I’ve rounded up my all-time favorite gluten-free recipes for the summer holiday, including appetizers, side dishes, and festive desserts. I bring them out every 4th of July and they get rave reviews year after year!
If I had to pick just one favorite recipe from the list, it’s this gluten-free 4th of July dessert. It’s an absolute showstopper and makes a simple angel food cake look even more impressive.
Gluten-Free Side Dishes
Gluten-Free Potato Salad (BEST EVER!)
This potato salad is the number one thing friends and family ask me to bring to get-togethers. It's just that good! It's hands-down my favorite potato salad recipe, and one of the highlights of summer. Everyone at the party will be wanting to know the secret trick that makes it extra flavorful.
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Cucumber Tomato Salad (Easy Marinade!)
This refreshing marinated cucumber salad is an old family recipe we eat on repeat all summer long. The apple cider vinegar marinade is easy to make and perfectly compliments anything want to grill up!
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Corn Salad with Feta (Easy!)
This corn salad recipe has all the fresh, seasonal flavors that reach their peak around mid-summer. It's healthy but also completely delicious, loaded with fresh corn, Feta, tomatoes, and an apple cider vinegar dressing.
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Best Quinoa Salad Recipe
This is an easy, healthy side dish to elevate your BBQ. It's full of toasted pine nuts, corn, cranberries, greens, and Parmesan, all tossed with a creamy buttermilk basil dressing. This one always disappears quickly at family gatherings!
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Gluten-Free Italian Pasta Salad
This gluten-free pasta salad is one of my all-time summer favorites. It's packed with creamy mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and briny Kalamata olives, all tossed in a zesty homemade dressing. Bonus: it’s delicious at room temperature, so you don't have to worry about it sitting out at a BBQ all afternoon.
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Dairy-Free Coleslaw (Favorite Classic!)
This coleslaw is perfect alongside BBQ classics like hot dogs, slow-cooker pinto beans with gluten-free corn muffins. My family also loves adding it as a topping to BBQ pulled pork or tacos.
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4th of July Fruit Salad (Honey Lime Dressing!)
Honeydew, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries all come together in a sweet honey lime dressing that makes every flavor shine. This easy red white and blue fruit salad is a great side dish for all patriotic holidays and summer BBQs.
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Gluten-Free Cakes
Gluten-Free 4th of July Dessert
This patriotic red, white, and blue dessert is made with a gluten-free angel food cake roll, luscious cream cheese frosting, and berry filling. It's a stunner and also such a fun way to reimagine light, airy angel food cake. You also might like this 4th of July fruit salad!
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Perfect Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
This is the best-tasting angel food cake you’ll ever eat, and it's naturally gluten-free. Win-win! Dress it up with patriotic colors using strawberries, blueberries, or even blueberry ice cream.
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Gluten-Free Strawberry Cream Cheese Trifle
This indulgent trifle has fresh berries, spongy angel food cake, whipped cream, and sweet cream cheese with a hint of almond. It's one of my favorite gluten-free desserts to serve on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, or any time we want a light dessert.
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Perfect Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipe
These gluten-free cupcakes are my go-to anytime I need a good cupcake base. They're always light and fluffy, with a tender crumb. Try strawberry or blueberry frosting for the 4th of July festivities!
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Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Recipe
I have to say, this really is the best gluten-free vanilla cake you’ll ever make! I've tested and perfected the recipe countless times to achieve a light, fluffy, and pillowy-soft crumb. Top it with a creamy vanilla buttercream and festive berries for the holiday.
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Gluten-Free Lemon Layer Cake
This gluten-free lemon cake is like summer sunshine on a plate. The lemony cake pairs so well with the light whipped cream cheese frosting — I love the combination of citrus and cream!
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Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cake
This easy gluten-free ice cream cake has a fudgy cookie-crunch filling, just like the ice cream cake you at growing up! Use your favorite ice cream flavors to make it your own. This is one you'll want to make all summer long!
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Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Cupcakes
Based on my reader-favorite gluten-free angel food cake (the one with 200+ 5-star reviews!), these cupcakes are just as dreamy as the classic. They’re light, airy, and topped with mascarpone whipped cream frosting, plus perfect with fresh berries. Basically everything you want in a summer dessert!
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Gluten-Free Cobblers and Crisps
Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler
If you have a busy 4th of July, this is the dessert for you. This gluten-free peach cobbler has a fluffy cake topping and is so easy to make from scratch. It can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned peaches so you can enjoy it year-round.
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Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
This gluten-free peach crisp is made with fresh, juicy peaches and a delicious crispy topping. It's a simple dessert that doesn't take long to make and showcases classic summer flavors.
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EASY Gluten-Free Blueberry Cobbler
This gluten-free blueberry cobbler is a quick, easy dessert, perfect for showcasing summer blueberries. It’s especially delicious topped with vanilla ice cream. I love making it for BBQs, and the bright blue color is fitting for the 4th.
