Summer has arrived in full force! And you know what that means - it's time to beat the heat with a stunning selection of summer desserts that are as simple to prepare as they are delightful to eat!
Whether you're throwing a backyard barbecue, going to a picnic in the park, or simply lusting for something sweet and cold, this definitive list of summery desserts has you covered. There are desserts for summer that work for everyone, from ice cream and icebox cakes to fruit-infused and fruit-based desserts.
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🍰 Sizzling Hot Cake Recipes
Gluten-Free No-Bake Cheesecake
Enjoy this delicious no-bake recipe, ideal for any summer soiree or BBQ, and cost-effective, to boot. Skip turning on the oven for this fancy dessert to keep cool this season!
It’s decadently creamy, and extremely tasty - the gluten-free graham cracker crust is delicious, and each bite begs for more. You can top it with blueberry compote or any other fruit of your choice but I’d totally go for a homemade gianduja or chocolate sauce for added richness.
Hummingbird Cake
This gluten-free hummingbird cake with cream cheese buttercream icing is tender and mildly sweet, rivaling carrot cake in terms of flavor. Hummingbird cake replaces the shredded carrots with mashed banana and crushed pineapple.
This showstopper cake is a spiced fruit cake with incredible tropical tastes. Plus, it's topped with cream cheese buttercream frosting, which pushes it over the moon! It's also gluten-free, although you'd never guess it.
Lemon Curd Raspberry Cheesecake
Do you enjoy a tasty no-bake cheesecake or lemon curd dessert? I do, too! Check out this luxuriously rich no-bake lemon cheesecake adorned with fresh raspberries.
It's incredibly simple to make and delicious to eat. The cheesecake layer is constructed with cream cheese and cream mixed with lemon curd, on top of a basic crushed biscuit (cookie) base. It’s the perfect crowd-pleasing dessert for Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Mother’s Day.
Papaya Coconut Crumble Cake
Watch out for this vegan papaya cake! It'll knock your socks off. This summer dessert boasts a delightfully fluffy cake with a flavorful and crunchy coconut crumble topping.
The papaya gives the cake moisture, a beautiful golden hue and a fun tropical flavo, while the coconut brings out the tropical flavor and textures! One bite and it'll whisk you off to a tropical island - it's the perfect afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or cacao tea.
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
This Italian lemon ricotta cake is a classic Italian dessert that's made at special gatherings and at the holidays. A ciambella cake is lightly flavored with lemon, olive oil and brown sugar for a flavorful creation perfect for warm weather.
The ricotta keeps it moist, too. It's great in summer and fantastic served alongside a flavored hot or cold beverage of your choice. I don’t know about you but I think drinking chocolate or chocolate milk tea would pair beautifully with this summer cake.
Mango Graham Cake
Mango graham cake is the perfect recipe to make when you're deep in mango season. Sweet ripe mangoes are perfect to eat on their own but they lend excellent flavor to desserts like a mango chocolate cake or this mango graham cake.
Channeling ice box cakes, it’s cold, sweet and so easy to make. Just layer graham crackers, sweetened cream, mangoes and enjoy. Life's all about these simple pleasures and taking in that beautiful yellow dessert.
🍪 Scrumptious Cookie Recipes for Summer
Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Cookies
If you're searching for the perfect summer cookies then scroll no further; these chocolate chunk strawberry cookies are the answer.
Enjoy "summery" chocolate chip cookies that are buttery with perfectly crisp edges. Use any type of chocolate you have in your pantry for the chunks from dark chocolate to even blonde chocolate pieces. Don't skip the dough chilling, either, otherwise your cookies will spread and the flavors won’t have as much time to develop.
It's an easy to whip up cookie recipe - plus the strawberry and chocolate combination never, ever disappoints. If you're a fan of fruity chocolate inclusions then this is the recipe for you.
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
These strawberry shortcake cookies combine everything you love about the classic summer treat into a compact, bite-sized dessert. Summer cookie fantasies are made of these juicy strawberries and crispy, crunchy cookie crumbs.
The incredibly chewy cookie middle may cause your eyes to roll into the back of your head in pure ecstasy. Don’t say I didn't warn you if you decide to indulge in public.
Gochujang Caramel Cookies
These sweet and spicy caramel gochujang cookies are exactly what the doctor ordered for this heat. It's based on the popular New York Times recipe, but it's been modified for folks who can't or don't want to consume gluten.
