30 Summer Fruit Recipes We Love

By Food & Wine
Updated July 26, 2019
Fresh fruit in the summer is one of life’s simple pleasures—juicy, sweet (or tart, depending on said fruit), and perfect for snacking. However, beyond the usual slices of watermelon and handfuls of blueberries, we always have a few pies, salads, and other recipes we keep bookmarked for this time of year. Strawberries are turned into a cooling, refreshing granita with a honey-sweetened pesto; apricots (or peaches, if you prefer them) make a knockout dish with burrata, country ham, and arugula. Tempted? Read on for all of the other ways we’ll be cooking with fruit this summer.
Start Slideshow

1 of 30

Chilled Peach Soup with Fresh Goat Cheese

Go to Recipe

Chef Jason Franey makes this sweet and tangy summer soup by marinating fresh peaches overnight with dried apricots, honey, vinegar and olive oil and then pureeing the mixture. Since peaches can vary in flavor, Franey suggests seasoning with vinegar to taste as you puree.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 30

Strawberry Shortcake with Star Anise Sauce

© ANNA WILLIAMS
Go to Recipe

A trio of ingredients—high-quality white chocolate in the batter, créme fraîche and heavy cream in the icing—make this all-American dessert especially rich and moist.

3 of 30

Peach Crostata

Iain Bagwell
Go to Recipe

Free-form tarts (sometimes called crostatas) are an easy, quick-to-prepare way to use up seasonal fruit.

Advertisement

4 of 30

Summer Fruit Salad with Arugula and Almonds

Go to Recipe

Suzanne Goin typically makes this savory and sweet salad with whatever fruit looks best at the market. Ripe green or black figs are some of her favorites and a couple of crushed ones can be used as the base for the vinaigrette, in place of the nectarine.

5 of 30

Raspberry Clafoutis

Tina Rupp
Go to Recipe

For this classic French dessert, Alix de Montille swapped in raspberries for the traditional cherries to better pair with Jean-Marc Roulot’s new raspberry eau-de-vie, La Framboise du Roulot.

6 of 30

Berry Ice Cream Pie

Go to Recipe

This recipe turns out a berry ice cream pie that is as beautiful as it is deliciously refreshing.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 30

Zucchini Ribbons and Peaches with Macadamia Cream

Go to Recipe

“I use macadamia nuts two ways in this summery zucchini-and-peach salad: chopped, for crunch, and also pureed, to make a dairy-free cream,” says chef Alyssa Gorelick.

8 of 30

Summer Plum Crostata

Go to Recipe

This elegant tart is a great option for cooking in the bare-bones kitchen of a mountain cabin, since it doesn’t require a special pan. Kelly Liken uses Colorado plums, which she loves for their “beautiful tartness.” Even when ripe, the plums are somewhat tangy, thanks to Colorado’s cool nighttime temperatures. Any firm-but-ripe plums will work perfectly here.

9 of 30

Strawberry-Ricotta Tartlets

© Con Poulos
Go to Recipe

Heather Tirrell uses buttermilk to make the ricotta she piles on graham tartlet shells. But any good, store-bought ricotta would be fine, she says.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 30

Peach Donkey

Go to Recipe

Ginger liqueur, ginger beer, vodka, peach puree, and ice come together for this refreshing drink.

11 of 30

Summer Berry Tarts

Go to Recipe

Excellent-quality puff pastry (F&W likes the Dufour brand) makes all the difference to this minimalist fruit dessert. Berries simmered in a little sugar become a slightly gooey, fresh-tasting topping.

12 of 30

Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime

John Kernick
Go to Recipe

The recipe is a fabulous blend of juicy (watermelon) and crunchy (red onions and walnuts). For anyone who thinks raspberry vinegar went out with the ’90s, this fruity vinaigrette will be a revelation.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 30

Grilled-Fruit Bruschetta with Honey Mascarpone

Go to Recipe

This knife-and-fork dessert from Michael Glissman is a fantastic showcase for seasonal fruit at its peak; caramelizing the fruit on the grill intensifies its flavor. The grilled bread served alongside soaks up the sweet juices.

14 of 30

Vietnamese Peach Relish

Go to Recipe

Alice Waters likes eating savory peach relishes with fish. Make sure to use peaches that are firm enough to hold their shape once diced.

