Recipes Desserts 30 Days of No-Bake Desserts By Food & Wine Editors Updated on June 27, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: JONATHAN LOVEKIN Have you ever wanted to indulge in a rich, sweet, homemade dessert without ever turning on your oven? Whether or not you have this desire, we can almost guarantee you will love the ease and convenience of no-bake desserts. Especially in the summer, there is a certain luxury to avoiding the use of your hot oven (we know, some recipes here involve simmering things on the stove, but come on, the heat is nothing compared to a 350 degree oven). Plus, you will be amazed by all of the delicious creations you can produce without baking a single thing. Here, we have gathered 30 super easy, no-bake dessert recipes that you can make 30 days in a row (if you want, no pressure). From icebox chocolate cheesecake to peanut butter-oat bites with sea salt and cinnamon to yogurt panna cotta with pineapple granita, these seemingly complex desserts are all made easily and without your oven. You may not believe us, so we implore you to test them out. You definitely will not regret it. — Morgan Goldberg 01 of 30 Day 1: Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake © CON POULOS For this incredible, no-bake cheesecake, Grace Parisi brilliantly layers chocolate cookies with a quick mix of cream cheese, chocolate syrup and a little water. The cookies soften as the cake chills overnight for a perfectly moist, chocolaty “cheater’s” cheesecake. Plus, can you believe the recipe only calls for three ingredients? Go to recipe 02 of 30 Day 2: No-Bake Chocolate Custard © Amy Sims Our absolute favorite thing about this easy, no-bake chocolate custard is that it takes just twenty minutes to make and can be eaten right away at room temperature. This supersilky, chocolatey dessert is also super delicious when chilled. It just depends how long you can wait before you devour it. Go to recipe 03 of 30 Day 3: Mango Fool Iam Knauer With only five ingredients—puréed mango, yogurt, cream, sugar and salt—this refreshing, no-bake dessert is a breeze to whip up. Really, it only takes five minutes to create. We suggest that you make a batch ahead of time and pull it out of the fridge right before serving, which makes entertaining a breeze. Go to recipe 04 of 30 Day 4: Peanut Butter-Oat Bites with Sea Salt and Cinnamon Sarah Bolla These gluten-free, no-bake peanut butter cookies come together quickly (in just twenty minutes!) in the bowl of a food processor. We love them because they're mildly sweet little bites with a texture reminiscent of peanut butter cookie dough. We think they are best served chilled and sprinkled with flaky sea salt and cinnamon. Go to recipe 05 of 30 Day 5: Ice Cream Bonbons © Tina Rupp At the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, California, Kendra Baker uses caramel ice cream in her bonbons, which have a silky chocolate shell and flaky sea salt on top. They are a perfect, chocolaty snack and look super impressive. You can use whatever kind of ice cream you like! Go to recipe 06 of 30 Day 6: Farmer’s Cheesecake with Strawberries Christina Holmes For this elegant, no-bake cheesecake, Nicolaus Balla ferments his own farmer’s cheese (a kind of cottage cheese). Ricotta mixed with cream cheese makes a delicious substitute for the filling, which is incredibly light, delicately sweet and wonderful inside the crumbly graham cracker crust. This summer dessert is perfect for your warm weather dinner party. Go to recipe 07 of 30 Day 7: Dark-Chocolate Pudding with Candied Ginger Michael Turek "For me, ginger should be everywhere," says Jean-Georges Vongerichten. "It's as good in marinades and vinaigrettes as it is in dessert." Here, candied ginger garnishes no-bake, dark chocolate pudding that takes only fifteen active minutes to make. Once it is chilled for an hour, you are free to indulge as much as you please. Go to recipe 08 of 30 Day 8: Passion Fruit Ice Cream Pie with a Ginger Crust Petrina Tinslay This isn't the kind of ice cream pie you'd make for a kiddie birthday party. Instead of a plain cookie crust, create a crispy, chewy one with crumbled gingersnaps, dried pineapple and candied ginger. And instead of the usual caramel or chocolate sauce on top, prepare a delectable mix of dulce de leche and passion fruit nectar from the supermarket. Go to recipe 09 of 30 Day 9: Zabaglione with Strawberries Stephanie