20 Gorgeous Desserts for Summer Hosting

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Photos of gorgeous summer desserts for hosting

Summertime is here, and if you’re planning get-togethers and parties, celebrating with sweet treats is a MUST! To bring you some inspiration, we’re sharing our most GORGEOUS desserts for summer hosting, from fruit tarts and crisps to no-bake cheesecakes, creamy puddings, and more!

(Note: Dietary symbols listed throughout for easy navigation!)

No-bake cheesecake cups topped with fresh blueberries
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No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake Cups (5 Minutes!)
5-minute, no-bake vegan cheesecake cups layered like a parfait with fresh fruit and granola. A naturally sweetened, gluten-free snack or dessert. Just 7 ingredients required!
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Stack of strawberry cheesecake bars on a plate
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Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Vegan + GF)
The decadent flavors of tangy cheesecake and fresh strawberry swirled together into gluten-free, vegan-friendly bars! Oat-almond crust, naturally sweetened, 10 ingredients required!
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Close up shot of a jar of vegan vanilla panna cotta with a mixed berry compote
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Vegan Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries
Rich and creamy vegan panna cotta with vibrant mixed berries! A beautiful dessert that’s SO quick and easy to make with just 1 pan and 6 ingredients!
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Dessert cup and spoonful of our vegan tiramisu pudding recipe
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Vegan Tiramisu Pudding Cups
Creamy, rich vegan pudding infused with the flavors of tiramisu! An easy, decadent, no-bake dessert made with just 7 simple ingredients.
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Two bowls and a baking pan of Grain-Free Berry Crisp served with vegan ice cream
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Grain-Free Berry Crisp
Vegan berry crisp with 3 types of berries. It's naturally sweetened with crispy, grain-free topping! The perfect plant-based, gluten-free summer dessert!
Make The Recipe
Bowl and pan of gluten free berry cobbler
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Easy Gluten-Free Berry Cobbler (Vegan)
Perfect vegan fruit cobbler packed with ripe, juicy summer fruit and topped with flaky gluten-free biscuits. Baked to bubbly golden perfection! Just 10 simple ingredients required.
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Three layer Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake topped with fresh raspberries and blackberries
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1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
A 1-bowl vegan gluten-free vanilla cake that’s perfectly tender, fluffy, and sweet! Delicious frosted or unfrosted and SO easy to make! 10 ingredients and 1 bowl required.
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Slice of chocolate ganache tart showing the three layers
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Vegan Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Tart
A luxurious yet simple vegan chocolate tart with a chocolate-date crust, bright raspberry purée filling, and generous layer of creamy chocolate ganache. Just 10 ingredients required!
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Slice of no-bake vegan coconut yogurt cheesecake topped with raspberries and orange peel
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Vegan No-Bake Coconut Yogurt Cheesecake
Creamy, decadent vegan cheesecake made with a date-walnut crust and cashew-coconut-yogurt filling for the ultimate tangy-sweet treat. Just 10 ingredients required, no-bake, and entirely vegan and gluten-free.
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Slice of vegan gluten-free strawberry cake next to the rest of the cake
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Vegan Strawberry Cake (GF)
Fluffy strawberry cake that’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free! Infused with vibrant strawberry flavor and perfectly sweet. Just 9 ingredients required!
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Platter of Mini Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes topped with fresh berries
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No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes
Thick, custard-like vegan chocolate cheesecakes with a date-walnut cocoa crust. Just 10 ingredients required and entirely vegan and gluten-free. Perfect topped with coconut whipped cream and fresh fruit.
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Partially eaten slice of Raw Carrot Cake resting beside the rest of the cake
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Raw Carrot Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Raw vegan carrot cake made with 10 wholesome ingredients! Tender, 30 minutes to make, and topped with an optional cashew cream cheese frosting! 
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Slice of our salted caramel chocolate ganache tart on a pie cutter
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache Tart (Vegan + GF)
A gorgeous, decadent, no-bake salted caramel tart with chocolate ganache! Insanely delicious, plus gluten-free and vegan. Just 7 ingredients required!
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Top down shot of six vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with frosting
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Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)
Perfectly fluffy vanilla cupcakes that happen to be vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened. Just 1 bowl and 10 ingredients required!
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Batch of Creamy Vegan Lemon Bars topped with lemon slices and powdered sugar
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Creamy Vegan Lemon Bars
Creamy, naturally sweetened vegan lemon bars made with 10 simple ingredients and a delicious gluten-free crust.
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Creamy Vegan Lime Pie Bars on a hot pink background
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Creamy Lime Pie Bars
Creamy lime pie bars with an almond-oat crust and creamy, cashew-based filling! Perfectly tart, naturally sweetened, and so delicious! 10 basic ingredients required.
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Vegan GF Banana Cream Pie topped with freshly sliced bananas
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Banana Cream Pie (Vegan + GF)
Absolutely delicious, 10-ingredient vegan banana cream pie! Crispy gluten-free crust, fluffy and silky cream center, and layered with 3 whole bananas!
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Ceramic baking dish filled with a batch of our Vegan Banana PB Pudding recipe
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Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Pudding
Creamy peanut butter pudding and coconut whipped cream are layered between vegan vanilla wafers and just-ripe banana slices for a salty-sweet dessert! Just 5 ingredients required for this amazing chilled dessert.
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No-Bake Lemon Cookie Fruit Tarts in parchment-lined mini tart tins
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No-Bake Lemon Cookie Fruit Tarts
Simple no-bake vegan tarts with a date-walnut crust and a creamy, dairy-free filling that tastes just like a lemon cookie!
Make The Recipe
Removing a slice of plum upside down cake from a plate
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Plum Upside Down Cake (Vegan + GF)
Easy plum upside down cake with juicy, tart plums nestled into soft, fluffy, perfectly sweet almond cake. Vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for brunch or dessert. Just 10 ingredients required!
Make The Recipe

If you try any of these summer dessert recipes, let us know! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Enjoy, friends!

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  1. Nirvaan Agarwal says

    Hi there,
    I am a big fan of your recipes. I have made countless amounts of them and they never fail, but when I found out that you turned over to the dark side and started eating meat and eggs, that really hurt. How can such a strong vegan baker/chef like you, quit veganism, just because of a tiny problem. There are many many ways to stop hair loss, and for protein, don’t get me started on that! There are so many proteins that are plant based that have as much, or even more protein than meat. I know you use “pasture raised” eggs, but that doesn’t mean anything. For an egg to be qualified as “pasture raised” the chicken has to have feed that is qualified as pasture raised, the egg isn’t. Even if it was in a farm, it is a baby, nonetheless.

    For fish, wild caught is just a label. All fish, except farmed ones, are wild caught anyways. Wild caught means that they drag thousand pound fishing nets, scraping the coral and capturing trillions of animals that didn’t need to be caught, like dolphins and turtles, this is called bycatch. Bycatch kills billions, even trillions of animals per year!

    Chicken, or any animal, that is used for consumption is abused in the worst of ways. Even if they are free range, cage free, Organic, or pasture raised, they are treated the same way. Cage free means they are in a large stretch of dirt and sand in a building, crammed with millions of other animals. Free range means that they have 3 feet of space to roam outside in the sun. More than half of the animals are too scared to even go into the light. Organic means that they eat Organic food, and as stated earlier, pasture raised means they eat a specific type of food that consists of some (1 or 2) ingredients they would eat on a pasture, like dried grass and dandelions. As I had said all the way in the beginning, I am a big fan, will never stop following your recipes, but I ask you ever so politely, please restore peace, and go back to your vegan self.

    Thank you,
    Nirvaan Agarwal