15 of 30

Chicken with Peach-Jalapeño Salsa

Go to Recipe

Make the most of peach season with this spicy salsa.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 30

Blue-Barb Jam

Go to Recipe

Instead of strawberries, fresh blueberries are paired with rhubarb in this incredibly simple and delicious sweet-tart jam.

17 of 30

Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp

William Meppem
Go to Recipe

Serve this dish with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

18 of 30

Mixed Berry Hobo Packs with Grilled Pound Cake

© Tina Rupp
Go to Recipe

Berries grilled in a foil pack are delicious with everything from ice cream to grilled pound cake.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 30

Minted Watermelon Popsicles

Go to Recipe

These popsicles are a great fat-free snack, made with lots of naturally sweet watermelon and only a little sugar. They can be frozen in special popsicle molds or in standard ice cube trays (three cubes equals one serving). Joy Manning has them whenever she feels the temptation to visit the new gelato shop around the corner from her apartment.

20 of 30

Honeyed Yogurt and Blueberry Tart with Ginger Crust

John Kernick
Go to Recipe

Melissa Rubel Jacobson mixes creamy yogurt with honey so it’s deliciously sweet and tangy, then she spreads it in a graham-cracker crust spiced with bits of crystallized ginger and tops it with plump blueberries.

21 of 30

Grilled Peaches and Plums with Mascarpone

Go to Recipe

Caramelizing plums and peaches on the grill brings out their natural sweetness, and Francis Mallmann bastes them with melted butter and sugar to make them even more luscious. A dollop of cool mascarpone tops the warm fruit.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 30

Cherry-Berry Pie

Tina Rupp
Go to Recipe

This tasty pie combines cherries, raspberries, and blueberries.

23 of 30

Golden Melon Salad with Lemony Yogurt and Chiles

Con Poulos
Go to Recipe

Creamy, rich whole milk yogurt carries the sweetness of juicy watermelon and cantaloupe in this refreshing summer salad. Perfect for brunch or dinner, the dressing adds just enough spice and acidity. For the sweetest melons, look for watermelons that sound hollow when you knock on them and have a pale yellow patch from where they sat in the field.

24 of 30

Grilled Watermelon with Yogurt

Go to Recipe

This is Michael Psilakis’s modern take on the traditional Greek combination of watermelon and feta cheese. It features the creamy yogurt he grew up eating in New York’s Long Island: “My mom made it at home all the time, and we’d snack on it with honey after school.”

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 30

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Grace Parisi
Go to Recipe

These muffins are easy to make: Simply mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them. Since the baking powder, which lightens the muffins, is activated by moisture, get the batter into the oven immediately. For soft edges, use liners; for crisp edges, use a well-greased, unlined pan. You can easily replace the blueberries with other kinds of fresh fruit, such as raspberries or peaches (chopped into small pieces).

26 of 30

Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto

Victor Protasio
Go to Recipe

Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson pairs a subtly tangy berry granita with honey-sweetened pesto in this refreshing summer dessert. Choose the sweetest, juiciest berries for the most flavorful granita.

27 of 30

Tomato and Watermelon Bites

Greg DuPree
Go to Recipe

This elegant amuse-bouche showcases Michael Gallina’s zero-waste approach: Tomato skins are dried to become an umami-rich flavored salt; the tomato seeds and pulp, plus the brine of pickled green tomatoes, become the base of the Tomato Water Gazpacho.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 30

Blackberry and Mascarpone Crêpe Cake

Victor Protasio
Go to Recipe

Gail Simmons says this is her new favorite cake, layered with rich mascarpone whipped cream, tart berries, and a little lemon zest.

29 of 30

Peach and Cashew Biryani Salad

Jennifer Causey
Go to Recipe

Biryanis are traditionally served hot, laden with cooked meats, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. Chef Biju Thomas reimagines the dish as a refreshing summer side, starting with cooled basmati rice and an array of dried fruits that puff and crisp in coconut oil. The lentils make it hearty enough for a lunch main and a fantastic alternative to your usual cookout starches.

30 of 30

Grilled Apricots with Burrata, Country Ham and Arugula

Go to Recipe

Depending on the season, Travis Lett also makes this salad with plums, peaches and pears.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Advertisement