The Best Red, White and Blue Desserts Recipes to Make for the Fourth of July

Chocolate and Cream Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries

"Tart, crunchy berries with creamy, chocolaty filling — it screams 'summer, summer, summer!’" says Sara Moulton of her patriotic treat.

The no-bake filling can be prepped in advance but Moulton advises to wait on the piping. “The sugar in the filling will pull out moisture from the strawberries and make them soggy,” says the star of PBS’ Sara’s Weeknight Meals. So assemble the strawberries just before serving.

Get the recipe HERE

Jam-Filled Butter Cookie Sandwiches

These two-bite cookie sandwiches with a "melt-in-your-mouth" texture are sure to be a hit at any Fourth of July party.

"They can be customized with chopped nuts, mini white-chocolate chips or whatever sprinkles you like," says Cake Wars champion Dan Langan, who includes the recipe in his cookbook Bake Your Heart Out.

Get the recipe HERE

Fruit Paletas

Cool off with these tangy ice pops! Emma Hearst offers two ways to celebrate in red, white and blue fashion. Choose between lemon and blueberry topped with raspberry crumbs, and coconut and strawberry dusted with blueberries — or enjoy both!

Get the recipe HERE

Sheet-Pan Tart with Icing

“I love this dish because it feels like a variation of eating pie at a cookout,” says celebrity chef Carla Hall about her "not-too-sweet" dessert.

“For frosting and decorating, this is so easy to change up for different holidays and celebration," says the judge on Food Network’s Summer Baking Championship (streaming on discovery+). "You have a wide variety of decorating options such as frosting, sprinkles. I’ve even done a version where I cut out shapes of pastry and baked them on top. Have fun with it!"

Get the recipe HERE

Berry Fudge Stars

Linda Skeens went viral after sweeping the competition at the Virginia-Kentucky District Fair and winning 25 ribbons for her home cooking, baking and crafts. Now you can try her award-winning fudge, featured in her Blue-Ribbon Cooking cookbook.

"It has a wonderful, creamy strawberry flavor and tastes like summer," Skeens says about her no-bake treat.

Get the recipe HERE

Raspberry and Blueberry Shortcakes

John Kannell's raspberry and blueberry shortcakes prove that festive Fourth of July desserts don't have to be complicated.

"This recipe is great for Fourth of July gatherings when you’ve got a lot of things going on but want to make something delicious and easy," says the Preppy Kitchen blogger about this "no-fuss, one bowl recipe."

Get the recipe HERE

Red, White & Blue Pinwheel Cookies

"Once you finish eating one, you're immediately going to want another!" consulting pastry chef at Old John's Diner in New York City Tanya Ngangan says about her soft, buttery and "hypnotic looking" cookies.

"This recipe is good for home cooks because there aren't many ingredients, and you most likely already have most of them in your pantry," she says. "It's a blank canvas that is very versatile. For example, you can easily sub vanilla extract out for almond or lemon extract."

Get the recipe HERE

Coconut & Blueberry Panna Cotta with Raspberry Granita

Chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli share what they call "the perfect summer dessert."

"The rich, sweet, creamy Panna cotta and the refreshing, bright granita contrast each other very well in this recipe," add the husband-and-wife chefs of Don Angie restaurant in New York City and authors of the Italian American cookbook.

Get the recipe HERE

Berry Trifle with Whipped Mascarpone Cream

This summery, cookout-friendly dish is "simple and comes together fast," says chef-founder of Le Bon Nosh restaurant in Atlanta Forough Vakili. "You can't mess it up. A little more of this or less of that will still make a really tasty dessert."

Vakili describes the flavors as being similar to a "strawberry shortcake" but with the addition of more summer berries.

Get the recipe HERE

Red, White & Blue Angel Food Cake

"This is hands-down one of my favorite recipes," says Dana Pollack, author of the Dana's Bakery cookbook. "It's light, airy and perfect for summer!"

Pollack's recipe also makes a great birthday cake — just dye the batter rainbow colors instead of red, white and blue.

Get the recipe HERE

Firecracker Pops

These nostalgic treats from Clarice Lam, the pastry chef at Kimika in N.Y.C., are flavored and colored naturally with tart cherries and limes, creamy coconut milk and sweet blueberries.

Get the recipe HERE

Summer Fruit Tart with Cream Cheese Filling

Vallery Lomas's patriotic dessert "couldn't be easier to make," she says. "The crust is an easy-peasy press-in crust, and the filling is basically a no-bake cheesecake!"

