23 Blueberry Dessert Recipes For A Sweet Summer

Blueberry Galette
Photo: Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck

When summer arrives, our fridges burst with the season's bounty. Whether from a U-Pick farm or a local farmer's market, fresh berries are one of our favorite summer ingredients. Even though blueberries make a delicious snack or morning oatmeal topper, we love including blueberries in desserts. These blueberry desserts are the tastiest way to use up your stock of blueberries if you went a little overboard at the market this week.

Whether making a fresh blueberry tart for a new neighbor, bringing blueberry crunch bars to the church potluck, or enjoying a cozy blueberry cobbler with your family after a weeknight dinner, these easy blueberry desserts are crowd-pleasers. Kids will love our blueberry desserts like popsicles, hand pies, and cupcakes. Still, you can serve dressier desserts like meringue with blueberry compote for your adults-only summer dinner party. These blueberry desserts are our favorite ways to enjoy fresh summer berries, with cool icebox pies, pretty cakes, and comforting cobblers.

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Black-and-Blue Buttermilk Tart

Black-and-Blue Buttermilk Tart
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This make-ahead dessert is just the cool—both in temperature and quality—finale your summer party needs. You'll want to use the buttery cracker crust for every pie you bake after trying it. For a pop of flavor, garnish with citrus zest.

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Petite Blueberry Cheesecakes

Petite Blueberry Cheesecake
Photo: Jennifer Davick

No one can fight over who got the biggest slice when dessert is already pre-portioned into adorable mini cakes. Bonus: Make the cheesecakes and freeze them up to a month in advance. We call this recipe a busy hostess win.

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Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler

Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler
Jennifer Davick

Top this colorful cobbler with scoops of Homemade Cream Cheese Ice Cream for a personal touch that won't go unnoticed. Using assorted berries ensures you'll always have the freshest fruits to add to this sweet and refreshing treat. This dessert works just as well with cherries if you want some variety.

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Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake

Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake
Jennifer Causey

Southern cooks know the easiest way to achieve the dreamiest cake texture is to poke it! This fresh summer berry cake, topped with rich mascarpone frosting, is an upgrade to traditional poke cake as the berries replace the gelatin or pudding mix filling. Top with extra berries as a garnish.

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Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake

Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake
Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

You can serve this fresh blueberry-studded cake from brunch to dinner, so it's the perfect "What can I bring?" dish for any summer gathering. Medium-grind cornmeal creates a great cake texture, and pockets of blueberries add the perfect sweetness.

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Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake

Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake
Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Talk about a standout! This decadent layer cake will blow the competition away at the Fourth of July dessert table (not that it's a competition, but if it were, you'd win). The ice cream layer between the red velvet cake layers is a refreshing twist to traditional desserts, especially when topped with fresh blueberries.

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Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars

Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars
Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

If you want to stand out from the stacks of fudge and classic chocolate chip cookies, this crumbly, fruity bar is the perfect dessert to bring to the summer potluck. This jammy fruit-filled bar needs a fork to enjoy, sandwiched between the buttery and crispy layers. Choose between a simple streusel topping for the top layer if you don't want to duplicate the bottom layer.

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Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie

Key Lime Ice-Cream Pie
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Icebox pies are a hallmark of Southern desserts, and this one is so refreshing for those hotter-than-hot summer days. This simple pie doesn't require cooking, but remember to leave enough time to freeze after adding each layer for easy assembly.

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Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes

Cornmeal Cookie Berry Shortcakes
Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Make each component of this adorable dessert ahead to help you out as you prepare for company. Starting with the shortcake cookies, make the crunchy cornmeal-enhanced dessert up to two days in advance. Save the macerated berries and cream cheese whipped cream to make the day before and keep it refrigerated.

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Triple Berry Sonker with Dip

Berry Sonker with Dip
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

If you've never heard of a sonker, it's time to get acquainted with this cobbler-like dessert and its creamy vanilla sauce, "dip." With origins in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a sonker bakes in a large, deep dish and is excellent for feeding a crowd. This dessert, filled with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, looks as beautiful as it tastes.

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Sour Cream Flag Cake

Flag Cake
Southern Living

It doesn't get more patriotic for Independence Day than a flag cake made with fresh summer berries. Make this easy sheet cake all summer long, and arrange the topping any way you like, as the moist sour cream cake base pairs perfectly with the thick vanilla-sour cream frosting.

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Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel

Berry Cobbler with Pecan Sandie Streusel
Alison Miksch

Instead of a traditional lattice crust or old-school drop biscuits, switch your cobbler topping with this crunchy, sweet surprise. Toasted pecans and a combination of berries complement each other in this streusel-covered dish, topped with turbinado sugar.

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Lemon-Buttermilk Icebox Pie

Key Lime-Buttermilk Icebox Pie
Hector Sanchez; Food Styling: Erin Merhar; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

A cool filling surrounded by a timeless graham cracker crust and finished with a beautiful lemon-blueberry topping? We've found your "looks impressive but is so easy" dessert of the summer.

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Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake

Plum-Berry Cornmeal Sheet Cake
Photo: Alison Miksch

Sheet cakes have long been the easiest way to serve dessert to a crowd. This pretty cake, studded with summer fruit, combines a vanilla-flavored cornmeal batter with fresh fruits, providing the perfect not-too-sweet base. Freshly whipped cream completes this dish.

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Red, White, and Blue Popsicles

Red, White, and Blue Popsicles
Jennifer Causey

Make this ice cream truck favorite at home with a recipe for the kids to go crazy over. Creating these popsicles only takes seven simple ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time. Blending fresh fruit into these pops adds a natural sweetness to this classic treat.

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Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars

Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars
Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

If you need a big-batch (we're talking massive-batch) dessert for your Fourth of July get-together, you can't go wrong with this fruity cheesecake recipe that's easy to serve. Make these cheesecake bars up to two days in advance to save time. Chilling takes about four hours, so planning will ensure your dessert is ready for guests.

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Slow-Cooker Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Our slow cookers have never let us down, even when it comes to dessert. This recipe lets you focus on the main dish and still serve a delicious, beautiful finale. Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to give the batter a hint of spice.

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Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream

Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream
Joy Howard

Discover your new favorite ice cream flavor that only requires five ingredients. Swirls of blueberry preserves and the crunch of graham crackers sprinkle through this sweet homemade treat.

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Blueberry-Lavender Hand Pies

Blueberry-Lavender Hand Pies
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Hand pies are the ideal summer snacking dessert, as you can enjoy them on the go. Fresh blueberries fill these crispy and flaky pastries with a simple vanilla glaze. Make these hand pies in advance and freeze them until you are ready to bake.

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Blueberry-Lemon Cake

Blueberry-Lemon Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pairing sweet blueberries with tart and tangy lemon is the ideal way to feature these summer flavors. The tender cake benefits from the subtle hint of lemon, while the fluffy frosting has more intense notes. Pureed berries give the frosting its naturally beautiful hue.

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Blueberry Snowballs

Blueberry, Lime, and Watermelon Snowballs
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

You only need a few ingredients, a food processor, and some time to replicate this classic summer treat—plan to have at least 12 hours to freeze before preparing to serve.

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Blueberry Galette

Blueberry Galette
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck

Enjoy a jammy, fruit-filled dessert similar to pie without fussing over making the dough. This recipe uses store-bought puff pastry sheets, so it comes together quickly. Serve with vanilla whipped cream or ice cream.

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Blueberry-Plum Pops

Blueberry-Plum Pops
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Blend fresh blueberries and plums for an unexpected and refreshing summer treat. Grated lime juice adds zest to this fruity dessert.

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