Food and Recipes Desserts 35 No-Bake Desserts to Add to Your Summer Lineup By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 9, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Summer in the South can be described in two words: hot and humid. How many times have we heard the saying, "It's not the heat that gets you. It's the humidity," and nodded in agreement, as you fan your face with your hand? Enough times to know that the last thing we want to do on a hot summer's day is turn on the oven, especially when the AC is already working on overdrive as it is. (Not to mention, our cakes and candies don't always cooperate when the humidity level is high.) That's where these easy no-bake desserts come in handy. Since giving up sweets just isn't an option, we'd rather combat the dog days of summer with icebox cakes, ice cream pies, and homemade sundaes. We're making use of all the freshest fruits that summer has to offer, and we're recreating old-fashioned treats with a no-bake twist. Instead of the oven, these recipes rely on the microwave, refrigerator, and freezer to help them come together. Check out our best no-bake desserts to add to your summer lineup. 01 of 35 Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Be prepared for sugar-crazed hysteria when the kids see this fun summertime treat. 02 of 35 Strawberry Cheesecake Salad Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Salad Graham crackers add a bit of crunch to this deconstructed strawberry cheesecake dish. 03 of 35 Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake No oven is required to pull together this layered cherry cake. 04 of 35 Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Homemade Cookies-and-Cream Ice Cream You'll need just five ingredients to make our homemade cookies-and-cream ice cream. 05 of 35 Strawberry Cheesecake Bites Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Bites Love the flavors of strawberry cheesecake but don't have the time to make one? Go for these no-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bites instead. The centers of each berry is hulled out, and then stuffed with a delicately sweet cheesecake filling. A crunch comes from crumbs of graham crackers. 06 of 35 No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas Recipe: No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie This lemony treat is perfect for summertime when turning your stove on is the last thing you want to do. This recipe swaps out classic crust for gingersnap, adding a little spice. 07 of 35 Mascarpone Cheesecake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Mascarpone Cheesecake A bite of this berry cheesecake will melt in your mouth, even though it's frozen. The recipe calls for blueberries and raspberries, but feel free to substitute with your favorite berries. 08 of 35 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake We combined two Southern favorites—strawberry cake and banana pudding—into a cool and creamy icebox cake that's perfect for hot summer days. 09 of 35 Cookie Dough Fudge Photography and Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipes: Cookie Dough Fudge If you're often tempted to take a bite (or two) of unsafe-to-eat cookie dough, this fudge recipe is for you. 10 of 35 Peach Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Icebox Cake We'll take any reason to use up our fresh summer peaches, but especially one that's also no-bake, like this beauty. 11 of 35 Caramel Pecan Icebox Cake Joy Howard Recipe: Caramel Pecan Icebox Cake Instead of the oven, let the refrigerator do all the work with this icebox cake recipe. 12 of 35 Sea Salt Ice Cream Photograher: Greg DuPree Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Sea Salt Ice Cream This ice cream is for those who love to mix salty and sweet flavors. 13 of 35 No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Say hello to your new favorite no-bake dessert. From the creamy filling to the crunchy crust, this mile-high peanut butter pie is nothing to be messed with. 14 of 35 Lemon Tiramisu Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Lemon Tiramisu You can think of this recipe as a combination of lemon cheesecake and tiramisu. 15 of 35 Pineapple Ice Cream Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Pineapple Ice Cream This four-ingredient recipe couldn't be prettier or easier. It's a little dressier than a plain bowl of ice cream and bursting with the flavors of the season. 16 of 35 Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge Southern Living Recipe: Mamie Eisenhower's Chocolate Fudge We recommend making this fudge the day before serving so it has time to set and become firm overnight. 17 of 35 Triple-Chocolate Milkshake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Milkshake You might think you already know how to make a chocolate milkshake (and, chances are, you do) but ours takes a special combination of classic ingredients and blends them to perfection. 18 of 35 Key Lime Icebox Cake Photo: Hector M Sanchez; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck; Food Stylist: Vanessa Rocchio Recipe: Key Lime Icebox Cake This layered, limey dream makes a fitting dessert for the summer cookout. 19 of 35 S'mores Pie Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: S'mores Pie We turned the classic campfire treat into a dessert you can make in the kitchen. 20 of 35 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Strawberry Icebox Cake Homemade whipped cream pairs perfectly with store-bought chocolate wafers in this mile-high cake. 21 of 35 Strawberry Lemonade Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Pie Even better: We made this recipe using store-bought ingredients. Because sometimes, it's too hot to bake or make from scratch. The end result is bright, sweet, and relentlessly refreshing. 22 of 35 Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Let the microwave do the work in this rich dessert that reminds us of blondies. 23 of 35 Putt's Butter Pecan Sundae Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Putt's Butter Pecan Sundae There's nothing like a family recipe for rich, creamy butter pecan ice cream sundaes. You're welcome. 24 of 35 Bourbon Ice Cream Float Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Karen Rankin; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Bourbon Ice Cream Float Give your classic Coke float an adult-friendly party twist. Leave out the bourbon to make the old-fashioned treat friendly for kids, too. 25 of 35 Red, White, and Blue Popsicles Jennifer Causey Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Popsicles If you remember chasing after the ice cream truck to snag one of these festive pops, it's time to make your own. 26 of 35 Chocolate Lasagna Southern Living Recipe: Chocolate Lasagna This dessert lasagna will wow all the chocolate lovers in your family. Top it off with airy whipped cream and chocolate chips. 27 of 35 Chicory Ice Cream Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chicory Ice Cream A New Orleans favorite is transformed into a dessert delicacy that you'll want to eat all summer long. 28 of 35 Buttermilk-Peach Popsicles Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk-Peach Popsicles Use overripe or less-than-perfect peaches for this delicious popsicle recipe. The buttermilk is the secret ingredient that makes these popsicles stand out. 29 of 35 Key Lime Ice-Cream Pie Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Key Lime Ice-Cream Pie If it's possible to make classic Key lime pie even more summer-worthy, we did it. This frozen ice-cream pie tastes like vacation. 30 of 35 Rebecca's Black Bottom Icebox Pie Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Rebecca's Black Bottom Icebox Pie By "black bottom," we mean a decadent chocolate wafer crust. That's enough to sell us on this no-bake chocolate dessert. 31 of 35 Coconut-Banana Pudding Hector M. Sanchez Recipe: Coconut-Banana Pudding This recipe puts the slightest twist on a Southern classic—and it makes such a difference. Just a pinch of coconut extract makes your favorite old-fashioned dessert more exciting for summer. 32 of 35 Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Blueberry-Cheesecake Ice-Cream Pie A slice of this fruity pie is the perfect treat for summer in the South. 33 of 35 Avocado-Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Hector Sanchez; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Avocado-Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Avocados make this key lime ice cream extra creamy and rich. 34 of 35 Millionaire Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Millionaire Pie If you haven't heard of this slightly gelatinous Southern pie, please let us introduce you. 35 of 35 Hot Chocolate Icebox Pie Southern Living Recipe: Hot Chocolate Icebox Pie While hot chocolate is a staple in everyone's winter diet, add it in to your summer one with this delicious and cool pie. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit