No-bake summer treats sort into three kinds: the ones you melt and press into a pan, the ones you chill until they set, and the ones you freeze. Pick by how much time you have rather than by flavor, because a pan of bars is cut and ready in about half an hour while anything set with cream needs a few hours in the fridge before it will slice. When it is truly hot out, make one pan dessert and one frozen one, and leave the frozen one in the freezer until the second you serve it.
By the middle of August I am not turning the oven on for dessert. Everything here comes together on the stovetop, in the blender, in the microwave, or in the fridge. A few of them need a stretch of chilling time, so read the total time before you commit to one for tonight.
The recipes
- Rice Krispie Treats with Marshmallow Fluff (1g protein) — Soft, stretchy, and thick, and everything melts together in one pot before it presses into a 9×13 pan.
- Frosty (No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream) (4g protein) — Three ingredients whipped into a thick, creamy chocolate frosty in about 30 minutes, with no ice cream maker. It makes two servings.
- Chocolate Truffle Fat Bombs (2g protein) — Rich, decadent truffles built on SunButter, cream cheese, and cocoa powder, and they work as a dessert or an on-the-go snack.
- Double Chocolate Mug Cake (10g protein) — A fluffy, moist cocoa cake with gooey chocolate chunks that cooks in the microwave in 60 seconds, and it makes a single serving.
- 2-Ingredient Chocolate and Sunflower Seed Bites (9g protein) — Two ingredients and 30 minutes start to finish, and they come out gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
- No-Bake Sunflower Seed Butter Chocolate Bars (4g protein) — Nut-free bars that come together in 30 minutes, sweetened with powdered monk fruit and monk fruit-sweetened chocolate chips.
- Berries and Cream Popsicles (1g protein) — Creamy, fruity, and made in one blender, which makes them the simplest frozen treat on this list.
- Rice Crispy Treats Scotcheroos (16g protein) — An easy pan dessert that needs just 20 minutes of prep time, and it comes out gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and egg-free.
- Chocolate Fat Bomb Smoothie (6g protein) — A chocolate smoothie you can put together in five minutes or less, and it is gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and vegan.
- Chocolate Strawberry Panna Cotta (4g protein) — A sugar-free chocolate and strawberry panna cotta, and it wants a few hours in the fridge before it is ready to serve.
- Chocolate Pudding (4g protein) — Five ingredients and minimal time in the kitchen for a sugar-free chocolate pudding.
- Chocolate Bar Fat Bombs (4g protein) — Built on SunButter sunflower butter, so they land nut-free, dairy-free, paleo, and vegan.
- No-Bake Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Fat Bomb Bars (3g protein) — Chocolate chip and almond butter bars for a sweet tooth, and they come out dairy-free, egg-free, grain-free, and vegan.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fat Bombs (2g protein) — Cookie dough in fat bomb form, coconut-free and gluten-free, with a nut-free substitution written into the recipe.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best no-bake desserts to make in the summer?
Start with a pan dessert you can cut and carry, because bars and pan treats hold up in heat far better than anything with whipped cream on top. Add one frozen thing for the actual hot afternoon, and one chilled thing you set the night before if you want dessert already waiting for you. Two of the three is plenty for most weeks.
How do I make dessert without turning on the oven?
Use one of four appliances you already have: the stovetop for melting, the microwave for a single serving, the blender for anything creamy, and the fridge or freezer for setting. Melt-and-press desserts are the fastest route, since you heat one pot for a few minutes and the pan does the rest. If even that is too much heat in the kitchen, blend and freeze instead.
How far ahead can I make these?
Most of them are better made ahead, and the chilled ones require it. Panna cotta and pudding need a few hours in the fridge before they set properly, and fat bombs firm up in the freezer, so make those a day early. The only thing worth making to order is a mug cake, which takes 60 seconds anyway.
What no-bake dessert travels well to a cookout?
Bars and pan treats travel best, because you cut them at home, layer them flat in a container, and they will not slump on the drive. Skip anything set with cream or gelatin unless you can put it straight into a fridge when you arrive. If you want to bring something frozen, pack it in a cooler with ice and plan to serve it first, before it starts to soften.
Every recipe here lives on Real Balanced already, tested in my kitchen and ready to go. Tap any title for the full ingredients, steps, and photos.
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