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Gluten-Free Triple Berry Crisp
Frozen berries make this gluten-free triple berry crisp the perfect dessert any time! Plus it's topped with a golden-brown oat topping that bakes up nice and crisp by pre-baking the berries. This is a gluten-free dessert you can feel confident taking to BBQs, parties, and all your summer gatherings!
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Gluten-Free Pies and Cheesecake
Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pie {Gluten-Free}
This is my go-to pie when serving a crowd with food sensitivities. It's made with rich, homemade dairy-free vanilla pudding, and it’s so creamy no one will believe it’s dairy-free. Swap in a gluten-free crust to make it completely gluten-free, too.
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Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
This is the best gluten-free cheesecake recipe you’ll ever try, and I don't say that lightly! The texture is rich and creamy, served over an easy, gluten-free walnut brown sugar crust. Top it with raspberries, red cherries, or a homemade fruit compote.
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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Pie
Made from scratch (with no Cool Whip in sight!), this pie is the perfect dessert to round out any BBQ. It’s quick and easy to make, with a classic peanut butter and chocolate flavor pairing. I love to serve this one with a patriotic fruit pizza, trifle, or cheesecake.
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Gluten-Free No-Bake Cheesecake
This is one of my favorite things to make when the weather gets hot! It is the BEST no-bake cheesecake I've ever had. A combination of sour cream, cream cheese and whipped cream make the perfect filling. No baking (or heating up the kitchen) required!
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Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie (Best Recipe!)
This gluten-free key lime pie is creamy, silky, and perfectly sweet with a bit of zing. Plus it uses a deliciously buttery, crisp gluten-free graham cracker crust for an easy showstopping summer recipe!
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Gluten-Free Cookies and Bars
The Best Gluten-Free Brownie Recipe (Ultimate Fudgy!)
If you ask me, no pool party is complete without a heaping platter of rich, fudgy brownies. These gluten-free brownies have 2 types of chocolate (high quality chocolate chips + cocoa powder) to create a super-moist texture and deep chocolaty flavor.
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Gluten-Free No Bake Cookies
Don't want to turn on the oven on a hot day? No problem. These gluten-free no-bake cookies only require a few simple ingredients and are incredibly easy to make before you head out to your 4th of July festivities.
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Gluten-Free Mint Brownies
These thick, fudgy gluten-free brownies are topped with a rich double layer of mint and chocolate frosting. Baked in a 9×13 pan, they’re perfect for big summer gatherings. The texture is spot on, so no one will know they're gluten-free!
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Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles (Brown Butter)
These are soft and chewy gluten-free snickerdoodles with crisp, golden edges. Browned butter and a few other tricks give these cookies delicious flavor and texture. They're portable and easy to take to any celebration. (You don't have to worry about frosting or melty chocolate chips.)
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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Brownies
These gluten-free peanut butter brownies are like your favorite fudgy brownie and a Reese’s cup combined into one dream dessert. This recipe makes a large 9×13 pan, so it's perfect for a crowd. It's a stress-free dessert that everyone will love!
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Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookies (EASY!)
These easy gluten-free sugar cookies are perfectly SOFT and CHEWY! This beginner-friendly recipe creates sweet, buttery cookies everyone will love, whether they need gluten-free or not. Plus no rolling pins or cookie cutters are required!
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Gluten-Free S’mores Bars
These gluten-free s’mores bars feature a chewy graham cracker cookie crust, a rich, chocolatey layer, and gooey marshmallow creme. They’re always a crowd favorite and disappear fast at parties!
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Gluten-Free Appetizers
The Best Hot Artichoke Dip
This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2014 and is one of my #1 appetizer recipes today. It's easy to make and can be made a day or two ahead of time, making it perfect for summer hosting.
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Dairy-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip (Best Recipe!)
This rich, dairy-free spinach artichoke dip is made with caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, and dairy-free cream cheese. I love including it in a 4th of July spread alongside tortilla chips and sliced baguette.
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Gluten-Free Chex Mix (Easy Snack Mix!)
This gluten-free Chex mix is salty, savory, and irresistibly crunchy. It’s the kind of snack kids and adults will be grabbing by the handful—perfect for munching on while you grill.
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7-Layer Taco Dip (BEST RECIPE!)
If there’s one appetizer that makes every party infinitely better, it’s 7 layer taco dip! I took this classic layer dip recipe to the next level by adding salsa to the layer of beans and spices to the sour cream mixture.
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Gluten-Free Cornbread (Best Ever!)
I've made this gluten-free cornbread more times than I can remember and I've never met someone who doesn't like it. It's fluffy, sweet and always a crowd-pleaser!
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This recipe was originally published in June 2023. It was updated with new photos and instructions in June 2026.
Any great gluten free breakfast for a crowd?
Hi Missy, definitely! For savory, we love this sausage hashbrown breakfast casserole and for sweet, you can’t go wrong with these gluten-free muffins. Both recipes are great make-ahead options and work well for a crowd!
Erin,
You are amazing!
Thank you so much for all the great recipes!!