15 Easy Summer Desserts Ready to Wow in Under 30 Minutes

sponge cake topped with blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges
Photo: Melissa Goff

Summer's the season for easy living and easy eating, especially when it comes to dessert. Sure, you could pop open a carton of ice cream and call it good — but when you want something just a little more special and you don't want to spend a lot of time pulling it together, then these quick and easy summer desserts are exactly what you're looking for. Scroll on for 15 of our favorite easy summer desserts you can make in under 30 minutes.

01 of 16

Brazilian Grilled Pineapple

Brazilian Grilled Pineapple
Christina

Coat pineapple wedges in cinnamon sugar and grill to caramelize and intensify the flavors. You can serve them alone or with coconut ice cream on the side for a cold and creamy counterpoint to the hot and spicy fruit.

02 of 16

Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches with Burrata and Basil

Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches with Burrata and Basil
Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches with Burrata and Basil | Photo by Chef John. Chef John

If you're willing to explore the emerging world of savory desserts, this combination of sweet, juicy peaches grilled with salty, smoky prosciutto and served alongside rich and creamy burrata cheese will simply blow your mind. Plus, it looks fancy but it's very easy to make. Watch the video to see how it's made.

03 of 16

Whipped Ricotta with Honey and Summer Fruit

Whipped Ricotta with Honey and Summer Fruit
Buckwheat Queen

No need to heat up your kitchen or grill with this easy, impressive dessert of sliced plums, strawberries, and figs with creamy sweetened ricotta cheese.

04 of 16

Fragola Pazzo (Crazy Strawberry)

Fragola Pazzo (Crazy Strawberry)
lutzflcat

You might think a mix of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar, pepper, and chocolate deserves to be called crazy, but this Italian dessert is actually crazy good.

05 of 16

Fresh Peaches with Honey-Vanilla Creme Fraiche

Fresh Peaches with Honey-Vanilla Creme Fraiche
Marianne

Looks elegant, doesn't it? But it's simply store-bought creme fraiche and a touch of vanilla sugar over diced peaches (you don't even have to peel them). Add a sprig of mint for looks, and don't tell anyone how easy it was to pull this together.

06 of 16

Easy Crunchy Berry Parfaits

Easy Crunchy Berry Parfaits
lutzflcat

Need a light and healthy-ish dessert in a hurry? Here's your answer. And it's so pretty!

07 of 16

Summer Fruit Galettes

Summer Fruit Galettes
Buckwheat Queen

Refrigerated pie crust is the short cut secret to a pair of gorgeous open-face fruit pastries.

08 of 16

Fruit Galore Sponge Cake

sponge cake topped with blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges
Melissa Goff

A store-bought sponge cake topped with vanilla syrup and your choice of fresh fruit is all it takes to make this stunning party cake.

09 of 16

Strawberry Angel Food Dessert

Strawberry Angel Food Dessert
pleasantonk

Ready-made angel food cake and fresh strawberries are layered with sweetened cream cheese and strawberry glaze in this deceptively easy dessert.

10 of 16

Fruity Fun Skewers

Fruity Fun Skewers
Christina

Fun to make and easy to serve. Simply thread your choice of fresh fruit onto long bamboo skewers and set them out for serve-yourself convenience. Snip off the pointy ends of the skewers to make them safer for little kids.

11 of 16

Aunt Betty's Banana Pudding

Aunt Betty's Banana Pudding
smlindsey

This easy no-bake dessert is a summer favorite that you can whip up in no time at all thanks to a handful of convenient pantry ingredients.

12 of 16

Lemon Berry Tartlets

Lemon Berry Tarts
Jessica Miller

Frozen puff pastry is cut into tarts and filled with ready-made lemon curd and fresh summer berries for a sweet/tart dessert you can throw together in minutes. You can follow the recipe and use puff pastry sheets, or start with puff pastry tart shells to cut down prep time even more.

13 of 16

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

pretzel salad with pineapple
jillvanberkom

This easy dessert has it all: sweet, fruity, crunchy, salty, creamy — and did I mention easy? Reviewer connorsmom says, "I make this dessert frequently, and everyone loves it. Make sure you drain the pineapple very well and go ahead and use the whole packet of pudding mix. It sets up better and besides, what are you going to do with the 1/2 packet you have left over?"

14 of 16

Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse

Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse
France C

"I was a little skeptical of this because I really haven't had many keto desserts that I like," Jaimie Bowman says. "This recipe was easier than other keto mousse recipes I've found. It is SO good! It tastes like a mix between chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate creme pie."

15 of 16

Campfire Banana Splits

campfire banana splits in foil
Mackenzie Schieck

"These are wonderful!" says reviewer Karen Smith. "A nice change from s'mores. We do sometimes add peanut butter also for an extra gooey treat."

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