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.
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Chilled Peach Soup with Fresh Goat Cheese

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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.

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Strawberry Shortcake with Star Anise Sauce

Credit: © ANNA WILLIAMS
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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.

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Peach Crostata

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

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Summer Fruit Salad with Arugula and Almonds

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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.

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Raspberry Clafoutis

Credit: Tina Rupp
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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.

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Berry Ice Cream Pie

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

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Zucchini Ribbons and Peaches with Macadamia Cream

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“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.

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Summer Plum Crostata

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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.

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Strawberry-Ricotta Tartlets

Credit: © Con Poulos
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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.

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Peach Donkey

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

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Summer Berry Tarts

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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.

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Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime

Credit: John Kernick
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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.

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Grilled-Fruit Bruschetta with Honey Mascarpone

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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.

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Vietnamese Peach Relish

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

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Chicken with Peach-Jalapeño Salsa

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Make the most of peach season with this spicy salsa.

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Blue-Barb Jam

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

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Peach-and-Blackberry Crisp

Credit: William Meppem
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Serve this dish with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

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Mixed Berry Hobo Packs with Grilled Pound Cake

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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Berries grilled in a foil pack are delicious with everything from ice cream to grilled pound cake.

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Minted Watermelon Popsicles

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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.

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Honeyed Yogurt and Blueberry Tart with Ginger Crust

Credit: John Kernick
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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.

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Grilled Peaches and Plums with Mascarpone

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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.

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Cherry-Berry Pie

Credit: Tina Rupp
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This tasty pie combines cherries, raspberries, and blueberries.

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Golden Melon Salad with Lemony Yogurt and Chiles

Credit: Con Poulos
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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.

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Grilled Watermelon with Yogurt

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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.”

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Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Credit: Grace Parisi
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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).

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Strawberry Granita with Sweet Pesto

Credit: Victor Protasio
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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.

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Tomato and Watermelon Bites

Credit: Greg DuPree
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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.

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Blackberry and Mascarpone Crêpe Cake

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

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Peach and Cashew Biryani Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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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.

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Grilled Apricots with Burrata, Country Ham and Arugula

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

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