Impress your pals with the toffee sweetness of these umami-specked biscuits. They take only 10 minutes to prepare, and a whole batch will be ready in less than 30 minutes. No need to thank me for sharing this one!
🍦 Frozen Desserts for Summer
Strawberry Semifreddo with Pistachios
Grilled strawberry semifreddo with pistachios and strawberry balsamic promises to be the most spectacular summer dessert you can make. This exquisite Italian dish, which means "half cold" or "half frozen," is similar to ice cream in that it is creamy, delicious, and requires no special equipment.
Grilled strawberries add a rich, sweet flavor to the creamy semifreddo, then there's the pistachio crunch and strawberry balsamic sauce. If it doesn't make you drool, I'm not sure what will. This is a must make, and it's low carb, too!
Oreo Icebox Cake
If you enjoy no-bake desserts, you'll adore this rich, creamy, old-fashioned Oreo icebox cake. It’s filled with Oreo cookies and made with homemade cheesecake ice cream.
The cream layer is made with cream cheese resembling a light cheesecake with an airy, mousse-like texture. Then you fold in everyone’s favorite chocolate snack - oreos and cream for an ultra-luxe cookie and cream-like ice cream with tons of cookie pieces in every mouthful.
It's so delicious, you'll be making this summer dessert recipe year round.
Mango Pineapple Sorbet
Nothing screams summer more than fruity ice cold desserts like this mango pineapple sorbet. If you've got ripe mangoes and pineapples on hand, freeze them up for a quick and easy summer dessert.
All you need for sorbet are frozen fruit, some sort of sweet liquid and a really good blender. For a nice and light summer gluten-free and dairy-free dessert option, make this mango pineapple sorbet.
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
When ice cream weather is here, bust out this vegan banana chocolate ice cream for the win. Enjoy guilt-free silken tofu, mashed bananas and rich cacao in ice cream form for the ultimate hot weather indulgence.
It’s unbelievably creamy in texture and rich in flavor. The recipe requires some blending and freezing, though you can also serve this chilled, instead of frozen, like a chocolate pudding. Top it off with some cacao nibs or sugar-free chocolate chips.
Strawberries and Cream Popsicles
With just a few ingredients, you can prepare a feel-good, no-junk dessert for the entire family. These roasted strawberry and cream popsicles are sweet, tangy, creamy, and full of rich strawberry flavor.
Roasting strawberries enhances their flavor, resulting in strongly flavored strawberry and cream popsicles. However roasting strawberries also reduces the water content, resulting in a creamier frozen summer delight - it's just the fruity paleta you need this summer.
Orange Ice Cream
How good does this dessert look? If you love a fruity dessert, then try this easy no churn orange ice cream. It's incidentally vegan and you don't need an ice cream maker to make it. Best of all, it boasts of an amazing taste that's all sorts of creamy and fruity.
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich
These delicious ice cream cookie sandwiches are incredibly simple to make and 1000x better than eating ice cream or cookies alone in the summer!
The hands-on assembly time is less than 20 minutes, and the recipe is simple enough for children to prepare themselves. Use any type of cookies, whether store-bought or semi-homemade, like these air-fryer Toll house or Pillsbury cookies and ice cream.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
This creamy and chocolatey chocolate peanut butter ice cream is an easy treat to make. No sugar, no heavy cream, and no whole milk, yet the whole bowl is ready within minutes.
This recipe does not require an ice cream maker, either; you just need to mix all ingredients in a blender and freeze them. Vegan, gluten free and totally awesome - it’s the ideal homemade cold treat for all the peanut butter chocolate lovers out there.
Mint Coconut Milk Ice Cream
For a sweet treat to enjoy while on a low histamine diet and to cool off during the summer, make this mint chip ice cream. Featuring fresh antihistamine spearmint leaves with vanilla & bits of chopped macadamia nuts, you get a totally awesome mint chip ice cream.
You can eat the ice cream by its lonesome or use it for ice cream sandwiches or as topping for summer pies.
Matcha Bingsu
Ever tried bingsu? It’s a South Korean shaved ice dessert that’s perfect to enjoy this summer. One of the most amazing flavor combos to try is matcha (or green tea) with adzuki red bean paste (sweetened adzuki beans).
Basically, this dessert is a light and fluffy shaved ice flavored with matcha green tea, served with red beans and chewy mochi, and sweetened with condensed milk. Ideal for cooling off on hot days.
🍮 Unique Summery Desserts
Cherry Almond Crumble
Don't let those fresh, plump, and juicy sweet cherries go to waste! Make this cherry almond crumble in a flash.
The season’s sweet cherries taste spectacular topped with a crispy almond crumble, super buttery and lightly flavored with cinnamon. Nothing beats a warm cherry crumble with a generous scoop of ice cream on top in the summer.
Banana Walnut Brownies
If you've got brownies in your brain but don't want to turn on the oven, these paleo no-bake banana walnut brownies are the perfect way to satisfy your craving. These no-bake banana walnut brownies are delicious whether made with cocoa powder or carob.
Because gelatin replaces the egg in the recipe, these brownies are not vegan, but they are completely devoid of grains, gluten, eggs, dairy, and refined sugars. Simple yet decadent, there's absolutely no baking involved in this summer treat.
3-Ingredient Cheesecake Cups
There's cheesecake and then there's cheesecake cups. If you're deciding between the two, it's a no brainer! Quick, easy, extremely tasty plus HEALTHY dessert that can be whipped up in 10 minutes or less.
This lighter version features Greek yogurt instead of a heavier dairy and uses maple syrup as a substitute for refined sugar. Then top it with dairy-free chocolate or some homemade hot fudge sauce. This crustless no-bake cheesecake will be your new favorite way to enjoy cheesecake!
Banana Pudding with Chessmen Cookies
This high protein banana pudding with chessmen cookies is absolutely delicious! The rich, creamy pudding is packed with sweet bananas and buttery cookies, which soften after refrigerating for the ideal bite.
It's a healthier version of banana pudding that's ideal as a high-protein snack or dessert. The combination of buttery, soft cookies and creamy banana pudding makes for the ideal treat - and it's so simple to create! Best of all, you can easily make this crowd-pleasing summer dessert ahead.
Rhubarb Crumble
How about a simple rhubarb crumble for a wonderful summer dessert? Even though this healthier version eliminates the butter and refined sugars, it does not sacrifice the flavor or texture.
The rhubarb is cooked until it is sticky and tender, then topped with a sweet oat crisp. This rhubarb dessert tastes just like the traditional version, and is especially delicious when served warm with coconut yogurt or ice cream.
Candied Orange Peels
Candied orange peels are sweet citrusy delights. With a mildly bitter undertone and a crystalline sweet coating they can stand on their own or as part of a grazing board.
They also make excellent additions to everyday foods such as muffins, cakes, and salads. This recipe aims to reduce bitterness while maintaining the natural citrus zest flavor. Go ahead and try it.
Strawberry Meringue Sundae
Strawberry meringue sundaes are a cool treat on a hot summer day. The crisp, freshly made meringue serves as the dessert's base, then it's topped with a handmade strawberry sauce and scrumptious vanilla ice cream. Garnish with cream or chocolate whipped cream and fresh mint for a lovely and sophisticated dessert.
Peach and Marzipan Crumble
Everyone enjoys a crumble, at least in our family. This peach and almond crumble recipe perfectly captures the essence of summer, making a comforting peach and marzipan crumble with sweet, luscious peaches and a delicious almond crunch.
This recipe is ideal for using up leftover marzipan in the fridge and may be made with as many fresh peaches as desired. If you don't want to use alcohol, flavor it with almond essence or apple juice, and serve it cold or warm with ice cream.
Mini Blueberry Tarts
Who doesn't enjoy putting together four-ingredient desserts? Mini blueberry tarts are a delicious and elegant dessert suitable for any occasion.
These bite-sized treats are loaded with luscious blueberries and dark chocolate, all wrapped in a buttery, flaky pastry shell. The chocolate provides the ideal level of pleasure for a blueberry tart.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These strawberry cheesecake bars are delicious and creamy, with a shortbread crust and a sweet strawberry topping. They're an easy way to enjoy cheesecake without having to use a water bath, simple to create and the ideal way to pair summer fruit with a chilly dessert.
Crushed shortbread cookies create a delicious and buttery crust for the vanilla cream cheese and ricotta filling. They make the greatest dessert when topped with fresh strawberries and a sprinkle of sugar to enhance their natural sweetness, but you can remove the strawberry topping for a plain cheesecake bar recipe, or use fresh strawberries instead!
There are innumerable ways to mix up this delightful recipe. You can include toppings like white chocolate shavings or a drizzle of chocolate sauce or syrup.
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
This angel food cake with strawberries is a simplified version of strawberry shortcake for the inexperienced baker. Simply beat some heavy cream till light and frothy, then layer with chopped strawberries and angel food cake crumbs.
