Fresh and Easy Summer Dessert Recipes

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Ready to sweeten up your weekend with some truly excellent desserts? From chilled treats like Strawberry Basil Popsicles and Blueberry Cheesecake Bar to bakes like Orange Raspberry Pound Cake and Soft Lime Sugar Cookies, this lineup delivers bold flavor with minimal effort. Try the nostalgic Easy Strawberry Pretzel Pie, or lean modern with Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls and Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble. Whether you’re baking, freezing, or just assembling, there’s something here to match your mood (and your sweet tooth)!

Orange Raspberry Pound Cake

A pound cake on a platter with raspberries.
Image Credit: Erren Hart for Erren’s Kitchen

Orange Raspberry Pound Cake tastes like a sunny afternoon baked into a loaf, bursting with citrus and berry swagger.

GET THE RECIPE: Pound Cake

Vanilla Blueberry Cake

A sliced blueberry cake.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

Vanilla Blueberry Cake is the one-bowl wonder that pairs perfectly with iced coffee, frozen berries, and a low tolerance for effort.

GET THE RECIPE: Vanilla Blueberry Cake

All American OREO Coconut Cream Pie

An OREO cookie pie with coconut cream and fresh berries.
Image Credit: Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average

All American OREO Coconut Cream Pie is the ultimate cool-down: crunchy, creamy, and covered in berries like it just won a pageant.

GET THE RECIPE: OREO Pie

Baked Vanilla Donuts

Two donuts on a plate with glaze.
Image Credit: Erren Hart for Erren’s Kitchen

Baked Vanilla Donuts are soft, sweet, and covered in glaze—because nobody said you had to fry to feel fancy.

GET THE RECIPE: Baked Donuts

Chocolate truffles with a bite out of one showing a tan interior.
Image Credit: Erika Piper for The Veggie Yaya

Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls sneak in the protein while pretending to be dessert—and honestly, they pull it off.

GET THE RECIPE: Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls

Easy Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Strawberry Pretzel Pie with fresh berries and rose petals.
Image Credit: Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average

Easy Strawberry Pretzel Pie is the salty-sweet miracle that makes you look like you tried harder than you did.

GET THE RECIPE: Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Strawberry Basil Popsicles

4 swirled pink and white popsicles on a counter with basils leaves.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for PiperCooks

Cool off with Strawberry Basil Popsicles, a 3-ingredient freezer win that’s equal parts fruit, tang, and summer flair.

GET THE RECIPE: Strawberry Basil Popsicles

Soft Lime Sugar Cookies

lime sugar cookies on parchment paper
Photo credit: Ambitious Kitchen

These soft lime sugar cookies are a delightful treat that are perfect for any occasion! They’re gluten-free and can easily be made vegan, plus the fresh lime glaze adds a burst of citrusy flavor. These cookies are sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Get the Recipe: Soft Lime Sugar Cookies

Pavlova

A pavlova dessert with fresh fruit and cream on the top.
Image Credit: Erren Hart for Erren’s Kitchen

Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and covered in fruit and whipped cream, Pavlova is proof that dessert doesn’t need to try hard to impress.

GET THE RECIPE: Pavlova

Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan + gluten free)

four tart cherry pie bars in a stack on white plates
Photo credit: Ambitious Kitchen

These Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble are the perfect summer dessert! They’re vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make with a homemade tart cherry filling and a delicious oatmeal crumble topping. Plus, they’re freezer-friendly, so you can enjoy them anytime!
Get the Recipe: Tart Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan + gluten free)

Blueberry Cheesecake Bar

A blueberry speckled cheesecake square with graham crust and a blueberry on top.
Image Credit: Jacqueline Piper for Piper Cooks

Blueberry Cheesecake Bar delivers creamy cheesecake swirled with berry bliss on a buttery crust—no oven therapy required.

GET THE RECIPE: Blueberry Cheesecake Bar

Creamy Lemon Pie

up close of serving a slice of lemon cream pie recipe
Photo credit: Carlsbad Cravings

This Creamy Lemon Pie is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser with its cool and creamy lemon filling and delightful coconut vanilla wafer crust. Perfect for any occasion, this pie is sure to become a family favorite. Get ready for rave reviews!
Get the Recipe: Creamy Lemon Pie

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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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