The Fourth of July is almost here, and it is time to get ready with some great food. Try one of these 32 mostly small and easy recipes for your celebrations this year.
Independence Day is one of our favorite holidays. It is all about happy things, not only the birth of our nation but also fun and family. It is one of the biggest summer holidays and represents the middle of summer.
A special call-out to our great friends in Canada, who are celebrating Canada Day on July 1. It is commonly known as Canada's Independence Day, which is somewhat correct but not entirely.
While we enjoy the holiday, please remember the freedoms we enjoy and thank those responsible—the military and our heroic first responders.
🐄Grilled Beef Recipes
There are many ways to enjoy beef for the holiday. These popular ones are easy to scale to the desired amount to keep it small or make it big.
How to Grill Hamburgers
Grilling hamburgers on your backyard gas (or charcoal) grill is fast and easy using store-bought ground beef and simple seasonings. Grilled over high heat for the best juicy homemade burgers, which will go from the refrigerator to your plate in under 20 minutes
Grilling Hamburgers
How to Grill Filet Mignon
Learn How to Grill Filet Mignon to perfection in about 10 minutes. With these simple step-by-step photo instructions, you can easily cook the best grilled filet mignon.
Grilling Beef Filet
Grilled New York Strip Steaks
Perfectly Grilled NY Strip Steaks on the Gas Grill are fast and easy with this never-fail recipe. Fire up that backyard BBQ for some juicy, flavorful, and tender strip steaks—we grill steaks several times a month
Grilled NY Strip Steaks
How to Grill a T-bone or Porterhouse Steak – A Tutorial
Grilled T-bone and Porterhouse steaks are easy with just a few steps. Start with a great steak, season simply, and cook over high heat. Get perfect grilled steaks every time.
Grilling Porterhouse or T-Bone Steaks
How to Make Juicy Lucy Burgers
Learn How to Make Juicy Lucy Burgers, a delicious Minnesota bar classic. Quick and easy, make these cheese-stuffed burgers on the grill or stovetop tonight.
Making Juicy Lucy Burgers
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Grilled Sirloin Steak is quick and easy. Use marinade to tenderize and add taste or the seasoning of your choice. Grill the perfect steak juicy and tender steaks every time.
Grilling Sirloin Steaks
Marinated Beef Kabobs
A simple beef kabob marinade with only 3 ingredients is the secret to our juicy and flavorful Marinated Beef Kabob for grilling or in the oven. We love this quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe for two using sirloin steak with added veggies.
Marinaded Sirloin Beef Kabobs
🐓Grilled Chicken Recipes
Nothing can beat some great grilled chicken. A classic grilled entree that you can adjust to small or big.
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Drumsticks are fast and easy with this never-fail recipe. Tender, flavorful, and budget-friendly, everybody from picky kids to grandma will love these crispy grilled drumsticks.
Grilling Drumsticks
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Thighs are juicy and tender, with crispy skin and delicious char. They are fast and easy on your gas grill with only a few simple steps. Super flexible, you can use a charcoal grill, bone-in or boneless thigh, the season of your choice, or even BBQ sauce.
Grilling Chicken Thighs
How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill
Grilled chicken breasts can be juicy and tender with only a few simple steps. In under 30 minutes, you can have perfect chicken breasts every time. Just pay attention to our tips and follow the easy step-by-step photo instructions.
Grilling Chicken Breasts
Ground Chicken Burgers
Delicious and juicy Ground Chicken Burgers are easy to cook on your backyard BBQ grill or stovetop. Crispy and flavorful chicken burgers are a perfect fast weeknight dinner.
Cooking Ground Chicken Burgers
Easy Grilled Chicken Tenders
Easy Grilled Chicken Tenders are moist and tender and only need a few minutes of prep and 10 minutes on the grill. Kids and adults all love chicken tenders.
Grilling Chicken Tenders
Grilled Split Chicken Breasts—Crispy and Delicious
These Grilled Split Chicken Breasts are extra crispy, moist, and tender on your gas grill. It is a quick, easy, and economical dinner everybody will love.
Grilling Split Chicken Breasts
🐖Grilled Pork Recipes
First, fire up the grill for great chops, or try one of our most popular BBQ recipes—the Memphis pork tenderloin.
How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
Get perfect moist and tender Grilled Pork Chops on your gas grill in under 30 minutes. Use boneless or bone-in chops, an optional brine, and season to your taste.
Grilled Pork Chops
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Grilling pork tenderloin on a gas grill is fast and easy. With a touch of char outside and juicy and tender meat inside, we love this fool-proof recipe, and so will you.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
The Best BBQ Pork Tenderloin – Memphis Style
BBQ pork tenderloin is outstanding and is the best grill pork tenderloin—period. Moist, tender, and the most wonderful sweet-spicy taste of Memphis BBQ. This will become your top recipe for company grilling.
The Best BBQ Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Grilled baby back ribs on the gas grill are simple with this never-fail recipe. Seasoned with dry rub and cooked low and slow, these juicy BBQ pork ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender. Served with BBQ sauce, you will love this classic grilling favorite.
Grilling Ribs
Grilled Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
Learn how to grill boneless country-style ribs that are moist and tender. Great BBQ boneless ribs in only 30 minutes with these quick and easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions.
Grilling Boneless Country Style Ribs
Side Dishes
The main dishes are great, but the sides can easily make the meal.
Simple Spinach Salad with Bacon
This is a simple spinach salad with bacon and an easy homemade spinach salad dressing with ketchup on fresh baby spinach. You can add toppings of your choice and other greens like kale. Make it your way, or follow my suggestions. Use it as a side dish or load it with protein for a delicious summer lunch.
Simple Spinich Salad with Bacon
Broccoli Slaw Salad
Broccoli Slaw Salad has great crunch and flavor. It has broccoli slaw salad, veggies, almonds, and rice noodles. The homemade dressing is a delicious touch.
How to make Broccoil Slaw Salad
Microwave Corn on the Cob in the Husk
Microwave Corn On the Cob in the Husk is super easy. No husking, just short microwaving, and you will have perfect sweet corn every time with no mess.
Microwaving Corn on the Cob
Easy Macaroni Salad
With rich flavor, this easy macaroni salad recipe is a small batch recipe for making macaroni salad for two or a crowd. The basic recipe includes elbow macaroni, cheese, bell pepper, onion, celery, and a mayonnaise-based dressing. However, multiple optional ingredients may be added to customize to your taste.
Making Homemade Macaroni Salad
Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Raisins
The best broccoli salad recipe is homemade for freshness. It has crunchy broccoli, crispy bacon, juicy raisins, cheddar cheese, and a creamy, sweet, tangy homemade dressing.
Making Broccoli Salad
Grilled Mixed Vegetables
Delicious Grilled Mixed Vegetables cooked on the grill compliments any meal. You can easily add them to your grill while you cook dinner to complete your meal.
Grilling Mixed Vegetables
Bigger main dishes
Not all parties are smaller. While all the suggested recipes may be scaled up, you can check out these bigger recipes that may fit your needs.
How to Cook a Brisket on a Gas Grill
Cook smoked Grilled Brisket low-and-slow on your backyard gas grill—moist and tender meat with crusty bark and a smokey taste. Make classic BBQ brisket without a smoker.
Grilled Brisket
Easiest Oven Baked BBQ Beef Brisket
Learn how simple it is to make smoky and tender Oven Baked BBQ Beef Brisket with this never fail brisket recipe—just two ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time—everybody deserves great BBQ.
Oven Baked BBQ Brisket
Oven Pulled Pork Butt—Low and Slow
Oven Pulled Pork from pork butt is cooked in the oven low and slow. Our best-pulled pork recipe is tender and moist with delicious bark. Super easy, with almost no work—you rub, bake at 250° for 8 to 9 hours, shred, and eat.
Oven Baked Pulled Pork
BBQ Shredded Pork Loin for Pulled Pork in the Oven
Lean, healthy, and tasty shredded pork loin makes excellent BBQ pulled pork by oven baking in a spicy braising fluid. Use it any place you use pulled pork butt.
Pork Loin Pulled Pork in the Oven
Chicken for a Crowd
It is easier than you think to feed a crowd fresh baked chicken. From a small party to a large group of a hundred or more, this recipe for baked chicken is perfect for any size crowd. Start with skin-on chicken breasts and drumsticks. Trim to finger food size, season to taste, and bake. Also, learn to keep your party safe with the food safety tips.
Chicken for a Crowd
The Best Taco Meat
The best Taco Meat recipe only needs 25 minutes, ground beef, and an easy homemade taco seasoning. Make it spicy or make it mild; you're in control. You will never use packaged taco seasoning again.
Spicy Taco Meat
Desserts and treats
Easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
This easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp is a small-batch recipe with only three apples and a few pantry ingredients. Easy to make for two or a crowd. It's a delicious apple dessert with plenty of cinnamon apples and a crumble topping, just like Grandma would make.
Easy Apple Crisp
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Cheesecake Bars
This easy recipe for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake or cheesecake bar with Oreo crust will become your signature dessert for special occasions and parties. Make a traditional full-size cheesecake or cheesecake bars or bites for finger treats at parties.
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Cheesecake Bars
Easy Cheesecake Bars
These Easy Cheesecake Bars are creamy and delicious with a Graham cracker crust and lemon—the quick small-batch recipe you need with great tasting cheesecake bars.
Small Batch Cheesecake Bars
Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars
Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars are the perfect blueberry dessert recipe with sweet berries, cream cheese filling, a buttery shortbread crust, and a crumble topping. Get blueberry cheesecake flavor without the fuss. Easy to make in about an hour.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars
Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello
Fresh strawberry pie with Jello is a simple old-fashioned recipe made famous at Shoney's Big Boy. Served topped with whipped cream, strawberry Jello pie is the perfect light summer dessert for a picnic or every day.
Strawberry Pie with Jello
Grilled Pineapple Slices with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glaze
Glazed grilled pineapple slices are an easy delicious summer side dish. With a buttery caramelized brown sugar glaze, it also makes a great dessert when combined with ice cream—Ready in less than 15 minutes.
Grilling Glazed Pineapple
Food Safety
Please don't forget food safety. Every year, after every summer holiday, I see several families with food-borne illnesses—always preventable with some easy precautions. Check out the USDA Food Safety Recommendations.
Please enjoy the recipes, and don't forget the party animals; check out the Homemade Low Calorie Dog Treats.
Have great fun and a safe holiday.
Wifo, Molly, Lilly, and DrDan
Editor's Note: Originally Published July 1, 2017. Updated yearly for republication.
Ed says
Thanks for the shoutout to Canada, you have a great 4th of July.
Betty Wickett says
As a Canadian, (immigrant), I thank you for acknowledging our special day. Here in Canada we are acknowledging some unpleasant truths about our history while also celebrating this wonderful country. Looking forward to visiting when the borders open up.
Betty Wickett says
As a Canadian I thank you for acknowledging our special day. This year especially we in Canada are facing some unpleasant truths about our history while still celebrating our wonderful country. Looking forward to visiting your country when the borders open up.
Helen Arano says
What Beautiful Dogs, great with kids too.
Have a wonderful 4th.!
Ashley says
Everything looks delicious!!