Summer celebrations call for amazing dishes, especially desserts that capture the spirit of the holiday! What better way to celebrate than with some red, white, and blue deliciousness?
I’ve gathered 29 recipes that are sure to impress at any party.
1. Fourth of July Fruit Pizza
This recipe is similar to the sugar-cookie-cake, but it’s pressed into a round baking dish to make it look like a pizza.
I bet people will be so busy taking pictures of their dessert slices that they’ll miss the fireworks! It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
2. 4th of July White Chocolate Fudge
Since I try to go the extra mile, I like to make little treat bags that people can take home from BBQs and parties. Moreover, this fudge is the BEST option for a 4th of July goodie bag. Plus, it’s sweet, creamy, fudgy, and looks terrific!
The Marshmallow Fluff will add such a great flavor to the mix, and all that’s missing is a sprinkling of red, white, and blue sprinkles.
3. Red, White, and Blue Truffles
It turns out that truffles are surprisingly easy to make at home. You’ll just need a thick ganache that you let set enough to scoop and roll. This recipe uses white chocolate instead of the typical dark and covers it with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
Of course, you could also make cake balls and cover them in white chocolate and jimmies for the same effect.
4. Firecracker Milkshake
This milkshake is super simple, but so effective for the 4th of July.
Therefore, you’ll need to color your vanilla ice cream with red and blue and layer it in your glass. Note that you must be careful not to overmix, so the colors stay separate. To add even more patriotic punch, use blueberry and strawberry ice cream instead.
5. Patriotic Angel Food Cake
The real beauty of this cake is that it doesn’t need to look neat and tidy. Indeed, it looks better a little messy.
Plus, the filling is a heavenly mix of no-bake cheesecake (cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar) and lightened up with some Cool Whip.
Don’t be shy when filling the cake. Lather it in there and add in plenty of fruit!
6. Red White and Blue Strawberries
These chocolate covered strawberries are a stroke of genius, especially on the 4th of July!
There’s “red” with the fruit, and all you’ll need is some white chocolate and colored sugar to get the “white and blue.” You’ll need to leave some of the strawberries showing at the top and only dip the very end in the blue sugar. I suggest that you try using blue chocolate melts or coloring some white chocolate if you can’t find blue sugar.
7. Patriotic “No-Churn” Ice Cream
Because we don’t all have an ice cream maker at home, homemade ice cream isn’t always an option.
So, I love this no-churn recipe! You’ll just whip up your cream with condensed milk and throw in some fun extras.
Then, let the whole thing freeze, and you’ll have scoopable, quick ice cream. Remember that using those M&Ms will give you great texture and pops of color throughout. Just know that the color will probably streak a little, but that’s ok because it adds to the overall look.
8. Patriotic S’Mores
I’m pretty sure it’s not Independence Day if you don’t make s’mores, right? Then again, it’s just a fact!
But if you’re a bit sick of all that melted chocolate, this fruity version is for you. Note that you can keep in the chocolate if you like, but I think these are just as good with the fruit and marshmallows.
9. Easy July 4th Ice Cream Cake
Store-bought cake, ready-made ice cream, and lots of whipped cream are all you’ll need to make this cake. I suggest that pound cake is your best bet here since it’s nice and moist but will hold its shape when you cut it.
Plus, I love the deep color of the raspberry sorbet, but any red ice cream would work, or even a pink strawberry to give you the stripe of the flag effect.
10. American Flag Fruit Tart
Like the flag cake from above, this recipe uses blueberries and strawberries to create the stars and stripes, along with plenty of whipped cream. Therefore, between the buttery pastry case and the cheesecake-like filling, this recipe is a must-try for your party.
If you want to impress everyone, make them into minis!
11. 4th Of July Rice Krispie Treats
I would say that this recipe is one for the kids, but I love Rice Krispie treats, too! It’s one to make with the kids, though, since it’s simple, sticky, and colorful.
If you do work with kids, just be careful with the hot marshmallow by mixing it yourself until it starts to cool, and then let them get their hands dirty.
12. White Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas
I once made chocolate-dipped frozen banana slices as a simple little dessert. Well, they were gone so fast, I didn’t get even one!
Since then, I’ve stuck with making frozen banana popsicles. They’re easier, faster, and look great on a big platter.
Then, these are dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with some patriotic jimmies, but really, they’ll look just as good with dark chocolate. I’ve used a dark chocolate dip in the past and striped them with colored white chocolate.
13. Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes
Anyone can add some color to frosting, but how about making the cakes colorful too?
Instead of swirling the colors in the cupcake liner, I recommend just laying the batter and baking. Since the cupcakes are so small, the swirls would probably just cause the colors to mix, so layering will give a cleaner look.
14. Red, White, and Blue Crackle Cookies
Crackle cookies are among my favorites. Then again, it’s an easy way to make an average cookie look a little elevated, and all you need is to roll the dough in powdered sugar.
Also, these are made with a white cake mix, meaning they’ll take the food coloring perfectly and will come out so tender.
15. Patriotic Popcorn
It seems this is probably the easiest dessert on this list! Plus, you’ll just pop your popcorn, toss it with melted marshmallows, and add your extras. Then, serve in a big bowl for people to dig in.