Shih An Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine, zabaglione is a no-bake dessert that can be served hot. Here we serve the zabaglione hot when it's just made, but if you want to prepare the dish ahead of time, mix the zabaglione with whipped cream and refrigerate it as described in the first variation below. Go to recipe 10 of 30 Day 10: No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies © Fredrika Stjärne These crumbly, ultra-peanutty cookies require only four ingredients: puffed-corn cereal, peanut butter cups, peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles. The powdery texture of the ground cereal prevents the cookies from feeling sticky. These are perfect for when you want to eat cookies in just thirty minutes. So basically all of the time. Go to recipe 11 of 30 Day 11: Chocolate Panna Cotta with Spiced Pepita Brittle © Con Poulos This light, silky panna cotta tastes a lot like hot cocoa in custard form. The brittle is easy to make; heat sugar and water on the stove, swirl in butter and spiced pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), then let cool. The panna cottas can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The pepita brittle can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Go to recipe 12 of 30 Day 12: Frosty Strawberry-and-Cream Milkshakes Christina Holmes With just four ingredients, you can make an upgraded vanilla milkshake that will completely blow your mind. Perfect for cooling down on a hot day or to satisfy your sweet tooth, a quick puree of fresh strawberries and lemon zest creates a delicious fruit floater for this ultra-creamy dessert drink. Go to recipe 13 of 30 Day 13: Gianduja Mousse Frances Janisch As if the chocolate-hazelnut spread gianduja isn't delicious enough straight off the spoon (it is), we fold in fluffy whipped cream and sweet crème fraîche to create a truly decadent (and ridiculously easy) mousse. For a super easy ice cream sandwich, spoon the mousse between chocolate wafers and freeze overnight. Go to recipe 14 of 30 Day 14: German Chocolate Cake Sundae https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/german-chocolate-cake-sundae Like many pastry chefs, Ghaya Oliveira loves taking classic desserts, breaking them down into their components and reconfiguring them. This approach inspired us to transform a traditional recipe for German chocolate cake into an elegant and incredibly delicious ice cream sundae. This is a sure-fire, thirty-minute way to achieve pure happiness. 15 of 30 Day 15: Cherries Poached in Red Wine with Mascarpone Cream Ben Dearnley The classic combination of fruit and cheese is an age-old pairing that will always be delicious. Thick mascarpone cheese mixed with honey makes a luscious topping for poached summer cherries. You can serve the dessert either warm or cold. Honestly, you cannot go wrong. We love it both ways. Go to recipe 16 of 30 Day 16: Triple-Cheese Cheesecake with Amaretti Crust Johnny Miller This is one of the most beautiful cheesecakes you will ever make and it requires absolutely zero minutes of baking. This killer cheesecake has an ethereally light, creamy texture and fantastic crunchy crust made from honey graham crackers and amaretti cookies. Serve this to impress guests at your next dinner party and you definitely won't regret it. Go to recipe 17 of 30 Day 17: Apple-Butter Ice Cream with Ginger-Chocolate Ganache David Malosh Folding apple butter into vanilla ice cream is a great way to add elegance. We also add grated ginger to melted chocolate to make a fast sundae topping; for a more caramel-like sauce, substitute dulce de leche for the melted chocolate. This is the perfect, elevated ice cream dish and all you need is a microwave! Go to recipe 18 of 30 Day 18: Yogurt Panna Cotta with Pineapple Granita © Con Poulos This is a play on the classic panna cotta. Instead of heavy cream and whole milk yogurt, this version is made with Greek yogurt and non-fat sour cream that is luxuriously creamy, yet still low in fat and calories. Paired with refreshing and fruity pineapple granita, we love the combination of creamy and icy. Go to recipe 19 of 30 Day 19: Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles Rolled in Spices Hans Gissinger If you are a chocolate person, you definitely will want to make these bittersweet truffles. They are coated with a blend of Chinese and Mexican spices, which make them unlike any