This easy and delicious Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle is the perfect patriotic dessert that is perfect for the 4th of July and other holidays or any celebration all summer long. It is layered with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, light angel food cake, creamy pudding, and homemade whipped cream.
This recipe is not only fun for your patriotic holidays but is also a simple refreshing dessert for any summer day and can be made with any of your favorite fruits, not just red, white, and blue varieties. If you're looking for more summertime desserts be sure to check out my Fresh Strawberry Pie, Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream, and my Easy No-Bake Blueberry Delight!
This is one of the most unfussy 4th of July recipes I've seen that doesn't require meticulous placement of fruit or extensive use of food dye to create something seasonal to satisfy everybody's craving for the red-white, and blue. This recipe is definitely a crowd-pleaser and the presentation is absolutely stunning!
My husband and kids LOVE when I make a trifle. I think it's partly because it's obviously such a yummy and fresh treat (and healthy because fruit, right?). But also the presentation is just so much fun and makes the trifle really visually appealing. If you don't have a glass trifle bowl, don't sweat it! Any glass bowl will work and you could even assemble this in a 9x13-inch baking dish if you need to.
This Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle a quick and easy, throw-together in-no-time kind of dessert that takes very little effort but tastes like a million bucks! If you are needing something to take to a summer get-together or even just craving a fun, no-bake dessert, this is one of our go-to ideas that never fails to satisfy and impress.
You can really layer it however you want to. You can be as pretty or messy as you want to. Like more pudding in your trifle? Double it! Want different fruit? Use it! There are no rules. It all comes together the same and is simply delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
- Angel Food Cake: You can get fancy and make this yourself or you can simply grab one from the bakery at your local grocery store. For me, trifle is a no-bake, no-fuss dessert so even though I generally like making things from scratch, store-bought angel food cake works just fine.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: I go with the vanilla instant Jell-O brand, but any instant pudding mix will work great. Cheesecake flavor? Sure! White chocolate? Why not?
- Milk: All you need is your basic whole milk (preferably, although I've also made it with fat free milk and it works too), just make sure it is cold.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I HIGHLY recommend making your own freshly whipped cream. It is far superior to the thawed tubs of Cool Whip and really makes your trifle next-level delicious.
- Powdered Sugar: I like to use powdered sugar to sweeten my homemade whipped cream just to avoid sugar granules that you sometimes get using granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla will help give your whipped cream some additional flavor that goes so well with the fresh fruit.
- Berries: I like to use strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to keep it patriotic and bright!
How to Make Berry Trifle
- Make the pudding. Add your cold milk to your pudding mix and whisk it together for about 2 minutes. Place it in the fridge to let it thicken.
- Make the Whipped Cream. All you have to do is beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until you have stiff peaks form. Set this aside for assembly later on.
- Slice angel food cake. Take a knife and cut the cake into small cubes. This definitely doesn't have to be perfect, you just want bite size pieces that are roughly ½- to 1-inch thick.
- Add the first layer of cake and berries. In a large trifle dish or glass bowl, arrange about half of the cake pieces. Then add a layer of strawberries. If you want to be all extra, take a few minutes to place the strawberries intentionally around the side of the dish for a really nice presentation from the outside of the dish.
- Add pudding and whipped cream. Add only about half of the thickened pudding, then sprinkle evenly with half of the blueberries and raspberries on top of that. Cover the berries with half of the sweetened whipped cream.
- Repeat. Repeat these steps with the remaining cake, fruit, pudding, whipped cream.
- Decorate and chill. You can decorate with the remaining berries on top however you'd like and then pop the entire dish in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
Recipe FAQ's
This recipe is best the day it is made, but it can be made a day ahead as it will keep for a day or two in the fridge. Keep in mind that the texture might change, as it might soften and the fruit won't be as fresh the longer it sits.
Yes,a 12-ounce container of thawed Cool Whip can be used to replace the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract if desired.
Recipe Tips
- How to store: This recipe keeps well in the fridge for 1-2 days. After that the flavor of the berries starts to turn and everything gets a little too soggy for my liking.
- Try a different pudding! Try using cheesecake or white chocolate flavored pudding. Both will maintain the patriotic colors of this dessert but give a different flavor to the end result. Lemon or banana pudding would also work.
- Mix up your cake! You can use pound cake or any white cake instead of angel food cake. Trifles are a great way to save a cake fail! And if you aren't focused on the color scheme, brownies work well in a trifle, as do most cake flavors like gingerbread or chocolate.
- Want to use different fruit? If you want to stick with the red, white, and blue look, berries are the way to go, but dragonfruit or sliced starfruit could also be used to good effect (although flavor-wise they need support from the berries). If you don't care about the color scheme though, trifles are great for all kinds of fruit like kiwi, peaches, mango, etc.
More Patriotic Recipes
- Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Pie
- Old Glory American Flag Pie
- Red, White, and Blueberry Bacon Burger with Basil Aioli
- Easy Fresh Fruit Pizza (works great with red and blue berries for a flag design!)
- Berry Breakfast Bagel French Toast Casserole
- Patriotic Flag Cake with Cherries
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Red White and Blue Berry Trifle
Ingredients
- 1 angel food cake sliced into pieces
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups cold milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pound strawberries sliced
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- Additional berries for decorating if desired
Instructions
- Make the pudding by whisking the pudding mix with the cold milk for 2 minutes, then let it sit in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- Beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Slice the angel food cake into cubed pieces. Prepare the fruit.
- In a large trifle dish or glass bowl, arrange ½ of the angel food cake pieces.
- Add a layer of strawberries, arranging the fruit around the side of the trifle dish or bowl for a nice presentation.
- Top with half of the pudding, then add half of the blueberries and raspberries on top of that. Cover the berries with half of the whipped cream.
- Repeat with remaining cake, fruit, pudding and whipped cream. Decorate with additional berries on top, if desired. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Pudding Variations: Try using cheesecake or white chocolate flavored pudding. Both will maintain the patriotic colors of this dessert but give a different flavor to the end result. Lemon or banana pudding would also work.
- Cake Variations: You can use pound cake or any white cake instead of angel food cake. Trifles are a great way to save a cake fail! And if you aren't focused on the color scheme, brownies work well in trifle, as do most cake flavors like gingerbread or chocolate.
- Fruit Variations: If you want to stick with the red, white, and blue look, berries are the way to go, but dragonfruit or sliced starfruit could also be used to good effect (although flavor-wise they need support from the berries. If you don't care about the color scheme though, trifles are great for all kinds of fruit like kiwi, peaches, mango, etc.
- Storage: Trifle is best the day it is made, but will keep for a day or two in the fridge.
- A 12-ounce container of thawed Cool Whip can be used to replace the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, if desired.
Wow, this berry trifle looks mind-blowing and it looks like an easy recipe, I will definitely try it.
What a fun, festive and delightful summer treat!