It turns out that the marshmallow gives it the flavor and sticky texture that helps your extras stick rather than falling to the bottom of the bowl. Also, this recipe calls for mini-marshmallows, sprinkles, and red, white, and blue M&Ms.
16. Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad
You’ll need to find red, white, and blue fruits for the key to this salad. What is more, you’ll probably choose strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, maybe even watermelon. You’ll likely need the white to be a little more yellow; I’ve used pineapple, honeydew, and apple slices in the past.
Plus, the trick to making them look right is to use a star cookie cutter so that nobody will care that they aren’t strictly white.
17. Black and White Cookies
These cookies just scream New York to me, so I’m always amazed that they’re not available all over the States. With that in mind, the vanilla and buttermilk cookie is tender, sweet, and firm enough to hold its shape when you decorate. It might seem unlike a sugar cookie, but this is much more of a cakey texture.
And as a bonus, these could even be made into a 4th of July dessert using a raspberry-infused glaze instead of the chocolate.
18. Red White and Blue Poke Cake
For this recipe, you’ll ideally need a white cake mix because the colors will pop so much better against the light color. Once you have your cake baked, poke rows of holes all over and pour your jello colors, alternating with red and blue, so it’s evenly spaced out.
You’ll finish it off with a quick batch of whipped cream or Cool Whip.
19. 4th of July Ice Cream Pie
All I want on a hot day is a slice of pie, specifically ice cream pie!
If you want to make it easy, use a ready-to-go cracker crust or Oreo base and load it up with ice cream. It may be worth noting that if you can’t find the American Fireworks Ice Cream used here, just use vanilla and throw in plenty of sprinkles. Then, you’ll have a festive treat in no time!
20. Easy Patriotic Bark
Remember those M&Ms I told you to hoard? Here’s another fun way to use them!
Bark is an easy dessert that you can throw together last minute. Use white or dark chocolate, and just be sure to get your topping on while the chocolate is still wet.
So easy, so good!
21. Mini-Blueberry Pies
I’m obsessed with mini pies, too! They’re just too cute and brighten up any dessert plate.
Just FYI, I usually use ready-made pie shells. They’re perfect and buttery, and it just saves so much time.
Of course, you can make your own or cut them out from ready-made pie dough, but whatever you choose, they’re going to look great.
22. Star-Spangled Cookies
I know you have a star-shaped cookie cutter at home, and if you don’t, they’re super cheap and available all over. Really, these 4th of July cookies would look just as impressive in any shape you want.
Also, the trick to getting the perfect swirls is to work in small batches. Just be careful not to add too much of the dye, and move to a fresh bowl once the colors begin to streak together too much.
23. American Flag Cake
We don’t always have the time to make extravagant desserts.
The good news is that this cake looks fantastic, is perfect for a 4th of July BBQ, and is easy to recreate. You’ll need to use any kind of box cake you prefer and frost with vanilla frosting. Remember that it needs to be vanilla to get that white background.
Then, just arrange your fruit over the top to create the stars and stripes. You can use raspberries instead of strawberries, but you’ll need double to get nice, thick lines.
24. Mixed Berry Pie
This gorgeous fruit pie is loaded with fruit – strawberries, and blueberries – and covered with cute stars all over the top.
Then, I like to leave some of the fruit showing rather than covering the whole top, which allows you to see the colorful filling.Keep in mind that if you don’t have strawberries, feel free to use any berry mix you might have, just remember to macerate the fruit before adding it to the pie, or thaw out and strain frozen fruits to avoid too much moisture and a soggy bottom.
25. All-American Banana Split
Did you know that the banana split was invented over 100 years ago in Pennsylvania?
Talk about a true-blue American classic! To make it as authentic as possible, you’ll need bananas, of course, and a scoop each of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream. Moreover, it wouldn’t be complete with some whipped cream, hot fudge sauce, and chopped nuts scattered over the top, making it the perfect 4th of July treat.
26. Fireworks Cookies and Cream Cookies
You’ll know the 4th is approaching when you start seeing those red, white, and blue M&Ms in all the stores. I always try to buy plenty because they’re great in cookies, added to popcorn, or sprinkled over cupcakes. Plus, they’re easy, tasty, and perfect for the occasion!
These cookies are actually made with a cake mix, which makes them super moist and soft, and also have crushed Oreos inside, giving them some deep chocolate flavor.
27. American Flag Sugar-Cookie-Cake Recipe
This might look like another flag cake, but it’s actually a sheet of sugar cookie dough.
In this case, using cookie dough will make this easier to cut and serve, and since you’re covering the top with frosting, you could use any kind of cookie dough you like.You could also use a pizza cutter to cut your dough into rectangles, and just cut your fruit down to size.
I myself used blueberry halves and raspberries instead of strawberries in this one.
28. Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle
I’ve talked at length about my love for trifles, and there are so many wonderful flavor combinations out there. In this case, whether you’re making one giant show-stopper or individual servings, it’s always going to look restaurant-worthy.
It might look like it took a lot of work, but if you use Cool Whip and store-bought cake, it’s a breeze to throw together.
29. Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Popsicles
Chances are, no matter where you’re celebrating, your 4th of July is going to be a hot one.
As a result, what’s better on a hot day than popsicles? If you have one at home, you can use a popsicle mold, but I love how these look in plastic cups. Not only that, but you can make a much bigger batch and add little yogurt stars to the mold, which makes these even cuter.