28 No-Bake Desserts for Summer Days

When it’s too hot to turn on the oven, these treats will satisfy your sweet tooth.

No celebratory meal is complete without dessert, but, when it’s hot out, the mere thought of turning on the oven can make you wilt. (If you’re lucky enough to have central air, or don’t mind the heat, here are some summer fruit pies for you. Bake on!) These recipes are for those sweltering days. A handful of these dishes require a little stovetop or microwave work, but the majority need no heat source at all, so you can stay cool while whipping up something sweet. View the complete list of no-bake desserts on New York Times Cooking here.

1. Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

Delight everyone at the party by showing up with a big vat of this wildly popular pudding that Priya Krishna adapted from the West Village bakery. The not-so-secret secret? The recipe calls for instant vanilla pudding mix, which makes it taste like the best of childhood nostalgia.

Recipe: Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

2. Éclair Cake

A Midwestern classic, this dessert is inspired by the flavors of the French pastry while being much easier to make. Naz Deravian swaps the traditional instant pudding and store-bought whipped topping for easy homemade versions. Layer with chocolate ganache and graham crackers, and you’re golden.

Recipe: Éclair Cake

3. Sweet and Salty Frozen Grapes

After trying this super easy recipe from Zaynab Issa, you may never eat grapes the same way again. Drawing on Mexican and South Asian traditions of eating fruit with savory spices, she tosses frozen grapes with lemon zest and juice, sugar, salt and chile flakes.

Recipe: Sweet and Salty Frozen Grapes

4. Fresas Con Crema (Strawberries and Cream)

This classic Mexican recipe from Kristina Felix features strawberries swimming in a sea of sour cream, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. It takes just 20 minutes to prepare, feeds a crowd and you can make it up to four days in advance, making it an ideal potluck dessert.

Recipe: Fresas Con Crema (Strawberries and Cream)

5. Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake

This delightfully easy recipe from Yossy Arefi is a cookies-and-cream-lover’s dream. Chocolaty Oreos are layered with a combination of whipped cream and cream cheese, then chilled until the cookies soften. You do need a mixer, but as with all icebox cakes, once you’ve assembled it, just slide it into the fridge and forget about it until it’s time to eat.

Recipe: Oreo Icebox Cake

6. Carlota de Limón (Lime Icebox Cake)

Kristina Felix’s version of this classic Mexican dessert comes together with just four ingredients: vanilla Maria cookies, condensed milk, evaporated milk and lime. If you can’t find Maria cookies, use Nilla wafers, which will give it a slightly crunchier texture.

Recipe: Carlota de Limón (Lime Icebox Cake)

7. No-Bake Cookies

The original no-bake cookie, these unassuming treats are sometimes known as cow patties or preacher cookies. They are as simple as can be: Combine sugar, milk, butter, salt, sugar and cocoa powder in a pot over medium heat until smooth, stir in peanut butter, then scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet, pressing down slightly to flatten. Chill in the fridge until they harden. Ta-da! Cookies.

Recipe: No-Bake Cookies

8. Coffee Jelly With Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

In this impressive recipe from Carolina Gelen, instant espresso powder and gelatin form a jiggly confection that’s topped with caramel whipped cream. Chill the gelatin for at least eight hours and the cream for two before whipping, so prep this in advance, assemble in front of a crowd and revel in the praise.

Recipe: Coffee Jelly With Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

9. No-Bake Melon Cheesecake Bars

Leave it to Eric Kim to take one of summer’s unsung fruits — the cantaloupe — to new heights. Here, fresh melon, cream cheese, sugar, salt and gelatin are blended until smooth, then spread atop a buttery graham cracker base, making these reminiscent of Korean honeydew-flavored ice cream bars.

Recipe: No-Bake Melon Cheesecake Bars

10. No-Bake Lime and Speculoos Cake

Layers of spiced Biscoff cookies and lime whipped cream make up this icebox dessert that’s reminiscent of a frosted cake, minus the hot oven. It’s sharp and citrusy, and a little caramelly from the cookies: the perfect summer treat, with just five minutes of prep.

Recipe: No-Bake Lime and Speculoos Cake

11. Chocolate Mousse

Developed by Genevieve Ko with the sweltering days of summer in mind, this chocolate mousse is light and airy, yet rich with bittersweet chocolate. It’s ideal for entertaining because the flavors deepen over time, so make it a day ahead and chill for up to five days.

Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

12. Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Maple Ice Cream

Melissa Clark is here to save you with this four-ingredient peanut butter ice cream recipe (one that doesn’t require a machine). Oat milk creamer is the secret ingredient here because its thick, neutral flavor lets the peanut butter flavor shine through, and its starches help keep iciness at bay.

Recipe: Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Maple Ice Cream

13. Blackberry Fool

No fooling, you can whip together this five-ingredient recipe from Vallery Lomas in minutes. Heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar are beaten until fluffy, then combined with sweetened, mashed berries. Serve with shortbread cookies or delicate tuiles.

Recipe: Blackberry Fool

14. Sago Pudding

Summer is an ideal time for this not-too-sweet Asian dessert, which is very adaptable: Warm or chilled, thick or soupy, topped with mango, lychee, or whatever you prefer. If you can’t find sago, Hetty Lui McKinnon recommends using small-pearl tapioca.

Recipe: Sago Pudding

15. No-Bake Mango Lime Cheesecake

A vibrant showstopper that requires no oven? Sign us up. This beauty from Nik Sharma combines a rich, creamy mango-lime cheesecake base with a tangy mango gelatin top. One reader couldn’t find canned mango, so she used canned tart cherries instead, and deemed it “fantastic.”

Recipe: No-Bake Mango-Lime Cheesecake

16. Chocolate Shell Ice Cream Topping

On Episode 18 of Jennifer Garner’s “Pretend Cooking Show,” she called this Melissa Clark recipe, adapted from the chef Thomas Keller, “the most important thing The New York Times has ever done,” and who are we to argue? It’s basically homemade Magic Shell, and requires just two ingredients: good bittersweet chocolate and coconut oil. If you’re feeling ambitious, pair it with Julia Moskin’s easiest vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Chocolate Shell Ice Cream Topping

17. Lemon Possets

These elegant little lemon puddings from Toni Chapman are everything all at once: sweet, creamy, zesty and as simple as can be. Dot the tops with raspberries or blueberries if you like.

Recipe: Lemon Possets

18. No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Bars

These ethereal chocolate mousse bars from Samantha Seneviratne come together quickly and without much fuss. Serve them with whipped cream — fresh or the kind that comes in a can. Substitute vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies for the graham crackers in the crust if you’re feeling it.

Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Bars

19. Classic Trifle With Berries or Citrus

Pick a fruit, any fruit, and layer it with creamy vanilla pudding, jam and store-bought cake, then top it with a swirl of whipped cream. Voilà! You have a dessert worthy of the Queen. This recipe from Melissa Clark calls for ladyfingers or sponge cake, but pretty much any simple cake or tender cookie will do.

Recipe: Classic Trifle With Berries or Citrus

20. Mango Soft Serve

Frozen mangoes, sweetened condensed milk and a blender — that’s all you need to make this banger from Hetty Lui McKinnon. “Saw this recipe at 5:30 P.M., ran to store for frozen mangoes, ran home, whipped the whole thing up in 5 minutes and stuck it in the freezer by 6:15 P.M,” wrote one reader. “Took it to a 4th of July party at 7:30 P.M. where folks said it was a winner.”

Recipe: Mango Soft Serve

21. Raspberry Swirl No-Bake Cheesecake

This striking cheesecake from Yossy Arefi is made with a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and heavy cream, so it is lighter and softer than traditional baked cheesecake. That’s a good thing. Use fresh or frozen berries for the swirly top, and, while the recipe calls for straining out the seeds, leave in a few for texture and crunch.

Recipe: Raspberry Swirl No-Bake Cheesecake

22. Lemon Icebox Pie

There is zero prep involved in this genius recipe from Vallery Lomas. Simply beat cream cheese, heavy cream and lemon curd, then pour it into a graham cracker crust, freeze and enjoy.

Recipe: Lemon Icebox Pie

23. Cocoa Krispies Treats

Salty, chocolaty, chewy and pretty much perfect is how I’d describe Samantha Seneviratne’s cocoa krispies treats. No, you don’t need a box of the actual chocolate-flavored cereal. Just stir some cocoa powder into the browned butter before combining with the Rice Krispies and marshmallows, and you’ll never consider making the plain treats again.

Recipe: Cocoa Krispies Treats

24. Vegan Frozen Coconut-Lime Bars

There is nary of drop of dairy in these creamy bars from Lidey Heuck, which are inspired by frozen Key lime pie. Made with store-bought dairy-free coconut or vanilla ice cream, they come together quickly. Be sure to use unsweetened, finely shredded (also called desiccated) coconut for this recipe — regular shredded or flaked coconut will be too coarse.

Recipe: Vegan Coconut-Lime Bars

25. Chocolate Mug Cake

Dubious? So were we, but this is the little mug cake that could. Adapted from “Baking Class: 50 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Bake!” by Deanna F. Cook, this recipe was originally developed for children, but we know people of all ages who love it. For a molten chocolate version, sprinkle the top with some mini chocolate chips before popping it into the microwave, then remove it a few seconds early.

Recipe: Chocolate Mug Cake

26. No-Bake Lemon Custards With Strawberries

Everyone loves a lemon dessert. These thick, velvety puddings from Melissa Clark, which are inspired by a British dessert called posset, are prepared on the stovetop, and set with lemon juice instead of eggs, cornstarch or gelatin. The secret is to simmer the cream and sugar before adding the fresh lemon juice, giving the cream a chance to thicken slightly.

Recipe: No-Bake Lemon Custards With Strawberries

27. Spumoni Ice Cream Cake

If you can build a Lego tower, you can make this impressive ice cream cake from Ali Slagle, which is inspired by spumoni, the frozen dessert typically served at Italian American red sauce joints. Ice cream is the star of the show here, so use the best you can. But the most important tip? Clear out plenty of space in your freezer before you start building. The finished cake is about 4 inches tall.

Recipe: Spumoni Ice Cream Cake

28.Vegan Chocolate Pudding With Cinnamon and Chile

Tofu may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to dessert, but hear us out: In this recipe from Mark Bittman, silken tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and chile powder are whizzed together in a blender to make a surprisingly creamy and delicious pudding that will delight adults and children alike.

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Pudding With Cinnamon and Chile

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