This collection of easy summer recipes celebrates the vibrant summer fruits and vegetables at their peak. When you let the best produce summer has to offer really shine — it makes every meal easy to prepare, healthy, and as delicious as possible.
Summer Fruits and Vegetables In-Season Right Now
After months of hard work in the garden, summertime is when we see the “fruits” of our labors and get to enjoy all sorts of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here’s a great list to consult from our friends at RFD-TV: https://www.rfdtv.com/summer-produce-guide
There are so many wonderful fresh foods to enjoy in the summer! From refreshing salads and sides to flavorful main dishes and delectable fruit desserts, these recipes capture the essence of summer’s freshest produce.
Summer Salads and Sides
These summer salads and sides are a delightful way to enjoy the season’s bounty, offering a refreshing and nutritious complement to any meal. With ingredients like crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, and vibrant greens, these dishes are bursting with fresh flavors and colors. These light and healthy options are perfect for picnics, barbecues, or as accompaniments to grilled meats, making them a staple of summer dining.
Stone Fruit Salad with Goat Cheese and Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette
Recipe by Chenee Today
This recipe for Summer Stone Fruit Salad with Goat Cheese, Mint, and Almonds is an essential summer dish to enjoy when peaches are at their peak. It becomes next-level tasty with the added honey-lemon salad dressing. You’ll love this nectarine, plum, and peach fruit salad.
Easy Cucumber and Carrot Salad
Recipe by The Vegan Larder
This crunchy and refreshing Easy Cucumber and Carrot Salad is perfect for eating as a quick and healthy side dish to serve with wings or burgers, or as part of a Japanese or Korean-inspired feast!
Tropical Fruit Salad
Recipe by Finding Zest
This Tropical Fruit Salad recipe features a simple pineapple glaze, mango, strawberries, and kiwi. Switch it up with your favorite fruits or what you have on hand and watch it disappear! Makes a refreshing side dish or light dessert for any summer gathering including birthday parties, BBQs, picnics, potlucks, and more. Use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or ice cream!
Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
Recipe by Wholesome Made Easy
Fresh sweet corn and cherry tomatoes are the base for this easy-as-can-be recipe for Summer Corn Salad. A simple lime vinaigrette brightens up the flavors in this healthy side dish.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Balsamic & Feta
Recipe by Kim Schoab
This fresh Heirloom Tomato Salad has all the flavor of summer! It’s tart, sweet, salty, and full of freshness with the addition of fresh herbs, balsamic dressing, and feta crumbled on top!
Strawberry Chicken Salad with Creamy Maple Dressing
Recipe by Delicious on a Dime
This EASY Strawberry Chicken Salad by Delicious on a Dime — and the Creamy Maple Dressing that goes with it — are SO addictive! You’ll be craving this perfect summer dish every day of the season.
Easy Grilled Veggie Skewers
Recipe by The Forked Spoon
These easy Grilled Veggie Skewers by The Forked Spoon are perfectly charred, drizzled with tangy balsamic vinegar, and brushed with a fresh garlic herb sauce. Made with red onion, zucchini, and colorful bell peppers, these delicious vegetable skewers cook evenly thanks to their similar cooking time.
Summer Main Dishes
Capture the essence of the summer with these easy summer main dishes that bring a burst of fresh flavors to the table. Perfect for light, healthy dining, these summer main courses highlight the best of the season’s bounty. Ideal for family dinners, casual gatherings, and outdoor feasts, they offer a delicious way to enjoy summer’s freshest offerings.
Summer Cobb Salad
Recipe by Valerie’s Kitchen
Brighten up your dinner menu with this fresh Summer Cobb Salad. Crunchy romaine is layered with tender bites of chicken, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, smoky bacon, and tangy blue cheese. Drizzle it with a creamy basil dressing for an absolutely crave-worthy meal.
Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
Recipe by The Cookin’ Chicks
This easy dinner recipe for Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken by The Cookin’ Chicks is simple to prepare and packed with flavor! Bonus: The dish is also low-carb, Keto-friendly, and perfect for summer!!
Instant Pot Ratatouille – Inspired by Julia Child
Recipe by Paint The Kitchen Red
This Instant Pot Ratatouille recipe is a delicious satisfying vegetarian and vegan dish made with summer’s bounty of zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, tomato, and fresh herbs. This ratatouille recipe was inspired by Julia Child’s classic ratatouille recipe and developed for the Instant Pot by Neena Panicker of Paint the Kitchen Red. (She includes stovetop directions, too!
Easy Baked Goat Cheese and Chive Stuffed Tomatoes
Recipe by Coley Cooks
This easy recipe for Baked Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes has only five ingredients and can be made in 20 minutes or less! They have an amazing balance of textures and flavors and make the best side dish when tomatoes are in season.
Spaghetti Sauce Recipe With Fresh Tomatoes
Recipe by The Clean Eating Couple
Learn how to make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes. An easy Fresh tomato spaghetti sauce recipe everyone will love!
Easy Summer Desserts and Drink Recipes
Summer fruit desserts are a delightful way to savor the season’s sweetest offerings. Featuring juicy berries, ripe peaches, and succulent melons, these treats are refreshing and naturally sweet. Perfect for warm days, these desserts highlight the vibrant flavors and beautiful colors of summer’s best fruits, making every bite a celebration of the season without keeping you stuck in the kitchen.
Peach and Cherry Cobbler
Recipe by Sigsbee & Street
Cobblers are a go-to dessert for any summer soiree because they are super simple and a great way to highlight peak summer produce like sweet and juicy stonefruits. This peach and cherry cobbler is the perfect summer dessert.
Fresh Strawberry Mousse
Recipe by Low Carb Africa
This keto strawberry mousse recipe is Light and creamy with a burst of fresh strawberry flavor. It’s a perfect late-night treat or a delicious dessert to share with friends and family. It’ll be a huge hit, and no one will even know it’s a keto-friendly dessert!
Watermelon and Thyme Lemonade
Recipe by Flour On My Face
This Homemade Watermelon Thyme Lemonade recipe using freshly squeezed lemons, fresh watermelon juice, and thyme simple syrup is a unique fruit-infused lemonade recipe that will refresh your guests. This herbal lemonade recipe is perfect in the summer.
