Our absolute favorite easy summer recipes! From the very best burgers to fresh, make-ahead salads and simple desserts, everything you need for a low-stress summer.
It’s the middle of summer, and if you are anything like us, you want to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the beautiful weather with family and friends. We know exactly what it’s like to want to put together a great summer cookout, only to feel overwhelmed by figuring out the menu and hoping everything turns out right. Not to mention, using all that summer produce!
That is exactly why we put together this collection of our absolute favorite summer recipes. We’ve done the testing for you, so you can just focus on the fun. From the juiciest burgers (that don’t require any fussy mix-ins) to fresh, make-ahead salads and foolproof pies, we’ve gathered everything you need in one place.
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Our Favorite Summer Recipes
Our Favorite Juicy Burgers
The secret to the best burger patty is to keep it simple! You don’t need any fussy mix-ins or extra ingredients for a juicy hamburger. Trust us on this one. We make these on regular rotation all summer long. Tips for cooking them indoors and on a grill are provided.
Smash Burgers
If you love a burger with crispy, browned edges, this is the recipe for you. This has been a huge reader favorite and remains a staple in our kitchen. Because they are smashed thin, they cook incredibly fast, which means less time at the stove and more time hanging out. They are also perfect for flat-top outdoor grills!
Smash Burger Tacos
Our family has fallen hard for these, and we think yours will, too. We take the crispy perfection of a smash burger and press the meat right onto a flour tortilla before cooking. They are fast, so much fun to make, and absolutely amazing drizzled with our homemade burger sauce.
Juicy Chicken Burgers
If you want a break from beef, these burgers are the way to go. This is another recipe our readers make on repeat. Thanks to lots of veggies sneaked into the patties, they turn out incredibly juicy and flavorful every single time.
Perfect Grilled Steak
Grilling a great steak doesn’t have to be stressful. We keep things incredibly simple and use our homemade steak seasoning before it hits the grill. It does an amazing job of bumping up the meaty, savory flavor of the beef and adds a really nice crust. Just grill the steak to your liking, let it rest, and you are good to go.
Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts
Grilled chicken is a summer staple, but nobody wants dry chicken. We’ve figured out the best tricks for grilling super-lean chicken breasts so they turn out tender and juicy every single time.
Sesame Ginger Shrimp Marinade
One of our favorites! This shrimp marinade is perfect for grilling! Ginger, garlic, fish sauce, sesame oil, and honey add so much flavor and turn into a delicious, sweet, sticky glaze. Shrimp cooks incredibly fast on the grill, making this an easy, low-stress option for summer!
Fall Off the Bone Baked Ribs
This is hands down the best ribs recipe we’ve ever made (and so many of our readers agree). The secret to incredibly tender pork ribs is baking them low and slow. To get that classic summer cookout feel, we just throw them on the grill for a few minutes at the very end to finish them off. For beef, see our Baked Beef Ribs, instead.
Summer Sides and Salads
The Best Creamy Coleslaw
We can’t get enough of this coleslaw recipe. It’s officially our all-time favorite, and the creamy dressing is incredible. Perfect to serve with burgers, pulled pork, or ribs.
Easy Orzo Pasta Salad
One of our favorite summery salads on the blog, this orzo salad is loaded with fresh veggies, olives, and herbs.
Shrimp Salad
This creamy shrimp salad is a reader favorite for sure! It’s quick to make (thanks to poached shrimp) and holds well in the fridge for a few days, meaning you’ll be ready with no-cook lunches or dinners!
Bean Salad
We love a side dish that actually gets better as it sits! This classic bean salad holds up wonderfully in the summer heat and takes zero stress to toss together. If you love corn, you may also enjoy our Black Bean and Corn Salad.
Creamy Potato Salad
You can’t have a summer cookout without potato salad. Ours is simple, creamy, completely classic, and always a crowd-pleaser. For a more herby version, see our Red Potato Salad instead.
German Potato Salad
This salad is actually best served warm, which makes it more of an all-year-round side. However, it is absolutely amazing with grilled dishes (like marinated steak) so we just had to include it.
Lemon Herb Zucchini Salad
If you grow zucchini or live near a farmer’s market, you will be inundated with zucchini! This is the absolute best way to use it up (well, this and our zucchini bread). This salad is fresh and bright, and it takes just minutes to toss together with lemon and herbs—no cooking required.
Cajun Butter Corn
Sweet summer corn taken to the next level. We coat the corn in a quick, mouthwatering Cajun-spiced butter that adds a fun twist to a summer staple.
The Best Corn Salad
If you don’t want to deal with eating off the cob, this fresh corn salad is the answer. It’s on regular rotation in our house all season long.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Nothing says summer quite like watermelon. The combination of sweet melon, salty feta, and fresh mint is incredibly refreshing.
Quinoa Salad
A fantastic make-ahead option that is light, satisfying, and packed with crunch. The simple dressing won’t weigh you down, and it’s perfect for keeping in the fridge for easy lunches, too. For another flavor profile, try our Quinoa Black Bean Salad.
Cucumber Salad
Cool, crunchy, and ridiculously easy. This cucumber salad is the perfect refreshing bite right next to something hot off the grill.
Caprese Salad
When summer tomatoes are at their peak, this is what we make. Just tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. It is the definition of letting incredible summer produce do all the work. We love this salad so much that we’ve also turned it into a Chicken Caprese Salad.
Easy Summer Desserts
Strawberry Shortcake
Our strawberry shortcake combines soft and buttery biscuits (made from scratch), fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and an irresistible strawberry syrup.
Best Blueberry Pie
This blueberry pie recipe has a golden, flaky crust filled with the most delicious blueberry filling, all topped with our easy lattice crust. So many of our readers make this pie every summer!
Key Lime Pie
This easy key lime pie has a dreamy, creamy filling, homemade graham cracker crust, and a cloud of whipped cream on top. It’s a keeper!
The Best Fudgy Brownies
We can confidently say that this is the best brownie recipe we’ve ever made! These are easy to make, incredibly fudgy, and way better than boxed mixes. Perfect for summer entertaining!
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