It is gorgeous, delicious, and can be assembled in minutes for a last-minute dessert option. This delectable strawberry shortcake comes up quickly and is ideal for feeding a large party.
Healthier Scotcheroos
Healthy Scotcheroos are a delicious take on this childhood favorite! The combination of crunchy rice krispies with peanut butter and sweetener, combined with the layer of melted chocolate on top is simply irresistible.
Make this healthier version by incorporating natural nut butters, raw chocolate, Keto chocolates, or any high quality craft chocolate, using whole grain cereal, and opting for a natural sweetener like honey. It's scotcheroos that offer a balance of protein and fiber in an unbelievably satisfying treat.
Apricot Crumble Squares
These apricot crumble squares are an excellent variation on the traditional fruit crumble tart. This sweet summer recipes makes for a simple and straightforward dish to create with fresh, tinned, or frozen apricots.
Also, a great make-ahead bite-size dessert to bring to barbecues and gatherings, this is a crowd-pleaser and an excellent teatime snack.
Berry Tiramisu
This luscious berry tiramisu is a charming twist on the classic Italian dessert. It mixes the delicious flavors of mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers, and mixed berries with a dash of chocolate.
Berry tiramisu is an easy-to-make delicacy that is kid-friendly and perfect for summer parties and other special occasions. It's an even lighter variant on the original tiramisu, ideal for those who don't want to consume raw eggs, alcohol, or coffee.
Cookie Dough Sundae
Be still my heart. These gorgeous summer treats will be in your dessert rotation all season long - enjoy a vegan ice cream sundae served in an edible gluten-free cookie dough cup, fully customizable to your tastes.
These frosty cookie dough cups can be filled with anything you like, including fresh fruit, but I'd go for the ultimate sundae and fill it with ice cream, vegan chocolate chunks, and chocolate sauce made from quality craft chocolate.
Bionicos (Mexican Fruit Bowls)
This summer I implore you to indulge in Bionicos, a popular Mexican street food and delicious dessert. Boasting of a refreshing variety of fruits mixed with a sweet creamy sauce and a sprinkle of crunchy granola.
This amazing fruit salad bowl will surely tantalize your taste buds. Make it dairy-free and vegan friendly but adjust the toppings with the ingredients you prefer. Bionicos especially make for a fun treat to serve as part of a brunch buffet table set up.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Turn to the classics for a dessert that everyone will love. Strawberry pretzel salad is that old-fashioned delicacy hailing from the South (as most American sweet treats do!).
With a great balance of salt and sweetness, this cool dessert features a buttery pretzel crust, light cream cheese layer, and a delicious strawberry Jell-O topping loaded with additional strawberries! This tends to be extremely popular at potlucks, picnics, and other parties.
Brownie Pudding
If you love recipes that your kids can make themselves, stop scrolling because this recipe is it! Skip the boxed brownies and opt for a one of a kind chocolate dessert. This brownie pudding recipe is perfect for individuals who want fudgy, rich desserts with a pudding base.
With its moist chocolate cake-like texture, it's both a dessert and a pudding in one. Don’t mind me, just sitting here drooling over that beautiful chocolate treat.
🥧 Delicious Summer Pies
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Looking for the perfect way to enjoy the season's sweetest strawberries? This no-bake fresh strawberry pie is the perfect way to go from farm to table.
Simply place the berries in a homemade or store-bought pie crust; whatever floats your boat. Then pour strawberry glaze on top, chill everyhting in the fridge, and garnish with whipped cream. Voila, the easy peasy way to enjoy summer berries.
Cherry Pie
You'll love the sweetness of cherries in this gluten-free cherry pie. Fresh, sweet, tart and fully ripened cherries pairs well with almonds and thyme for an absolutely delightful summer pie
And if that's not enough to convince you, both the filling and crust are flavored with the unexpected accompaniment of almonds and thyme. The flavor pairing really works, plus you don't need to use a lot of sugar, like in a more typical cherry pie. Trust me, this summer dessert recipe is a decadent gourmet treat you'll want to keep baking during cherry season.
Lemonade Pie
This no-bake lemonade pie is the ideal summer treat! It's chilled, creamy, and full of zesty, vibrant lemon flavor! For extra flavor, add the zest of a lemon into your pie filling.
