Recipe Roundup

Our 29 Best July Recipes

Our most popular recipes for the month—plus a few staff picks.

By Carly Westerfield and The Editors of Epicurious

June 30, 2024

A Sherried Berry Cake with a mascarpone filling and topped with blueberries strawberries raspberries currants and...

Deciding what to cook in July is tricky. The best July recipes are worth their time in the oven—and some require no oven time at all. We’ve scoured the data to see what Epi readers cooked most in Julys past, plus pulled a few easy staff favorites to round out your month. This list showcases some farmers market heavy hitters like tomatoes, summer squash, sweet corn, and peaches—making sure you get your fill of these limited-time ingredients, while spending minimal effort getting them to the table.

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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
1/29
Chickpea-Potato Chaat
We gravitate toward July recipes that offer smart planning for hot days. Boil your potatoes for this dish in the morning when the kitchen’s still cool, prep your chutneys in advance, and then this meal is a simple assembly situation. Every bite has the ideal combo of crunchy and creamy, sweet and spicy.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova
2/29
Caprese Salad
Yes, we know there are other tomato recipes out there. Even other tomato salads. But it doesn’t really feel like summer until you’ve scored the freshest mozzarella around and devoured a platter of this classic summer dish.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
3/29
15-Minute Cherry Tomato Pasta
There’s a reason this weeknight recipe is so popular among our readers. With just a few simple, high-quality ingredients, you can make a dish that wows in just 15 minutes.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
4/29
Ratatouille
If a trip to Provence isn’t on your calendar this summer, make this easy ratatouille instead. While you’re at it, pour yourself a glass of rosé and set up a fan to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
5/29
Easy Pasta Salad
A pasta salad fit for a picnic. Or any outdoor gathering for that matter. Make the pasta salad ahead of time and add Parmesan, fresh basil, and oregano on top when you’re ready to serve.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
6/29
Lemon, Lime, and Bitters
You can tweak the formula here for the level of sweetness you prefer. Floating the bitters on top gives you that striking ombré look.
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Photo by Faith Mason
7/29
Speedy Summer Gazpacho
This chilled soup, made with tomato and cucumber, is about as refreshing as a summer dinner—or summer appetizer—can be. It’s ideal during the intense heat of July when tomatoes are also at their best.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh
8/29
Ruffled Galette With Stone Fruit
Who wants to fuss with pie crust in hot weather? Starting with store-bought phyllo pastry gives you pretty ruffles with much less effort.
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Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
9/29
Cedar-Plank Salmon
Invite some people over for next weekend. There is simply no more impressive summer dinner party main dish. The salmon is seasoned with mustard, rosemary, and lemon zest, then grilling it on the plank adds a whisper of smoky flavor.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone
10/29
Our Favorite Key Lime Pie
Skip the meringue and top this tangy pie with whipped cream instead for an easy dessert that everyone will love.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
11/29
Classic Seafood Boil With Lemon-Butter
Seafood for a crowd is easier than you may think. Lay out lots of newspaper and bring out your favorite seafood seasoning for this iconic summer outdoor feast.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
12/29
Philly Fluff Cake
This cake’s texture falls somewhere between angel food cake and pound cake—it’s somehow both ethereally light and deeply rich.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
13/29
Homemade Maraschino Cherries
Making these DIY preserved cherries isn’t tricky at all, and your summer banana splits and cherry lime rickeys will thank you.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
14/29
Gin Rickey
Put this simple classic first on your list of must-make summer cocktails. It’s tart, cool, and completely unsweetened.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Lillian Chou
15/29
Zucchini Risotto
Stop fighting against zucchini’s moisture. Let this risotto happily drink it up instead.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
16/29
Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin
A simple formula for juicy pork tenderloin with tons of flavor. One reviewer reports: “Our new favorite recipe!”
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Photo by James Barker
17/29
Tomatoes With Brown Butter
Flavors From the Farm is one of our favorite new cookbooks. In this recipe from the book, author Emma Hearst pairs juicy summer tomatoes with toasty brown butter and a dash of sherry vinegar. It’s a brilliant combination.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
18/29
Lemon-Blueberry Loaf
Step one: Go berry picking. Step two: Bake this easy loaf. Repeat all summer long.
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Photograph by Peden + Munk, Food styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop styling by Ceci Garcia
19/29
Pasta With No-Cook Cherry Tomato Sauce
This smashed tomato sauce captures all the flavors of July. Don’t skimp on the garlic and basil.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh
20/29
Herby Green Goddess Potato Salad
Show up at the cookout with a big batch of this herby, cooling potato salad, and you’ll likely get requests for a repeat performance.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
21/29
Texas Sheet Cake
Dessert for a crowd, solved. Bake this for July Fourth, for summer birthday parties, or for the block party.
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Photo by Mark Diacono
22/29
Tomato and Cherry Quinoa With Pistachios
Mark Diacono’s new cookbook, Vegetables: Easy and Inventive Vegetarian Suppers, offers lots of summer inspiration. Even if you don’t weigh out exact quantities here, you’ll find that the combination of lemon-soaked shallots, juicy cherries, tomatoes, quinoa, and pistachios is a keeper.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart
23/29
Mascarpone-Filled Cake With Sherried Berries
This tender buttermilk cake and mascarpone whipped cream are something special, but the real star of the show? The sherried berries. This Gourmet showstopper is a staff favorite—and you shouldn’t let summer go by without making it.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
24/29
Pasta Salad With Corn and Tomatoes
If you’re one of those people who needs to eat fresh corn at least once a week until the season’s done, you’ll adore this simple pasta dish.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
25/29
Panzanella
Make this Tuscan summer salad as a side dish alongside grilled fish or Italian sausage.
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Photo by Max Milla
26/29
Butter Toffee Bars
These gooey, blondie-like English toffee squares are Grandma-approved.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart
27/29
Blueberry Pie
Bump up the flavor in your summer pie by including an entire half lemon—juicy segments, peel, pith, and all.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
28/29
Grilled Chicken Salad With Creamy Any-Pickle Dressing
Ranch lovers, this one is for you. It’s also a great way to make use of whatever random jars of pickles are haunting your fridge.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
29/29
Old-Fashioned Raspberry Jam
The intense raspberry flavor of this small-batch jam makes it a hit with Epi readers every summer, so it’s a great way to wrap up this list of our best July recipes. Smear the jam on biscuits or dollop onto yogurt for a satisfying breakfast.
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Carly Westerfield is the Recipe Production Assistant at Epicurious and Bon Appétit. Prior to joining the team, she worked in the kitchens and dining rooms of SingleThread Farms and Quail and Condor Bakery in California, and Eleven Madison Park in New York. She’s also had her food styling work featured... Read more

Recipe Production Assistant

The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here.