43 Strawberry Desserts to Sweeten Your Summer
Red is the color of love, and also strawberries—coincidence? We think not. But our best strawberry desserts aren’t just vivid: They’re deeply flavorful and wonderfully summery. The berries pop up in cool and creamy desserts like ice cream bars, milkshakes, and an eye-popping strawberry torte. You’ll also find strawberries here in pies, pavlovas, and several renditions of shortcake, each so sweetly distinct that you could make it a summer goal to bake your way through every single one. There’s plenty more to love with our favorite strawberry dessert recipes—all you have to do now is pick a perfect carton.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens3/43Herb-Infused Lemon-Strawberry Loaf
Channel the flavors of strawberry lemonade with a highly snackable loaf cake, ideal for toting to the park or the pool. We promise it’s worth turning your oven on for.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich4/43Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Name a more iconic duo than strawberry and rhubarb. In this recipe, they’re right as they ought to be: together, in a pie, sandwiched between a perfectly flaky crust and a cinnamon crumble topping.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne5/43Mahalabiya مهلبية (Milk Custard With Strawberry Compote)
Silky, creamy milk custard meets a jammy rose-and-cardamom-infused strawberry topping in this Arabic dessert, a cousin of panna cotta.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce7/43Ember-Roasted Strawberries
When the flame of the campfire or grill is dying down, heat a foil pack of strawberries in the embers. The resulting dessert is equal parts syrupy and smoky, best enjoyed with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson9/43Meringue Sundae With Peppery Berry Sauce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton10/43Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Heather Greene, Food Styling by Alison Attenborough11/43Coconut-Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell12/43Flourless Pistachio Cake With Strawberry Meringue
Does this gluten-free cake taste as amazing as it looks? There’s only one way to find out. (Spoiler alert: The answer is yes.) Freeze-dried fruits are one of our favorite ways to add a dash of color to dessert; this one’s full of strawberry flavor too. It’d be the perfect dessert for Mother’s Day.
Photo by Tara Donne, prop and food styling by Ali Nardi14/43Strawberry Buckwheat Bars
A mix of fresh seasonal fruit and jarred strawberry preserves creates beautiful candy-like edges, with a bit of ooze in the center. This would be a great place to use that strawberry compote we were just talking about.
