Best Summer Desserts

1. Nectarine Crumble Bars

Baked nectarines have a sweet and tart flavor that pairs perfectly with my quick cinnamon oat crumble topping in these easy dessert bars.

2. Shoofly Pie

Shoofly pie is a rustic molasses pie that's popular in Pennsylvania, full of warm spices and comforting flavors. It goes great with a cold glass of iced tea in the summertime.

3. Bisquick Peach Cobbler

This homemade peach cobbler is so tasty with just a handful of ingredients, thanks to the always convenient and delicious Bisquick baking mix.

4. Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

My copycat version of Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding tastes just like the real thing but is completely beginner-friendly using instant pudding mix.

5. Mandarin Orange Cake

This ultra-moist orange cake has a bright tropical flavor that immediately makes me think of summertime with a fluffy Cool Whip pineapple frosting.

6. Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies

These soft and chewy white chocolate blondies are bursting with the sweet and tart flavors of fresh raspberries.

7. Jello Cookies

These rainbow-colored cookies are a kid favorite that's as fun to make as it is to eat with classic Jello flavors and colors you can customize.

8. Pear Crisp

I swapped the traditional apples with pears for this summery fresh pear crisp, and it delivers with the oatmeal streusel topping.

9. Mississippi Mud Pie

This classic Southern pie starts with an Oreo cookie crust, then layers of fudge brownie, chocolate butterscotch pudding, and Cool Whip. It's a real treat for chocolate lovers.

10. Baked Apples

Baked apples are perfect for cookouts or camping. They're sweet and seasoned with cinnamon but taste even better with a scoop of ice cream inside.

11. Kentucky Butter Cake

A rich and buttery bundt cake soaked from the bottom with decadent vanilla butter glaze. Then, an extra spread of vanilla butter goes on top for good measure.

12. Banana Pudding Poke Cake

An easy and delicious banana cake with holes poked in it to let the thick top layer of banana pudding seep through. Finely chopped banana chips added to the cake mix are my signature ingredient for the best banana flavor.

13. Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake

Pineapple upside-down cake is already a retro summertime classic, so I put my own spin on it with this fun bundt cake version.

I have a guide on how to easily get cake out of a bundt pan if you're worried about the flipping process.

14. Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad

Fruit salad can be a side dish or dessert, and it's one you can feel good about eating. My Greek yogurt dressing has plenty of protein but will still satisfy your sweet tooth.

15. Cherry Blossom Cookies

These cherry blossom cookies are honestly great year-round, but I think the bright pink color and sweet chocolate cherry flavor are well-suited for summer.

16. Apple Dump Cake

Dump cake recipes are the best because you can dump the ingredients in a baking dish and pop it in the oven. So easy. Apple dump cake is a 3-ingredient summer dessert that combines apple pie filling, yellow cake, and butter.

17. Banana Cream Pie

Banana cream pie is always refreshing on warm summer days, with a layer of fresh bananas, rich custard, and whipped cream in a butter pie crust.

18. Sour Cream Blackberry Pie

Fresh blackberries and sour cream make the most wonderful fruit pie filling with an addictive sweet and tangy flavor.

19. Cherry Pie Bars

These easy dessert bars are perfect for sharing and have all the signature flavors of cherry pie.

20. Blueberry Tart

This surprisingly simple fruit tart with a sweet shortbread crust is the perfect use for fresh summer blueberries. You can find all of my blueberry recipes here.

21. Strawberry Shortcake

My personal favorite recipe (from my Granny Janny) with fresh strawberries is a summer treat that never goes out of style. Made-from-scratch buttermilk shortcakes topped with sweet macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

22. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb is tart, and strawberries are sweet, but together, they are the perfect balance of refreshing summer fruit flavors.

23. Paula Deen’s Southern Peach Cobbler

You can use fresh or canned peaches for this easy Southern peach cobbler. I love its versatility and the fact that it's made from scratch with just a few common baking ingredients.

24. Chocolate Chess Pie

My chocolate version of the traditional Southern chess pie, a rich and creamy pie made from cornmeal.

25. No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Make your own homemade ice cream from scratch without an ice cream maker. It's super simple, and you can use this as a base recipe and add in your favorite fruits or sprinkles.

26. Buttermilk Pie

Buttermilk pie is a beloved Southern buttermilk recipe that consists of a rich buttermilk custard baked in a flaky pie crust until the top caramelizes.

27. Blackberry Crisp

I wait for blackberry season specifically to make this oatmeal streusel-topped blackberry crisp every year. If you can't get fresh blackberries, frozen work too.

28. Raspberry Pie

My homemade raspberry fruit filling makes for the very best raspberry pies. I use a combination of mashed and whole raspberries, so you get the perfect texture.

29. Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler

Grab a box of Bisquick baking mix and some fresh or frozen blueberries for the easiest cobbler you'll ever make. I've even tried it with blueberry pie filling, which may have been my favorite.

