99 Summer Recipes for Everything We're Craving Right Now
As the weather warms up, we find ourselves craving simple summer recipes, the kind of dishes that spotlight this season's fresh produce without asking us to spend half the day over a hot stove. You too? You're in the right place.
Here we've rounded up some of our favorite refreshing drinks, crisp veggie sides, smoky grilled entrees, an appetizer or two, easy salad recipes, and everything else you'll want to eat on hot summer days.
Don't forget that the best summer meals end with a frozen dessert. If you have time to go all out, plan ahead and prep a homemade treat for your next relaxed gathering. Perhaps the frozen mini s'mores pies or these oatmeal ice cream sandwiches? Or just grab some ice cream from the grocery store and call it good.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou2/99Spicy and Creamy Slaw
This super-flexible, all-purpose salad might just be the perfect summer side dish. Pair it with one of these grilling recipes or these delicious fish tacos for a simple, tasty weeknight dinner.
Photo and Food Styling by Anna Stockwell3/99Grilled Coconut Shrimp With Shishito Peppers
Shrimp take on the flavors of a marinade in mere moments and they cook even quicker—making these grilled coconut shrimp an effortlessly delicious summer recipe. This is one of those dinner recipes that's better eaten with your hands, discarding shells and pepper stems as you go. Garnish with fresh basil and more coconut.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo4/99Grilled Pizza
This recipe suggests a bunch of toppings then sets you loose: It's a true mix-and-match situation, and you can choose among lemony chard, burst cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, rosemary agrodolce, and more. Or go your own way entirely: This grilled pizza dough would be the perfect canvas, for instance, for the classic sauce + mozzarella + basil combo.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton5/99Thai Muslim–Style Grilled Chicken
In this recipe, Epi contributor Leela Punyaratabandhu teaches us how to use either a grill or conventional oven to mimic a tandoor-like oven. Use this two-stage cooking method to make a juicy, fragrant grilled chicken at your next BBQ. And don't miss the tangy-spicy pineapple sauce that's served on the side. It's like storebought sweet chile sauce, but way better.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo6/99Aguas Frescas (Mexican Fruit Coolers)
Aguas frescas, says cookbook author Gonzalo Goût, are “the perfect drink for when you want something light and refreshing, but plain water or iced tea seems too light, and a fruit juice or smoothie seems too dense.” In other words, the perfect drink for warm weather. Here's how to make them with watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, peaches, mangos—or any combination of the above, or any other fruit of your choosing.
Photo and Styling by Joseph De Leo8/99Plátanos Horneados con Crema y Queso (Baked Banana With Crema and Cheese)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow10/99Iced Chai
The secret to really flavorful iced chai is grinding the spices a little finer to intensify their flavor extraction, and simmering the spices and tea in milk to fully hydrate them. Once sweetened just a bit, you'll chill the mix by pouring the hot chai concentrate over just the right amount of ice, which dissolves to contribute the proper ratio of water to the drink.
Photo by Alex Lau13/99Butterflied Chicken With Herbs and Cracked Olives
The success of chicken recipes is often in the details: a spatchcocked bird for crisper skin and even cooking, and a simple, lemony salad of torn olives and herbs for textual contrast. Add a pasta salad, and your easy summer dinner is ready.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo14/99Ginger and Tamarind Refresher
You'll need to remove the seeds from the tamarind pulp for this tasty summer drink, which is a bit of a hassle, but we promise it's worth it. If you can't find tamarind pulp at your market, don't use concentrate. The taste just isn't the same! Hold off until you can track down the real deal and try this jalapeño citrus refresher in the meantime.
