Barbecue menus for the Fourth can turn real cheesy real quick. And between cocktails, appetizers, side dishes and a hot dog bar, dessert might just be the easiest course to drop the ball on. Red, white and blue cupcakes? Boooring. Here are some festive treats to take to your fête that are tasteful—and tasty. Presenting 49 4th of July desserts that are guaranteed to impress.
49 4th of July Desserts That Never Go Out of Style
Red, white and blueberry pie
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Published Jun 10, 2024
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
1. Cherry Slab Pie
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
When it comes to crust, more is more, so a slab pie is naturally superior to all other types of pie. (It doesn’t hurt that it can feed a crowd on the Fourth.)
2. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 12
This 4th of July dessert is pure nostalgia. It uses freeze-dried strawberries, which means you don’t need much for a big fruit flavor and beautiful color. It’s easy to pull off and makes store-bought ice cream seem super impressive.
3. Mini Strawberry Ice Cream Pies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
Roasting the strawberries will bring out all their sweet, juicy flavor, even if they’re not perfect from the farmers market. If only all desserts could be this easy to pull off.
4. Peaches-and-Cream Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
- Serves: 8
Can you tell that roasting fruit is the secret to better baking? Here, caramelized peaches and brown sugar bring summery sweetness to tangy Greek yogurt.
5. Fourth of July Ice Cream Cake
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead
- Serves: 10
Consider this showstopper an easier, more modern version of flag cake. Everything is store-bought and you don’t have to turn on the oven—now *that’s* how you celebrate.
6. One-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly?
- Serves: 8
Does it get any easier than twice-frozen fruit? Definitely not. If you’re not sure how to cut a watermelon, now is your chance to learn.
7. Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Why should your oven have all the fun? If your grill is already hot from those July 4th recipes you served for dinner, make dessert on the coals too.
8. Watercolor Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 12
Behold, true works of art. The marble-effect on the glaze is as easy as swirling a few colors with a toothpick, but it looks ultra-impressive.
9. Berry Galette
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6
Introducing a foolproof way to bake a pie. Without having to form a crust or worry about shrinkage, you’ll nail this classic 4th of July dessert.
10. Peanut Butter Freezer Pie
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 10
This is going to be everyone’s favorite way to eat peanut butter (if it isn’t already). If you want to work in some chocolate with shavings on top of the whipped cream, no one will complain.
11. Berry-Coconut Rocket Pops
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly
- Serves: 8 to 10
You’ll never be too old to cool off with one of these. This version, made with berries and creamy coconut milk, is a treat both kids and grown-ups will love.
12. Mini Mason Jar Apple Pies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 6
Is this the most American dessert ever? The jury is out on that one, but it’s definitely true that baking mini pies in mason jars is going to win over the crowd.
13. Strawberry-Mango Hawaiian Shave Ice
- Time Commitment: 5 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 4
This DIY gem doesn’t require a shave ice machine or a flight to Maui. Instead, you’ll make a crushed ice mixture in your freezer and douse it in homemade fruit syrup.
14. Chocolate Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly
- Serves: 16
Bring on the sprinkles, chopped nuts and caramel sauce. If you want to make these sammies ahead of time, they’ll keep in the freezer for about a month.
15. No-Bake Berry Tiramisu
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead
- Serves: 10
If the color scheme works…bake it. (Or don’t, considering this decadent delight is actually a no-bake recipe, thanks to store-bought ladyfingers.)
16. Strawberries and Crème
- Time Commitment: 16 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, no cook
- Serves: 4
It’s so simple, yet so delicious. Make sure you use the tastiest fruit possible, since there aren’t many ingredients.
17. Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
Keep the coals glowing all night. You can make the cherry sauce up to five days ahead of your July 4th celebration, if you want to get ahead of the game.
18. Puff-Pastry Plum and Thyme Galette
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 8
Ooh, pass the vanilla ice cream. Since the crust is made from store-bought puff pastry, you don’t need to be a pro-level baker to pull this one off.
19. Blackberry-Raspberry Skillet Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: 10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 8
This 4th of July dessert is as easy as pouring batter over fresh fruit and baking. The more berries, the merrier—you can use a blend, or stick with whatever looks best from the market.
20. Skillet Peach Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 8
Nothing beats a summer peach. Even better if you don’t have to deal with mixing, rolling, forming and chilling a pie crust.
21. Blackberry Jam Pie-Crust Straws
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 20
A sparkler in one hand, a pie straw in the other. These treats pack big, pie-like flavor into a simple preparation that’s easy to make, even if you’re not good with pie crust.
22. Blackberry Panna Cotta Tartlets
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 32 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
- Serves: 6
It’s heavy on the summer fruit, but light on effort, since the crusts start with store-bought shortbread cookie dough. (Smart, right?)
23. No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, no cook
- Serves: 16
This cheesecake is delightfully cool and creamy, no oven (or fussy water bath) required. Make it the day before your July 4th celebration so it has enough time to set in the freezer.
24. Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Crust
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 8
Your party guests will be snapping pictures for the ’Gram as you slice in. Lucky for you, it tastes as good as it looks. (The trick to dying the dough is, once again, freeze-fried fruit.)
