Pin It!

4th of July Dessert Board

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details

I love this easy July 4th dessert board, it’s perfect for kids and adults. It’s filled with a combination of homemade and store brought treats, and it takes only 10 minutes to put together.

Easy 4th of July Desserts

BBQs are all about the food, but let’s be real, dessert is the best part. Dessert boards are a great way to offer a variety of treats, and they’re always so pretty. Kids and adults will love it!

Once you have all your ingredients together, you can throw this together in just 10 minutes. Plus you can make it easier by using a combination of homemade and store brought treats. I am sticking with the Patriotic theme for this board, serving up a variety of cookies, fruits and sweet & salty snacks.

Some homemade desserts can be prepped ahead of time and frozen, so you can pull them out the day of the party and you’re good to go. The red, white and blue theme is perfect for Memorial Day or the 4th of July.

A close up shot of Patriotic colored dessert board with Oreos, Pretzels and M&Ms

Homemade treats for a dessert board

  • Tye Dye Sugar Cookies – These freeze well! You can make them ahead of time.
  • Chocolate covered Oreos– Make these ahead of time. They stay good for 7-10 days in an airtight container!
  • Chocolate covered strawberries– Make these the day of for the best results.
  • Cupcakes– Make them as minis for a bite-sized treat!
  • Truffles – These freeze well! You can make them ahead of time and use patriotic themed sprinkles.
  • Chocolate covered pretzels– This is also a good one to purchase from the store to save time, but you can easily make these ahead of time too.
  • Rice Krispie Treats– Dip them in chocolate and sprinkles for a festive treat.

Store-brought treats make this easy!

Look for seasonal items in your color theme (like red, white and blue). Check the bakery section and candy section, or see if the store has pop up displays themed for the holiday. Things like Rice Krispie Treats can be dipped in chocolate and sprinkles for a semi-homemade treat.

  • Candies like M&Ms, Twizzlers, Red starbursts, Hot tamales (you get the idea!)
  • Chocolate covered nuts or trail mix
  • Rice Krispie Treats
  • Mini Cupcakes or donuts
  • Cookies (the loft house style cookies are always a hit!)
  • Seasonal fruit

How to assemble a dessert board

Start with the largest item: Do you have an anchor for your board- a center piece? For my it’s the patriotic cookies. You can either place randomly or in the center and build around it.

Add in small bowls: It’s easier to build around them once you have them placed. Stick to 2-3 small bowls that can be refilled. These can be used for dips, candies or fruit. Cookie cutters are also a way to add shape and dimension to the board, and these can be filled with smaller candies.

Layer in the larger items: Try and keep these pieces towards the edges so they’re easier to grab. I like to take one item and break it up into two different placements on the board.

Fill in the gaps: This is where I like to save some smaller items like candy and small cookies to layer into the gaps.

Tips to travel with a board

If you are bringing this with you to a party, you have a couple options.

  • Assemble at home: Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil to hold everything together. This might not work if you have frosted treats. You can always add them when you arrive.
  • Assemble when you get there: You can prepare everything at home to bring you with and build it when you arrive. After all, it just takes a few minutes to put together. Fill the small bowls at home, wrap them with plastic wrap. Bring everything else in bags or Tupperware that you can set aside when you arrive.

More Patriotic desserts you’ll love

An overhead shot of a Patriotic dessert board filled with sweet treats
Print
a round wooden board filled with red, white and blue themed desserts like cookies, candies and donuts

4th of July Dessert Board

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings

Description

Quick and easy July 4th dessert board is perfect for kids and adults. It’s filled with a both homemade and store brought treats.

Ingredients

  • 23 varieties of candy (such as M&Ms)
  • 23 varieties of baked treats (cupcakes, cookies, Rice Krispie Treats).
  • 23 varieties of fresh fruit 

Instructions

  • Choose a board of any shape or size.
  • Start with a large centerpieces or focus items, then add a couple of small bowls and place them on your board, fill with candy and fruit. 
  • Add largest items first and assemble them around the outside. Arrange them in away so you don’t have the same color or textures sitting next to one another.
  • Fill the holes using any leftover candy and chocolate. 
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No-Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 BAKE FROM SCRATCH SECRETS!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get my fav tips to take your cakes & cupcakes to the next level.