30. Homemade White Cake

My tried-and-true recipe for homemade white cake that you can dress up or down however you like. White cake pairs well with most flavors, so a layer of jam, lemon curd, or frosting is always a welcome addition.

For filling ideas, see my types of cake fillings and cake filling flavors pages.

31. Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Cups

Everything there is to love about strawberry shortcakes in adorable bite-sized cookie cups for easy snacking.

32. Lemon Cream Cheese Crinkle Cookies

Not only are these soft, chewy, and tangy lemon cream cheese cookies delicious, but the yellow color and citrus flavor make me think of sunshine.

33. Apple Blackberry Crumble

My version of an Irish classic: the apple blackberry crumble. Two delicious summer fruits baked into a sweet, syrupy goodness under a brown sugar oat crumble topping.

34. Strawberry Dump Cake

All you need for this easy dump cake is a couple of cans of your preferred box of cake mix and butter. I like to add some fresh berries, too.

35. Coconut Cream Pie

My flaky butter pie crust is filled with creamy coconut custard, topped with a thick layer of whipped cream, and sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes. Serve chilled.

36. Granny Smith Apple Pie

Granny Smith apple pie is an All-American summertime classic, maybe even the classic. Baking the tart green apples brings out their sweetness, and with a dash of apple pie spice, it's easy to see why we love apple pie so much here.

37. Peach Pie

This is the easiest recipe for homemade pie with fresh peaches. If you don't mind cutting a few corners to save time, grab a store-bought pie crust.

38. Pineapple Sunshine Cake

If pineapple sunshine cake doesn't sound like a delightful summertime treat, I don't know what does.

39. Ambrosia Salad

You won't find any lettuce in this quick and easy Southern dessert salad. Instead, there are oranges, pineapples, cherries, coconut, and marshmallows in creamy Cool Whip dressing.

40. Preacher’s Cake

This uniquely delicious Southern cake has a variety of flavors and textures that simply work when put together. It has pineapple, coconut, and walnuts in a moist cinnamon cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting.

41. Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is served chilled with a sweet and tangy citrus flavor that is so refreshing it could only be meant for the summer.

42. Chess Pie

Chess pie is a buttery, rich Southern pie you can whip up in one bowl with common and inexpensive ingredients like cornmeal.

43. Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake is soaked with three different types of milk for the most moist and refreshing cake, which is perfect for summertime. I highly recommend topping it with fresh berries.

44. Greek Yogurt Berry Granola Popsicles

Freeze your favorite berries in popsicle molds with some Greek yogurt, honey, and granola for a delicious and nutritious summer treat.

45. Blackberry Cream Pie

Cool, creamy, sweet, and tart, this blackberry cream filling has all the refreshing summertime flavors in a crumbly graham cracker crust.

46. Strawberry Angel Food Lush

I don't often use the word 'lush' to describe food, but this no-bake strawberry angel lush is just that. The angel food cake and fresh strawberries are paired with luscious layers of sweetened cream cheese and whipped cream.

47. Dutch Apple Pie

Dutch apple pie has a classic butter pie crust base and apple pie filling but is topped with scrumptious brown sugar streusel instead of a second pie crust.

48. Blueberry Galette

This rustic French pastry is easier to make than it looks and certainly makes for a showstopping treat with fresh blueberries.

49. Campfire S’mores

If you have a fire pit or even a fireplace, summer is a great time to make some classic campfire s'mores with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

50. Orange Loaf Cake

This moist loaf cake doubles up on orange flavor with orange juice and zest in the batter and orange juice icing.

💭 Tips For Choosing The Best Summertime Desserts

When you're in dog days of summer, some desserts just hit the spot more than others. Everything on this list is a safe bet, so here are some of the guidelines I use when choosing what makes the cut.

1. Fresh fruit: Baking with fresh fruit that's in season is one of my favorite parts of summer. Stonefruits like peaches, apricots, and nectarines are in season. As are cherries, strawberries, apples, blueberries, blackberries, plums, grapes, and pears. Bananas are available year-round, but they are summery, in my opinion.
2. Freeze fruit pies: If you like to keep summer desserts ready to go or bake in bulk, most fruit pies freeze exceptionally well. They only last 2-4 days on the counter or in the fridge but will last up to 4 months frozen. Follow my steps here on how to freeze fruit pies.
3. Cold desserts: When it's hot outside, everyone enjoys something cold. This could be fruit salad, popsicles, banana pudding, or adding a scoop of ice cream to a warm pie.
4. Don't feel like baking: Never underestimate the power of a good old-fashioned root beer float. You can always swap the soda for your favorite. It's easy to carry and enjoy outside at pool parties, BBQs, cookouts, and all the summer activities.

Summertime desserts are something I look forward to all year, so this list is always growing. Drop your favorite summertime sweets in the comments below.

📖 Recipe Card