15 Easy Vegan Recipes for the 4th of July

Sure, 4th of July cookouts tend to be depicted as meat-heavy affairs, but I’m here to tell you that the plant-based dishes at the backyard BBQ can and will steal the show.

These 15 in particular are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, and not just for vegans—I’ve converted many a mayo-lover with my grown-up herbed potato salad (#3), and I’ve yet to meet an omnivore who doesn’t want seconds of my pasta salad (#5). And my brown butter peach cobbler (#15)? 100% vegan, and 100% devoured in record time at every picnic where it’s made an appearance.

Peruse this list of 15 can’t-miss 4th of July recipes and plan your most epic plant-based cookout menu yet!

1. Easy Mango Avocado Salsa

Starring juicy mangos and creamy avocado, this eye-catching Mango Avocado Salsa is sweet, tangy, and just a tad spicy—perfect for summer grilling season and barbecues.

Serving suggestion: Pair with lightly salted tortilla chips for the most irresistible appetizer! Or, add black beans, corn, and quinoa for a gorgeous and satisfying salad.

2. Blackberry Basil Lemonade

This refreshing Blackberry Basil Lemonade is a unique, fancy-feeling upgrade to classic lemonade. Made with just 5 ingredients, it’s simple to whip up, refined sugar-free, and will cool you down with style.

Serving suggestion: For an adult lemonade, add a shot of gin to each serving! For a kid-friendly treat, pour this lemonade into popsicle molds, freeze, and bust them out on hot afternoons.

3. Herbed Vegan Potato Salad

Just as creamy as classic potato salad but wayyyyy more flavorful (and made with wholesome ingredients)! Featuring perfectly tender potatoes coated in a creamy, tangy (mayo-free) dressing that’s packed with fun flavors—and it’s ready in 30 minutes!

Tip: One advantage of a non-mayo-based potato salad is that it doesn’t need to be served chilled. I love dressing the potatoes when they’re still warm (helps them absorb more flavor) and serving the salad immediately afterwards—the warmth gives the salad a grown-up, elegant feel! But it’s just as tasty straight out of the fridge, and can be made a day or two ahead of time.

4. Peach Panzanella Salad

A spin on classic panzanella (a Tuscan bread salad) that celebrates summer’s finest produce: juicy peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil. This one’s so simple—just 7 ingredients!—but those few ingredients come together to create one sensational summer side.

Tip: Since it’s such a simple recipe, the quality of each ingredient deeply matters. If you’ve got fancy schmancy olive oil or balsamic vinegar, now’s the time to use it (I recommend some of my favorite brands in the blog post).

5. Vegan Pasta Salad

Be warned: this is NOT your average pasta salad, and WILL put the other pasta salads at the picnic to shame. Dressed to impress in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce and sprinkled with an herby breadcrumb topping, this one’s nothing short of exquisite.

Serving suggestions: Leafy greens go well in this pasta salad (think arugula or baby spinach), but grilled or charred corn kernels, zucchini ribbons (use a wide vegetable peeler to get ribbons), chopped Persian cucumbers, or even steamed or roasted broccoli would all be wonderful additions.

6. Citrus-Chipotle Grilled Tofu

Tofu gets quick-marinated in an herby, citrus marinade reminiscent of Mojo sauce but with smoky notes, then grilled to perfection. The tofu doesn’t stick and it turns out perfectly chewy and crispy!

Note: Citrus-Chipotle Grilled Tofu is the first recipe card in the linked post, “The Complete Guide to Vegan Grilling.”

Tip: Layer these grilled tofu slabs into sandwich rolls, spread on some vegan mayo, and add your favorite sandwich fixings.

7. BBQ Tempeh

The BEST way to enjoy tempeh, in my humble opinion. The tempeh gets pan-fried until golden and crispy, then coated in a sweet-tangy, classically smoky BBQ sauce. Bonus: it takes just 20 minutes!

Tip: This pairs extremely well with my herbed potato salad (#3 on this list)! It’s also great in a sandwich (with a quick slaw made from shredded red cabbage and carrots tossed with lime juice + vegan mayo), as pictured below.

8. Grilled Corn Salad

This flavor-packed Grilled Corn Salad is a foolproof side dish or light lunch—made from just 10 ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes! With just a little heat and a whole lotta flavor, this one is guaranteed to impress.

Tip: This also shines as a salsa served alongside tortilla chips!

9. Crispy Tofu Sandwich

The uncontested winner of the title “Sandwich of Summer” in my house. Starring a thick slab of tofu pan-fried to golden-crusted perfection, rich pistachio pesto, and a quick spicy slaw, this is the only tofu sandwich worth making—I said what I said.

Serving suggestion: I made this sandwich two ways in this YouTube video: the way I describe in the blog post, and an even quicker version with Gochujang mayo, carrot ribbons, and avocado. Get the recipe for that version in the video’s description!

10. Ultimate Vegan Tacos

The recipe title doesn’t lie: these truly are the ultimate vegan tacos. Think: a layer of homemade guac, a tumble of crisp-chewy (genuinely meaty!) pan-fried soy curls in a taco-spiced oil, and fresh homemade salsa (I recommend item #1 on this list).

Tip: Make this even easier with store bought guac and pico de gallo! But whatever you do, I BEG YOU to warm the tortillas before building your taco.

11. Vegan BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

THE vegan sandwich for BBQ enthusiasts—soy curls star once again (as they did above in the tacos!), but this time they get sticky and saucy in a smoky homemade BBQ sauce. Pile them onto a toasted bun with slaw and juicy tomatoes for an unbeatable summer sammie.

Serving suggestion: Skip the sandwich and make these the centerpiece of a straight-up BBQ plate: a pile of BBQ soy curls, a scoop of my potato salad (#3), green beans, and corn on the cob.

12. Grilled Tofu Skewers

Fire up the grill and follow the tips in this blog post for easy, perfectly-grilled tofu: chewy, charred, and crispy! Includes five dynamite sauce recipes for dreamy dipping and drizzling.

Tip: If you’ve got the grill running, check out my Complete Guide to Vegan Grilling for ideas for other grillable plant-based dishes!

13. Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

Remember how I said my vegan pasta salad (#6) would put all other pasta salads at the picnic to shame? The exception is this Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad—the brightest, zingiest pasta salad in the game. Featuring spiced chickpeas, buttery pine nuts, and a basil gremolata, this one’s bursting with gourmet summer flavors.

Serving suggestion: Feel free to add other summer veggies to this, like grilled or roasted zucchini, summer squash, or blanched asparagus.

14. No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars

The BEST cookie dough bars you will ever try! And with just six ingredients, they’re the ultimate simple, allergen-friendly (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, no added oil), feel-good summer treat.

Tip: Make these ahead of time and store them in the freezer. For smaller, easily-shareable bites, make this in a square (8×8) baking pan instead of a loaf pan.

15. Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler

I won’t mince words: this is simply the best summer dessert ever. Rich cobbler batter swirled with vegan brown butter, topped with fresh summer peaches and juicy blueberries in a warm sugar-and-spice mixture. Sticky, caramelized, tender, fluffy—just make it and thank me later.

Serving suggestion: If you love yourself and the people you’re serving this to, you will serve it with generous scoops of vegan vanilla ice cream.