61 Berry Desserts to Bake Before Summer’s Up

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, special occasion-worthy

"While I encourage you to make this berry dessert with homemade biscuits, [since] they’re infused with lemon zest and have an impossibly fluffy texture," explains PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen, "you can take a shortcut with store-bought biscuit dough." Your secret is safe with me.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients

As if buttery, sweet-tart lemon bars weren’t flawless enough. "The secret isn’t food dye, but raspberry puree, which tames the tart citrus flavor and adds a berry hue," Gillen explains. "The filling is thickened with flour instead of cornstarch, which means it’s guaranteed to set and won’t become weepy over time."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

"As it bakes, the berries form a sweet, caramelized layer," Gillen raves. In other words, it basically "frosts" itself. Simply invert the cake onto a platter and…you’re done.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly

Aren't they lovely? Soft lemon cakes meet delicate raspberry-infused cream and fresh fruit for an easily transportable berry dessert that will change how you picnic forever.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser

Food coloring? I don’t know her. Instead, the crust gets its vibrant pink hue from freeze-dried strawberries, which you can find at most grocery stores (including Trader Joe's).

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Despite its fancy appearance, this sweet-tart berry dessert is a breeze to put together. The chocolate layer is similar to mousse, but it’s nothing but melted chocolate folded into whipped cream.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

Two summer stars unite to create one stunning treat. A bit of whole-wheat flour offers just a touch of earthy, nutty flavor to the cake.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

We modernized this old-school British dessert by preparing it on a sheet pan instead of in a crystal-cut bowl, which will make the meringue, whipped cream and fruit way more accessible to your guests.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

Panna cotta is a much simpler filling for these shortbread tarts than pastry cream, since it doesn’t require you to bust out the stand mixer. As for the crust, it takes three simple ingredients, including store-bought shortbread.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

What if I told you that you could make a killer pint of ice cream without a fancy ice cream maker? Here, raspberries are blended with a few pantry staples in a stand mixer instead.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, gluten free

These fruity clouds of meringue are as stunning as they are easy to make. Serve them at your next dinner party to wow your guests (and to satisfy anyone who doesn't eat gluten).

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients

Leave it to baker extraordinaire Erin McDowell to create a foolproof soufflé recipe. The key is to not overmix the batter and being gentle with the treats from start to finish, so they don’t deflate.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser

The key to this hybrid is the brown sugar-oat streusel on top, which stands in for traditional lattice pie crust. In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that?

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

Move the burgers and dogs aside to make room on the grates for slabs of store-bought angel food cake. Fresh whipped cream and blueberry sauce transform it into something spectacular, so your guests won’t suspect the shortcut.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

Get in, we're going to Paris. These light-as-air puff pastries are not only stuffed with vanilla crème pâtissière, but they’re also bursting with fresh passionfruit pulp and raspberries.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: no bake, make ahead, crowd-pleaser

Keep this simple recipe in your back pocket for any event that calls for a red, white and blue dessert. The filling is tangy and rich, thanks to a ricotta-cream cheese base.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, gluten free, vegan

This berry dessert recipe is super versatile, so feel free to spruce up the tart by tossing in warm spices or citrus zest, adding sliced pears or peaches or substituting frozen berries for fresh.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

Ah, the galette, or as I like to call it, the lazy baker’s pie. You won’t have to fuss over the freeform crust: Just pile the fruit in the center, fold the edges over and bake until bubbly.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, one pan

This beauty is like a cross between cornbread, coffee cake and a blueberry muffin. The brown sugar streusel qualifies it as dessert, but feel free to have this cornbread for breakfast instead.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, one bowl

All these cuties require is a whisk, a mixing bowl and a handful of pantry staples. Good luck not eating them all in one sitting, friend.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

When a cheesecake craving hits but you don’t have the energy to make one, turn to this ten-minute crowd-pleaser. It’s marbled with strawberry preserves, but I wouldn’t blame you for adding freshly chopped berries to the mix too.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

Made with easy store-bought biscuits and generously brushed with honey butter. Up the summer ante by adding a toasted s’mores-style marshmallow to each shortcake.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients

You’ve had raw strawberries and vanilla ice cream before, but just wait until you try them roasted. A stint in the oven concentrates their sweetness.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: no bake, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Graham cracker crust and silky cream cheese filling don’t need any tweaking to be delicious. But once you try cheesecake crowned with a zingy raspberry topping, you might never look back.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead

With so many blueberries piled on top, this confection is basically a fruit salad. Go ahead, have a slice (or um, two) for breakfast—I encourage it.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Psst: Make this your cast iron skillet’s next project. Bonus points for dragging a spoon through the batter to achieve a swirly marbled pattern.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

This pie looks like it was plucked straight out of a fairytale. Chalk the blush-colored meringue whisps up to blitzed, freeze-dried raspberries.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, gluten free

Gluten-free almond shortcake + strawberry-chia jam + coconut-cashew whipped cream = plant-based heaven. Assemble them ahead for easy transport to a cookout, dinner party or beach outing.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly

The intense raspberry flavor in these larger-than-life cookies pairs seamlessly with malty, nutty rye flour. Feel free to freeze the dough for up to two months, so you can bake these whenever a craving strikes.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

Yup, you can make so much more than lava cake in your trusty microwave. The best part is that the recipe only makes one serving, so you won’t be stuck with a ton of leftovers (although there are worse problems to have).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, make ahead, crowd-pleaser

Sure, the cake is free of refined sugar, loaded with fiber and contains ten grams of protein per slice. But generous doses of maple syrup, blueberries and coconut sugar keep its flavor on the sweet side.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser

Isn’t she lovely? Sink your teeth into two layers of fluffy meringue, sandwiched together with whipped cream that’s infused with lemon curd and raspberry jam.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

You won’t believe how mind-blowingly easy the pink icing is to make. (We’re talking mashed strawberries and confectioners’ sugar.)

