If you’re heading to a cookout, volunteer to make a dessert that’s sure to be the highlight of the party. From s’mores-inspired desserts like s’mores cookie bars to fruity favorites like this easy fruit pizza, find your next sweet summery bake from this collection of 25+ BBQ cookout desserts!
BBQ Cookout Dessert Recipe Ideas
I love a summery spread of spicy turkey burgers or caprese chicken burgers, corn on the cob, zucchini casserole, cold veggie pizza, and a big scoop of baked beans or strawberry feta pasta salad. Nothing says summer like these classic cookout favorites, especially when in the company of family and friends.
Have you tried this honey chipotle salmon on the grill?
But beyond the delicious savory eats and good times, aren’t we all most excited about the BBQ cookout desserts?!
I’m no stranger to toting along party-perfect desserts, especially in the summertime. And if you want to be dubbed THE official dessert baker of your cookout gatherings, look no further for recipe inspiration! My team and I gathered 25 of our favorites and included them all below, plus a bonus recipe for creamy lemon raspberry popsicles (they are SO easy!).
Desserts that are handheld friendly, easy to transport, enjoyed by kids and adults alike, and/or are simply refreshing on a warm day top the list. I particularly love these no-bake cheesecake jars. They’re a no-bake recipe, surprisingly light and refreshing, and easy for taste testers to customize with their favorite toppings. Have an abundance of fresh berries? This fresh berry cream cake is a show stopper, and very easy to decorate.
Clear your calendar now because whichever of the following recipes you choose to make, be prepared to accept invites to every BBQ cookout for the rest of the summer (LOL).
Success Tip for Traveling With Desserts: If you’re bringing along sheet cakes or bars, bake and transport them in a 9×13-inch pan with a lid. Transport layer cakes in a cake carrier, and cookies and cupcakes in a cupcake carrier.
25 Dessert Recipes for a BBQ Cookout (Grilling Season!)
No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
My no-bake cheesecake jars are fun to make because you can customize them with your favorite toppings and add-ins. Made with just a few ingredients in only 30 minutes, this is a fabulously easy summer dessert!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookies on my site, and they’re guaranteed to be the most popular treat at any BBQ cookout, too! Melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, and an extra egg yolk promise the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie.
One-Layer Strawberry Shortcake Cake
This strawberry shortcake cake looks like a masterpiece, but it couldn’t be easier. It’s a nice manageable size for a small gathering and tastes light and refreshing in the warmer weather. The reverse creaming method gives this cake a uniquely soft, tight crumb that I know you’ll love.
Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Homemade brownie ice cream sandwiches are fun, kid-friendly frozen treats that are perfect when the weather heats up. Use your favorite ice cream flavor sandwiched between two rich, dense, and deeply decadent brownies.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie
This blueberries & cream pie is mostly no-bake and sets up in the refrigerator. The graham cracker crust is crunchy, the filling is light and creamy, and the blueberry topping is jammy and sweet. Make it ahead so dessert is a breeze the day you serve it.
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Lemon blueberry cupcakes are supremely soft and moist with fresh lemon flavor. Sweet blueberries dot every single bite and you can finish them off with my tangy, ultra-creamy cream cheese frosting. If summer were a cupcake, this would be it!
No-Bake S’mores Icebox Cake
This 7-ingredient no-bake s’mores cake has 14 delicious layers of marshmallow meringue, chocolate ganache, and graham crackers. It needs to chill overnight, so it’s a perfect make-ahead dessert option. When you’re ready to serve, torch the marshmallow topping—campfire style!
Fruit Pizza
Fruit pizza is a classic summertime dessert. The combination of a soft, buttery sugar cookie crust with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting and colorful fresh fruit is irresistible, not to mention beautiful.
Creamy Lemon Pie
Deliciously cool and creamy lemon pie is the quintessential summer dessert. Only 7 simple ingredients needed for the refreshing filling and toasty almond graham cracker crust.
3-Ingredient Strawberry Banana Popsicles
A naturally gluten-free treat, these strawberry banana popsicles are made with only 3 simple ingredients. Beat the heat with these pretty pink wholesome treats!
S’mores Cookie Bars
Graham cracker and brown sugar cookie dough sandwiches a thick layer of homemade marshmallow creme and plenty of chocolate chips in these undeniably delicious s’mores cookie bars. They’re chewy, soft, gooey, and always a top recipe each summer.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
A favorite summer dessert in hand-held form, these vanilla bean-speckled strawberry shortcake cupcakes are filled with homemade strawberry filling and topped with strawberry whipped cream—all made with real strawberries.
