The Best Summer Recipes

Summer is our favorite season. We have a ton of recipes to show for that. Everything from lots of grilling recipes to some sweet dessert recipes that use all the fresh and juicy seasonal fruit you love. We curated this list into a couple of sections, summer dinner ideas, summer salad recipes, summer drink recipes, and finally, summer dessert recipes. We hope you can find something you love!

Summer Dinner Ideas

We scoured through our entire recipe bank and picked out our best summer recipes. These eight summer dinner recipes are perfect for families, or get togethers. All of these recipes can easily be scaled up or down depending on what you’re after.

• This Carne Asada is so good. Our dry dub really makes the meat loaded with flavor. Use this to make tacos, or a delicious torta. Make sure you make a double batch so you can make some Carne Asada Fries or Carne Asada Nachos!
• Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos are really delicious paired with our crunchy slaw. We love to give a little grill to the tortillas before we serve them so they get warmed up, and a little charred.
• Our Lamb Kofta is a summer dinner idea favorite. The spiced in the recipe make the lamb extremely flavorful. We love serving this on a platter with lots of accouterments.
• This Corn Chowder has quickly become a classic. This recipe freezes really well so we love to make a double batch and freeze some for later. It makes a great, easy weeknight dinner.
• These Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups are a really fun way to use up all the summer zucchini. Think of this recipe like a layered lasagna, except we use zucchini strips instead of pasta noodles, and roll them up instead of layering them.
• This Hawaiian Style Crispy Garlic Shrimp is a super flavorful dish. We love the refreshing flavor of the pineapple next to the super crispy, savory, garlic shrimp.
• This easy Chipotle Burrito Bowl is a great way to use leftover chicken, but also a great way to use up any extra odds and ends you might have in your refrigerator. This is a super flexible recipe!
• Our Grilled Zucchini Tacos are a really great summer vegetarian option. The grilled vegetables really pack a lot of flavor so you don’t ever feel like you’re missing anything. This is a really easy and simple summer dinner idea!

Summer Salad Recipes

Delicious salads are a staple in our houses for the summer. When it’s really hot, the last thing we want to eat is something too heavy, that will make us feel sluggish. We always turn to salads that we can load up with lots of different flavors and ingredients. Our salads are all very hearty and satisfying and are sure to fill you up!

• Our Loaded BBQ Chicken Salad is a favorite of ours. It’s packed with flavor that come from some yummy seasonal ingredients like fresh corn, crunchy jicama, and juicy tomatoes.
• This Summer Steak Salad is great for a crowd. We love it because we’ve paired with a lot of other season fresh ingredients like sweet corn, ripe tomatoes and juicy peaches. You can serve it up on a platter, with a side of pita or over a big bed of lettuce.
• If you love avocados- this is the salad for you! Our Grilled Avocado Salad is super yummy, and the grilling of the avocados adds a nice smoky flavor. We dressed it with a herby yogurt dressing which really balances out all the flavors.
• This Loaded Salmon Summer Salad is a perfect option when you’re craving delicious salmon. It’s loaded with a bunch of different flavors that all come together for the perfect loaded salad!
• Our Coconut Shrimp Summer Salad has pretty seasonal heirloom tomatoes, and nectarines. We finished it all with a creamy buttermilk dressing. The coconut shrimp is so crispy and delicious and really adds that extra something to this already mouthwatering salad.
• This Corn Salad is made with brown butter which gives everything a delicious savory nutty flavor. We added seared cubes of halloumi to the salad which add a pleasantly salty flavor to everything. This salad travels well and is perfect to bring to get togethers. It’s one of our summer favorites!
• This Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad is the quintessential salad to pair with anything you might be grilling. Our salad is super creamy and has some nice vegetable additions to give it some crunch.
• Our Broccoli Crunch Salad is a great addition to any picnic or summer get together! The combination of crisp broccoli, bits of bacon and crunchy cashews is to die for!

Delicious Summer Drink Recipes

We are always on the lookout for refreshing summer drinks recipes that are easy to pull together, but can really hit the spot in the middle of those heat waves.

• We love our Summer Shandy Drink recipe. It’s refreshing and light, and won’t knock you to your feet. It’s a mixed drink made with beer, so it’s not as strong as something with hard alcohol. You can even cut corners and use store bought lemonade as a mixer.
• Our Michelada drink recipe is savory and perfect for brunch. This summer drink recipe has a really nice and bright tang that makes them so yummy. This is also made with beer, so it’s a breeze to drink.

Summer Desserts

One of the best parts of summer is all the berries and stone fruits that are in season. We have a lot of summer dessert recipes we look forward to all year! Here are some of our favorites:

• Our Pina Colada Italian Ice Pops are always fun to make. You can easily omit the alcohol to make these kid friendly. These are a really delicious treat to stash in your freezer.
• These Strawberry Shortcakes are always a crowd pleaser. We make ours with a simple cornmeal drop biscuit which cuts down the time on this summer dessert recipe. It’s a great way to use all those juicy summer strawberries you have!
• Our Ricotta Crostata recipe is a really great recipe because it’s super flexible. You can really use any fresh fruit you have on hand and this recipe will still be delicious!
• These Banana Cream Tarts are one of our favorites! It’s the perfect summer dessert recipe when you want to make something a little special. The whipped cream filling won’t weigh you down, and wow it sure is tasty!

We hope you guys can find some yummy summer recipes you want to make! Please check out some of our recipe collections for more ideas: