easy cake. We add nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt to whipped cream to lighten up the filling and give it a little tang.

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