No grill? No problem. Try these traditional Fourth of July dishes you can make inside

With July Fourth around the corner, burgers and barbecue are back in style. From hot dogs to chicken kebabs, the Fourth is the perfect time to test your skill on the grill, but for Americans who don’t own grills, traditional July Fourth recipes can be impossible.

Nearly half of Fort Worth’s residents rent homes or apartments, according to 2023 Census Bureau data cited in a report on Fort Worth from software company mySidewalk. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex also had the second highest number of new apartments being built in the country in 2024, according to RentCafe.

Grill usage is heavily restricted in most leases for fire prevention, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Grills can also cost upward of $2,000, leaving many D-FW residents without easy access to a grill — and many Fourth of July dishes.

So if you don’t have a grill — whether you’re living in an apartment or don’t want to spend thousands of dollars — these recipes make July Fourth favorites available to everyone.

No grill? No problem

Lucky for you, there are traditional courses you can make from the comfort of your own home. Though some of these dishes have a twist, there’s a way to make the usual Fourth recipes come to life without a grill.

If someone else is taking care of the main course, then side dishes, dips and desserts are always a safe bet for the Fourth. Here are some go-tos:

• The American Flag Sheet Cake: If you wanting to go all-out with the patriotism this July Fourth, the American flag sheet cake is way to do it. Though a box cake, icing and some red and blue sprinkles will do the trick, recipes from the Salted Sweets or the Pioneer Woman make for an easy way to show your patriotism.
• Cowboy Caviar: Black bean dip, spinach dip and queso all make great dips for the holiday, but cowboy caviar reigns supreme. With only two steps — chop and mix — cowboy caviar is a fast last-minute recipe for firework festivities. Though you can use whatever ingredients you’d like, here is one recipe from Spend with Pennies.
• Mac and Cheese: If you’re sticking to tradition, mac and cheese is always timeless; it’s a crowd-pleaser. It makes the perfect addition to anything on the July Fourth table. Mom on Timeout has a perfectly rated recipe for baked mac and cheese, and if you wanting that barbecue flavor, there are many recipes, like this one from Sailor Bailey, that allow you to do so.
• Fried Green Tomatoes: Oven-roasted corn on the cob is always an option, but why not show off with this old-school recipe? Using a frying pan, some cornmeal and a few unripe tomatoes, fried green tomatoes will fit right in with the rest of the food. All Recipes outlines how they make their highly-rated dish here.

If you’re hoping for main courses to serve — whether you’re hosting for friends and family or you accidentally signed up for the burgers at a potluck — grilling isn’t the only option.

Even if you decide it is, there are grill pans that can easily be used in any home. Though they’ll lack that smoky flavor that an outdoor grill gives, the process is largely the same. Grill pans produce a similar taste by charring the meat, and at the very least, they’ll have that grilled look.

Grill pans range from $10 to $200 at Home Depot, making them significantly cheaper than outdoor grills. Food Network outlined the uses for different grill pans, from cast iron to non-stick, and gave their top four recommendations here. The highest rated grill pans on Amazon are here, and they include SENSARTE’s non-stick grill pan and Lodge’s cast iron grill pan.

You don’t need a grill pan to make July Fourth dishes, though. There are tons of traditional meats to make and tons of ways to cook them without any kind of grill. Some of these include:

• Pulled pork: You don’t need to make ribs or steak to bring the barbecue. Pulled pork sandwiches, a staple in barbecue, can be made in any oven or slow cooker. Though it’s a long process, with most recipes calling for at least five hours to prepare, the ingredients are simple. If you have a slow-cooker, Fifteen Spatulas has a recipe for pulled pork, and if you’re using a Dutch oven, Tastes Better from Scratch has instructions.
• Pan-Fried Burgers: If you wanting to stick with burgers but don’t want to buy a grill pan, you can use your regular frying pan to make them. Though it will have a different taste compared to grilled burgers, you can make stove-top burgers easily with recipes like One Hot Oven’s, The Mind Full Mom’s or The Cookie Rookie.
• Chili: Chili is another dish that will fit right in with the Fourth foods. There are recipes everywhere, and you can make it on stove-top or in a slow-cooker. For two of the highest rated stove-top recipes, look at Spend with Pennies or Sugar Spun Run.

This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 4:14 PM.