Even with the AC cranked and fans at full blast, tending to your oven at the peak of summer can be a hard sell. Now’s the time to lean on your fridge and freezer to do the heavy lifting for refreshing treats with this list of frosty and flavorful no-bake recipes.
1) Chocolate Icebox Cake
The icebox cake endures as a summer staple. Whether you decide to make your own cookies (a mere 10-minute bake) or go the store-bought route for a true no-bake recipe, the combination of wafer-thin cookies and lofty layers of cream transforms into a chilled, sliceable cake. (For a customizable experience, see our post How to make a summer icebox cake.)
Get the recipe: Chocolate Icebox Cake
2) No-Churn Frozen Yogurt Pie
Like an ice cream pie with a tangy, fruity side, this frozen yogurt pie stars Greek yogurt and fresh blackberries. The no-bake crust and no-churn method mean this frozen yogurt pie can be assembled in less than 30 minutes; the hardest part will be waiting for the layers to freeze before you dig in.
Get the recipe: No-Churn Frozen Yogurt Pie
3) Lemon Sherbet
Made with just five budget-friendly staple ingredients, this bright, summery sherbet is an opportunity for simplicity to shine. While an adornment of fresh fruit is certainly welcome, so is eating this sherbet straight out of the container for the most laidback of desserts.
Get the recipe: Lemon Sherbet
4) Tahini Chocolate Bars
Rich chocolate ganache and nutty tahini are a natural pairing that shines in this oven-free, no-bake dessert. The bottom tahini layer is mixed with butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs for a sturdy base with textured crunch, then finished off with a smooth layer of melted chocolate and cream.
Get the recipe: Tahini Chocolate Bars
5) Frozen Pistachio Pie
Hold the rolling pin and embrace this freezer-friendly pie. Chocolatey shortbread crust meets a velvety pistachio mousse in this stunner of a frozen no-bake dessert.
Get the recipe: Frozen Pistachio Pie
6) S'mores Icebox Cake
In this no-bake dessert, classic icebox cake gets the full s'mores treatment with cinnamon graham crackers, fudgy chocolate sauce, and toasted marshmallow whipped cream. It's even better than a campfire.
Get the recipe: S'mores Icebox Cake
7) No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Unlike heavier cheesecakes, this no-bake version has a mousse-like texture and flexible raspberry topping: You can make a quick raspberry sauce (as written in the recipe); macerate fresh raspberries; or take the easiest route and use your favorite raspberry jam.
Get the recipe: No-Bake Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
8) Rich Chocolate Mousse
Of all the million ways to make chocolate mousse, this is our go-to method. It is streamlined (as in, fewer dirty dishes) and difficult to mess up, plus it skips the raw egg. Most importantly, it produces a rich yet airy mousse with an intense chocolate flavor.
Get the recipe: Rich Chocolate Mousse
9) Easy Ice Cream Pie
Combining a utilitarian graham cracker crust and fail-proof no-churn ice cream —which only requires a can of condensed milk and pint of heavy cream — this recipe boasts convenience and bang for your buck. Let it serve as a springboard for add-ons or substitutions — for the crust, use your favorite store-bought cookies or flavor the ice cream however you please with melted chocolate or extracts, like almond.
Get the recipe: Easy Ice Cream Pie
10) Persian Date Halva
While classic Middle Eastern halva is typically made of tahini (sesame paste) and sugar, this halva variation substitutes Medjool dates for most of the sugar, resulting in a snackable treat that’s rich and fudgy.
Get the recipe: Persian Date Halva
11) Blackberry and Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
The combination of these two summer berries results in a brilliant magenta hue that will brighten up any dessert table. This frozen yogurt is so much more than its looks alone, too — macerating the berries and straining out their juice, rather than simply blending them, electrifies their ripe flavor into a sweet concentrate.
Get the recipe: Blackberry and Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
12) No-Bake French Silk Pie
Our version of French silk pie veers from tradition in a few ways: First, instead of the typical pastry crust, we opted for a cookie crust, which is easier, faster, and makes this entire dessert no-bake. We also added cream cheese to the filling and topping, lending a subtle tang to offset some of the richness. And lastly, for slimmer slices and a pretty presentation, we skipped the usual pie pan and used a lower-profile tart pan instead.
Get the recipe: No-Bake French Silk Pie
13) No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
To make these rich, hearty cookies, we toast the oats and the nuts for extra flavor and crunch, and we opt for almond butter instead of peanut butter. They’re fast to make (and eat)!
Get the recipe: No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Looking for more oven-free recipes? Check out our recipe collection of 16 No-Bake Recipes That Beat the Heat.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
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