If you ask folks what their favorite fruit is, chances are that you will have a lot of people say that it’s strawberries. This isn’t surprising, however, as strawberries are a sweet, refreshing fruit that’s not only a delightful dessert in itself, but also lends its best qualities to enhance other desserts.
Summertime is the peak time for strawberries, thus making it the perfect time of year to experiment with a variety of desserts that have strawberries as their star. If you’re a strawberry lover and you’re ready to get down to creating some delicious summer recipes, then come along with us as we check out these thirteen fun and refreshing strawberry desserts for summertime!
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars are a sweet little bit of summer nostalgia for many of us, after all, who doesn’t remember enjoying a few of these tasty treats? Now, you can make these frozen delights at home! Use fresh strawberries along with strawberry ice cream (or go the extra mile and make homemade strawberry ice cream to make these with) and butter and cookie crumble coating to recreate this childhood favorite for yourself.
Strawberry Poke Cake
To create this moist, delicious strawberry delight, you poke holes in a white cake, then mix up strawberry gelatin and pour it over the entire cake. Frost and decorate with fresh strawberries and you have not only a delectable dessert but also one that’s almost too pretty to eat. This dessert would be a hit at just about any sort of summer get-together.
Classic Strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberries and cheesecake are a combination that was simply meant to be. Whether you simply garnish the cheesecake with whole berries or you mix in a bit of strawberry glaze as well, there is no denying the absolutely heavenly combination of sweet strawberries and the cool, creamy cheesecake.
Strawberry Pretzel Dessert
This dessert was, believe it or not, inspired by the classic strawberry cheesecake. It’s a combination of fresh, juicy strawberries and whipped cream, all piled on top of a crunchy crust of crushed pretzels. This dessert has two great flavor and texture combos going for it, from sweet and salty to crunchy and creamy, your mouth will be too busy exploding with sensation to do much else while eating this dessert.
Strawberry Gelatin with Fresh Strawberries
An incredibly simple dessert to pull off, this combination of cool, jiggly strawberry gelatin and fresh strawberries will please just about any strawberry lover. Add a bit of whipped cream on top of each individual serving for an extra punch of texture that’s sweet and creamy.
No-Bake Strawberry Delight
No-Bake Strawberry Delight is a great summer recipe because, of course, you don’t have to turn the oven on. However, this delightful dessert also features a great combination of a graham cracker crust and a sweet, fluffy strawberry filling that is perfect for a hot summer evening.
Creamy Fruit Pops
This is another simple dessert that you can prep, freeze, and forget until time to consume! Send some fresh strawberries through a food processor, along with plain yogurt and whichever milk you prefer, then pour into popsicle molds or simple paper cups, then place the sticks and freeze. These are a tasty way to cool off from some hot summer fun!
Strawberry Parfait
Strawberry Parfaits are not only absolutely delicious but they’re also visually appealing when made in a tall, clear glass so that you can see each individual layer of strawberries and cream. Add granola or your favorite nuts for a bit of crunch to go with your sweet, creamy fruit dessert.
Strawberry Trifle
Strawberry Trifle is another visually appealing dessert that is assembled in a large, clear glass bowl or specific trifle dish that would be a hit at any summer barbecue. With layers upon layers of fresh strawberries, cream, and most often squares of angel food or pound cake, it’s a rich, creamy dessert that’s bound to please just about any palate.
Spiked Berry Sundae
Now, here’s a fun one that’s for adults only! These sundaes are made by soaking strawberries along with other berries of your choice in a margarita. Once they have soaked in the cocktail for a while, simply drizzle over some vanilla ice cream and you have a refreshing and slightly boozy dessert!
Strawberry Smoothie
For an on-the-go dessert that can be enjoyed anywhere, you’ve got to try whipping up a strawberry smoothie. The wonderful thing about smoothies is that along with a few basic ingredients, you can customize these thick, frothy beverages to suit just about anyone. Add bananas, granola, vanilla extract and graham cracker crumbs, or whatever else your heart desires to create the ultimate smoothie just for you.
Mixed Berry Tiramisu
For even more mixed berry fun, grab some fresh strawberries and try out this twist on a coffee-flavored classic. Ladyfingers are still a key component in this recipe, and you’re also using softened fresh berries and mascarpone cheese to create this delightfully decadent dessert. This is one that is best served in a clear glass bowl or dish, because it’s another visually appealing dessert that has gorgeous layers.
Roasted Strawberries
This is one that you’re going to want to keep on hand to enhance other desserts. Roast a large batch of strawberries to ensure that you have enough stored up to spoon over ice cream, cheesecakes, cakes, yogurt, and a variety of other desserts for a punch of strawberry flavor.
Summertime is for Strawberries!
This summer, be sure to check out these, as well as many other recipe ideas out there for some amazing, delicious desserts and take advantage of those big, beautiful strawberries that you are growing or that you’ve had your eye on at the local farmer’s market.