Here are the best summer desserts to end a meal! These treats feature the best ripe fruits of the season, from strawberry shortcake to peach pie.
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!
Our 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.
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.
This summer dessert 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!
This strawberry rhubarb crisp is all about carefree summer days. It just tastes really, really homey and satisfying. Some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes call for boat-loads of sugar: for this one, there's just enough. It results in a sweet tart crisp that’s seriously nostalgic.
Also try: Classic Strawberry Crumble
Here's a tasty, carefree summer dessert: 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.
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.
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
Even more summer desserts
Those were our top tier summer desserts: 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
Summer Strawberry Shortcake
(7 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Here’s how to make the best strawberry shortcake: the classic way! Tender, biscuit-like shortcakes meet sweet berries and fluffy homemade whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the strawberries
- 1 pound ripe strawberries
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the shortcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or 1 tablespoon orange zest*)
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
For serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice strawberries. Zest and juice the lemon, reserving the zest for the shortcakes. Mix the berries with the 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour or more, which lets them macerate and release their juices. (Or, do up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate: bring to room temperature before serving.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and use a pastry cutter it into the flour mixture.
- Add the 3/4 cup buttermilk to the flour and stir until all the buttermilk has just absorbed. Do not overstir. Use your hands to form the dough into a rough ball. Add the 1 tablespoon more buttermilk to help the dough come together.
- Turn onto a lightly floured counter. Gently pat the dough out into a rectangle about 8” x 10” and about 3/4” thick (you may need to wash, dry and flour your hands to help pat it out).
- Use a 3” biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits, pushing straight down (without turning the cutter) and transferring to a parchment lined baking sheet (you can also use a cookie cutter or use a knife to cut out a 3-inch circle). Ensure the edges of each biscuit are touching on the baking sheet to improve rise. You should get 6 biscuits out of the first cutting, then re-roll the dough scraps for final 2 biscuits.
- Brush tops with buttermilk. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake 15 to 17 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Store leftovers frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for a few days (reheat in a 350 degree oven until warm).
- Make the Homemade Whipped Cream (or try Infused Whipped Cream for a treat).
- To serve, cut the shortcakes in half. Top with strawberries and whipped cream, then the top of the shortcake and more whipped cream and strawberries.
Notes
*Our favorite twist is to use orange zest for the biscuits (in that case you can use orange juice for the strawberries).
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Summer desserts, Strawberry shortcake
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!
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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