36 Crowd-Pleasing 4th of July Recipes to Make This Year (2024)

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June 26, 2018 at 4:07pm EDT

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One of the many reasons to feel #blessed about the upcoming holiday weekend (in addition to red, white and blue outfits, patriotic nail art and hours of doing nothing but laying out on the beach) is that it usually means the opportunity to eat a lot of delicious food at parties and BBQs — and to do it for three days straight instead of the usual two.

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If you happen to be hosting your own party and you need some inspo for what to make for your crew (even if it’s just you and three friends), or you need to find something tasty to bring to an event you’re headed to, then look no further. These 36 super-summery recipes — from watermelon salad and blueberry corn salsa to grilled salmon and many types of burgers — are so good, you might even make them after of the Fourth of July holiday. (We know we will.)

A version of this article was originally published in July 2016 onStyleCaster.

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing
A pasta that tastes like pepperoni pizza? Count us in.
Grillable Veggie Burgers
Hold up, a veggie burger that's also grillable? Heck yes!
Tomato-Ricotta Phyllo Tart
It's like a garden on a pizza: Grab some seasonal veggies and you're on your way to a delicious tomato-ricotta tart.
Grilled Corn With Sriracha Aioli
Nothing screams summer more than grilled corn with a drizzled aioli.
Salmon & Summer Veggies
This salmon and veggies dish is packed with so much flavor, your kids might just like it.
Quinoa Summer Salad
Need something lighter for lunch? This quinoa salad drizzled with avocado-cilantro dressing is just what you need.
Summer Salad With Corn & Shrimp
Have leftover corn from your summer BBQ? Toss it into this summer salad, which is also packed with plenty of flavorful shrimp.
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Blueberry Corn Salsa
Blueberries? In a salsa? Yes — and it's an absolutely refreshing side dish.
Grilled Salmon With Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa
This healthy, easy-to-make dinner will convince you once and for all that, yes, salmon and strawberries are a match made in heaven.
Cornbread With Fresh Nectarines
Never had nectarines in your cornbread? Then you better make this twist on a classic comfort food side dish, stat.
Watermelon-Feta Salad
Fresh berries, basil and a balsamic vinaigrette: It's a simple watermelon-feta salad you'll make all summer.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Sliders With Tomato Guac
So, you want a burger, but you don't want it weighing you down? Make these chicken sliders topped with a fresh tomato guac.
Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
Grill 'em, roast 'em — either way you cook 'em, these lemony, garlicky shrimp kabobs will go fast.
Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Zucchini, Squash & Tomatoes
Behold: a sheet pan full of roasted, cheesy, freshly picked summer veggies.
Charred Corn Salsa
You can never go wrong with a corn salsa, and this one has the perfect balance of sweet and smoky.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
It's a simple dish packed with flavor, especially after you slather the slices with the cilantro-lime dressing.
Tomato Wedge Salad
It's a theme for summertime recipes: cooking with fresh veggies. And in this case, you're packing large beefsteak tomatoes with bacon bits, iceberg lettuce and bleu cheese.
Sweet Corn-Zucchini Pie
Guests won't know what delights await them when you serve this very untraditional yet deliciously cheesy vegetarian pie.
Hawaiian Steak Kabobs
Tender steak, sweet pineapple, grill veggies: These kabobs are a definite crowd-pleaser.
BLT Sliders With Basil Mayo
These cute, tiny BLT sliders are perfect to individually wrap and bring to your next summer barbecue.
Grilled Halibut With Tomato-Avocado Salsa
This healthy, flavorful halibut recipe only takes three steps to make.
Tortellini With Pesto & Roasted Veggies
Everyone loves pasta, and after this dish, everyone will have a newfound appreciation for roasted veggies, too.
Chili-Lime Chicken Tacos With Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Carlsbad Cravings describes this dish in the most mouthwatering way possible: "chili-lime chicken tacos seeping with a rainbow of chilI lime spices, topped with oozing jack cheese, sweet and smoky grilled pineapple salsa and drizzled with silky avocado crema." We're already heading to the kitchen.
Asparagus Pasta Salad
This cold pasta dish has all the yummy veggies: asparagus, tomatoes and onions. Plus, it has a healthy, tangy Greek yogurt dressing.
Honey-Sriracha Grilled Chicken Skewers
You know what's great about this recipe? You can use the honey-sriracha marinade on roasted veggies, too.
Cabbage, Apple & Radish Coleslaw
Blackberry Babe thought of everything: This coleslaw doesn't have any mayo in its dressing, so you can bring it to a hot summer potluck without worrying.
Chicken-Berry Pasta Salad
Guests will love the red, white and blue color scheme and this pasta's strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.
Steak Tacos With Cilantro-Radish Salsa
Did you really think we'd have a roundup of summer recipes and leave off steak tacos?
Cedar-Plank Salmon With Watermelon-Feta Salsa
Yep, another recipe with watermelon and feta cheese — and they truly elevate this salmon dish.
Tomato-Watermelon Gazpacho With Pistachios & Basil
Leave the hot soups for the colder months and give this tomato-watermelon gazpacho a try.
Chili-Lime Baked Potato Chips
These aren't your typical homemade potato chips; they have a chili-lime seasoning that'll have you grabbing handfuls.
Santa Fe Loaded Veggie Burger
Are you up for the challenge of fitting this beast of a veggie burger into your mouth? (Because it's totally worth it.)
Mango-Black Bean Salad
This salad is so fresh and so sweet, and it has one surprise guest: cucumbers.
Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries
More sweet potatoes, please! And who could ever resist Cajun-flavored sweet potato fries?
Farmers Market Potato Salad
Don't bring the typical potato salad to your next potluck. Grab fresh veggies from your local farmers market and make this potato salad instead.
Hawaiian Slaw
This Hawaiian slaw has pineapple, cabbage, carrots, sesame seeds and a ginger-soy lime vinaigrette.