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If you’re hosting a 4th of July BBQ, we have you covered for all the best 4th of July Recipes – main dishes, sides, desserts, and drinks!
More Collections: 4th of July Appetizers, 4th of July Desserts, 4th of July Side Dishes
We Love a cookout!
I love hosting a backyard party to celebrate America on the 4th of July, with lots of water activities to cool us down!
I prefer to provide the main dish when I host and love it when guests bring sides and desserts.
Why we love these ideas:
- We have it all. With a wide range of main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and drinks, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the 4th of July celebration.
- Grilling tips. The post also provides valuable grilling tips for those hosting a BBQ, ensuring your main dishes are cooked to perfection!
- For hosting or attending. When I am the guest, I bring dishes that are easy to transport, serve without much fuss, and will feed 12-15 people like our Macaroni Salad or Homemade Potato Salad.
Tips for hosting a 4th of July BBQ
As always, we suggest making assignments so you don’t have to make EVERYTHING. Most are willing to help out with the food.
- Grill meats, fruits, and veggies. The char marks add a unique grilled flavor.
- Utilize the crock pot. You can still get delicious main dishes and side dishes without spending time in an oven-hot kitchen.
- Keeping food cool outside. Put the food table in the shade, don’t put everything out at once, put dishes on ice, and keep food covered.
- Take the party outside and end the night with fireworks.
Grilling tips
Whether you want to grill up a delicious piece of meat or add some extra flavor to your fruits and veggies, grilling lets you do both!
- Grill size. A larger grill allows you to adjust the temperature on different sections.
- Map it out. Create a chart that lays out what item will be grilled in what section, as well as how long each piece of meat or vegetable will need to cook. Don’t overlap the different types of food before or during grilling.
- Clean it. Clean the grates and apply a thin layer of oil to help keep food from sticking to the grill grates.
- Prepping meat. Take the meat out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before grilling.
- Flipping. Flip it once. By doing so you allow each side to heat up enough to start forming a nice caramelized crust.
- Sauce. Allow your meat to cook almost completely before coating it with the sauce.
- Let it rest. Allow meat to rest for a few minutes before cutting.
- Grilling vegetables and fruit takes a fraction of the time as the meat. Since meat needs to rest once it is done cooking, this is a perfect time to reduce the heat and grill up your veggies. Lay your vegetables across the grates so they don’t fall through, or use a Grilling Basket.
- Safety. Have a box of baking soda on hand in case of a grill fire.
Favorite 4th of July Recipes
Use any of our favorites to plan your Independence Day menu. All are crowd-pleasers that will be a hit for celebrating America’s birthday!
1 Pulled Pork Recipe
2 Huli Huli Chicken
3 Best Hamburger Recipe
Recipe Video
4 Steak Marinade
5 How to Make Baby Back Ribs
6 Teriyaki Chicken Burgers Recipe
7 Hot Dogs in Crock Pot
8 Kalua Pork Recipe
9 Steak Kabobs
10 Ranch Burger Recipe
More Fourth of July Recipes
Stick to a classic recipe like Ranch Burgers on the grill or make some finger-licking barbecue Baby Back Ribs.
11 Dr. Pepper Ribs Recipe
12 Hawaiian Haystacks Recipe
13 Carnitas Recipe
14 Chicken Kabobs
15 Sloppy Joe Recipe
16 Best Chicken Marinade
17 Fajita Recipe
18 Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwiches Recipe
19 Carne Asada Recipe
20 Cilantro Lime Chicken
21 Barbecue Meatballs Recipe
22 Crock Pot Ribs Recipe
Sides + Salads
Be sure to include plenty of sides to pair with the star of your party. Stick to chips and dips, or try any of our scrumptious recommendations. Seasonal produce like fresh berries and Watermelon salad are always a welcome addition!
23 How to Boil Corn on the Cob Recipe
24 Summer Corn Salad Recipe
25 Fruit Salad Recipe
26 Pasta Salad Recipe
27 Baked Beans Recipe
28 Easy Coleslaw Recipe
29 How to Cut a Watermelon
30 Broccoli Salad Recipe
31 Jiffy Corn Pudding
32 Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
33 Snickers Salad
34 Fruit Kabobs
35 Macaroni Salad
36 Grilled Asparagus
37 Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Recipe
38 7 Layer Salad Recipe
39 Pretzel Salad
40 Salsa Recipe
41 Easy Tortellini Salad Recipe
42 Corn on the Cob on the Grill
Desserts + Drinks
What celebration would be complete without a few holiday desserts and refreshing drinks as the cherry on top of your festivities?
43 4th of July Poke Cake Recipe
44 Dirt Cake Recipe
45 Cream Puff Cake Recipe
46 Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
47 Fruit Pizza
48 Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
49 Chocolate Lasagna
50 Oreo Ice Cream Cake Recipe
51 Banana Pudding Cake Recipe
52 Triple Berry Pie
53 Patriotic Poke Cake
54 Red White and Blue Cake
55 American Flag Cake
56 4th of July Rice Krispies Treats
57 4th of July Cookies
58 Dessert Parfait Recipe
59 Dessert Kabobs Recipe
60 Lemon Lasagna Recipe
61 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Recipe
62 Fruit Tart Recipe
63 Cherry Pie Recipe
64 Peach Cobbler
65 No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
66 Peach Dump Cake Recipe
67 Angel Food Ice Cream Cake Recipe
68 Lemon Bar Recipe
69 Key Lime Pie Bars
70 Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes Recipe
71 Cheesecake Cupcakes
72 Blueberry Pie Recipe
73 4th of July Punch Recipe
74 Ocean Water Recipe
75 Pineapple Pink Lemonade Soda Recipe
76 Watermelon Juice Recipe
77 Sonic Cherry Limeade Recipe
78 Homemade Lemonade Recipe
79 Shirley Temple Recipe
80 Homemade Root Beer
81 Best Strawberry Lemonade
A TWist on a Classic Burger
These are the BEST homemade hamburgers!! These cheesy Ranch Burgers are complete with the most delicious secret sauce!
This uncomplicated combination of cheddar cheese and ranch mix will make your burgers taste delicious!
Here is the recipe:
80+ 4th of July Recipes
Ingredients
For Burger Patty
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 package Hidden Valley ranch mix, or 3 tablespoons
For Secret Sauce
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup relish
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Other Topping Ideas
- lettuce
- tomato
- onion slices
- pickles
- avocado
- bacon
Instructions
- To form meat into patties, mix cheese and ranch with hamburger meat, use hands to flatten and shape. Grill to your liking.
- With a whisk, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well.
- For a fantastic restaurant-style burger, top with this delicious sauce, and your favorite toppings!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fabulous 4TH Of July Recipes
Your holiday celebration is sure to be a booming success with so many delicious and easy 4th of July recipes to choose from! From main dishes and sides to desserts and drinks, let us know which recipes were a hit at your get-together!
More Collections: Summer Recipes, Memorial Day Recipes, Grilled Dinner Ideas
Love the patriotic poke cake. It’s chilled and perfect for a hot July day.
I personally love the kalua pork recipe in this list! We’ve been having it yearly for our 4th of July celebration. And I’m excited to try the other recipes on the list.
Great recipes for the 4th! Such a variety for the best tried and true recipes. You will enjoy them all!
I will never run out of recipes with this list! Thanks Kristyn for these 4th of July recipes, such a big help!
What a great list of recipes! Can’t wait to make some of these for my 4th of July party, thank you!!