20 Summer Desserts Everyone Should Try

At the top of our summer desserts…the best-ever fresh Strawberry Pie! It highlights the best ripe berry flavor, perfectly sweet tart with a delicious hint of cinnamon. Our neighbors promptly declared it was “the best pie I’ve ever had.” Don’t believe us? Well, you’ve got to test for yourself!

Another top summer dessert? Classic strawberry shortcake recipe. It’s got tender, biscuit-like shortcakes, juicy sweet berries, and fluffy, homemade whipped cream. It’s so ridiculously good, it’s perfect for special occasions of all kinds: cookouts, patio parties, birthdays, and anytime you come across a load of ripe, beautiful berries.

Got your grill fired up? Good, because this summer dessert is 100% stunning: grilled apples! It’s carefree, easy, and a la mode (which makes everything better). The grill turns sliced apples tender and velvety, with subtle nuance of smoke. Top with melty vanilla ice cream, and well: it doesn’t get any better than this! It’s easy to make up a packet and cook it while prepping the rest of a grilled dinner. 

You absolutely must try summer’s best dessert: Watermelon Sorbet! Each bite is an explosion of pure juicy fruit flavor, with a smooth, frosty texture. Even better: it’s incredibly simple to blend up.

This summer dessert is everything: it’s simple to make, it’s got a healthy spin, and it tastes SO good! The filling tastes like pure purple blueberry, and the top has the perfect crunchy sweetness. What really puts it over the edge is the lavender — which steps it up to a new level. It's one of our favorite blueberry recipes...ever.

Here's the ultimate summer dessert: peach pie! And this really is the world’s best peach pie recipe. It's got fresh peaches with a thick creamy custard and a salty crust: my great Aunt’s prize winning recipe! Instead of the typical peach pie recipe that features canned peaches in a sugary glaze, in this pie the ripe peaches mix with cream and sugar to make an insanely creamy interior.

Try this homemade Raspberry Sorbet recipe! The flavor is an explosion of pure fruit, like taking a bite of 100 raspberries at once. It’s got the best creamy, frosty texture, like a good raspberry gelato. Better yet: it’s simple to whip up at home and impresses everyone.

Also try: Strawberry Sorbet, Mango Sorbet, or Lemon Sorbet

This summer dessert recipe has just 7 ingredients and is so easy to make! Throw fresh blueberries on top of the blueberry batter and throw it in the oven. As the cobbler bakes, the blueberries sink to the bottom and the batter forms a golden crust on top. Get ready to be amazed by this simple kitchen trick!

Here’s summer's best treat, if you can find a bunch of those magical pinkish-green stalks: Rhubarb Crisp! This homey dessert is absolute summer nostalgia: each bite is a burst of gooey, sweet tart candy topped with a golden oat crumble. Top it with melty vanilla ice cream, and there’s nothing better than scooping up heaping mouthfuls on a summer’s evening. 

Here's a tasty, carefree summer dessert recipe: blueberry cake! This one is fluffy and moist, topped with a layer of purple-blue ripe blueberries. It’s lightly sweet and has a hint of lemon. It has a bit of a healthy spin: it’s made with olive oil, Greek yogurt and applesauce instead of rich butter. Because of that, the dessert tastes light and fresh instead of indulgent. 

This grilled pineapple is the best summer dessert for ending a grilled meal on the patio. Pineapple is tangy and juicy as is: imagine it infused with a smoky flavor and warm from the grill! For the easiest option, drizzle it with honey and top with fresh mint. Or, take it over the top and serve with melty vanilla ice cream or toasted coconut. 

Here’s our best nostalgic Blackberry Crisp recipe, aka Blackberry Crumble! It’s just sweet enough, filled with sweet berries with a hint of orange and vanilla, and a crunchy oat crumble topping. Even better: you can make it with fresh or frozen berries, so it works no matter what you can find.

Also try: Mixed Berry Crisp

What's a more classic summer dessert than apple pie? This one has the perfect buttery crust, woven into a rustic lattice and painted with a sparkly maple glaze. The interior is gooey, sweet apples, spiced with cinnamon and fresh ginger. It's so, so flavorful and looks positively stunning.

Here's an ideal dessert for summer: these soft, gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! They’ve got an irresistibly chewy texture, featuring a luxurious dough with loads of dark chocolate chips. A bit of oatmeal gives it a nostalgic heartiness, and the edges get perfectly golden. 

Man, is this peach cobbler a showstopper! Imagine: cinnamon-spiced, ripe and tangy peaches, covered in delightfully flaky ricotta biscuits. No canned peaches or Bisquick topping here! This cobbler absolutely holds up to the hype and will become a family favorite. Also try: Peach Crisp with Basil

Here's a summer dessert that's impossible to resist: this strawberry crumble! There’s the berry filling, scented with orange zest and vanilla until the berries pop. There’s the crunchy crumble topping, hearty and homey with oats and walnuts. It’s simple, but all together it makes a true symphony of flavor. Even better: you can make it using fresh or frozen berries! 

These No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are a step above the rest! These are rich and chocolaty, full of dark chocolate peanut butter flavor and sweetened just enough with sugar and maple syrup. They’re beautifully glossy in texture, and the flavor? When we serve them at parties, they go fast.

Are you a lemon dessert lover? Then you absolutely must try homemade Lemon Sorbet! Each bite is loaded pure citrus flavor: icy and bright, with just the right amount of zing on the finish. Both lemon juice and lemon zest bring a bold flavor, and it’s irresistibly refreshing after a meal or as a palate cleanser. 

Here’s one of our favorite summer desserts: Grilled Peaches! Throw these sweet, juicy fruits onto the grill and they get caramelized and lightly smoky. Then top with vanilla ice cream and fresh mint, and it’s one of the best treats on the planet. This is a summer dessert recipe that everyone raves about: and it’s easy to throw on the grill after the main dish!

Here’s a dessert that’s pure perfection in its simplicity: the classic Italian affogato! Two ingredients come together in the most exciting flavor pairing: sweet, creamy vanilla gelato and bitter, rich espresso. Poured at the table, you get to see the ingredients transform right before your eyes. It's ideal for summer evenings!