25 Recipes for a Joyful Juneteenth Celebration Put together a Juneteenth menu full of festive flavor with barbecued favorites, juicy seasonal fruit, buttery biscuits, and more. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 11, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Chris Simpson / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Juneteenth is all about celebration, no matter how, where, or with whom the festivities take place. The holiday, observed on June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, which had been declared in the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. "For a few hours, pure liberation meets a plate of food," cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor wrote in Food & Wine about her own Juneteenth parties. From red drink to cornbread, here are some recipes from Taylor and other food writers and chefs that are full of flavor and joy to inspire your own Juneteenth menu. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 25 Carla Hall's Buttermilk Biscuits Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox These towering, flaky biscuits, which combine cold grated butter and vegetable shortening for the ideal balance of flavor and tenderness, can be frozen and baked straight from the freezer. (Just add a few minutes to the cooking time.) Get the Recipe Save 02 of 25 Gina Mae's Baked Beans Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell For this cookout staple, scholar Regina Bradley dresses up store-bought barbecue sauce and canned baked beans with extra brown sugar; apple cider vinegar cuts through the smoky sweetness. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 25 Red Velvet Cake with Coconut Chris Simpson / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Thom Driver A Southern mashup of red velvet and coconut cake, this crimson beauty includes virgin coconut oil in both the batter and cream cheese frosting, then gets decorated with lacy toasted coconut flakes. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 25 A Proper Pot of Greens Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Studded with bacon and flavored with Creole seasoning, hot sauce, and plenty of garlic, these silky, tender collards pull out all the stops. Braising them with apple cider vinegar and a bit of brown sugar imparts an irresistible sweet-tart edge. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 25 Sorrel Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley This spiced hibiscus drink from writer and food historian Toni Tipton-Martin has roots in West Africa and is typically enjoyed on holidays, most notably for emancipation celebrations like Juneteenth. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 25 Goldee’s Creamy Potato Salad Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This standout side comes from Fort Worth, Texas, by way of 2024 F&W Best New Chef Lane Milne. It gets a perfect amount of tang from cider vinegar, mustard, and chopped dill pickles. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 25 Honey-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Whiskey Marinade Food & Wine / Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia bayless Chef Andy Ricker infuses flavor into these ribs at every step. He first marinates the meat for four hours before basting it twice while it slow-roasts, then seals everything in with a quick char on the grill. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 25 Virtue Cornbread Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall Cornbread is a welcome addition to any summer spread. This version from chef Erick Williams is buttery and slightly sweet — it's best enjoyed warm on the day it's baked. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 25 Grilled Pork Chops with Burst Blueberry Sauce Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Food writer Nicole A. Taylor joins sweet with savory by blending fresh blueberries, shallot, red wine, chipotles in adobo sauce, and balsamic vinegar into a sticky, robust sauce to spoon over juicy grilled pork rib chops. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 25 Tangy Black-Eyed Pea Salad Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen A sachet of aromatics infuses the black-eyed peas as they simmer, building bold flavor from the start. The same tomatoes, garlic, and chiles are then blended into a punchy vinaigrette for the salad. Fold in arugula, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño to finish the dish. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 25 Grilled Prawns with Okra and Eggplant Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell A trip to Ghana inspired cookbook author Zoe Adjonyoh to create this dish of sautéed eggplant, okra, and spinach tossed in coconut oil; spiced with grains of paradise, red pepper flakes, and ginger; and topped with grilled, marinated prawns. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 25 Watermelon-Cucumber Salad Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless 2022 F&W Best New Chef Damarr Brown pairs watermelon and aged goat cheese with cool cucumbers, toasted sunflower kernels, and a lemony dressing for a summery side that's ready in 20 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 25 Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners This recipe has cracked the pickle brine code for marinating fried chicken. Just add 1 1/2 cups of brine (about a jar's worth) to a traditional buttermilk marinade to infuse the meat with extra flavor and sweetness. Allow a full eight hours for marination and resting the breaded chicken before sending it to the fryer. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 25 Hibiscus Snow Cones Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Serve snow cones at home with a sweet, tangy syrup made from dried hibiscus blossoms, whipped cream, and crushed pink peppercorns. (You'll need a home ice-shaving machine.) Get the Recipe Save 15 of 25 Island Jollof Rice Angie Mosier "When I think of Eric Adjepong's food, I think of the West African dance called the highlife, full of Afro beats and guitars and brass instruments," says Tamie Cook, who co-wrote the cookbook The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food with Marcus Samuelsson, Osayi Endolyn, and Yewande Komolafe. "Jollof rice is such a beloved dish that every West African takes ownership of it." Get the Recipe Save 16 of 25 Stone Fruit Salad with Collard-Peanut Pesto Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea If you've never had the pleasure of a non-basil pesto, this collard greens and peanuts mashup is a game-changer. Blanched greens are pulsed with toasted nuts, lemon, honey, garlic, and soy sauce for a sauce that's splendid over fonio and stone fruit. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 25 Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork Julia Hartbeck Tasty, tender pulled pork makes excellent use of your slow cooker. Richly flavorful and saucy, it's terrific on hamburger buns with coleslaw, thinly sliced onion, and dill pickles. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 25 Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer Made with three cheeses — extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese — this decadent mac and cheese swaps the roux for a milk-and-egg base typical of the Southern style. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 25 Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer and John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Do as F&W contributor Cheryl Slocum does and stud your peach cobbler with fresh sweet cherries to get more red on the Juneteenth table — you'll need 10 cups of fruit total. With their crunchy turbinado-sugar topping, vanilla-mascarpone biscuits have a tender, shortcake-like texture that marries beautifully with the fruit. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 25 Classic Coleslaw Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox and John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis "When you visualize a table loaded with barbecue, I bet there is a heaping bowl of slaw," says barbecue expert Matt Horn. His recipe dishes up a slaw with a tart-sweet dressing that's designed to cut through the rich, fatty intensity of barbecued meat as a side or sandwich topping. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 25 Smoked Brisket with Coffee Beer Mop Sauce and Zinfandel Barbecue Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell The Barbecue Bible author Steven Raichlen slow-cooks this brisket on the grill to develop a rich, smoky flavor, which allows plenty of time to make the accompanying Zinfandel Barbecue Sauce. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 25 Oto (Mashed Yam Patties) Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen “Oto, the vehicle in Ghanaian cuisine for the humble egg, is the dish by which new beginnings are celebrated," says cookbook author Zoe Adjonyoh. To make it, starchy puna yams are cooked with brown sugar, mashed, formed into patties, and fried. Each patty gets topped with a soft-cooked egg. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 25 Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Food writer Nicole A. Taylor turns classic pound cake into a vibrant dessert worthy of your Juneteenth celebration. The addition of Moscato in the batter lightens the intensely buttery crumb; a little more Moscato in the vibrant glaze heightens the grape flavor. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 25 Deviled Eggs Daria Khoroshavina The legendary chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis was known for these deviled eggs, which come together in minutes. The stuffed eggs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Sprinkle with herbs just before serving. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 25 Strawberry-Rum Coolers Greg DuPree Made with fresh strawberries, lime juice, ginger beer, and a mix of light and dark rum, this cocktail is a refreshing addition to any barbecue. "It’s the kind of drink that upon first sip seems to stop the sun’s rays in their tracks and makes the breeze feel somehow cooler," says chef Todd Richards. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions Juneteenth Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! 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