Photo by Jerrelle Guy15/99Strawberry Balsamic Shortcakes
Strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert, but this version—from the endlessly creative baker/blogger Jerrelle Guy—adds a couple of tasty twists: The rich, warm flavors of the biscuits, made with olive oil and whole wheat flour, go wonderfully with the zippy balsamic glaze and macerated strawberries. Whipped cream is, of course, de rigueur.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton16/99Charred-Peach Panzanella With Pickled Pepper Vinaigrette
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson18/99Seafood Boil With Shrimp, Corn, and Sausage
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin19/99Grilling Cheese With Sweet Peppers and Black Lentils
This tasty salad is basically a vehicle for eating melty cheese, and it's one of our go-to summertime meals. Use a dense, grillable cheese (think Halloumi, paneer, or bread cheese), sear it to that perfect crispy texture, and combine with lentils. Top it all off with fresh basil for a bright, herby finish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson20/993-Ingredient Pesto-Grilled Chicken with Peaches
In this easy dinner, store-bought pesto works as both a simple marinade for the chicken and a finishing sauce. Grilling peaches caramelizes their natural sugars and adds a smoky flavor, turning them into a delicious side. Of course, you could make your own pesto if you've got backyard basil going wild.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell23/99Summer Corn, Tomato, and Salmon Salad With Za’atar Dressing
Make the most of summer corn and ripe tomatoes with this refreshing, time-saving dinner. The salmon is poached in the same thyme- and garlic-infused water that the corn is boiled in.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks24/99Tomato Tart With Chickpea Crumble
A combination of pistachios and chickpeas adds filling protein and rich flavor to this update on the classic tomato tart. Pair it with this corn salad or a classic arugula salad, and you'll be all set with a light summer meal.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini25/9910-Minute Shrimp With Green Beans and Creamy Lemon-Dill Dip
Photo by Emma Fishman26/99Cold-Brew Iced Tea
Cold-brewed tea has fresh, clear flavors, no sun required. (To be honest, we like it better than cold-brewed coffee.)
Photo by Alex Lau27/99Blackberry-Tahini Yogurt Cake
This simple, nutty, berry-studded cake recipe is so easy to throw together if you have tahini on hand in your pantry. Keep it in your back pocket for a last-minute summer vacation dessert.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell29/99Pasta With 15-Minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks31/993-Ingredient Creamy Coconut-Lime Ice Pops
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Aneta Florczyk, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou34/99Grilled Pork Shoulder Steaks With Herb Salad
Depending on your schedule, you can toss these pork steaks in their marinade—a flavorful blend of fish sauce, lime juice, and garlic and shallots—an hour before grilling or up to 12 hours ahead of time. When you're doing the grilling, don't go for perfect char marks: You want to flip these often, so the fat renders easily without overcooking the meat.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton35/99Tacos de Gobernador (Shrimp, Poblano, and Cheese Tacos)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton37/993-Ingredient Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Judy Mancini41/99Summer Squash and Basil Pasta
Simmered in olive oil with plenty of garlic, yellow summer squash and zucchini practically melt into a buttery sauce. Toss the vegetables with pasta and plenty of Parmesan, and dinner’s done in minutes.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell43/99Grilled Shrimp, Zucchini, and Tomatoes With Feta
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell44/99Grilled Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Leeks and Potatoes
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson47/993-Ingredient Grilled Watermelon, Feta, and Tomato Salad
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone48/993-Ingredient Garlic-Herb Grilled Chicken Wings
Photo by Alex Lau51/99Miss Ollie's Jerk Chicken
Make this recipe from chef Sarah Kirnon once, and we're pretty sure it'll become your go-to grilled chicken dish all summer long.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi60/99Fresh Corn Quiche
Freshly cut corn kernels and a quick blender egg custard are all that goes into a store-bought pie shell for this unbelievably easy and delicious summer brunch all-star.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova61/99Fettuccine With Shredded Zucchini, Fresh Ricotta, and Lemon Zest
This simple pasta delivers big on bright summer flavor, and gives you a good excuse to work through some of that zucchini surplus.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton63/99Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell66/99Strawberry Shortcake With Thyme and Whipped Cream
Photo by Gentl & Hyers70/99Grilled Cheese With Peak Tomatoes
There's nothing wrong with a plain and simple tomato sandwich, but this grilled cheese really might be the ultimate option.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton71/99Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Cones With Peanuts
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Dawn Perry77/99Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder With Zesty Basil Sauce
This meltingly tender pork shoulder is the ultimate make-ahead main. Serve with a salad of bitter greens.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton93/99Black-Eyed Pea Burgers With Creamy Barbecue Sauce and Chowchow
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton94/99Ice Cream Tacos With Chocolate and Peanuts
95/99Plum Clafoutis
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin96/99Frozen Avocado Cake
Adding sweetened condensed milk to the crust gives this cake a candy-like texture that reminds me of a Twix bar. That same sweetness accentuates the buttery quality of ripe avocados. Chill it thoroughly, then let the cake sit at room temperature for a bit before you slice it. It’s extremely refreshing on a hot day.
Photo by Beatriz Da Costa98/99Grilled Watermelon Salad With Lime Mango Dressing and Cornbread Croutons
Photo by Ed Anderson99/99Cucumber Cilantro Margarita
You've probably found all the summer recipes you need in this gallery, but what about the drinks? This is a refreshing, summery spin on a margarita, with a touch of savory flavor that's great with tacos.
