Making 4th of July food is easier than you think. We have the BEST red, white and blue fruit salad with a secret ingredient!
The 4th of July is my favorite summer holiday. We are sharing some of our favorite patriotic treats with you guys including a delicious no bake dessert, our 4th of July charcuterie board and some easy semi-homemade ones too.
4th of July Food
The best part of a fourth of July party is the patriotic food. Red, white & blue treats like these we served at our 4th of July backyard bash will leave your guests feeling even more patriotic.
You can make any treat more festive with simple red, white & blue sprinkles like we did with these gluten-free Rice Krispies. They are a must for little hands that can just grab them and go.
What do people eat on July 4th?
Eating classic barbecue foods on the 4th of July is an American tradition people generally enjoy with the whole family. Traditional 4th of July foods like gluten-free burgers and hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob and baked beans are staples of most 4th of July celebrations.
For Independence Day dessert, apple pie and ice cream are the American classic but these gluten-free apple pie with caramel in mason jars are so much cuter! They are also a breeze to clean up.
I really like dressing up family favorites like Rice Krispie treats and sugar cookies. You can do it semi-homemade or go all out and make them yourselves.
You may be asking yourself, what should I bring to a 4th of July Potluck?
Really, any dish is great to keep in theme with 4th of July food but I do recommend our red cabbage salad. A classic best potato salad recipe like this one from Meaningful Eats is always a hit too.
I also love serving up one our 4th of July mocktails especially our blue lagoon mocktail which can double as blue desserts when served up with ice cream!
4th of July Sugar Cookies
When it comes to putting together a 4th of July backyard bash, red, white & blue treats and eats are at the top of the list. We decided to create a menu of easy 4th of July desserts that everyone will love.
Whenever I style a party the first thing I think of is the cookie that will go perfectly with the theme. My friend Shanan over at enchanted cookie boutique is truly an artist want to comes to her work.
Her cookies taste as delicious as they look which is something I’ve had a hard time finding in beautifully decorated cookies. I thought red, white and blue snowcones are so fun and summer and definitely remind me of the 4th of July.
So naturally, I knew I needed then made in cookie form for this party. She makes them gluten-free which I love, that way I can indulge with all the other party guests.
Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad
This red, white and blue fruit salad is made with fresh, juicy summer berries. There’s also a special ingredient in this salad that pulls it all together and elevates it to a new level of delicious…
Melted popsicles are the secret ingredient that everybody loved in this fruit salad! They are great because it adds more juiciness and sweet flavor without the dairy or other top allergens.
We’ve used popsicles in our mocktails before but I think this fruit salad is my new favorite recipe EASY summer recipe!
4th of July Cupcakes
Simple gluten-free vanilla cupcakes are great topped with white cream cheese frosting and red and blue pop rocks. They are like little firecrackers in the mouth. The kids will especially love them!
They definitely make fun little 4th of July food accents that take very little effort on your part.
Patriotic Decor
For me, no celebration is complete without gorgeous, fresh florals. This beautiful arrangement is popping with patriotic colors in the form of roses & lilies. And don’t forget the American flag!
In a beautiful blue vase these made the perfect centerpiece to our rustic picnic table. It is simple enough to recreate on your own as well.
Backyard Bash Entertainment
For this 4th of July backyard bash I decided to keep it simple with a giant game of yard Yahtzee. We played this last year at our summer block party and everyone loved it. I knew the kids would enjoy it again.
I also got extra pop rocks for the kids to enjoy and boy did they ever! My little lady tried them for the first time and thought they were so funny. It was so cute to see!
I found red, white and blue star confetti push pops at target for only a dollar each. I also found one dollar patriotic sunglasses for the kids and couldn’t resist picking them up.
4th of July Party Favors
The kiddos at our party loved these little favors. They were excited to take the glasses home. I also like giving out little hand held flags or packages of sparklers.
We made sure that our favorite American songs were playing throughout the party which brought life and fun to it as well. All in all, it was a very funny little gathering and something that can be re-created for your own 4th of July backyard bash.
Wishing you all a very happy 4th of July! And here is that delicious fruit salad recipe I was telling you about…
Photos: Amie Pendle
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4th of July Food & Melted Popsicle Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries sliced
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1-2 popsicles
- 3 T white pearl sprinkles
- Optional: fresh mint
Instructions
- Place popsicles in a big bowl and leave on the counter for 30 minutes
- Add the washed blueberries and raspberries to the bowl along with the sliced strawberries
- Mix together until the berries are coated in the melted frozen bites
- Sprinkle the fruit mixture with pearl sprinkles and fresh mint if desired
- Enjoy cold on a hot summer day!
Nutrition
Originally published June 27, 2017. I have since updated it with new verbiage, ideas and headings.
Heidy M says
This was a great find on Pinterest and I loved all the patriotic items! I am totally excited for this 4th of July and now I have a ton of inspirational ideas!
Chandice says
Thanks Heidy, so glad it inspired you!
Jo says
This is such a refreshing and fun post. Fruit salad never fails and an apt salad for the celebrations!
Marisa F. Stewart says
What adorable pictures. I love the Independence Day color and decorations. We’re hoping to have a huge bash on the 4th. I’m getting some good ideas here and that salad is a definite must.
Kushigalu says
Love this post and great ideas for 4tH of july. Thanks for sharing.
Leslie says
I surely do love all things patriotic. No surprise that food is no exception! I love being festive on the 4th!
Denise says
Summer.parties are always so much fun! Your fruit salad recipe is perfect for any time all summer long.
Bernice Hill says
So many great ideas in this post…we don’t have 4th of July in Canada, but we do have Canada Day and we sure love to picnic. This would be a great dish to bring to a picnic potluck.
Paige says
Well how fun is all this? What a great post, and the kids are cute too. So many great ideas!
Colleen Mahoney says
Do you need to serve the fruit salad right after making or can you refrigerate?
Chandice says
Hi Colleen, you can refrigerate it. 🙂
Marwin Brown says
These all look like such tasty and unique recipes! Thanks
Eva says
This post was beautiful, all these gorgeous photos of the beautiful food and decor, it made me feel like I was at the party with you.
Gloria says
I am so happy the summer food season is here. I am all about cooking outdoors and entertaining. BBQ parties and family gatherings are always fun.