When it is too hot to turn on your oven, but you still want a sweet treat, this No-Bake Desserts Recipe Roundup has a delicious variety of frozen sweets, creamy pudding, easy dessert bars, and no-bake cakes.
No-Bake Desserts For Summer
Let’s face it – sometimes it’s just too flipping hot out to turn on the oven! But that shouldn’t mean you can’t have a delicious dessert. Even when the thermometer reaches 100 degrees, making dessert is still easy to accomplish without having to turn on the oven.
This No-Bake Desserts Recipe Roundup has a great variety of sweet treats that are easy to make and require your fridge or freezer to do all of the heavy lifting. And while there are a few recipes that may need a little help from your cooktop – like the pudding recipes – most of the recipes in this roundup only need a couple mixing bowls to get you started.
Flavors Highlighted In The No-Bake Desserts Recipe Roundup
Considering it is summer, most of the recipes in the roundup feature seasonal fruits and classicflavors of summer:
Berries and Cherries
Sweet Corn
Chocolate
Vanilla
Lemon
Lime
Orange
Watermelon
So, to kick things off, we start with my favorite kind of dessert – Smooth and Creamy Custards and Puddings.
Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Fresh Berry Sauce
This Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Fresh Berry Sauce is a luxuriously creamy small batch dessert made with freeze-dried sweet corn and topped with a summer berry sauce and fresh fruit. The panna cotta is very easy to make and a light and refreshing treat perfect for summer!
Perfectly smooth and creamy Rainier Cherry Mousse – for two! Rainier cherries are light and sweet, and this small batch recipe highlights the freshness of these summer beauties. Best of all – the mousse is refined sugar free!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Parfaits are delicious for dessert or healthy enough for breakfast! This overnight chia seed pudding recipe is made with coconut milk and maple syrup for a vegan and refined sugar free treat. Layer the chocolate pudding with coconut milk yogurt, fresh pomegranate seeds, and whipped coconut cream.
This recipe for Cranberry Granita Pudding Parfaits is a light and refreshing dessert, perfect for the holiday season. The parfaits pair a smooth and creamy vanilla pudding topped with a spiced cranberry granita. Creating a delicious mix of sweet and tart. A must have for your holiday dessert line-up!
Strawberry Pudding and Lemonade Granita Parfait is like two summer desserts in one! Creamy fresh strawberry pudding is topped with a bright and sweet frozen bubbly lemonade. This is a small batch dessert – perfect for two to enjoy on a warm summer day!
The Smooth Red Berry Smooth Chia Seed Pudding is a new take on classic chia seed pudding. Fresh red berries are blended with chia seeds for a sweet and tart smooth pudding. Make it even more delicious and layer it with classic vanilla chia pudding and whipped coconut cream for a healthy layered dessert!
Not every cake has to be baked. Though, you may have already figured that out given this is a No-Bake Desserts Recipe Roundup. 🙂 One of the common ingredients in most of the no-bake cakes on the list is cream cheese. No-bake cheesecakes offer the perfect foundation to make a cake that has layers of flavors and textures.
Creamy Filling – Whether it is cream cheese, whipped cream, or a combination of both, the technique to make these no-bake cakes will ensure you have a sturdy cake to slice.
Fresh Fruit Flavors – Whenever I can impart fresh fruit and flavor into a dessert, I will. Especially when we get to work with the bright and vibrant seasonal fruits!
Cookie Crust – I guess it wouldn’t be a cake without some kind of crust, or cake-like texture. So whether it is a graham cracker crust or cookies layered between creamy filling, these cakes all have some kind of ‘crunchy’ texture.
Helpful Kitchen Tools To Make No-Bake Desserts
Even though the no-bake desserts in this roundup don’t require the oven, you still need a few kitchen essentials to assemble your delicious dessert. Below is a list of some of my go-to kitchen tools and accessories I use to make these desserts.
A few helpful cake pans and tools you may want to gather to make your no-bake desserts:
This Neapolitan No-Bake Mini Cheesecake is set on a waffle cone crust to give you all of the flavors of an ice cream cone treat! The mini cheesecake is made in a 6-inch springform pan with layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry no-bake cheesecake filling. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings for your own version of an ice cream sundae!
Lime Cracker Icebox Custard Pie is like Key Lime Pie, but easier. Thick and creamy lime custard is filled with alternating layers of salty and sweet crackers. The result is a smooth, creamy, and zesty no-bake dessert!
This Mini No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Cheesecakeis a delicious celebration cake for Valentine's Day, or any other special occasion. A fluffy and creamy chocolate cheesecake layer is set on a chocolate graham cracker crust, and topped with a sweet strawberry whipped cream.
No-baking is required for this perfect summer dessert – Mini Orange Creamsicle No-Bake Cheesecake! Silky cheesecake is brightened with fresh orange juice and zest, then topped with orange whipped cream, and all on top of a buttery vanilla wafer crust.