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Despite its Insta-worthy looks, this crepe cake couldn’t be easier to assemble. Add flecks of crushed freeze-dried raspberries to the crepe batter to make them even fruitier.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

The store-bought lemon cake mix won’t know what hit it once it’s being filled with homemade blueberry syrup. Your guests will love it so much they won't clock your shortcut, promise.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly, vegan

There’s no need to chase down the ice cream man for one of these bad boys ever again. Plus, the homemade version of these ice pops is free of food coloring and corn syrup.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead

If boozy ice pops are more your thing, these three-ingredient gems have your back. The only tough step of this recipe is waiting for them to freeze before digging in.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, gluten free

Thanks to a press-in pecan crust made with coconut oil instead of butter and a cashew-coconut milk filling, this berry dessert is equal parts dairy-free and indulgent. It's vegan and gluten free too, BTW.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

Three surprising ingredients take this stunner over the top: minced rosemary in the crust, balsamic vinegar in the fruit and sour cream in the whipped topping. But don't worry, it's still just as easy to master as any other galette.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

Any berry dessert topped with a layer of lilac meringue that tall is one after my own heart. Be sure to boil the filling for a full 30 seconds after adding the cornstarch, so all its flavor cooks out and the pie sets properly.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Any summer baby would be thrilled to have these at their birthday party. Not only are there lightly sweetened strawberries in the center of each cupcake, but there are also fresh ones and a dollop of whipped cream on top.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead

Bring on the antioxidants. These are healthy enough to have for breakfast (thanks, whole-wheat pastry flour), yet still indulgent enough to snack on before bed.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, special occasion-worthy

A single steamed beet and lots of fresh raspberries keep this pretty-in-pink pick from being overly sweet. Don’t even get me started on the mini meringue kisses.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

One bite and boom: You’re a kid who’s wrist-deep in a sundae all over again. This calls for all the rainbow sprinkles, if I do say so myself.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Proof that simplicity can be delicious—even without frosting. All this fruit-topped berry dessert needs is a hefty scoop of fresh whipped cream to be complete.

• Time Commitment: 5 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, beginner-friendly

Consider it a one-way ticket to paradise. Luckily, your humble blender can pull the treat off without the help of a shave ice machine.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly

I’ve had enough arugula salads in my life to know that floral, freshly cracked black pepper and summer berries are soulmates. The stars togarashi, a Japanese spice blend that’s toasty, spicy and sweet.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

Rolled buttercream-filled sponge cake topped with meringue marshmallows > reindeer-shaped sugar cookies. Even Santa will think this berry dessert is too pretty to eat.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, beginner-friendly

If you aren't familiar with blender muffins, I'm about to change your life. Instead of whisking (and whisking) the batter, all you do is dump the ingredients in a blender and whirl them until combined.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, make ahead

For those days when your heart screams “pie” but your brain says “nap.” Luckily, you're only 35 minutes away from flaky, jammy bliss with this simple recipe on your side.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, keto-friendly, low carb, <10 ingredients

They're sweet, tangy and oh-so filling, thanks to a decadent base of cream cheese and butter. They're also gluten free and only contain 5 grams of carbs per serving.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

If you’re wondering why this crostata looks so much like a galette…well, it’s because they’re basically the same thing, only the former is Italian and the latter is French. The more you know.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

A layer of smooth, tangy cream cheese filling is the ultimate foil for the sugary crumb topping and sour blackberries. The vanilla icing is optional...sort of.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly

Strawberry jam-infused cream cheese filling? Check. Sweet-and-salty pretzel crust? Check. St-Germain-kissed fruit? You bet. You're going to want seconds, trust.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly

These bold handhelds have Valentine’s Day dessert written all over them. Sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies for a next-level ice cream sandwich.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian

They’re stuffed with blueberry-vanilla goat cheese and lemon-spritzed blueberry filling, so each pie is kind of like a dough-wrapped charcuterie board. Need I say more?

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Cream cheese. Honey. Biscuits. That is all. Even better, the recipe calls for using frozen berries, so you can make this stunner all year round with ease.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead

Devour these whole-grain bars for breakfast, lunch or dessert. The vanilla glaze on top is totally optional (but I can’t think of a good reason for skipping it, TBH).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead

Warning: This cake will make you actually want to get out of bed in the morning. Wash it down with a hot cup of joe (or better yet, a white chocolate mocha).

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Using a star-shaped cookie cutter to slice the peaches and nectarines makes this simple berry dessert look a million times more impressive. No one will notice the store-bought phyllo dough.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

Is it cool if I drink the blueberry glaze straight from the saucepan? Top each doughnut with a flourish of sprinkles, dried blueberries or edible flower petals.