25 last-minute Fourth of July party recipes

America's birthday can sneak up on you in the summer. Even for those who pay attention to their calendar, you don't want to prepare at the absolute last minute. Luckily, we have the solution: these 25 last-minute Fourth of July party recipes.

You won’t need to spend all day baking with this quick and easy baked beans recipe from Food.com. All you need is 45 short minutes, and you don’t even have to be present for most of that time. Just spend a few minutes mixing the ingredients, and then pop it in the oven while you get ready to party.

You’re supposed to bring the steak but you have very little time to marinate it and no time at all to go to the store. Don’t cancel your plans, as you might already have all the ingredients you need. Courtesy of All Recipes, this steak marinade only requires teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, beer, and 30 minutes of prep time. Sound manageable? Then click here for the recipe.

Even folks who aren’t fans of fish will dig these delicious bites. And the good news for you, the chef, is that you only need nine ingredients (three of which go into the homemade dipping sauce), and the whole thing will only take 25 minutes. Although this Good Food recipe calls for pollock, feel free to substitute cod or halibut.

It’s the perfect season for consuming watermelon and the perfect season for drinking outside, so why not combine both activities with this boozy watermelon punch recipe from tbsp? It features not one, but two types of alcohol: vodka and sparkling wine. Although we’re not clairvoyant, we predict you’ll make a lot of friends with this one.

Did you know you’re currently only 25 minutes away from delicious buffalo chicken dip? Okay, you’ll need to go out and buy the ingredients as specified in this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen first, but then you’re only 25 minutes away from it. Just try to save some for the party.

Everyone knows caprese salads only involve four ingredients: mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar. However, you can make it your own by using a homemade balsamic reduction, and it will still only take you a total of 25 minutes. All Recipes has all the info right here.

Expand everyone’s expectations of coleslaw with this version that uses apples, carrots, and raisins (but feel free to leave those out, if you wish). All you need is this recipe from Real Housemoms, a handful of ingredients, and five measly minutes.

35 minutes is all you need for this simple yet satisfying potato salad with celery, onion, and pickles. According to Inspired Taste, it should only take 15 mins to prep this classic side dish, and another 20 to cook it. Then all you need to do is pack it up and take it away (or serve it, if you’re the host)!

Come on, this one is almost too easy. All you need are some bananas, strawberries, and blueberries, and you have the simplest snack possible. Seriously, we’re not even going to include a recipe for this one. And if you think people will scoff at the simplicity, just be sure to arrange your skewers in the American flag pattern shown in the picture. Everyone will say it’s adorable, and they won’t even think about how the dish only took your five minutes to make.

Greek salad is always a crowd-pleaser... and it will only take you a total of 15 minutes. You’ll need a decent amount of ingredients, but nothing you can’t easily obtain at your local supermarket. (In other words, you won’t need to book a trip to Greece in order to make it.) Get all the info from Healthy Seasonal Recipes here.

It may sound unconventional, but this green bean and peach salad with nuts and coconut from Vegalicious will be the dish everyone talks about, and no one has to know it only required a half-hour to make.

This to-die-for recipe from Betty Crocker involves two of our favorite things: grilling and dessert. All you do is slice lengthwise into the banana, stuff it with chocolate and marshmallows (and pecans and/or peanut butter, if you wish), and place it in a boat made out of foil. After 8-10 minutes on the grill, they’ll be ready to eat! (But you might want to wait an extra minute or two for these treats to cool down.)

If you’ve been tasked with bringing or serving a vegetable but can’t decide between a boring recipe and a time-consuming recipe, then we’ve got the perfect solution: grilled corn on the cob. We’re not just talking plain ol’ corn with butter, but corn topped with any number of ingredients, like this recipe for grilled corn on the cob with garlic butter, fresh lime, and queso fresco from Epicurious. As long as you make the toppings ahead of time, you can cook the corn whenever.

When everyone asks where the salsa came from, you’ll have the pleasure of saying, “My grill.” A grill, by the way, that will only be on for a total of 20 minutes. Your ingredient list will also be brief, and only includes corn, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper, and one lime. After making it once, you’ll never buy salsa in a jar again. Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker here.

Forget that you’re supposed to bring a side dish? Don’t worry, as grilled zucchini is a cinch to prepare, even with a miso glaze like in this recipe from Foxes Love Lemons. All you need to make it is four ingredients (white miso, agave nectar, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar) and about two minutes.

Guacamole is simple and easy, yet when it’s made well, people will lose their minds over it - especially in the summertime, when avocado is especially refreshing. Paleo Leap has a recipe here that will only take you a few minutes if you know your way around this lovely green superfood. If you’re a beginner, you’ll still have it made and ready to eat (and fight over) in no time.

Preparing this key lime pie is as easy as... well, pie. By dessert standards, this one’s a breeze, as the total time needed is just 35 minutes according to the instructions from All Recipes. It might not come out as pretty and perfect as the one pictured, but hey, we’re not all Rachael Ray. 

Don’t be fooled by this Food.com recipe claiming that the macaroni salad takes 50 minutes to prepare - most of that time can be spent doing other things as your dish chills. The only active work you need to do is boiling water, and chopping and mixing the ingredients together. If you don’t have all the veggie ingredients on-hand, feel free to tweak the recipe as you see fit. Trust us, it’s hard to mess this one up.

Did you hear the mangoes are the new trendy superfood? Don’t be a follower, and instead lead the way with this recipe for mango lemonade from African Bites. This cold drink will be a refreshing hit with kids and adults alike, and you can even spike it with some moscato or rum for the grown-ups. 

You have just over an hour until the party, and you still need make a side dish and get ready. Check out this magical maple cornbread recipe from Real Simple. As the site’s name suggests, this one’s a cinch, it only requires 15 minutes of active cooking, and cornbread is the perfect compliment to almost anything served at a barbecue. 

This recipe is a classic, a crowd-pleaser, and a piece of cake to make (well, not literally). Oh yeah, and it only takes 30 minutes. However, to help with presentation, we’d suggest adding a layer of frosting and sprinkles to the top, as shown, except substitute red, white, and blue sprinkles for the rainbow variety. Get the recipe straight from Kellogg’s here.

To properly prepare pulled pork sliders, most chefs will recommend you use a slow cooker and about six to eight hours of your time. While this Martha Stewart recipe isn’t exactly a last-minute option, it cuts the time in half (and then some), and only requires 10 minutes of prep. As long as you can get it in the oven three hours before the party, you’ll be just fine.

This eight-ingredient spicy shrimp from All Recipes only takes 21 minutes to make, which means you should have plenty of time to pull it off, even if you have to wait for the shrimp to defrost. As the recipe points out, if it’s too rainy to grill, you can still make this dish under the broiler.

This mac and cheese recipe from Serious Eats requires only macaroni, salt, evaporated milk, cheese, and eight short minutes of your time. You can serve it hot or serve it cold, just be sure to up the amount of ingredients in the recipe, as it only serves two people (or one super-hungry person). 

We’ve been including a lot of meat in our main courses, so let’s switch things up with a veggie burger recipe. Even if you’re a carnivore, you’ll still love this dish from No Meat Athlete, as it includes plenty of fresh veggies (and no strange fake-meat substitutes) and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.