17 Sweet and Savory Recipes for All That Glorious Summer Fruit

Don't limit yourself to enjoying the pleasures of summer fruit in desserts. Summer fruits like berries, melons, and stone fruit lend themselves deliciously to both sweet and savory preparations, and it'd be a damned shame if you didn't take advantage of that versatility. And, of course, we're not against just snacking on the juiciest cherries and plums you can find at the farmer's market all summer long. (Hey, that's one way to stay hydrated in the heat, right?)

But let us open your eyes to the myriad ways you can harness the perfection of summer fruits in both sweet and savory dishes. We've rounded up some of the best ways to put summer fruit front and center in our savory dishes and our desserts.

The season’s best stone fruit are just as ready for the grill as they are for the dessert table. Add arugula, burrata, and silky ribbons of serrano ham, and you’ve got a light summer dinner.

With summer fruit, fennel, herbs, and wholesome grains, think of this as the formula for the best everything-at-the-farmers’-market salad. If you ask us, though, sweet-tart peaches and licorice-y fennel make the perfect pair.

Watermelon and feta salad? Yawn, you’ve had a lot of those. This watermelon salad is colorful, crunchy, and bright, thanks to the addition of avocados, cucumbers, and a lemon-sesame dressing—perfect for the dog days of summer.

Let’s not argue over the best summer stone fruit. No matter whether apricots, nectarines, or peaches suit your fancy the most, they all taste just as good in this bread pudding, made even better by a scoop of ice cream.

This season is all about the simplest fruit desserts: the ones that really let that bright, sweet summer goodness shine. If that’s your vibe, try this lightly cooked, jammy stone fruit, topped with a big dollop of whipped cream.

Almond meal, instead of wheat flour, keeps these scones gluten-free, so you can bring them—along with a side of cream and blueberry compote, of course—to any brunch or summer barbecue potluck.

You don’t have to be an artist to make chef Janine Booth’s easy upside-down cake, but if you do happen to have an artistic bone in your body, well, the rhubarb topping on this cake is your time to shine.

Is there anything more quintessentially summer than a sweet, slightly sticky cherry (or berry) pie, finished with a dollop of cream? We think not. Sour cream updates this classic cherry pie, and sweetened, it also makes a perfect topping.

Alternate the berries if you’d like—they’re all at their peak right now, basically—but this upgrade on the classic summer cobbler is our favorite way to eat strawberries.

Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? Is it… the best way to quickly get rid of all the random summer fruit you’ve got laying around? Don’t worry about it, and just enjoy this simple, cake-y loaf of fruit perfection.

Depending what kind of figs you’re after, fig season might be more like a late summer blessing, after you’ve worn down your appetite for berries. Whenever it happens, it’s a good time for a flaky, buttery fig galette.

This slightly sweet fig cake is perfect for dessert, but just as good at breakfast or snack-time, however many times a day that happens. If you’re smart, you’ll make extra of the whipped ricotta—you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.

Rosé: It’s not just for brunch sipping anymore. Use your favorite pink wine to soak some summer peaches, then serve them on top of a summery-as-a-Reformation-sundress corn pudding.

Looking for a meditative task to get you through a summer afternoon, while you sweat in front of a fan cursing the fact that you’re not immersed in a tub of ice? OK, great! Why not pit a pound of cherries for this pound cake?

If you’re not already adding lavender to your blueberry pie, WYD!? If that summery AF flavor combo doesn’t convince you to make this dessert, then the fact that it’s shaped into picnic-worthy, no-utensils-needed blueberry pie bars should send you over the edge.

What is a “clafoutis,” exactly—apart from a dessert that takes over your Instagram feed every summer? It’s a baked French custard that’s usually made with cherries. Though we switched up this clafoutis with oranges and raspberries, the classic dusting of powdered sugar is non-negotiable.

It’s too dang hot to bake! We hear you! No worries, this cheesecake recipe from the classic Chicago spot Eli’s doesn’t require turning on the oven at all.

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