Here are the best summer desserts to end a meal! These easy classic dessert recipes feature the fruits of the season.
Need to end your summer meal on a sweet note? You’ve come to the right place. Here are our top summer desserts that end a meal in style, featuring all the best fruits the summer has to offer! There are the classics like strawberry shortcake, with tender flaky biscuits and sweet red berries. Then there are unique treats like grilled apples, tender from the grill and topped with melty vanilla ice cream. Really, there’s something for everyone, with every type of sweet summer fruit. Ready to give them a taste?
And now…the best summer desserts to 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!
Even more summer dessert recipes
Those were our top tier summer dessert recipes: but we’ve got lots more to choose from! Here are a few more that stand out in our favorites:
- Easy Apple Crumble This easy recipe fills a 9 x 13 inch pan with crunchy topping and a gingery apple filling.
- Chewy Cookie Cake This chewy chocolate chip cookie cake recipe is a serious crowd pleaser: the perfect treat for pitch ins!
- Easy Applesauce Cake Perfectly moist, scented with cinnamon and brown sugar. And you mix the entire dough in the cake pan! No mixing bowls required.
- Blueberry Banana Ice Cream Bananas and berries blended into a healthy spin on ice cream! Sometimes called “banana nice cream,” it’s oh so good.
20 Easy Summer Desserts: Strawberry Pie & More!
- Prep Time: 2.5 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This strawberry pie recipe has incredible flavor: an elevated take on the classic! Serve it to impress and everyone will ask for the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust*: Homemade Pie Crust, purchased crust, or Vegan Pie Crust
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ⅓ cup honey (or agave syrup or maple syrup for vegan)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- ¼ cup cornstarch**
- ¼ cup water
- Homemade whipped cream, to serve
Instructions
- Make the crust: Follow the directions in the Homemade Quiche Crust recipe to make the dough and shape it into a 9-inch pie plate. You can do either a fork pressed edge or a fluted edge. Then freeze the crust in the pie pan for 30 minutes (this helps to avoid shrinkage; you can skip the freezing portion for a purchased pastry crust).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Blind bake*: Remove the dough from the freezer. Crumble a sheet of parchment paper, then place it gently on top of the crust. Fill the dough with pie weights (we used two sets of these), dry beans, or dry rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake an additional 14 to 15 minutes until the bottom is golden brown (note that the timing may vary if you use store-bought pastry dough). Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before adding the strawberry filling. To cool it quickly, you can very gently slide it into another pie pan of the same size and place it on a cooling rack; this should cool it in about 10 to 15 minutes while you make the filling. (Or, the baked crust can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.)
- Make strawberry filling: Wash, destem and quarter the strawberries lengthwise, cutting very large berries into smaller pieces. Take 1 cup of the quartered strawberries (reserve the rest), place them in a bowl, and smash them with a fork until each one is mashed. Add the smashed berries and their juices to a large saucepan. Add the sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup water and whisk until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring often while it bubbles, for 1 to 2 minutes until very thick and glossy. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining fresh strawberries to the pan and turn with spatula until they are fully coated with the very thick sauce.
- Immediately scoop the strawberry filling into the cooled pie crust. Use clean fingers to arrange the strawberries in the top layer (you may need to flip some over to make it look nice). Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving until it sets. Serve topped with homemade whipped cream. Lasts up to 3 days refrigerated.
Notes
*Blind baking the pie crust shrinks it a bit. For a larger puffy crust, you can make 1.5 times the recipe and cut scraps to reinforce the sides. Go to How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust.
**Arrowroot may work as a substitute, but we have not tested it. Try at your own risk!
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Summer desserts
More summer resources
Looking for more summer recipes? We’ve got you covered. Here are a few more summer collections:
- 30 Best Summer Cocktails Need a drink with that? Our top refreshing drinks for the season.
- 15 Summer Side Dishes You Need Side dishes to accessorize with any meal.
- 12 Summer Salads You Need Now All the salads perfect for summer.
- 15 Easy Grilled Dinner Ideas Fire up your grill and make a meal…stat!
- 20 Best Grilled Vegetables Try them all!