Of course, we love the burgers, hot dogs and fireworks. But if we’re being honest, come July Fourth, we’re most excited about piling our plates high with delicious side dishes (and then going back for seconds). From crunchy salads and smoky beans to gooey mac and cheese and grilled corn, here are 48 4th of July side dishes that deserve a spot on your table.
48 of the Best 4th of July Side Dishes, from Peach and Corn Caprese to Caesar Pasta Salad
Published Jun 9, 2022
1. Green Beans With Garlicky Pistachio Vinaigrette
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free
One bite of these crispity-crunchity green beans, and you’ll never serve them hot again.
2. Grilled Watermelon-feta Skewers
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
All salads should be served on sticks, don’t you think? A little time on the grill really brings out the sweet-meets-salty flavors in this side.
3. Caesar Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, low sugar
Crisp, cool lettuce salad or creamy pasta salad? At a backyard barbecue, you shouldn’t have to choose.
4. Strawberry, Basil And Arugula Salad With Lots Of Black Pepper
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, ready in <15 minutes, vegetarian
The dressing practically makes itself—no blender or whisk needed. You could swap the strawberries for ripe peaches if you’re feeling adventurous.
5. Zesty Chargrilled Broccolini
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Toss the vegetables on the grill right next to those juicy ribeyes.
6. Broccoli Rabe And Burrata With Lemon
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minute<10 ingredients
We love broccoli rabe as much as the next person, but let’s be honest: It’s the creamy puddles of cheese that really sell this dish.
7. Corn And Tomato Salad With Feta And Lime
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Our mantra for this side: Make, eat, repeat. Good thing it takes almost no time to cook, and it's easy to scale up for a crowd.
8. Blt Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Much like its sandwich namesake, this is a summertime masterpiece.
9. Cast Iron Cornbread
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, less than 500 calories
Corn bread is a must for sopping up all those saucy barbecue drippings. Our version stands out from the crowd because it’s made with brown butter, aka liquid gold.
10. Chilled Cucumber Salad
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients
The temps are soaring but this salad is calm, cool and collected. Don't let the 95-minute time commitment fool you; this dish is largely hands off. (A full 90 of those minutes are spent marinating, so you can kick back and watch an episode of Stranger Things—or get to work on the rest of your July Fourth menu.)
11. Summer Millet Salad
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, low sugar, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Quinoa, we love you, but it’s time to try something new. Millet is even easier to cook and tastes just as delicious.
12. Smoky Barbecued Corn
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: less than 500 calories, vegetarian, gluten free
You might never eat plain, boiled corn on the cob again, thanks to chili powder, Parmesan and smoked paprika.
13. Corn Fritter Caprese With Peaches And Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, vegetarian
How many summer produce stars can you fit into a single dish? A lot, it turns out.
14. Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, these guys have all the essential elements: cheese, spice and carbs. Yum.
15. Grilled Zucchini Boats With Quinoa And Basil Vinaigrette
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
We can’t get enough of this green vegetable, especially when it looks this appetizing.
16. Corn Salsa
- Time Commitment: 32 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
A rainbow of bright flavors and textures that will pair well with any main you're serving up this holiday. Might we suggest piling it on some tacos or burgers?
17. Cauliflower ‘tater’ Tots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
They’re crispy. They’re satisfying. They’re perfect for dipping. What more could you ask for? (Trust us, you won’t even miss the real thing.)
18. Salt And Vinegar Roasted Potatoes With Feta And Dill
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten-free, <10 ingredients
They’re crispy like French fries on the outside but creamy on the inside. Plus, if there are any leftovers, they pair nicely with a fried egg the next morning.
19. Spicy Roasted Broccoli
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Be sure to make extra lemon goat cheese drizzle. And then proceed to put in on everything (and use as a side for dipping).
20. Summer Tortellini Salad
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
You simply can’t go wrong with a salad full of tomatoes, red peppers, corn, cucumbers and a basil vinaigrette.
21. French Potato Salad
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free
Let the root veggies shine in this potato salad by adding a simple garlic vinaigrette and a handful of herbs to the mix.
22. Whole Roasted Carrots
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, low carb
Forget everything you know about cooked carrots (like boiling them), because from now on, roasting them is all you’ll ever need.
23. Light And Tangy Coleslaw
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, less than 500 calories
This healthier slaw subs Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard and plenty of vinegar for the usual mayo.
24. Minty-fresh Zucchini Salad With Marinated Feta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes (plus marinating time)
- Why We Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients, low carb
Save room for ice cream by adding a healthy serving of this light and refreshing side salad to your plate.
25. Skillet Pasta With Summer Squash, Ricotta And Basil
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, one pan recipe
Forget all about the mayo-drenched elbow macaroni of cookouts past. Combine cherry tomatoes, thin-sliced summer squash and lots of ricotta and Pecorino Romano instead for an easy win. After all, everything looks better in a skillet.
26. Classic Three-bean Salad
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes (+ chilling time)
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook
A ten-minute salad that gets better as it sits in the fridge? Sign us up.
27. Apple, Grape And Pecan Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
July Fourth parties deserve top-notch sides. Ditch the mayo-drenched classic macaroni salad in favor of this fruit-laden upgrade.
28. Mediterranean-style Grilled Zucchini Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free
We know it’s an extra step, but trust us—throwing your vegetables on the grill or an indoor griddle to get them nice and charred is totally worth it.
29. ‘everything’ Roasted Asparagus
- Time Commitment: 12 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian
Grab that Trader Joe’s everything bagel seasoning—it brings all the flavor to this super-quick roasted asparagus side.
30. Garlic Fingerling Potatoes
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, less than 500 calories
A chicer alternative to French fries, if your backyard bash is more “pinkies out” than “flag tee casual.”
31. 20-minute Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit And Asparagus
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
It’s practically no-cook, feeds a crowd and won’t wilt when you set it out in the summer heat. That's what we call a triple threat.
32. Rainbow Vegetable Skewers
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Not only does cooking one ingredient per skewer mean that everything is grilled to perfection, but they’ll also look great on the ’Gram.
33. Pink And Purple Potato Salad
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, make ahead
Of course this dish would be just as tasty with yellow spuds, but don’t those colors look gorgeous?
34. Grilled Peach And Halloumi Salad With Lemon-pesto Dressing
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, vegetarian, gluten free
Smoky, sweet and oh-so-pretty. Spread it out on a big platter and it’ll wow everyone at your party.
35. Grilled Corn With Spicy Aioli
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
Our days of boiling corn on the cob are over. Give this summer staple an easy and absolutely delicious upgrade.
36. Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, low carb, low sugar, keto
Best of all, you can whip these cuties up in under an hour. Well, now it’s a fiesta.
37. Spicy Bbq Chickpea And Crispy Polenta Bowls With Asparagus And Ranch Hummus
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, ready in <30 minutes
Who says meat eaters get to have all the barbecue fun? You'll want to make a double batch of that ranch hummus, because it's going to disappear fast.
38. Watermelon Jicama Salad With Cotija, Cumin And Lime
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, vegetarian, gluten free, ready in <30 minutes
Watermelon and feta? Yawn. To really impress guests, try this crunchy, flavor-packed salad instead.
39. Asparagus And Arugula Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
This one’s super easy to prep in advance, and it’s practically good for you with all those green vegetables.
40. Crockpot Bacon-bourbon Baked Beans
- Time Commitment: 13 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, beginner-friendly, make ahead
There's a little bit of extra work the night before—ahem, letting the beans soak overnight—but the extra effort is worth it. (Oh, and when you serve it, don’t forget the cornbread.)
41. Greek Wedge Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, less than 500 calories, gluten free, vegetarian
The tangy homemade vinaigrette dressing and fresh toppings make for a pretty darn satisfying alternative to the traditional salad.
42. Parmesan Zucchini And Corn
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian, gluten free
Aka the tastiest way to use up your farmers market haul. Oh, and did we mention that it only takes 10 minutes to whip up?
43. Cantaloupe And Mozzarella Caprese Salad
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, no cook, gluten free
This sweet-and-savory dish may look fancy, but it’s actually super easy to make. If you don’t have a melon baller, just slice the cantaloupe into cubes.
44. Jalapeño-avocado Mac And Cheese
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, high protein
Spicy jalapeños, creamy avocado and al dente pasta: These are a few of our favorite things.
45. Cowboy Caviar Quinoa
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Make it ahead of time and add the avocado right before serving so you can concentrate on the grill.
46. German Potato Salad
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, dairy free, crowd-pleaser
While the merits of a mayonnaise-based potato salad are numerous, it doesn’t play well with hot weather. This version is good warm or room temp, and with a tangy-sweet vinegar-based dressing, can hang at your outdoor party, no problem.
47. Honeydew, Feta, Jalapeño And Lime Salad
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients
Think of this refreshing side dish as the new watermelon and feta. (If you took out the feta cheese, the flavors would also make a knockout blended cocktail, just sayin’.)
48. Charred Summer Squash With Whipped Feta
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: low sugar, less than 500 calories, special occasion–worthy
If you happen to be growing zucchini in your garden this year, we’d bet money that you’ve already run out of ideas for that bumper crop of squash. Make this fluffy whipped feta next on the menu.
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