5+ Easy 4th of July Snacks

The 4th of July is a great time to get together with friends and family to celebrate our independence. With all of the festivities, it is sometimes tough to remember that we should probably be eating three good meals on such a busy day. That, or the food at the events, is crazy expensive. A great way to avoid this is to bring easy snack-type foods to share with all those you are celebrating with!

Here are some easy-to-prep and easy-to-pack snacks for your 4th of July celebration!

Mini Strawberry Shortcake

These are just so fun to make (and to eat). You can buy a pack of mini shortcakes, a pack of strawberries, and some whipped cream or whipped topping at the grocery store. You could use any type of berries if you really wanted to, but strawberries happen to be my favorite.

Cut the strawberries into quarters or slices (whichever you prefer) and put them in an airtight container to bring with you. This way, you don’t need to cut them at whatever event you are attending, and they can just be ready to go.

You will want to bring all of these items in a temperature-controlled bag or cooler so they stay refrigerated through the warm weather.

When you are putting them together, take a shortcake, put a bit of the whipped topping/cream in the center, add a few strawberry slices, and then add a little more whipped topping/cream to top it off.

4th of July Cookies

These would be super easy to get from the store if you don’t want to cook them in the oven at home in the hot weather. I personally love getting what some people call “sad girl cookies” from the store for any event (it is probably easier to see what I am talking about if you look up “sugar cookies with icing,” haha). 

Overall, cookies are a super easy option for group gatherings, and instead of doing chocolate chip cookies, try patriotic M&M’s!! Then you can have them match the theme for independence day! 

On top of that, cookies are always a good boost to have throughout the day, and they will be very motivating for any of the younger members that are part of your group.

Mini 4th of July Cupcakes

Whether these are store-bought or homemade or from a box, these will be just as much of a hit as the cookies. Full-size cupcakes are a little harder to transport, and not everyone will want a full cupcake which leaves: mini cupcakes. 

If you don’t want to refrigerate the cupcakes themselves and have them already frosted before you go, you could also bring a container of frosting and throw that in the cooler. Then you can set the cupcakes up later and as people want them. Just be sure that people know about them so they can set one up to eat them! (And don’t forget the red, white, and blue sprinkles!!!)

Pigs in a Blanket

Now it’s time to break up all the sweets and think of something a little more substantial for food. Still staying in the “mini” area of food, we have pigs in a blanket! These are so easy to prepare, and younger kids love them. Just take some hot dogs, boil them so they are warmed up, and cut them in half when they are done. Wrap each half into a crescent roll and bake them as normal. You could also switch the hot dogs out for hams or other meats if you want to be adventurous.

Berries and Cream

Now back to sweet and sugary things. I am sure you thought of the “Berries and Cream” song when reading this, haha. This one is probably the easiest one on this list and is a huge hit! It’ll be wiped clean before you know it. 

All you need is an assortment of berries (cut up the larger ones into smaller chunks if needed), some skewers or forks, and a tub (or 2) of whipped topping. Now everyone can grab any berries they would like and stab them onto the skewer/fork and dunk them into the whipped topping. Don’t forget to keep the whipped topping and berries chilled throughout the day.

Red, White, & Blue Jello

Now this is probably the most difficult one and most time-consuming, but it will knock your guests’ socks off (this is much easier to do if you are having an event at someone’s home as this might be a little more difficult to transport.

You’ll want a large pan that has a bit of depth to it. First, mix some Blue Jello as directed on the box and pour it into the pan. Chill as instructed, and then get ready for Red Jello. Pour that on top of the already chilled blue. (See why the depth is important?) Follow the instructions again and chill as needed. 

Then comes the fun part! Unless, of course, you want to be done here and have this be your Red and Blue Jello…

Find a stencil of the US (unfortunately, Alaska and Hawaii might be excluded for this); you can print one out off of Google images and just lay it out on top of the jello (CAREFULLY). Take a knife and cut around the stencil s the jello is now in the shape of the US, and then very delicately, scoop out the excess surrounding the 48 states. Once that is done, take some White Jello (it might be more of a custard) and pour that around your US. You might need to double the jello for this, or you could do more blue/red. Now one last time in the fridge, and it's ready for your celebration! Keep this one in mind for other USA-type holidays like Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day!

So there you have it! A full set of sweets for an awesome party with friends and family to celebrate our independence from nearly 247 years ago! Share this with your friends if they need ideas for what to bring!