37 Summer Desserts That’ll Sweeten Even the Hottest Days
Open the summer desserts file and you'll find everything from easy no-bake desserts and frozen treats to fruit-packed pies, cobblers, and icebox cakes. Hot summer days call for low-effort sweet treats—but we’ve also included some special-occasion showstoppers for celebratory nights.
These summer desserts make the most of the season’s fleeting pleasures: ripe berries, stone fruit at its peak, bright and sunny citrus, cold cream, and crisp textures meant for hot evenings. Some recipes come together in minutes with little more than a knife and a freezer, while others are built for birthdays, dinner parties, and long holiday weekends. Whatever your pleasure, there’s a dessert here for you that feels distinctly suited to summer.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca1/37Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
When your summer dessert is portable, like these ice cream sandwiches are—bonus points for the cookies, which stay miraculously chewy and tender even straight out of the freezer—you can easily take them poolside.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.2/37Milky Shaved Ice With Strawberries
Photograph by Tonje Thilesen, Food styling by Lauren Stanek, Prop styling by Charlotte Autry3/37Cherry Ice Pops
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christine Keely4/37Matcha-Berry Frozen Yogurt
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh5/37Root Beer Float Granita
Root beer float, you’ve been replaced. This icy, creamy, two-ingredient concoction (just root beer and sweetened condensed milk) is all we need to close out the summer cookout.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin6/37Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
If cookies ‘n’ cream is your go-to at the ice cream shop, let us introduce you to your new favorite dessert. Serve it as a birthday cake for all the summer babies.
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio7/37Almond and Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni8/37Diner-Style Strawberry Milkshakes
How do you pump up the flavor of an old-fashioned milkshake without watering it down with too many fresh berries? Toss some freeze-dried fruit in there, too.
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni9/37Strawberry and Campari Sorbet Sundae
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown10/37Peach Sorbet With Crushed Blackberries
Lemon-blueberry is a classic combo, but we’re feeling partial to peach-blackberry this summer. Turn peaches into creamy sorbet (without an ice cream maker) and top it with a no-cook sauce of fresh berries.
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Micah Morton11/37Watermelon Cucumber Slushy
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.12/37Lush Vanilla Berry Pudding
We love classic banana pudding, but when fresh berries gleam bright at the farmers’ market, this is the custardy, fruity, wafer-filled dessert we’re serving at summer dinner parties.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie13/37Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats With Brown Butter
This portable, easy dessert is the move for beach days, picnics in the park, and potlucks under the stars. The secret to leveling up the no-bake cereal bars? Peanut butter and toasted milk powder.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco14/37Zabaglione
Zabaglione seems fancy, but this custardy mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and booze actually comes together in 15 minutes. As for the topping, opt for store-bought cookies or sliced fruit.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni15/37Tiramisu-y Icebox Cake
This almost-classic rendition of tiramisu flips the ratio of its components so you can cut neat slices instead of doling out big scoops.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by JoJo Li16/37Brown-Sugar-Braised Pineapple
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi17/37Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton19/37S’mores Sandwich Cookies
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio20/37Tropical Trifle With Coconut and Rum
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Adriana Paschen, prop styling by Ceci Garcia21/37Blueberry Cobbler
Eight ingredients, ten minutes of active time, and one delightfully fruity summer dessert you’ll remake all season long. Head this way for more blueberry desserts.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie22/37Blackberries and Vanilla Cream With Crispy Puff Pastry
Baking off a sheet of puff pastry, then breaking it into shards feels like some sort of illegal magic trick. Tuck those shards into a pillow of cannoli cream and saucy summer berries for one of the easiest—yet somehow most impressive—desserts you’ll make all season.
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni23/37Strawberry Galette
There are many good things about a galette crust, but on steamy days, perhaps our favorite things are that it should be free-form (no need to fuss over the shape) and the dough requires little handling. And if you prefer peaches and plums, well, there’s a galette for you, too.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness24/37Whole Lemon Bars
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon25/37Easy Cherry Turnovers
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado26/37Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
What scratches the same itch as peach pie, but requires less doing? Peach cobbler, also known as a dump cake for its method: Just dump ingredients into a pan. Don’t forget a side of vanilla ice cream.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.27/37Apricot Tart With Whiskey-Pecan Frangipane
28/37Simple Strawberry Shortcakes
The secret is out: We add sour cream to our whipped cream. Just a smidge of the tangy stuff takes the topping for these summer shortcakes from good to great.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin30/37Ice Cream Cake With So Many Sprinkles
Layer store-bought vanilla and strawberry ice cream with a freshly baked confetti cake for an all-star summer birthday cake—or any other warm weather celebration.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore31/37Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling
Pulverized freeze-dried berries turn whipped cream into a shocking pink, wonderfully tangy frosting for light-as-air chiffon cake. Fresh summer berries are the piece de resistance.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni32/37Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie
Why have chocolate cream pie or coconut cream pie when you can have both at once? It’s an elevated Mounds bar, ideal for a summer dinner party.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco34/37Giant Baba Au Rhum
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Erica Lutz35/37Grilled Pound Cake Sundae With Raspberries
Our favorite cream cheese pound cake goes from ridiculously good to “Oh, joy! What rapture!” when you grill it and top it with ice cream and liqueur-macerated fresh berries. It’s the ideal dessert for your Fourth of July cookout.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton, Prop Styling by Christine Keely36/37Strawberry-Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars
