20 Summer Fruit Desserts You Can Make with Five Ingredients (Or Less!)
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The perfect way to end a warm summer day is with a deliciously fruity dessert. With juicy peaches, sweet strawberries, and fragrant melons all ripe for the picking, it's no wonder that they're the main attraction in a number of our favorite treats. Whether paired with cheese and honey or tucked into a tart, we have a variety of fruit-forward dessert recipes that require minimal ingredients but deliver big in terms of taste.
Sometimes the simplest dishes are the tastiest, and that's exactly the approach we like to take when it comes to summertime dessert. With fewer ingredients and steps, more focus is put on the fruit, like in our Strawberries with Créme Fraîche and Sugar, pictured here. All of the ingredients for this delicious treat are in the name of the recipe. Similarly, with only five minutes of prep and five ingredients, our Tea-Scented Melons are an invigorating option soaked in jasmine green tea, honey, mint leaves, and warm water for a floral and fruity delight. The ultimate easy to make recipe, Pound Cake with Peaches and Cream, uses store-bought pound cake that gets sliced into three even pieces to create layers. It's filled with sugared peaches and whipped cream.
If you prefer your dessert to be a little savory, a little sweet, then our Honeyed Fig and Melon with Blue Cheese and Almonds is an ideal combination that's simply mouthwatering. It only takes 10 minutes to prepare and satiates a number of cravings.
Few things are as satisfying during the summer than cold, melt-in-your-mouth iced treats, and you can't go wrong with our healthy No Churn Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. The recipe calls for Greek yogurt instead of cream, which adds a delightful tang. For a unique twist on frozen desserts, try our Lemon-Raspberry Semifreddo or Peach Melba Spoom, the latter of which consists of a frozen meringue layered with fruit.
And there's more where these ideas came from. Ahead, our best summer fruit desserts featuring five (or fewer!) ingredients.
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Peach-Shaped Mango Sorbet
Surprise guests with sorbet masquerading as a favorite summer fruit. Mango sorbet has a particularly convincing color. Scoop it into a dish, and top with a clove and lemon verbena leaves. Small mint or basil leaves also work well.
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Dark Chocolate-Dipped Cherries
Make the most of cherry season by dipping the little beauties in dark chocolate. Then move on to our super simple Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, a classic you already know and love.
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Farmer Cheese with Grilled Peaches
Peaches take on a caramelized taste after grilling. Place them atop soft farmer's cheese, honey, and basil for a delicious dessert.
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Pound Cake with Peaches and Cream
Store-bought pound cake is one of our go-to dessert shortcuts. Here, we layer slices with fresh whipped cream and juicy summer peaches.
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Refreshing Melon-Sorbet Float
Put a healthy dairy-free twist on an ice cream float by combining frozen melon balls, lemon or coconut sorbet, and fresh mint, then topping with seltzer or club soda.
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Prune Plums with Mint Ricotta
Lightly sweetened, mint-flecked ricotta cheese is the perfect partner for tart Italian prune plums.
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No Churn Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
Frozen raspberries, plain Greek yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and fresh blueberries come together to make this no-churn frozen yogurt.
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Watermelon Ice
Campari and lemon juice add a welcome dash of tartness to this sweet iced dessert.
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Tea-Scented Melon
Steep wedges of your favorite melon in jasmine green tea, honey, and fresh mint to make this cooling, aromatic dessert.
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Strawberry Aperol Sorbet
The Italian aperitif Aperol has a pleasant bitterness that's the perfect foil for sweet summer strawberries in this oh-so-simple sorbet. We wouldn't say no to a scoop of Rose Raspberry Sorbet or no-churn Mango Lime Sorbet, either.
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Spiked Fruit Cup
Is this cocktail hour or dessert? Toss summer fruit with sugar, basil, lime juice, and your choice of white rum, gin, or cachaca.
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No-Churn Peach Sherbet
No ice cream maker is needed to make this no-fail two-ingredient sherbet. Pair it with our equally easy Blueberry Buttermilk Sherbet.
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Honeyed Fig and Melon with Blue Cheese and Almonds
End your next dinner party with the ultimate summer cheese plate. We're talking blue cheese, fresh figs, juicy cantaloupe wedges, and toasted almonds all drizzled with honey.
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Watermelon Pops
You can't go wrong with one-ingredient popsicles. All you have to do is freeze puréed watermelon. Want more ice pop recipes that keep it under five ingredients? We've got all kinds of flavor options: honeydew and cream, raspberry-cantaloupe, watermelon-strawberry, mango-parsley, banana-berry-buttermilk, coconut-mango, very berry, and nectarine-strawberry.
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Cherry Spoon Sweets
Looking for a nutritious, kid-friendly dessert? We've got you covered with this combination of thick Greek yogurt and stewed cherries. Transition to our Orange Peel Spoon Sweets when fall rolls around.
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Peach Melba Spoom
Spoom is a frozen meringue that tastes like a fluffier version of sorbet, and it's an absolutely delectable way to showcase summer peaches and raspberries.
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Lemon-Raspberry Semifreddo
Semifreddos are partially frozen desserts, which means they're just the thing for a heat wave. The stripe of fresh raspberry purée sets this lemon curd version apart.
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Watermelon and Coconut Sorbet Parfaits
Cutting fruit and scooping ice cream are the only skills you need to make these sensational parfaits. Finish with a sprinkling of lime zest and toasted coconut. If you're in the mood for cheese, try our four-ingredient Mango-Lime Ricotta Parfaits instead.
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Berries with Buttermilk and Honey
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Blitz cold buttermilk with ice and honey in the blender until frothy, then serve the frosty mixture with mixed berries and fresh mint. The result is so refreshing.