Use any combination of fruits like blueberries, raspberries, halved or quartered strawberries, halved and pitted cherries, sliced red plums, and pomegranate arils.

Get the recipe HERE

Pecan- Rum Balls

You only need a few ingredients to make these festive (and spiked!) dessert balls. Swap out the rum for root beer for a nonalcoholic version.

Get the recipe HERE

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

You'll impress everyone at your next barbecue with Molly Yeh's dessert that's perfect for the summer weather — no baking required!

Get the recipe HERE

Ice Cream Sundaes with Berry Sauces

There's no better way to celebrate the Fourth than with America's favorite frozen treat! These sundaes, from Nick Morgenstern of Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream in New York City, easily come together in under 10 minutes.

Get the recipe HERE

Frozen Coconut Daiquiris

Nothing says cool quite like these America-themed boozy beverages created by Beauty & Essex beverage director Megan Ardizoni. Each layer is made with a coconut simple syrup you'll want to use again and again for all future cocktails.

Get the recipe HERE

Strawberry & Blueberry Crumble

Designer Jenni Kayne's no-fuss recipe from her entertaining book Pacific Natural calls for fresh blueberries and strawberries — but you can use whatever combination of berries you have on hand.

Get the recipe HERE

Brownie Flag Cake

Gaby Dalkin, author of What's Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food, calls this dessert "a total crowd-pleaser." The key to making the white stripes and stars on top of her moist brownie cake is to roll some of the fruit in powdered sugar.

Get the recipe HERE

Tie-Dye Cheesecake Stars

Buddy Valastro makes these cute confections by separating and dying the cheesecake batter red, white and blue and then swirling them together with a wooden skewer. If you don't have a star-shaped cookie cutter, simply cut them into squares—they'll still be beaming with pride.

Get the recipe HERE

Rhubarb Galette

Take advantage of rhubarb season with this rustic, fail-proof tart from Sherry Yard. The James Beard Award-winning chef and COO of iPic Entertainment tops it with crushed amaretto cookies and vanilla ice cream.

Get the recipe HERE

Frozen Mojito Fruit Pops

Make these spiked treats from Top Chef star Adrienne Cheatham family-friendly by omitting the rum.

Get the recipe HERE

Flag Cookie Cake

Red, white and blueberries! Blogger Sally Quinn's patriotic treat is the perfect combo of cookie, cake and healthy fruit.

Get the recipe HERE

American Flag Butter Cake

"Your guests will love the patriotic surprise inside when you start to slice," says Carla Hall of her festive dessert. For easy assembly, The Chew cohost suggests baking each color in three separate round cake pans and then slicing the white and red layers in half horizontally to make the "stripes."

Get the recipe HERE

Red, White and Blue Italian Ices

For a good-for-you spin on a summer favorite, Rocco DiSpirito uses stevia and fresh or frozen fruit like white peaches, blueberries and strawberries to create all-natural coloring that's bursting with pride.

Get the recipe HERE

Toffee Popcorn Balls

Let your kids join in on the holiday fun by letting them decorate these popcorn balls with melted red and blue chocolates. Plus, who doesn't love dessert on a stick?

Get the recipe HERE

Cherry Blueberry Pie

The only thing better than a homemade berry pie on a hot summer day is one topped with cold whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Get the recipe HERE

Surprise-Inside Flag Cake

While we love a classic flag cake as much as any American, this seems like a good year to shake things up a bit, right? This recipe from Martha Stewart turns everything inside out, literally. "I love the surprise of patriotic colors on the inside of the cake instead of the outside," Stewart tells PEOPLE.

Get the recipe HERE

Red Velvet Pancakes

Au Fudge's fruit and coconut syrup make for a berry delicious way to start your morning.

Get the recipe HERE

Funfetti Flag Cake

As Independence Day approaches and we eagerly anticipate colorful firework displays and backyard barbecues, why not celebrate with a red, white and blue sprinkle-covered confetti cake? This delicious lemon-almond cake, filled with fresh strawberries and blueberries and layered with cream cheese icing, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Get the recipe HERE

Swirl Doughnuts

Our PEOPLE Food Test Kitchen created these red, white and blue swirl doughnuts that are so easy you'll feel bad about all the compliments you'll get on them. They only take 15 minutes to make and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already. The key to saving time is to use store-bought doughnuts. But make sure you get the plain flavor—nothing with a glaze or toppings.

Get the recipe HERE

Blueberry & White Chocolate Pie Pops

It's a party on a stick! Pastry chef Zac Young's blueberry and white chocolate pops will make any gathering more festive.

Get the recipe HERE