Every Recipe You Need For The Best 4th Of July Menu Ever (2024)

Macaroni salad is one of our favorite things to pair with pulled pork, burgers, or ribs, which is why it's such a disappointment when it's too dry or soggy. Not to fear—this recipe guarantees perfection every time.

Get the Classic Macaroni Salad recipe.

There are about a million ways to top a hamburger, and we're not here to tell you what goes onto your patty. It is our duty to make sure that you're cooking burgers as best as you possibly can. Our golden rules: Be sure to let the meat come to room temperature and season generously with salt and pepper before you grill up.

Get the Best-Ever Burger recipe.

Here we're using couscous as the base for a confetti of colored vegetables (cucumbers! bell peppers! red onion!), doused in a creamy lemon Dijon dressing. We’ve also added tangy feta and sun-dried tomatoes, crunchy toasted almonds, and nutty, earthy chickpeas to give it a little added oomph. It’s simple and light, but still special enough for a celebration.

Get the Summer Couscous Salad recipe.

After getting some char on a hot grill, juicy ears of corn get brushed with an irresistible honey-lime butter that you can also slather on grilled sweet potatoes, cornbread, or even grilled skirt steak. Two recipes for the price of one—win!

Get the Honey Lime Grilled Corn recipe.

Nothing says Fourth of July quite like a patriotic red, white, and blue dessert, especially this eye-popping lemon-berry firecracker cake. For a blast of flavor, our spin on the classic firecracker cake upgrades itself from white cake to a tangy lemon batter with blueberry- and strawberry-flavored swirls.

Get the Lemon-Berry Firecracker Cake recipe.

All it takes is a grill, a few hours, and—okay—a lot of patience for restaurant-worthy grilled ribs. Hot tip: While they're cooking is the perfect time to get the rest of your sides like coleslaw, potato salad, and cornbread ready.

Get the Grilled Ribs recipe.

This stunning red, white, and blue chocolate bark tastes like freedom, and is so fun for the whole family to help decorate. We love adding in all our favorite festive sprinkles, like edible stars and plenty of edible glitter.

Get the Freedom Bark recipe.

This whipped mozzarella dip with burst cherry tomatoes and pesto might just be the perfect appetizer. Mix things up with other veggies so you can serve it all season long: fresh summer corn kernels with pickled onions, dollops of olive tapenade, grilled peppers... get creative!

Get the Whipped Mozzarella Dip With Burst Cherry Tomatoes recipe.

Listen, no one has ever bitten into a bean burger and said "Wait, is this meat?" Burgers made from black beans are never going to taste exactly like a hamburger, so why not get a little creative with the seasonings? We chose to lean in to the black bean vibe and add some cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and paprika for smokiness.

Get the Black Bean Burger recipe.

When you’re looking for simple, refreshing, and reliable, you’d be hard pressed to find a dish better than classic Greek salad. Filled with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and a simple dressing made of ingredients you might already have in your fridge, this bright salad only takes 15 minutes to prepare, making it a perfect last-minute addition to any summer celebration.

Get the Greek Salad recipe.

The only thing better than fresh, sweet berries is piling them on angel food cake and shortbread cookies with sweet ricotta or whipped cream. This DIY "starcuterie" board is the ideal sweet treat to round out your 4th of July spread.

Get the Berries and Cream Charcuterie Board recipe.

Let’s be honest: grilled chicken may not seem like the most exciting meat out there, but it’s affordable, crowd-pleasing, and a snap to cook. You won’t want to sleep on the sauce, which is a classic BBQ jazzed up with honey and lime.

Get the Grilled BBQ Chicken recipe.

A classic potato salad is a must-have at every picnic and BBQ, and ours is the best—it's creamy and tangy, with a little bit of crunch from the onion and pickles. What it's not: too sweet, which is one of our potato salad pet peeves. If you’re looking for a classic, no-fuss potato salad that won’t disappoint, this is it.

Get the Classic Potato Salad recipe.

The ultimate reason to pull out the yellow box? Classic Bisquick biscuits. They're exactly what you want: cakey, just sweet enough, and—perhaps most important of all—the ideal vehicle for shortcakes, featuring clouds of whipped cream and saucy strawberries.

Get the Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits recipe.

These chicken patties are seasoned with smoked paprika and topped with crunchy, bright coleslaw to really give beef burgers a run for their money. Finish them with creamy avocado, spicy red onion, and cheddar and jalapeño before sandwiching all of it between buttery brioche buns for the ultimate bite.

Get the Chicken Burger recipe.

A classic bánh mì is one of the world's great sandwiches. An ideal way to get that classic bánh mì taste? On skewers! Par-cooked carrots and slightly sweet daikon grill up nicely with thick pieces of pork chop, and they're perfectly matched with a straightforward combo of fish sauce, soy sauce, and honey.

Get the Bánh Mì Kebabs recipe.

Hoping to bring sandwiches to feed your picnic crowd, but don't want to spend all morning assembling them? This sheet-pan hack is for you! Overlapping the bread slices means you can fit more onto the sheet pan, and don’t worry—the melty Provolone and pressing these down (sort of like a massive DIY panini press) makes sure they still hold together.

Get the Sheet-Pan Italian Subs recipe.

The grill adds subtle, almost bacon-like smoky flavor to these tempeh steaks, but there's no meat in sight. Add a whiskey-infused homemade BBQ sauce, a cooling, creamy coleslaw, and a toasted buttered bun for the perfect summer sandwich.

Get the BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches recipe.

While you can make it all year round, the best time to enjoy this appetizer is summer, when fresh tomatoes are at their peak. It’s also the perfect make-ahead app: The longer the tomatoes sit in the balsamic-garlic-olive oil mixture, the better the flavors meld and develop.

Get the Classic Bruschetta recipe.