This easy small batch of No-BakeKey Lime Bars are light, creamy, and full of bright lime flavor. Coconut cream is whipped with sweetened condensed milk and fresh lime juice. The velvety filling sits on a toasted coconut and Biscoff® cookie crust.
Smooth and creamy No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits are as easy as they are delicious. The cheesecake filling is lightly sweetened with maple syrup then topped with vibrant fresh cherry filling.
Not only do you not need an oven for the recipes in this roundup, you also don’t need an ice cream maker! The homemade ice cream in this line-up is all no-churn with only a few ingredients required. And to give you a little diversity with the ice cream, there are dairy and dairy-free recipes.
I have found the easiest way to make no-churn ice cream is to combine two two key ingredients:
Heavy Cream
Sweetened Condensed Milk
This, of course, is for dairy ice cream. And after a few test batches and a couple sugar coma’s later, I landed on great substitutions to make creamy, not-icy, dairy-free ice cream:
Unsweetened Canned Coconut Milk – I cannot reiterate enough, this is the full fat, coconut solids you find in a can of coconut milk. Not carton coconut milk!
Dairy-Free Yogurt – This adds a creamy texture, and a little extra sweetener.
Sweetener – You can go refined sugar-free, or vegan with your sweetener.
Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream
This is an easy no-churn recipe for Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream. The creamy ice cream is made with only 5 ingredients including canned coconut milk, fresh (or frozen strawberries), and honey. Plus, a secret ingredient that makes this ice cream extra velvety and smooth!
The tropics are calling with this no-churn Creamy Pina Colada Ice Cream! Experience the flavors of coconut, pineapple, and fresh lime with this homemade ice cream recipe that is extra creamy, and dairy-free.
Enjoy the flavors of summer with these Creamy Watermelon Popsicles with Magic Shell! This is an easy recipe for a small batch of watermelon popsicles lightened with coconut cream, slightly sweetened with honey, and topped with your very own chocolate Magic Shell!
3-Ingredient No-Churn Fresh Cherry Ice Cream! This is an easy, small batch ice cream recipe that doesn't require an ice-cream machine or eggs. Sweetened condensed milk gives the ice cream its smooth and creamy texture, while fresh cherries give it its delicious flavor, and color!
If you are looking for ways to use up your leftover Halloween candy, make this Vanilla Malted Milk Ball Ice Cream. Creamy no-churn vanilla ice cream gets an upgrade with malted milk powder and malted milk ball candies. Who says ice cream is just for summer!
I realize a cool beverage may not be your typical post-BBQ dessert, but these drinks are worthy enough to make a list of light and refreshing summer treats. A couple lemonade recipes and a couple frozen drink recipes, and you have yourself a beverage that will help cool you down on those 100 degree days!
Ingredients You May Need For No-Bake Desserts
I gave you a small, helpful list of kitchen tools to make these desserts, so it only seems fitting I provide a short list of key ingredients in all of the recipes in this no-bake dessert roundup. Nothing too fancy, but worthy of putting into a list just in case you need to make a run to the grocery.
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Cream Cheese
Heavy Cream
Unsweetened Canned Coconut Milk
Dairy-Free Yogurt
Eggs
Unflavored Gelatin
Sugar / Powdered Sugar
Chocolate / Chips
Cookies / Graham Crackers
Refreshing Blueberry Lemonade
Summertime and lemonade are the classic duo – and this Refreshing Blueberry Lemonade will make you wish it was summer all the time! This easy recipe starts with homemade blueberry simple syrup, then the perfect ratio of lemon juice and water is added for a truly refreshing drink. Make this adult-friendly by adding the spirit of your choice.
What could be better than Extra Creamy Strawberry Floats? How about ice cream floats that are also on the healthy side! This recipe uses our dairy-free strawberry ice cream, plus an extra creamy strawberry and coconut milk puree. Top with your favorite sparkling water and you have a delicious, lightly-sweetened frozen treat!
Simple and refreshing Watermelon Honey Lime Slushies are a delicious way to cool down on a hot day! Fresh frozen watermelon is combined with lime juice and honey for a tart and sweet frozen beverage. Top with whipped cream, and you have a frozen drink that is reminiscent of an ice cream float!
Summer calls for an easy and cool beverage, and there is nothing quite as refreshing as Ginger Lemonade! Spicy ginger elevates the classic lemonade, and when served over ice, it is a great cool down drink. To make an adult version, you can add a little vodka or prosecco for an equally delicious summer cocktail!
There are a few desserts left off the No-Bake Desserts Recipe Roundup, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t perfect for summer. Should you find yourself with a cooler morning (or evening), and a hankering to turn on the oven, below are some of my favorite summer dessert recipes.
