Food Recipe Collections & Favorites 14 Summer Fruits—and How to Cook With Them Up your seasonal fruit game with these simple recipes. By Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Instagram Twitter Website Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner is a writer and recipe developer. She's a regular contributor to The New York Times, Time Out New York, Forbes, and many more publications. She also writes the food newsletter, Specialty. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 29, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: GREG DUPREE Saying hello to summer also means saying hello to a plethora of fruit. While a juicy bundle of grapes or fresh wedge of watermelon is excellent straight out of the fridge, take your fruit game up a notch by using your favorite summer fruits in easy, creative recipes that celebrate the season's bounty at its best.Whether cooked or just paired with other excellent, raw ingredients, these easy summer fruit recipes—think appetizers, side dishes, desserts, and more—will make the upcoming hot days even more delicious. Keep reading for some mealtime inspiration! 10 Summer Vegetables—and How to Cook With Them 01 of 14 Creamy Mango Smoothie Gorchittza2012/Getty Images get the recipe The most humid of days can be cured with a good mango, and this chilly mango smoothie makes even the muggiest of summer afternoons bearable. Keep some seasonal summer mangos in stock to blend this up when the craving hits. 02 of 14 Raspberry-Almond Crumb Bars Greg DuPree get the recipe In just 10 minutes, you can prep your own fruit-filled snack bars to grab and go throughout the week. Use your own homemade jam, or grab a fresh jar to bring out the raspberry flavor. 03 of 14 Green Gazpacho With Grapes Greg DuPree get the recipe A relish of honeydew, cucumber, and green grapes (a summer must!) make this cold soup recipe even more refreshing and bright. Pack it for a festive summer lunch or serve it as a refreshing dinner. 04 of 14 Grilled Cantaloupe Prosciutto Skewers Victor Protasio Cured meat and melon are an excellent duo, especially when they're paired together on a stick. Whip up these skewers as a treat to yourself after a long summer day, or have them in the fridge ready to grill mid-way through an outdoor summer party. 05 of 14 Watermelon Salad With Pickled Rind Victor Protasio get the recipe For those who just toss the watermelon rind, this salad may be a revelation! It's sweet, juicy, crisp, and crunchy, and even a little salty and bitter, thanks to the pickled rind. 06 of 14 Nectarine and Burrata Salad Greg DuPree get the recipe Creamy cheese and stone fruits are always a good idea, and this easy salad with just a hint of acidity proves it. The nut topping adds a nice crunch too! RELATED: The 15 Best Side Dishes for Salmon 07 of 14 Pluot Tabbouleh get the recipe A futuristic cross between a plum and an apricot, pluots are truly special hybrids. This simple tabbouleh recipe gets brightness from chunks of pluot, which is great with grilled meats or on its own. 08 of 14 Spiced Chicken Salad With Plums and Chickpeas Garam masala—an Indian seasoning blend—lends warmth and complexity to this bright, juicy salad. Get the recipe for Spiced Chicken Salad With Plums and Chickpeas. Christopher Baker get the recipe A spiced yogurt dressing is the key to this super unique chicken salad with pops of summer plums and legumes. Serve it on crackers or toast, or make it a full meal in a big bowl. 09 of 14 Fancy Tomato Sandwiches Greg DuPree get the recipe Perhaps the best fruit of the season, late summer tomatoes are worth waiting for, and celebrating in recipes that let their juiciness shine. The tomatoes do all the work in these fancy sandwiches, you just have to enjoy them. 10 of 14 Honeydew Blackberry Ice Cream Sundaes Victor Protasio get the recipe Upgrade your typical ice cream sundae with this summer fruit-forward recipe. Melon balls on ice cream scoops are a brilliant idea, and even make your dessert a little healthier! 11 of 14 Cherries Jubilee Joseph De Leo get the recipe A fun and fancy name for candied cherries, these cherries are cooked in butter, sugar, and a little brandy. If you've got any summer cherries in the produce drawer that may have gotten too soft, this is a great way to use 'em up. Serve them over ice cream or Greek yogurt, or just spoon them up solo as a sweet summer treat. 12 of 14 Frozen Strawberry Trifle Caitlin Bensel This freezer dessert is always a showstopper at a party, but it can also be an at-home indulgence for one or two if you wish. It keeps in the freezer for days, if not weeks, so you can make this trifle with your fresh summer strawberries and have dessert ready to go whenever you want. RELATED: 5 Cakes You Can Make in a Slow Cooker That Require Very Little Effort 13 of 14 Peach Crisp Though peaches are at peak season in summer, you can make this cobbler with winter fruits as well. Try subbing in pears, cherries, or blackberries, then top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Get the recipe. Con Poulos get the recipe That first day you see ripe peaches for sale in summer? A big win! Make this crisp to savor your first peaches of the season. And all the peaches that follow, too... 14 of 14 Blueberry Cobbler The buttery biscuits soak up all the luscious juices from the sweet blueberries. Get the recipe. Lisa Hubbard Summer blueberries are truly the greatest, and the best way to honor these little orbs of juiciness is in a cobbler. Serve this version à la mode with French vanilla ice cream for the most decadence. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit