4th of July Trifle (Easy, No-Bake Recipe)
This 4th of July Trifle is the perfect no-bake summer dessert! It’s loaded with layers of fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, and sweet vanilla wafers for the perfect treat to cool off on a hot day. The red, white, and blue colors make it perfect for your Fourth of July or Memorial Day barbecue!
For more Patriotic Dessert Recipes, be sure to check out my Mini Fruit Pizzas, Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad.
If you’re looking for fun, patriotic dessert to celebrate Independence Day, this festive 4th of July Trifle is just what you need!
It’s a super easy recipe and is so refreshing on a hot summer day, making it the perfect dessert for all of your summer holidays. It’s full of red, white, and blue colors thanks to the fresh berries and homemade whipped cream filling, which is so delicious (and is also one of my favorite parts of my No Bake Banana Split Cake.)
I LOVE a trifle because it creates such an easy and impressive presentation, too. The separate layers are pretty and colorful and a trifle dish just has a way of standing out on a dessert table.
This 4th of July Trifle is easy to customize to your liking, also. Feel free to switch up the types of fruit in the filling or use different cookies like ladyfingers or shortbread cookies in place of the vanilla wafers.
Ingredients for Fourth of July Trifle Dessert
- Sugar – you will need powdered sugar for making the homemade whipped cream.
- Heavy cream – is used for making the filling. Do NOT substitute with regular milk or half and half.
- Cream cheese – use brick-style, full fat cream cheese that has been softened to room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – adds rich flavor to the homemade whipped cream filling.
- Fresh fruit – I used a combination of fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. You could also use fresh strawberries.
- Vanilla wafers – add a nice texture and bit of crunch to the trifle.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make this 4th of July Trifle Recipe – Step by Step
In a medium sized bowl, beat the vanilla and heavy whipping cream together with an electric mixer over medium speed until the cream begins to form stiff peaks. Set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until the ingredients are smooth and combined.
Add the whipped cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined.
Layer the bottom of a large trifle dish or clear glass bowl with vanilla wafers and top the cookies with half of the cream cheese filling.
Top the cream layer with a mixture of the fresh fruit followed by more wafers, the remaining cream cheese mixture, and more fruit.
Cover the trifle with plastic wrap and chill the dish for at least 3-4 hours before serving.
Tips and Notes
- Use a chilled metal bowl for making the whipped cream. Before beating the heavy cream and vanilla extract together, chill your bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. This helps the cream to set up quicker.
- Switch up the fillings. Use store-bought pound cake or angel food cake chopped into 1-inch cubes in place of the vanilla wafers. You could also use ladyfingers or Lorna Doone style shortbread cookies instead.
- Try different fruits like strawberries or grapes in places of the berries.
- Use store bought whipped topping (like Cool Whip) in place of the homemade whipped cream (heavy cream + vanilla extract mixture) for a shortcut.
- Make individual patriotic trifles instead. Feel free to use small glass cups, 1/2 pint mason jars, or plastic 9 oz cups and layer the ingredients to make individual desserts instead of a large trifle. This is how I like to make my Pumpkin Pie Cups.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: 4th of July Trifle (Easy, No-Bake Recipe)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups raspberries
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups blackberries
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, beat the vanilla and heavy whipping cream together with an electric mixer over medium speed until the cream begins to form stiff peaks. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until the ingredients are smooth and combined.
- Add the whipped cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Layer the bottom of a large trifle dish or clear glass bowl with vanilla wafers and top the cookies with half of the cream cheese filling.
- Top the cream layer with a mixture of the fresh fruit followed by more wafers, the remaining cream cheese mixture, and more fruit.
- Cover the trifle with plastic wrap and chill the dish for at least 3-4 hours before serving.
Notes
- Use a chilled metal bowl for making the whipped cream. Before beating the heavy cream and vanilla extract together, chill your bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. This helps the cream to set up quicker.
- Switch up the fillings. Use store-bought pound cake or angel food cake chopped into 1-inch cubes in place of the vanilla wafers. You could also use ladyfingers or Lorna Doone style shortbread cookies instead.
- Try different fruits like strawberries or grapes in places of the berries.
- Use store bought whipped topping (like Cool Whip) in place of the homemade whipped cream (heavy cream + vanilla extract mixture) for a shortcut.
- Make individual patriotic trifles instead. Feel free to use small glass cups, 1/2 pint mason jars, or plastic 9 oz cups and layer the ingredients to make individual desserts instead of a large trifle. This is how I like to make my Pumpkin Pie Cups.