The very simple icebox pie takes minutes to put together - the hardest part is waiting for it to cool. It's an ideal dessert for potlucks, pool parties, barbecues, and other warm-weather events.
Peach Slab Pie
If you’ve never made a slab pie, this is the one to start with. This easy-to-make peach slab pie is great for a crowd. A peach slab pie is packed with luscious peaches, as well as a few secret ingredients to make it the best peach pie you’ve ever had! It has a firm, not runny filling, that doesn’t require you to pre-cook anything.
Strawberry Coconut Lime Cream Pie
This summer, prepare this paleo strawberry coconut lime cream pie, which is really fun, fresh tasting, tasty, and beautiful. With only a short bake time for the crust and a quick stovetop cooking for the topping, this summer pie is mostly a refrigerator dessert! So give it enough time to chill.
Best of all, it is a gluten-free, low FODMAP, grain-free, egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free lime dessert. Enjoy a mouthful of this creamy strawberry pie with a zing of citrus for sheer gastronomic bliss.
Mini S’mores Pie
Nothing says summertime like an ooey gooey s'more baked with marshmallows toasted over a campfire. We're not fans of Hershey's here, but you can use any chocolate you like to make s'mores, or add a sprinkle of other flavors to create s'mores with a twist.
Here the traditional s'mores flavors of graham crackers, chocolate bars, and roasted gooey marshmallows are turned into cute little pies reminiscent of campfires. This recipe is incredibly simple, thanks to a box of brownie mix, pre-made crusts, and a container of marshmallow fluff. Summer desserts need not be hard.
Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
This extremely delicious no-bake chocolate Oreo peanut butter pie features a creamy peanut butter mousse filling, an Oreo cookie crust, and a topping of fresh whipped cream and crushed butter cups. The peanut butter filling is the right combination of fluffy and creamy, and you'll adore how the cream cheese gives this a peanut butter cheesecake flavor.
This recipe does not call for cool whip, instead using freshly created whipped cream, cream cheese, and sour cream to give it a delightful made-from-scratch flavor and texture. I give this summer dessert recipe five stars.
🙋🏼♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
A light and refreshing dessert like fruit salad, sorbet, or a fresh fruit tart is a popular choice during summertime. These options are not only delicious but also help to beat the heat and provide a satisfying end to a meal.
Desserts that do well in heat are typically those that are light, refreshing, and not prone to melting or becoming too soft. Some examples include fruit salads, sorbets, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen fruit popsicles - each of these desserts are nice for warm weather and offer a delightful way to cool down.
One of the coldest desserts in the world is "dondurma," a type of Turkish ice cream. Dondurma has a unique texture and is known for its resistance to melting, even in high temperatures. This unique characteristic is due to the use of salep, a flour made from the tubers of wild orchids, and mastic gum, both of which give the ice cream its distinct elasticity and resistance to melting.
One of the desserts that can be challenging to make in the summer is a merengue-based dessert or a delicate mousse or soufflé, as all of these require careful temperature control and can be affected by the heat and humidity. Additionally, desserts that involve intricate chocolate work or delicate pastry can be more challenging to execute in hot weather due to the risk of melting and softening.
📖 Recipe
43+ Summer Desserts You Can Make at Home
Equipment
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixing Bowl
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- Gluten Free No Bake Cheesecake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Lemon Curd Raspberry Cheesecake
- Papaya Coconut Crumble Cake
- Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Mango Graham Cake
- Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Cookies
- Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
- Gochujang Caramel Cookies
- Strawberry Semifreddo with Pistachios
- Oreo Icebox Cake
- Mango Pineapple Sorbet
- Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Strawberries and Cream Popsicles
- Orange Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Mint Coconut Milk Ice Cream
- Matcha Bingsu
- Cherry Almond Crumble
- Banana Walnut Brownies
- 3 Ingredient Cheesecake Cups
- Banana Pudding with Chessmen Cookies
- Rhubarb Crumble
- Candied Orange Peels
- Strawberry Meringue Sundae
- Peach and Marzipan Crumble
- Mini Blueberry Tarts
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
- Healthier Scotcheroos
- Apricot Crumble Squares
- Berry Tiramisu
- Cookie Dough Sundae
- Bionicos
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Brownie Pudding
- Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Cherry Pie
- Lemonade Pie
- Peach Slab Pie
- Strawberry Coconut Lime Cream Pie
- Mini Smores Pie
- Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
Instructions
- Choose a recipe that appeals to you.
- Gather the ingredients.
- Follow the instructions, then enjoy!
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