25. Fresh Fruit Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8 to 10
This calls for a farmers market trip. Use any seasonal fruit you like, such as peaches, raspberries or blueberries (or all three).
26. No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 10
If you avoid the oven at all costs come summer, this 4th of July dessert has your name on it. While the fruit sauce does require some stove-top cooking, you could also use store-bought preserves or a jarred caramel sauce instead.
27. Pink Lemonade Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 16
Your picnic won’t be complete without a little lemonade. The color comes from raspberries, but if you want a more classic lemon bar recipe, you can omit them.
28. Peach Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minute
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
“Have biscuit dough, will travel,” might become your new motto after you make this easy 4th of July dessert. Since there’s not much more than fruit and topping here, it’s worth making the biscuits from scratch.
29. Glazed Blueberry Cake
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 8
The moist, tender crumb of this yellow cake is so easy to eat, you’ll want to go back for a second slice. It’s basically a fruit salad, right?
30. Lemon-Berry Sheet Pan Trifle
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, gluten free
- Serves: 8
This riff on a trifle, starring your trusty baking sheet, is like the American version of the sorta stuffy British dessert served in a crystal bowl. Independence Day is cool like that.
31. Sweet Corn Doughnut Holes
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 8
Summer’s favorite vegetable goes sweet in this unconventional dessert. Fresh corn kernels are whipped up into a light-as-clouds pastry cream, and yes, it’s as good as it sounds.
32. Blueberry Crumble Pie
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 10
Two desserts coming together in streusel-topped harmony—aww. Slices are best served with a side of ice cream, naturally.
33. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 12
These light and tender cupcakes might be your cutest barbecue guests yet. The biscuit-like batter, whipped cream topping and fresh fruit are a match made in 4th of July heaven.
34. Oven-Baked S’mores Bars
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 15
You have a baking sheet and an oven, right? Just add graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows. Voilà, s’mores without a campfire. (And the crowd goes wild.)
35. Patriotic Flag Fruit Platter
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 8
If you’re not that into sugary dessert, it doesn’t get any easier (or more festive) than setting out a carefully arranged tray of seasonal fruit. It also doubles as a snack, just saying.
36. Blackberry Lime Bars
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 16
Great things come in small packages, like these bars. Why? Because they’re small, you can easily eat more than one.
37. Berry Cream Filo Baskets
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook
- Serves: 30
You can form your own cups with store-bought filo dough, but most groceries also sell premade ones too. To fancy it up a touch, make homemade whipped cream in place of the Cool Whip.
38. Grilled Berry S’mores
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 6
Strawberries and blueberries are essential for these indulgent bites, but a campfire is not. Use your grill if it’s still hot, or take the party inside and make them in your oven.
39. Fireworks Celebration Cookies
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 24
No holiday is complete without a big plate of cookies for guests to nibble on. These are so cute, you could also put them into glassine envelopes for take-home treats at the end of the night.
40. Strawberry Delight Ice Cream Pie
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Filling a graham cracker pie crust with with strawberry ice cream and fresh fruit? 4th of July dessert has never been easier or more impressive.
41. Mini Key Lime Pies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
- Serves: 18
One bite and boom, you’re on a sunny beach. Mini pies are actually superior to full-size, and not just because they’re cute: The filling will cool and set faster, so you can get to eating ASAP.
42. Atlantic Beach Pie
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 8
This riff on North Carolina lemon pie features a crust made from crushed saltine crackers, to balance the sweet-tart filling. Even better, the pie takes almost no time to assemble and bake, making it ideal for beginner bakers.
43. Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Floats
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, no cook
- Serves: 1
These floats are sweet and simple, so you can easily scale the recipe up to serve a crowd. If you can’t find strawberry soda, try substituting black cherry instead.
44. Light Berry Angel Food Cake
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 8
It’s ready in 15 minutes and starts with store-bought cake, so there’s almost zero fuss involved. (That leaves you more time to focus on the fireworks, of course.)
45. Vanilla Bourbon Cherry-Blueberry Pie
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 6
Your guests might never get over these cute star cut-outs, which take the place of a traditional lattice crust in this 4th of July dessert. The filling contains a quarter cup of bourbon, but you can leave that out if you’re serving it to kids.
46. Cherry Cobbler Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 42 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 12
These picture-perfect cupcakes can double as a centerpiece before you and your party guests devour them. Here, looks are deceiving, because each cake is studded with sweet cherries.
47. Nectarine Blueberry Pie
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 8
A layer of pie dough stars is so much more festive than regular old crust. If you have leftover scraps, make pie-crust cookies and sprinkle them with sugar (chef’s treat).
48. 5-Ingredient Frozen Yogurt Bites
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead
- Serves: 24
Coolest dessert at the barbecue? Hands down, no contest. Make an extra batch to keep in your freezer all summer long.
49. Brown Butter Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Toast Crumbs
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
Hello, gorgeous. For the most aesthetically pleasing char marks, make sure your grates are clean and preheated before placing the fruit on the grill.
