61 Berry Desserts to Bake Before Summer’s Up
When we hit the summer farmers market, we only have one thing on our mind: berries. Sweet strawberries, plump blueberries, juicy blackberries and tart raspberries are our favorite spoils of the season, and it just so happens that they all lend themselves beautifully to sweets. From a gorgeous galette to Insta-worthy whoopie pies, here are 61 berry desserts to make while they’re at peak deliciousness.
RELATED: 65 Easy Fruit Desserts to Make All Summer (and Fall, Winter and Spring Too)
1. Blackberry Plum Upside-Down Cake
Two summer stars in one stunning treat. A bit of whole-wheat flour offers the cake just a touch of earthy, nutty flavor.
2. Mini Strawberry Ice-Cream Pies
You’ve had raw strawberries and vanilla ice cream before, but just wait until you try them roasted. A stint in the oven concentrates their sweetness.
3. Blueberry Crumble Pie
The key to this hybrid is the brown sugar-oat streusel on top, which stands in for traditional lattice pie crust.
4. Lemon-Raspberry Whoopie Pies
Soft lemon cakes meet delicate raspberry-infused cream and fresh fruit for an easily transportable dessert that will change how you picnic forever.
5. Strawberry Pie with Strawberry Crust
Food coloring? We don’t know her. Instead, the crust gets its vibrant pink hue from freeze-dried strawberries.
6. Chocolate Raspberry Fool
Despite its fancy appearance, this sweet-tart dessert is a breeze to put together. The chocolate layer is similar to mousse, but it’s nothing but melted chocolate folded into whipped cream.
7. Easiest-Ever Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler
While we encourage making this dessert with homemade biscuits (since they’re impossibly fluffy and infused with lemon zest), you can save time by substituting store-bought ones. We don’t judge.
8. Lemon-Berry Sheet Pan Trifle
We modernized this old-school British dessert by preparing it on a sheet pan instead of in a crystal-cut bowl, which makes the meringue, whipped cream and fruit way more accessible.
9. Blackberry Panna Cotta Tartlets
Panna cotta is a much simpler filling for these shortbread tarts than pastry cream since it doesn’t require you to bust out the stand mixer.
10. Raspberry Ice Cream
What if we told you that you could make a killer pint of ice cream without a fancy ice-cream maker? Here, raspberries are blended with a few pantry staples in the stand mixer instead.
11. Strawberry, Cardamom and Pistachio Pavlova Bites
These fruity clouds of meringue are as stunning as they are easy to make. Serve them at your next dinner party to wow your guests.
12. Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Soufflés
Leave it to baker extraordinaire Erin McDowell to create a foolproof soufflé recipe. The key is not overmixing and being gentle with them from start to finish, so they don’t deflate.
13. Strawberry Upside-Down Cake
The strawberries are layered on the bottom of the pan, so they form a sweet, caramelized topping for the cake as it bakes. In other words, it basically “frosts” itself.
14. Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce
Move the burgers and dogs aside to make room on the grates for slabs of angel food. Fresh whipped cream and blueberry sauce transform the store-bought cake into something spectacular, so your guests won’t suspect the shortcut.
15. Raspberry Choux Puffs
Get in, we’re going to Paris. These light-as-air puff pastries are not only stuffed with vanilla crème pâtissière, but they’re also bursting with fresh passionfruit pulp and raspberries.
16. No-Bake Berry Tiramisu
Keep this simple recipe in your back pocket for any event that calls for a red, white and blue dessert. The filling is tangy and rich, thanks to the ricotta-cream cheese base.
17. Vegan and Gluten-Free Apple Blackberry Crumble Tart
The recipe is super versatile, so feel free to spruce up the tart by tossing in warm spices or citrus zest, adding sliced pears or peaches or substituting frozen berries for fresh.
18. Berry Galette
Ah, the galette, or as we like to call it, the lazy baker’s pie. You won’t have to fuss over the freeform crust: Just pile the fruit in the center, fold the edges over and bake until bubbly.
19. Skillet Blueberry Cornbread
This beauty is like a cross between cornbread, coffee cake and a blueberry muffin. The brown sugar streusel qualifies it as dessert, but feel free to have the cornbread for breakfast instead.
20. Bite-Size Almond Raspberry Spoon Cakes
All these cuties require is a whisk, mixing bowl and a handful of pantry staples. Good luck stopping after just one.
21. Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
When a cheesecake craving hits but you don’t have the energy to make one, turn to this ten-minute crowd-pleaser. It’s marbled with strawberry preserves, but we wouldn’t blame you for adding freshly chopped berries to the mix too.
22. Strawberry Shortcake Skewers with Whipped Cream
Made with easy store-bought biscuits brushed with honey butter. Up the summer ante by adding a toasted s’more-style marshmallow to each shortcake.
23. Pink Lemonade Bars
As if buttery, sweet-tart lemon bars weren’t flawless enough, these have a secret ingredient that turns them a rosy shade of pink: fresh raspberry puree.
24. No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote
Graham cracker crust and silky cream cheese filling don’t need any tweaking to be delicious. But once you try cheesecake crowned with a zingy raspberry topping, you might never look back.
25. Glazed Blueberry Cake
With so many blueberries piled on top, this confection is basically a fruit salad. Go ahead, have a slice (or um, two) for breakfast.
26. Blackberry-Raspberry Skillet Cobbler
Psst: Make this your cast-iron skillet’s next project. Bonus points for dragging a spoon through the batter to achieve a swirly marbled pattern.
27. Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Raspberry Meringue
This pie looks like it was plucked straight out of a fairytale. Chalk the blush-colored meringue whisps up to blitzed freeze-dried raspberries.
28. Vegan Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar
Gluten-free almond shortcake + strawberry-chia jam + coconut-cashew whipped cream = plant-based heaven.
29. Big Raspberry-Rye Cookies
The intense raspberry flavor in these larger-than-life cookies pairs seamlessly with malty, nutty rye flour. Feel free to freeze the dough for up to two months so you can bake them whenever a craving strikes.
30. 10-Minute Strawberry Cobbler Mug
Yup, you can make so much more than lava cake in your trusty microwave. The best part is that the recipe only makes one serving, so you won’t be stuck with a ton of leftovers (though there are worse problems to have).
31. Vegan Spiced Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Sure, the cake is free of refined sugar, loaded with fiber and contains 10 grams of protein per slice. But generous doses of maple syrup, blueberries and coconut sugar keep its flavor on the sweet side.
32. Gluten-Free Lemon-Raspberry Pavlova
Isn’t she lovely? Sink your teeth into two layers of fluffy meringue, sandwiched together with whipped cream that’s infused with lemon curd and raspberry jam.
33. Strawberry Sponge Cake
You won’t believe how mind-blowingly easy the pink icing is to make. (We’re talking mashed strawberries and confectioners’ sugar.)
34. Raspberry Crepe Cake
Despite its Insta-worthy looks, this crepe cake couldn’t be easier to assemble. Add flecks of crushed freeze-dried raspberries to the crepe batter to make them even fruitier.
35. Lemon-Blueberry Poke Cake
The store-bought lemon cake mix won’t know what hit it once it’s being filled with homemade blueberry syrup.
36. Berry-Coconut Rocket Pops
There’s no need to chase down the ice cream man for one of these bad boys ever again. Plus, the homemade version of these ice pops is free of food coloring and corn syrup.
37. Raspberry Prosecco Ice Pop
If boozy ice pops are more your thing, these three-ingredient gems have your back. The only tough step in the recipe is waiting for them to freeze before digging in.
38. Dairy-Free Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
Thanks to a press-in pecan crust made with coconut oil instead of butter and a cashew-coconut milk filling, this dessert is equal parts dairy-free and indulgent.
39. Strawberry Galette with Whipped Cream
Three surprising ingredients take this stunner over the top: minced rosemary in the crust, balsamic vinegar in the fruit and sour cream in the whipped topping.