Angel Food Cake
Using only 6 ingredients, this angel food cake bakes up tall, light, and airy. Top with my homemade whipped cream and your favorite summer berries for the perfect ending to any warm summer evening.
Glazed Coconut Lime Cookies
These are my soft and incredibly flavorful coconut lime cookies. They’re topped with a sweet and tangy lime glaze that sets, which makes them perfect for stacking, storing, and transporting to all your summer events.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza
Chocolate chip cookie pizza is perfect for sharing, easier than rolling individual cookies, and doesn’t require any cookie dough chilling. Easy AND delicious!
Ice Cream Cake (Like Dairy Queen)
Hard not to love this one! This crowd-pleasing, totally no-bake Dairy Queen-inspired treat combines two of your favorite ice cream flavors, plus layers of crunchy Oreo cookies, homemade hot fudge, and whipped cream.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
No-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are a year-round favorite, but especially so in the summer months when you want to give your oven a break. Only 5 simple ingredients needed for this thick, rich, and decadent treat that’s also super convenient to transport.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ultra-creamy lemon blueberry cheesecake bars baked on a graham cracker crust. Enjoy fresh lemon flavor and smooth cheesecake, plus there’s no shortage of juicy blueberries and crispy crust!
Simply the Best Blueberry Pie
This is the best blueberry pie because the flavorful filling is jammy and juicy yet perfectly sliceable. Pair with a deliciously flaky and buttery golden brown pie crust—and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, of course!
Mini Margarita Cheesecakes
Baked in a standard 12-count muffin pan, the filling for these mini margarita cheesecakes comes together with 8 simple ingredients including tequila, triple sec, and lime. Sitting on a graham cracker crust and garnished with tequila whipped cream, these conveniently portioned desserts are ready for your next summer fiesta!
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Here we have an unapologetically rich and decadent chocolate zucchini cake topped with milk chocolate frosting and studded with chocolate chips throughout. Shredded zucchini makes this cake supremely moist—don’t worry, you can’t even taste it!
Lemon Berry Trifle
This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, and fresh whipped cream. Everyone will love digging into this freeform dessert!
Mini Key Lime Pies
What’s better than key lime pie? Mini key lime pies that are perfect handheld treats at any summer gathering. Their small size makes them especially fun for little ones, and perfectly acceptable for all ages to have more than one!
Soft-Baked M&M Cookie Bars
These extra soft and chewy M&M cookie bars are so easy to make—no mixer, no dough chilling, no individual dough rolling required. You can use a mix of regular and mini M&Ms and chocolate chips for texture variety, and change out the colors to make them festively themed for a season or holiday.
Blueberry Crumble Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream has never been easier! Two simple ingredients are the base of this easy no-churn ice cream. Swirled with blueberry and crumb cake topping pieces, this homemade blueberry crumble ice cream will be your new favorite flavor.
And if peaches are your favorite, this peach crisp, peach cobbler, and fresh peach cake are other seasonal favorites!
Before you go…
You won’t regret making a batch of these creamy lemon raspberry popsicles for the next BBQ cookout. They require just 5 ingredients—with Greek yogurt, lemon juice/zest, milk, honey, and raspberries, these popsicles are a more wholesome option that still feel like a treat.
Description
These are easy 5-ingredient lemon raspberry popsicles made primarily from protein-packed Greek yogurt. They’re cold and creamy, and sure to hit the spot on a warm summer day. You need a popsicle mold to make them.
- Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl (preferably one with a pour spout). The raspberries will break up a bit, and that’s fine. The mixture will be thick. Taste—if you want it sweeter, you can add a little more honey.
- Pour mixture evenly into each popsicle mold. If your popsicle mold has slots for sticks, you can insert them before freezing. If not, freeze for 2 hours, then put a wooden popsicle stick in the middle (that is what I did). Continue to freeze for an additional 3–4 hours or overnight.
- Run popsicle molds under warm water to easily remove.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Mixing Bowls | Rubber Spatula | Popsicle Mold
- Yogurt: I use nonfat Greek yogurt, but you can also use low-fat or full-fat yogurt. If you decide to use a flavored yogurt that would pair well with the lemon flavor, you can reduce the honey or agave since the yogurt will be sweetened. Start with a couple teaspoons of honey, and then add more to your taste.
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