35 Summer Dessert Recipes (2024)

Our recipes for summer sweets offer ideas for ice cream desserts, pies, summer-inspired cakes, fruity bar cookies, shortcakes and more.

01of 35

Ice Cream Sandwiches

These ice cream sandwiches will take you back to hot summer days as a kid. Use a light touch when you assemble them, as the rich cookies are fragile.

View Recipe

02of 35

Eton Mess

Summer desserts should be no-bake, no-cook and no-fuss. So here's a classic British dessert for your Midwest summer: a simple strawberry dessert that's a mishmash of berries, whipped cream and meringues.

View Recipe

03of 35

Cherry Clafouti

Clafouti is a simple French dessert created with fruit covered with a not-too-sweet, custard-like batter.

Top Cherry Recipes

View Recipe

04of 35

Peach Upside-Down Cake

The family behind Illinois' Rendleman Orchards has amassed some great peach recipes in more than a century of growing peaches. This cake is no exception. Peach slices and brown sugar form a moist base for the tender, square cake—and when flipped over, that base becomes the topping.

View Recipe

05of 35

Summer Cobbler

Michigan chef Abra Berens, author of Pulp, says this pick-a-fruit summer dessert tastes great with a dollop of sour cream. We totally agree.

Easy Cobbler and Crisp Recipes

View Recipe

06of 35

Mojito Bars

Jacob Van Patten pours a refreshing summer co*cktail into his creative take on lemon bars, which took the overall blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair.

Our Best Bar Cookies

View Recipe

07of 35

Hot Fudge Sauce

Chocolate cravings have met their match: In 15 minutes, you can melt six ingredients into the thickest, gooiest ice cream topping.

Irresistible Ice Cream Recipes

View Recipe

08of 35

Cherry Brownies a la Mode

Traverse City's famous tart cherries get double billing in this sundae—baked in the brownies and spooned on top. But there's another local fruit hiding here. Traverse City Chef Adam Raupp adds a little Riesling to the sauce.

Rich, Moist Brownie Recipes

View Recipe

09of 35

S'Mores Squares

These bars are a grown-up spin on a campfire classic: buttery graham cracker crust, chocolate mousse, toasty meringue.

View Recipe

10of 35

Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Elderflower Cream

To "bring the smell of the field" into this dessert, chef Michigan chef James Bloomfield infuses whipping cream with fresh elderflowers. Get the same effect with a splash of St-Germain.

Ultimate Cake Recipes

View Recipe

11of 35

Choose-a-Fruit Fools

No one knows how fools (a centuries-old blend of whipped cream and fruit) got their playful name. Maybe it's because, with just 4 ingredients, you'd be foolish not to make one!

View Recipe

12of 35

Kiwi Summer Limeade Pie

Refreshing and creamy, this make-ahead pie from Susan Meier of Omaha combines tropical flavors with macadamia nuts and kiwifruit.

Pie Recipes Perfect for Summer

View Recipe

13of 35

Strawberry "Cool Brûlée"

This deceptively good, weeknight-easy dessert has a topping of yogurt and whipped cream with raw sugar that looks like creme brulee, but requires no cooking.

View Recipe

14of 35

Earl Grey Strawberry Shortcakes

Tea leaves speckle the shortcakes and infuse the whipped cream, giving this favorite summertime dessert a pinkies-up twist.

Throw a Strawberry Party With These Fresh, Fruit-Forward Recipes

View Recipe

15of 35

Gooey Butter Bars

Traditionalists may grumble, but we think topping St. Louis-style gooey butter bars with fresh berries is a stroke of midsummer genius.

View Recipe

16of 35

Baby Citrus Cheesecakes

These cupcake-size treats are a fantastically simple alternative to a full-size cheesecake. You could also garnish them with fresh raspberries or blueberries.

View Recipe

17of 35

Pint-Size Grasshopper Icebox Cake

A fluffy, summery, make-ahead 6-inch dessert with just four ingredients? Sold.

6 Mini Cake Recipes

View Recipe

18of 35

Peaches and Cream Tart

Rather than hide gorgeous, peak-season peaches under a piecrust, line them up in sunny formation on an easy base of purchased puff pastry and sweetened cream cheese.

Our Best Sweet-and-Juicy Peach Recipes

View Recipe

19of 35

Butterscotch Brickle Pudding Pops

Chopped pecans and toffee bits add delightful crunch to creamy pudding pops. If you don't have plastic freezer-pop molds, use 5-ounce paper cups.

Easy Icy Treats

View Recipe

20of 35

S'more Pie a la Marshmallow Crème

Cream cheese brings body and richness to so-chocolatey mousse filling. More wow comes from the blend of marshmallow crème and crème de cacao draped over the top.

View Recipe

21of 35

Pink Lemonade Strawberry Shortcake

Pink lemonade concentrate gives a summery twist to classic strawberry shortcake.

10 Delicious Shortcake Recipes

View Recipe

22of 35

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Biggies

Our chewy, saucer-size cookie is delicious by itself, but for a warm-weather treat, it makes generous ice cream sandwiches when filled with tiny scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

View Recipe

23of 35

Mini Peach Melba Ice Cream Cake

Crystallized ginger adds unexpected zip to frosty peaches, raspberries and ice cream.

View Recipe

24of 35

Pina Colada Cupcakes

co*cktail meets cupcake with the tropical marriage of pineapple preserves, crunchy macaroon bits and toasted coconut. We bet you won't even miss the rum.

Delicious Cupcake Recipes

View Recipe

25of 35

Summer Breeze Lime Pie

A triple dose of lime-zest, juice and curd-gives this dreamy pie its refreshing flavor. The pretzel crust adds unexpected salty punch.

View Recipe

26of 35

Raspberry Swirl Angel Food Cake

A subtle swirl of fresh raspberries infuses this homemade angel food cake with light fruit flavor. Like all angel food cakes, it has no fat or cholesterol.

View Recipe

27of 35

Tropical Ambrosia Shortcake

Classic shortcake meets church-basem*nt standard ambrosia salad in this surprising and crowd-pleasing dessert that's packed with tropical fruit flavor.

View Recipe

28of 35

Peanut Butter-Fudge Pie

Vanilla ice cream, gooey fudge sauce and peanuts sit on a chewy rice-cereal crust. Trust us, it's out of this world-perfect for potlucks or family dinners.

View Recipe

29of 35

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Sundaes

Quickly warm pineapple in butter and brown sugar, then spoon the softened fruit over crumbled pound cake and dulce de leche ice cream.

View Recipe

30of 35

S'Mores Squares

These bars are a grown-up spin on a campfire classic: buttery graham cracker crust, chocolate mousse, toasty meringue.

Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

View Recipe

31of 35

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Layers of cheesecake, raspberry filling, almonds and coconut form dessert bars perfect for summer picnics and potlucks.

View Recipe

32of 35

Blueberry Almond Bars

At the Marshall County Fair's annual Blueberry Bake-A-Rama in Plymouth, Indiana, Lori Van Der Weele took home the Grand Champion award with this recipe that combines blueberries, butter, white baking pieces and almonds.

Blueberry Recipes You'll Love

View Recipe

33of 35

Root Beer Float Ice Cream Sandwiches

Stirring crushed root beer barrels into sugar-cookie dough adds irresistible sparkle and spot-on float flavor—especially when you add scoops of vanilla ice cream between two cooled cookies.

Irresistible Desserts Inspired by Soda Shop Flavors

View Recipe

34of 35

Lemon-Cream Cheese Pie

This creamy lemon pie, a longtime reader-favorite recipe, is a signature dessert at Al's Oasis, a family restaurant along the east bank of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Make Your Best Pie Ever

View Recipe

35of 35

Creamy Peach Yogurt Pie

Juicy peach slices mix with peach jam to make an ultra-easy topping for this no-bake yogurt pie.

View Recipe