30 Easy Summer Desserts

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these easy summer desserts! They include fuss-free ice cream recipes, no-bake treats, fruit pies, crisps, and more.

Bring on the summer desserts! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for frozen treats like ice cream and popsicles. I’m ready for no-bake sweets that hit the spot on days when it’s too hot to use the oven. And I’m especially ready for summer desserts that showcase the season’s best fruit. Cherry pie? Peach crisp? Blueberry cobbler? Yes, please! You’ll find 30 of my favorite easy summer desserts below. Some are perfect for packing up for picnics. Others are designed to help you cool off on hot days, and still others are celebration-worthy centerpieces like pies, cakes, and tarts. I love…

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Strawberry Shortcake

Homemade strawberry shortcake is the perfect summer dessert! My recipe is easy and delicious, featuring flaky lemon biscuits, fresh berries, and cream.

summer

This strawberry shortcake recipe is the ultimate summer dessert! Fresh strawberries and airy whipped cream fill flaky, tender homemade biscuits. At this time of year, strawberries are at their best. They’re insanely juicy and bursting with sweet and tangy flavor. I love this recipe because it shows how little you have to do to make them a delicious dessert. There’s no need to cook them or even sweeten them. Just sandwich them between biscuits with a dollop of whipped cream for a simple, rustic, and luxurious treat. If you’ve never made strawberry shortcake from scratch before, I hope you’ll try…

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Antipasto Platter

This antipasto platter recipe is a crowd-pleasing party appetizer! It's loaded with flavorful Italian ingredients like cheeses, olives, and fresh veggies.

Let’s make an antipasto platter! This Italian appetizer spread is one of my favorite things to serve when I’m hosting family and friends. Everyone (kids included!) loves trying the different snacks and bites on the board—cheeses, veggies, olives, nuts, and more. Often, folks enjoy grazing so much that there’s no need to serve a larger meal. As a host, I think an antipasto platter is the ideal party food. I can use a mix of store-bought and homemade components, and I can prep all the homemade ones in advance. When guests arrive, I just assemble the platter and serve. I’m sharing my…

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Marinated Mozzarella Balls

These marinated mozzarella balls are a quick and easy party appetizer! Coated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs, they're full of rich flavor.

These marinated mozzarella balls are quickly becoming a family favorite snack. I love them because they’re the perfect last-minute appetizer for gatherings—flavorful, elegant, and SO easy to throw together. Jack and Ollie love them…well…because they love anything with cheese. The recipe is super simple. I marinate mini fresh mozzarella balls in olive oil with herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. The bright, savory flavor of the fresh garlic, lemon, and herbs saturates the oil, which in turn soaks into the chewy balls of cheese. I hope these marinated mozzarella balls become your go-to appetizer for parties and gatherings,…

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Aperol Spritz

An Aperol spritz is an Italian cocktail made of Aperol, Prosecco, and soda water. Bittersweet, bubbly, and refreshing, it's the perfect pre-dinner drink!

An Aperol spritz is one of my favorite summer cocktails. This Italian drink is made with three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, and one part club soba and garnished with an orange slice. It’s bittersweet, bubbly, and oh-so-refreshing. If you’re going to Italy on vacation this summer, make sure to order one as an aperitivo while you’re there. If you’re not, make this Aperol spritz recipe with me at home. It’s super simple (no special equipment required!), so it’s the perfect easy, elegant drink for laid-back summer nights. Enjoy! Aperol Spritz Ingredients You need 3 key ingredients to make this recipe: Aperol,…

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Marinated Gigante Beans

These marinated gigante beans are a delicious appetizer or lunch! Olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, garlic, and herbs infuse them with savory flavor.

This marinated gigante beans recipe is an easy, delicious kitchen staple. A flavorful blend of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest, and parsley coats the big, creamy white beans. They’re rich, tangy, and intensely savory. Try them once, and you’ll make them on repeat for picnics, appetizer platters, and protein-packed lunches. Before I developed this recipe, I regularly bought marinated gigante beans from the olive bar at my grocery store. I loved the taste, but I was always disappointed by their mushy texture. These homemade marinated gigante beans solve that problem. Made with good-quality canned beans or dried beans…

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45 Easy Summer Dinner Ideas

Tired of the same old recipe rotation? Change things up with these easy summer dinner ideas! They include grilling recipes, quick pastas, and more.

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If you’re looking for new summer dinner ideas, you’re in the right place! Below, you’ll find 45 of my best summer dinner recipes. They include easy weeknight pastas, fresh summer salads, quick grilled meals, and more. These recipes are the meals I make on repeat throughout the summer. I love them because they’re packed with the best produce the season has to offer—tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, basil, and more. Using these fresh ingredients is a simple way to add bold flavor to summer meals. I’ll be cooking with them as often as I can this season, and I hope you…

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Easy Pasta Salad

This fresh, easy pasta salad recipe comes together in under 30 minutes! Tossed in a tangy vinaigrette and filled with veggies, it's a cookout hit.

summer / salads

Today’s recipe is a picnic-perfect pasta salad! Every cookout needs a great pasta salad, and this is the one that I make all summer long. It comes together in no time, it’s full of fresh ingredients, and it packs a flavorful punch. I took extra care to make sure that this recipe is not just easy, but also easy to make in advance… because I totally get that you don’t want to be futzing with your pasta salad when you could be spending time outside with your friends. Note: If you do decide to make this salad in advance, toss…

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Best Broccoli Salad

Meet my favorite broccoli salad recipe...aka the best cookout side dish! With a lightly creamy, tangy dressing, it's fresh, healthy, and delicious.

summer / salads

This broccoli salad recipe is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s my lighter spin on classic Midwest broccoli salad, and though you won’t find any cheese or bacon here, it’s every bit as delicious. A creamy, tangy dressing coats crisp broccoli florets, chewy dried cranberries, sharp red onion, and smoky roasted nuts. Even salad skeptics will love it. This broccoli salad recipe is easy to make, and even better, make ahead. A few hours or a day in the fridge gives the broccoli a chance to soften and soak up the dressing’s punchy flavor. Pack it up for a…

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Cowboy Caviar

Made with black-eyed peas, black beans, and veggies, this cowboy caviar is an easy, fresh, and flavorful dip. It'll be a hit at your next potluck or party!

summer / appetizers

Cowboy caviar is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! This zesty dip is made with black-eyed peas, beans, sweet corn, and other veggies. It’s fresh, tangy, and perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips. This cowboy caviar recipe is super easy to make, and it tastes better if you make it ahead. If you don’t already have a signature dish that you bring to potlucks, cookouts, and other get-togethers, you might have found it. Cowboy Caviar Recipe Ingredients You only need a few simple ingredients to make this cowboy caviar recipe: Black beans and black-eyed peas – They make up the bulk of this…

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Creamy Coleslaw

Learn how to make the BEST homemade coleslaw! Filled with red and green cabbage, carrots, and green onions, this easy recipe is healthy and delicious.

summer / side dishes

This easy coleslaw recipe is great for just about any occasion—a weeknight dinner, a cookout, or a fun picnic lunch. Like all my favorite summer recipes, it’s packed with colorful veggies, and a lightly creamy, tangy dressing ties the whole thing together. It comes together in minutes, and it keeps well if you make it ahead of time. Just add veggie burgers, and you’ve got a perfect summer meal! Coleslaw Recipe Ingredients You only need a few basic ingredients to make this homemade coleslaw recipe! I like to think of it in two parts: the coleslaw mix and the dressing.…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.