When summer arrives, it brings with it ripe, sweet fruit begging to be made into dessert. Pies, crisps, ice creams, and more—they're all made better with summer peaches, strawberries, or cherries. We've rounded up our favorite summer fruit desserts recipes for you to try out.
Nothing's better than ice cream on a hot summer day. Our peach ice cream is summer in a bowl, with the juice from macerated peaches adding color and big chunks of peach mixed in. Pairing vanilla ice cream with Grand Marnier-soaked strawberries makes for a grown-up sundae.
The popsicle is summer's other great frozen treat. Try an ice pop inspired by classic strawberries and cream, made simply with those two ingredients, sugar, and a little lemon juice to make it pop. Or try our creamy strawberry rhubarb yogurt pop sweetened with orange blossom honey.
It's not summer without a fresh fruit pie cooling off on the windowsill. Blackberry and boysenberry are classic, but we love to make a sweet-tart plum pie with grape jelly. For something a little different, try a pie inspired by peach Melba, with peaches, raspberries, ginger, cinnamon, and peach schnapps.
Strawberries are one of our favorite summer fruits. We like to use them in a bright, rose-colored crisp—rhubarb is poached tender in red wine, sweetened with the strawberries, and covered with a poppy seed crumble. This sweet dessert has just enough puckering tartness.
Find all of these treats in our collection of summer fruit dessert recipes.
Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Pops
These refreshing frozen treats come from pastry chef Jen Yee at New York City’s Lafayette. Get the recipe Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Pops »
Anna Watson Carl relies on sweetened condensed milk to add richness to this frozen dessert flavored with coconut milk, lime zest, and toasty pistachios. Simply macerated peaches provide a fresh, fruity counterpart. Get the recipe for Coconut and Pistachio Semifreddo with Fresh Peaches »
Grilled Cantaloupe with Peach Agrodolce
In this elegant dessert, cantaloupe is grilled until it caramelizes and is then dressed with agrodolce, a sour-sweet Italian sauce made by reducing vinegar and sugar. Get the recipe for Grilled Cantaloupe with Peach Agrodolce »
Grilled Strawberries
Roasting strawberries over mellow, barely glowing embers turns them from bright red bulbs to plump crimson pillows of deeply sweet juice. Get the recipe for Grilled Strawberries »
Strawberry Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit
Instead of coating his pâte de fruit with plain sugar, William Werner of San Francisco’s Craftsman and Wolves flavors Demerara sugar with Clément Créole Shrubb, a spiced liqueur made of aged and white Agricole rums and bitter orange peels. It adds a clean, bright flavor to the glittering topping. Get the recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit »
Phillippine Fruit Salad
“When I introduce this dish to my friends for the first time, they are confused and a little hesitant to eat it. Once they try it, though, they fall in love.” – Leah Cohen of Pig & Khao. Get the recipe for Phillippine Fruit Salad »
Raspberry Financiers
These mini financiers make perfect portable treats for summer get-togethers. They’re best eaten the day they’re made, but if you want to start them ahead of time, you can make the batter the day before, refrigerate it overnight, and bake them in the morning. Get the recipe for Raspberry Financiers »
Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp
Rhubarb takes the spotlight in this bright, rose-colored crisp, sweetened with strawberries and topped with a crunchy poppy seed crumble topping, from Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga of Brooklyn’s Ovenly. Get the recipe for Wine-Poached Rhubarb and Poppy Seed Crisp »
Crazy Day Crêpes
These crêpes stuffed with fromage blanc and maple syrup and are topped with stewed blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. Get the recipe for Crazy Day Crêpes »
Huckleberry Crisps
This dessert can be made with either fresh or frozen huckleberries or blueberries.
Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar
Sour cream gives this ice cream a tang that’s balanced by a rich rum, strawberry, and brown sugar swirl. Get the recipe for Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar »
Baked Ricotta with Orange Blossom Cherry Sauce
Serve this creamy, sweet baked ricotta dish as an appetizer, as part of a cheese course, or for dessert paired with shortbread cookies.
Cherry Clafoutis
A decadent custard batter is studded with juicy, ripe cherries for an elegant and satisfying treat.
Moscato and Peach Gelée
This refreshing gelée gets its light, fruity flavor from ripe peaches and semisweet fizzy moscato wine.
Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops (Paletas de Fresas y Crema)
The flavor of ripe summer strawberries is front and center in these creamy treats, which are brightened with just a touch of fresh lemon juice. Get the recipe for Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops (Paletas de Fresas y Crema) »
Plum Pie
Grape jelly intensifies the flavor of ripe plums in this sweet-tart summer pie from Drummond Ranch pie contestant Tracy Harris.
Peach Melba Pie
Peach and raspberry is a classic combination for pie filling—this particular recipe is a blue ribbon winner from Minnesotan Jean Peno. Get the recipe for Peach Melba Pie »
Apricot Almond Tart
A combination of all-purpose and potato flours gives this simple summer tart a delicate, crumbly crust. Plums, peaches, or berries can be substituted for apricots.
Raspberry Brûlée
This raspberry brûlée is a delightful combination of whipped cream and luscious ripe raspberries covered with a crunchy sugar topping.
Strawberry Mousse
This pretty pink strawberry dessert should be chilled before enjoying—make it a day ahead and freeze for an especially refreshing treat. Get the recipe for Strawberry Mousse »
Blueberry Donuts
Fresh blueberries bolstered by jam make these donuts especially flavorful. Get the recipe for Blueberry Donuts »
Strawberry-Buttermilk Fōnuts
This recipe is from Waylynn Lucas’ Los Angeles-based baked donut shop called Fōnuts. Get the recipe for Strawberry-Buttermilk Fōnuts »
Boysenberry Pie
Blackberries or raspberries can be substituted for boysenberries in the filling for this jammy pie. Get the recipe for Boysenberry Pie »
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