Food Holidays & Occasions Juneteenth 23 Recipes to Celebrate Juneteenth Put together a Juneteenth menu full of flavor and joy, including barbecued delights, juicy seasonal fruit, buttery biscuits, and more. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 11, 2024 Close Photo: Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines 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. Here are a few recipes from Taylor and other cooks, full of flavor and joy to inspire your own Juneteenth menus. 01 of 23 Buttermilk Cornbread Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall Slightly sweet and buttery, this classic Southern cornbread is a must-order at Virtue, Erick Williams' flagship restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, where he celebrates the food of the Great Migration. Get the Recipe 02 of 23 Grilled Prawns with Okra and Eggplant Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Cookbook author Zoe Adjonyoh's travels to Ghana inspired this vegetable-forward dish. Sautéed eggplant, okra, and spinach are tossed with coconut oil and spices and topped with grilled marinated prawns. Get the Recipe 03 of 23 Stone Fruit Salad with Collard-Peanut Pesto Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea In this savory fruit salad, roasted peanuts, collard greens, and Parmesan yield a hearty pesto that's the perfect partner for honey-dressed wedges of plums and nectarines. Fonio, a West African grain similar in texture to couscous, soaks up the pesto to flavor each bite. Get the Recipe 04 of 23 Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Do as F&W's 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 05 of 23 Rosy Hibiscus-Gin Lowball Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner Known as sorrel in parts of Africa, roselle — the type of hibiscus used in most hibiscus teas — complements the floral notes of gin here for a balanced beverage. Stir leftover hibiscus tea into lemonade for a refreshing nonalcoholic sipper. Get the Recipe 06 of 23 Tangy Black-Eyed Pea Salad Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Simmering black-eyed peas with a purse of tomato, scallions, chiles, garlic, and cilantro stems flavors the beans as they cook; the vegetables later become the base for the salad's silky dressing. For a bit less heat, feel free to seed the jalapeño. Get the Recipe 07 of 23 Crudités with Carrot Dip and Romesco Sarah Crowder Food writer and recipe developer Yewande Komolafe says to think about this as a carrot dip crudités plate. Bring in cucumber, apple sticks, radishes, and any other favorite veggies. The recipe celebrates Detroit's "farm–city connection, with benne seeds and peanuts bringing it back to Africa." Get the Recipe 08 of 23 Hibiscus Snow Cones Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea "When hibiscus is steeped in water, it creates a red drink, an essential menu item of Juneteenth," says Nicole A. Taylor, sharing the Juneteenth memories that inspired her to create this Hibiscus Snow Cone. In this playful icy dessert, Taylor riffs on tradition, using dried hibiscus blossoms to make a sweet, tangy syrup for a celebratory snow cone. Whipped cream and crushed pink peppercorns add a final flourish. Get the Recipe 09 of 23 Carla Hall's Buttermilk Biscuits Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox Made with a combination of grated cold butter for flavor and vegetable shortening for tenderness, chef Carla Hall's biscuits owe their towering, flaky layers to her classic laminating technique. Get the Recipe 10 of 23 Grilled Pork Chops with Burst Blueberry Sauce Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea Gorgeous summer fruit and grilling are at the heart of Nicole A. Taylor's Juneteenth menu. Here, she takes blueberries for a savory spin, blending the berries with shallots, thyme, and chipotles in adobo to create a sticky sauce that showcases the floral notes of the fruit, while red wine and balsamic vinegar add a tart backbone that brings the flavors into focus. Get the Recipe 11 of 23 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 12 of 23 Chile-Coconut Watermelon Crudo Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This sweet, spicy, and punchy upgrade to classic slabs of salted watermelon is the palate-pleasing appetizer your cookout guests deserve. Fresh coconut water is much sweeter and has a greater depth of flavor than bottled versions, so crack open a coconut if you can. Get the Recipe 13 of 23 Smoked Brisket Andrew Thomas Lee This smoked brisket is self-taught barbecue expert Matt Horn's signature recipe — the star of the menu at his restaurant, Horn Barbecue, in Oakland, California. The 2021 F&W Best New Chef spent weeks perfecting this recipe and says time is the most important ingredient in the dish. You need to be patient while the meat's internal temperature rises to 203°F, but it's worth it when your smoked masterpiece is ready. Get the Recipe 14 of 23 Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines Chewy, chocolaty red velvet cookies are filled with a tangy no-churn cream cheese ice cream for an irresistible combination of flavors and textures. The ice cream-filled sandwiches soften as they freeze, making these a great make-ahead dessert. Get the Recipe 15 of 23 Oto (Mashed Yam Patties) Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Puna yam (not to be confused with sweet potato) is the star of this Ghanaian dish often served on wedding days. Its unique texture and flavor makes puna yam worth seeking out for this recipe. Get the Recipe 16 of 23 Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese Photo by Noah Fecks / Food Styling by Drew Aichele / Prop Styling by Ethan Lunkenheimer Three different kinds of cheese — extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese — go into this rich, savory macaroni and cheese recipe, which also gets layers of flavor from fresh bay leaves and dry mustard. Get the Recipe 17 of 23 Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea A dream of reuniting with friends and loved ones in 2021 for a Juneteenth celebration inspired Nicole A. Taylor's recipe for Moscato Pound Cake with Grape Glaze. Moscato gives this cake a lighter, more tender crumb than a typical pound cake while also imparting a subtle sweetness; freeze-dried grapes bring vibrant color to the glaze. Get the Recipe 18 of 23 Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork Julia Hartbeck With less than half an hour of active work time, this flavorful pork recipe truly is a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Serve it with coleslaw and pickles — the bun is optional. Get the Recipe 19 of 23 Grilled Baby Potato Salad © Con Poulos Dressed in olive oil and Champagne vinegar rather than mayonnaise, this tangy potato salad bursts with bright flavor. Parsley and quick-pickled red onion provide pops of color; a playful salt-and-vinegar potato chip topping adds an irresistible crunch. Get the Recipe 20 of 23 Sautéed Collards and Cabbage with Gremolata © Con Poulos These crunchy sautéed greens from chef Carla Hall get big flavor from garlic, lemon, and crushed red pepper. The gremolata can be made up to three hours in advance and kept covered at room temperature. Get the Recipe 21 of 23 Rosemary Chicken with Corn and Sausage Fricasee © Con Poulos For juicy, flavorful chicken, New Orleans chef Nina Compton soaks her drumsticks in a simple brine for 45 minutes before she grills them. This is her summer version of the dish, which changes throughout the year: She uses butternut squash and mushrooms in the fall and fresh fava beans, English peas, and fiddlehead ferns in the spring. Get the Recipe 22 of 23 Strawberry-Rum Coolers Greg DuPree Redolent with the flavors of fresh strawberries, lime juice, ginger beer, and a mixture of light and dark rum, this cocktail is a must-serve at the 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. "That's called refreshment." Get the Recipe 23 of 23 Deviled Eggs © Daria Khoroshavina Edna Lewis was known for these deviled eggs, which come together in minutes. The stuffed eggs can be refrigerated for up to four hours. Sprinkle with herbs just before serving. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit