No Heat, No Problem! These Easy No-Bake Desserts Are Perfect For Summer
by Anna Monette RobertsOn some summer days it's too hot to even consider baking, but even the most intense heatwaves shouldn't stop you from satisfying your sweet tooth. With puddings, panna cotta, cheesecake, and tons of fruity options, there's no reason to turn on the oven when you can choose one of these easy, no-bake desserts. After eating a light dinner outside on a warm evening, we can promise that these refreshing treats will hit the spot in no time. Keep reading to see the best recipes that don't require baking, and enjoy ice-cold sweet treats all summer long.
— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano
1 Triple Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chewy Cereal Bars
If you've got a hankering for peanut butter, these cereal bars will cure that in seconds.
Get the recipe: triple peanut butter and chocolate chewy cereal bars
2 Key Lime Pie Parfait
These little key lime pie parfaits are small, bite-size, and perfectly portioned. Garnish them with whipped cream and a small piece of mint.
Get the recipe: key lime pie parfait
3 No-Bake Scotcheroos
If you're in the mood for a creamy cereal bar, these no-bake scotcheroos are for you. With only eight ingredients, you can whip these up whenever the cravings strike.
Get the recipe: no-bake scotcheroos
4 Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake
Made with cashews, coconut, and dates, this vegan cheesecake has all the best flavors without being heavy. Fresh berries and cold whipped cream will make this taste like a dream come true.
Get the recipe: vegan strawberry cheesecake
5 Ritz Cracker Cookies
Meet the easiest treat of all: Ritz Cracker cookies. All you need to do to make these is take two Ritz Crackers, dress them in peanut butter, sandwich the two crackers together, and dip them in warm, melted chocolate.
Get the recipe: Ritz Cracker cookies
6 Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
When pairing sugar cookies and cheesecake together, nothing can go wrong. This sweet treat is not only genius, but also delicious!
Get the recipe: sugar cookie cheesecake bars
7 No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie
Rich strawberry pudding, cream cheese, and whipped cream work together to make this light and fluffy strawberry pie. Are you drooling yet?
Get the recipe: no-bake strawberry cream pie
8 Banana Cheesecake
Someone's going to have to stop us from making this no-bake banana cheesecake all summer long!
Get the recipe: banana cheesecake
9 Funfetti Edible Cookie Dough Bites
No need to bake these cookie dough bites, which are made with butter, sugar, vanilla pudding mix, vanilla and almond extracts, milk, oat "flour," salt, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles.
Get the recipe: Funfetti edible cookie dough bites
10 Salty Peanut Butter Marshmallow Pretzel Treats
Peanut butter, pretzels, marshmallows, and chocolate go into these sweet and savory treats.
Get the recipe: salty peanut butter marshmallow pretzel treats
11 Butterfinger Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lush
This Butterfinger is made up of layers of Oreo crust, peanut butter, pudding, Cool Whip, and Butterfinger candy.
Get the recipe: Butterfinger chocolate and peanut butter lush
12 Triple Decker Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
All we have to say about these no-bake s'mores bars is WOW, they're good.
Get the recipe: Triple Decker Peanut Butter S'mores Bars
13 Banana Cream Delight
This banana cream delight has layers of vanilla wafer crust, cream cheese, banana pudding, and whipped cream. YUM.
Get the recipe: banana cream delight
14 Peanut Butter Fudge
We could pop this fudge into our mouths all day.
Get the recipe: peanut butter fudge
15 Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars
Candy and cereal? These sweet treats are the perfect combo.
Get the recipe: chocolate peanut butter candy bars
16 Chocolate "Lasagna"
This chocolate "lasagna" is a cookie crust topped with layers of cheesecake filling, pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
Get the recipe: chocolate "lasagna"
17 S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches
These ice cream sandwiches are a cool treat for the warmer months.
Get the recipe: s'mores ice cream sandwiches
18 Strawberry-Banana Recovery Popsicles
Popsicles are a great way to rehydrate after a long run or as a postdinner snack for summer. These strawberry-banana frozen treats contain protein powder, coconut water, and soy milk.
Get the recipe: strawberry-banana recovery popsicles
19 Blueberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
Graham crackers, creamy cheesecake filling, and blueberries go into this incredible icebox cake.
Get the recipe: blueberry cheesecake icebox cake
20 Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Mix Bars
These Chex Mix bars contain Chex mix cereal, pretzels, marshmallows, and M&Ms all glued together with peanut butter.
Get the recipe: chocolate peanut butter Chex Mix bars
21 Coconut Banana Cream Pie Parfaits
Make these banana cream pie parfaits no-bake by using instant coconut pudding instead of making it from scratch.
Get the recipe: coconut banana cream pie parfaits
22 Chocolate Chip Cookie Lasagna
This cookie lasagna sure beats dinnertime lasagna!
Get the recipe: chocolate chip cookie lasagna
23 White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Clusters
Make movie night even better with these bite-size cookie clusters.
Get the recipe: white chocolate peanut butter cookie clusters
24 Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars
When you make these bars, you get three amazing layers — chocolate-kripsies on the bottom, sweet and salty peanut butter in the middle, and chocolate chocolate chip on the top.
Get the recipe: healthy chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars
25 Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream Bites
You'll love these adorable "nice" cream bites. All you need are two ingredients — bananas and chocolate chips.
Get the recipe: chocolate chip banana ice cream bites
26 Green Tea Popsicles
Green tea, Greek yogurt, and avocado join forces to make the perfect healthy snack for the summer. Matcha powder is rich with antioxidants and fiber, and the caffeine gives you just the extra kick you need without the extra calories.
Get the recipe: green tea popsicles
27 Gooey Apple Pecan Bars
For a nondiary sweet dessert, these ooey-gooey pecan bars are your go-to recipe. The natural sugar in this treat comes from raw honey and dates, keeping your diet as clean as possible.
Get the recipe: gooey apple pecan bars
28 Frozen Yogurt Cupcakes
On those especially hot days, you'll love these frozen yogurt cupcakes. At only 30 calories a pop and made with fresh fruit, these treats are a much healthier alternative to ice cream.
Get the recipe: frozen yogurt cupcakes
29 Icebox Cake
This no-bake cake is for those whose baking skills (or lack thereof) make them afraid of burning down the house or for anyone who doesn't want to burn up in their kitchen during the heat of the summer.
Get the recipe: icebox cake
30 No-Bake Speculoos Cake
As it turns out, speculoos makes for a spicy no-bake cake. Dig in!
Get the recipe: no-bake speculoos cake
31 Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bites
Freeze yogurt and fruit together to make these delectable bites.
Get the recipe: frozen yogurt fruit bites
32 Frozen Mojito Pie
Sweet and salty dessert fans will love this frozen mojito cake. The salty pretzel crust is topped with a frozen mojito that gives the term "sugar high" a whole new meaning.
Get the recipe: frozen mojito pie
33 Old-Fashioned Icebox Cake
There's actually no cake at all in this icebox cake. Chocolate wafers soak up the moisture from whipped cream to create a soft, cake-like texture.
Get the recipe: old-fashioned icebox cake
34 No-Bake Watermelon Cake
The perfect summer dessert, this this no-bake cake requires a mini watermelon, whipped cream, slivered almonds, and berries. It's light, refreshing, and oh so good.
Get the recipe: watermelon cake
35 Almond Nutella
Let's be honest; almond chocolate spread is dessert. Put it on toast or cookies, or better yet, just grab a spoon.
Get the recipe: almond nutella
36 Sorbet With Citrus Vodka and Lime Zest
Sometimes the best desserts are the ones that are thrown together last minute. Freshen up store-bought sorbet by topping it with citrus vodka and lime zest.
Get the recipe: sorbet with citrus vodka and lime zest
37 S'mores Snack Mix
No campfire? No problem! Drizzle melted chocolate over graham cracker cereal and garnish with mini marshmallows for an on-the-go s'mores snack mix.
Get the recipe: s'mores snack mix
38 Mini Grasshopper Pies
With an Oreo crust and minty marshmallow filling, mini grasshopper pies are a cooling, colorful way to end a meal.
Get the recipe: mini grasshopper pies
39 Ginger Limeade Granita
For those who prefer sour to sweet, try ginger limeade granita, a frozen dessert with flaky, tart ice chips that will awaken the palate.
Get the recipe: ginger limeade granita
40 Chocolate Trifle
Giada De Laurentiis is all for effortless desserts that can be enjoyed on the couch. Her chocolate trifles feature chocolate cake cubes and a chocolate custard dolloped on top.
Get the recipe: chocolate trifle
41 Ice Cream Cake
Beginning bakers should spring for this ice cream cake with whipped cream, ice cream sandwiches, coffee liqueur, and crushed peppermint candy.
Get the recipe: ice cream cake
42 Chocolate Fudge
Make a large batch of this salt-flaked fudge, cut it into bite-size pieces, and keep it in the freezer for convenient grabbing.
Get the recipe: chocolate fudge
43 No-Bake Crème Brulée
Don't be scared of making crème brulée at home! It's not that difficult to make; the technique is similar to homemade ice cream, but instead of putting the mixture in an ice cream maker, it's baked in a bath of water. It requires time to chill, so plan in advance, especially when entertaining.
Get the recipe: no-bake crème brulée
44 Saltine Ice Cream Sandwiches
There's no need to raise your eyebrows! Salty Saltines add tremendous flavor when used in ice cream sandwiches.
Get the recipe: Saltine ice cream sandwiches
45 Strawberry Semifreddo
Sometimes you don't want to go through the trouble of making ice cream. This strawberry semifreddo is the ultimate "lazy" person's ice cream recipe.
Get the recipe: strawberry semifreddo
46 German Chocolate Pudding Cups
Like the decadent cake but cooler and lighter for warm weather, these German chocolate pudding cups are layered with a coconut pecan custard.
Get the recipe: German chocolate pudding cups
47 No-Bake Cheesecake
No need to heat up the oven to make cheesecake. This no-bake cheesecake is made with graham crackers, cream cheese, and condensed milk. There's no raw egg involved, which means there's no need to bake!
Get the recipe: no-bake cheesecake
48 Blackberry Fool
A blackberry fool with Calvados only contains four ingredients, so it's as easy as it is light.
Get the recipe: blackberry fool
49 Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo bars, the legendary bar made famous by Vancouver housewives in the 1950s, is similar to a seven-layer bar with graham cracker, almonds, coconut, and chocolate. Rather than condensed milk, this bar has a creamy pudding layer.
Get the recipe: nanaimo bars
50 Roasted Strawberry Thyme Panna Cotta
Gelatin and cream set to create these creamy strawberry panna cotta cups.
Get the recipe: roasted strawberry thyme panna cotta
51 Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pudding
What's not to love about the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate? We imagine that peanut butter and chocolate pudding cups would make great frozen pudding pops too.
Get the recipe: peanut butter and chocolate pudding
52 Blueberry Gelatins
Melt-in-your-mouth grape gelatin with blueberries is a refreshing dessert that won't weigh you down with any heavy cream. Add a splash of Champagne or vodka for a spiked version.
Get the recipe: blueberry gelatins
53 Eton Mess
The Eton Mess originated in the 1800s at a distinguished British public school. The strawberry, heavy cream, and meringue cookie mixture was originally served after an important annual cricket game.
Get the recipe: Eton Mess