You’re throwing a backyard bash and you want to serve a full-course meal—dessert included. The only problem? You’re not turning on the oven (and we don’t blame you). Enter these 16 grilled desserts, which prove that with fresh, seasonal fruit and some hot coals (OK, and maybe a little ice cream, too), a party-worthy dessert is just minutes away. Grilled angel food cake or grilled pineapple splits? Take your pick.
16 Grilled Desserts to Make All Summer
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Published Jun 1, 2022
1. Grilled Angel Food Cake With Blueberry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ten ingredients, beginner-friendly, less than 500 calories, crowd-pleaser
Charred on the grill, fluffy angel food cake takes on a cotton candy flavor that will delight your inner child. Better yet, you can totally get away with using a store-bought cake. The sauce is a simple mixture of cooked berries, sugar and lemon juice—customize it with any fruit you like.
2. Grilled Peach Crumble
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, less than 500 calories
We may not be Ina Garten, but we know that when it comes to dessert, elegant and effortless aren’t mutually exclusive. Grilling peaches takes no effort if you’re already cooking burgers and dogs, and the crumb topping can be made up to a week in advance.
3. Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae With Cherry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, less than 500 calories, crowd-pleaser
Homemade cherry sauce takes this classic dessert up a notch; make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. (Want to switch it up? Use blackberries instead of cherries.)
4. Strawberry Shortcake Skewers With Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
A dessert that’s as fun to make as it is to eat? Be still our heart. The biscuits start from store-bought for simplicity, but you could use homemade if you’re feeling fancy.
5. Grilled Peaches With Caramel Sauce
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, less than 500 calories, ready in <30 minutes
There’s a reason grilled peaches are a summer staple (aside from being delicious): They pair with everything. Here, it’s an easy homemade caramel sauce that livens things up.
6. Grilled Berry S’mores
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Make these messy-in-a-good-way treats on July 4 and leave the boring old flag cake for another day.
7. Easy Rum-soaked Grilled Pineapple
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, ready in <30 minutes
Think bananas foster, but with pineapple and a thousand times easier to pull off. The fruit is soaked in alcohol before hitting the grill, so you can avoid flambéing entirely.
8. Grilled Fruit Kabobs
- Time Commitment: 12 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
When the fruit is ripe for the picking, you don’t need to add much to turn it into dessert. The natural sugars will caramelize on the grill, so it’s actually healthy without tasting like it.
9. Caramelized Brown Sugar Cinnamon Grilled Pineapple
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
This calls for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or a dollop of whipped cream. Or, you know, both.
10. Strawberry Shortcake Grilled Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
If you have the time, follow the recipe using homemade brioche doughnuts. If you’re in a bind (or just lazy, like us), use store-bought. Either way, you’re in for a treat.
11. Grilled Peaches With Lavender Honey Whipped Ricotta
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients
Grilled fruit, but make it fancy. Whipped ricotta is just as rich as ice cream, but it doesn’t melt so fast and isn’t quite as sweet. The subtle floral flavor from the lavender complements the fruit to a T.
12. Char-grilled Apricot Parfait Dessert Bowls
- Time Commitment: 16 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <30 minutes, gluten free, less than 500 calories
Is it dessert, or is it breakfast? If you ask us, that depends on whether you serve it with yogurt or a scoop of vanilla, but honestly, you can’t go wrong either way.
13. Grilled Strawberries And Cream
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
You’re seven ingredients and 15 minutes away from impressing your dinner guests with this elegant grilled dessert. Don’t skip the freshly ground pepper, as it brings out the tart flavor of the berries.
14. Grilled Pears With Cinnamon Drizzle
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Save this crunchy number for a late summer evening, when fall is in the air but you’re not *quite* ready for all things pumpkin spice.
15. Honey, Thyme And Sweet Cherry Grilled Brie
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
If the French can serve cheese for dessert, so can you. (Sure, it works as an appetizer too, but we’ll take any excuse to eat cheese.)
16. Grilled Strawberry Shortcakes With Balsamic Vinegar
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients
This five-ingredient, ten-minute recipe is low effort and high reward. You’ll give store-bought cake a quick char on the grill, and your friends will go wild at your ingenuity.