40. Lemon Pie with Blueberry Meringue
Any dessert topped with a layer of lilac meringue that tall is one after our own heart. Be sure to boil the filling for a full 30 seconds after adding the cornstarch, so all its flavor cooks out and the pie sets properly.
41. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Any summer baby would be thrilled to have these at their birthday party. Not only are there lightly sweetened strawberries in the center of each cupcake, but they’re also topped with fresh ones and a dollop of whipped cream.
42. Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Bring on the antioxidants. They’re healthy enough to have for breakfast (thanks, whole-wheat pastry flour), yet still indulgent enough to snack on before bed.
43. Raspberry Beet Tart with Oat Walnut Crust
A single steamed beet and lots of fresh raspberries keep this pretty-in-pink pick from being overly sweet. Don’t even get us started on the mini meringue kisses.
44. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
One bite and boom: You’re a kid who’s wrist-deep in a sundae all over again. This calls for all the rainbow sprinkles.
45. Angel Food Cake with Fresh Berries
Proof that simplicity can be delicious (even without frosting). All this fruit-topped dish needs is a hefty scoop of fresh whipped cream.
46. Strawberry-Mango Hawaiian Shave Ice
Consider it a one-way ticket to paradise. Luckily, your humble blender can pull the treat off without the help of a shave ice machine.
47. Sheet-Pan Strawberry Shortcake with Black Pepper, Whipped Honey Ricotta and Togarashi
We’ve had enough arugula salads in our life to know that floral, freshly cracked black pepper and summer berries are soulmates.
48. Raspberry White Chocolate Bûche de Noël
Rolled buttercream-filled sponge cake topped with meringue marshmallows > reindeer-shaped sugar cookies. It’s just a fact.
49. Paleo Almond Butter Blender Muffins
If you aren’t familiar with blender muffins, we’re about to change your life. Instead of whisking (and whisking) the batter, all you do is dump the ingredients in a blender and whirl them until combined.
50. Blackberry Jam Pie Crust Straws
For those days when your heart screams “pie” but your brain says “takeout.” You’re only 35 minutes away from flaky, jammy bliss.
51. Strawberry Keto Fat Bombs
They’re sweet, tangy and oh so filling, thanks to a decadent base of cream cheese and butter.
52. Blueberry and Peach Crostata
If you’re wondering why this crostata looks so much like a galette…well, it’s because they’re basically the same thing, only the former is Italian and the latter is French. The more you know.
53. Blackberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake
A layer of smooth, tangy cream cheese filling is just the foil for the sugary crumb topping and sour blackberries.
54. Double Strawberry Pretzel Pie
Strawberry jam-infused cream cheese filling? Check. Sweet-and-salty pretzel crust? Check. St-Germain-kissed fruit? You bet.
55. Double Chocolate Chunk Raspberry-Stuffed Cookies
These bold handhelds have Valentine’s Day dessert written all over them. Sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies for a next-level ice cream sandwich.
56. Blueberry Hand Pies
They’re stuffed with blueberry-vanilla goat cheese and lemon-spritzed blueberry filling, so each pie is kind of like a dough-wrapped charcuterie board.
57. Blackberry Lavender Cobbler
Cream cheese. Honey. Biscuits. That is all.
58. Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Devour these whole-grain bars for breakfast, lunch or dessert. The vanilla glaze on top is totally optional (but we can’t think of a good reason for skipping it).
59. Raspberry Coffee Cake
Warning: This cake will make you actually want to get out of bed in the morning. Wash it down with a hot cup of joe (or better yet, a white chocolate mocha).
60. Honey Butter Stone Fruit and Blackberry Meringue Tart
Using a star-shaped cookie cutter to slice the peaches and nectarines makes this simple dessert look a million times more impressive.
61. Baked Blueberry Donuts
Is it cool if we drink the blueberry glaze straight from the saucepan? Top each donut with a flourish of sprinkles, dried blueberries or edible flower petals.
RELATED: 35 Banana Dessert Recipes That Go Way Beyond Banana Bread
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