truffles you've ever had. This recipe calls for cardamom, allspice, chipotle powder and five-spice powder. Talk about flavor! Go to recipe 20 of 30 Day 20: Berry Fool with Black Pepper SABRA KROCK Black pepper is an unlikely and stimulating addition to this dessert of fresh strawberries in whipped cream flavored with raspberry puree and Grand Marnier. This is a perfect, quick weeknight dessert that will satisfy your sweet craving. It's also ideal during the summer when berries are at their most juicy. Go to recipe 21 of 30 Day 21: Caramel-Pear-Cheesecake Trifle While the concept of a trifle may eternally remind us of Rachel's meat and whipped cream iteration on Friends, we have concocted a delicious version that may rival that memory. This decadent pear-and-caramel trifle is perfect for a party because it can be made a day ahead and it serves a crowd. Go to recipe 22 of 30 Day 22: Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds © John Kernick This rich, dark chocolate bark is just what you need when you have a craving. "I'm more addicted to chocolate than I am to sugar," says chocolatier Jacques Torres. A small piece of this super-chunky dark-chocolate bark staves off his intense cravings. Plus, it takes only thirty minutes to make. 23 of 30 Day 23: Lemon-Cherry Yogurt Parfait Stephanie Foley Thick and creamy Greek-style yogurt is a fast and healthy base for tangy parfaits. Here, we fold some of the yogurt with lemon juice and zest, mix the rest with chunky cherry preserves, then spoon the yogurt into glasses in alternate layers. It's ideal for a dessert or a sweet afternoon snack. Go to recipe 24 of 30 Day 24: Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Honeyed Cranberries Quentin Bacon This clever version of classic cheesecake with canned cherries on top substitutes goat cheese for the cream cheese and glazed cranberries for the cherries. It's a quick elevation that is not much more expensive or more time consuming than the classic version. You can definitely have this cake and eat it, too! Go to recipe 25 of 30 Day 25: Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream JAMES BAIGRIE Coffee lovers, this recipe is tailor made for you. We recommend that you top the granita with a hefty portion of whipped cream; you'll need the mild sweetness of the cream to balance the strong espresso. If you're cutting down on caffeine, you can use decaffeinated espresso beans instead of regular. Go to recipe 26 of 30 Day 26: No-Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberries © Kamran Siddiqi In his version of no-bake cheesecake, baker and cookbook author Kamran Siddiqi beats melted white chocolate and citrus zest into the creamy filling for a deep, decadent flavor. If you're looking to make this ahead for entertaining, the cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Top with the jam and strawberries before serving. Go to recipe 27 of 30 Day 27: Creamy Rose Panna Cotta ANNA WILLIAMS This luxurious panna cotta is so special because of one key ingredient: Italian rose syrup, which provides a lovely, delicate floral flavor. Imported Italian rose syrup, which can be found at specialty food stores, is the best choice. We like Organic Rose Syrup (Sciroppo di Rose), produced by Azienda Agricola Magliano. Go to recipe 28 of 30 Day 28: Armagnac Chocolate Truffles © Marcus Nilsson Pastry expert Dominique Ansel’s Armagnac-spiked truffles are dipped in melted chocolate before being dusted with cocoa powder. The crunchy outer shell and tender ganache inside are an irresistible matchup. Plus, the coated truffles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Go to recipe 29 of 30 Day 29: Concord Grape Granita © Tina Rupp This icy dessert gets its sweet, tangy taste from Concord grape juice, which has three times the antioxidant power of orange and grapefruit juices. We imagine ourselves cooling down and eating it by the pool, under some palm trees, on a very hot day. Can't you just picture it? We can. Go to recipe 30 of 30 Day 30: Lemony Layered Cheesecake JONATHAN LOVEKIN This citrusy cheesecake is the perfect make-ahead dish for entertaining because it requires eight full hours of chilling. Luckily, it only takes twenty active minutes to put together. The smart trick here is using prepared ingredients to compose this tangy icebox cake. It truly takes barely any effort at all. Go to recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit