17 Easy Summer Recipes To Add To Your Meal Plan ASAP

Try something new this summer with these delicious and easy recipes!
Looking for your new fave summer recipes? Try these hot weather dinner ideas, side dishes, desserts, and drink recipes!

Not sure about where you are located, but here in the Pacific Northwest summer is officially in full-swing! And I am loving it. To me, there is one lifestyle shift that summer equals: grilling and no-bake recipes. We’ve shared so many amazing and easy summer recipes here on the blog, so today I wanted to round up some of the greatest hits for you. It’s time to get inspired and change up both your weeknight meals and what you bring to summer BBQs. Here’s a quick list of dinner ideas, side dishes, desserts and cocktails!

17 Delicious and Easy Summer Recipes to Try:

Summer Dinner Recipes:

Come summer, all I want is to leave the oven behind and grill! And with the bountiful vegetable options, there are so many more fun possibilities for dinnertime in the summer. Each of these is a personal fave summer recipe — I hope you love them, too!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger Recipe

You’ll want these absolutely delicious vegetarian burgers all summer long!

This easy recipe for quinoa salad is packed with fresh herbs, feta cheese, and is the perfect vegetarian side dish for your next summer event! Fresh quinoa salad recipe with feta cheese, cucumber, red onion, lemon salad dressing, fresh herbs.

Quinoa Salad with Feta, Cucumber, Red Onion, Mint & Parsley

Bring this delicious quinoa salad to your next party, plus add your own twist with whatever is on hand!

My Easy Lamb Souvlaki Recipe — From My Yia Yia's Recipe Collection! Greek food recipe, works well with beef or chicken, too. Ingredients include American lamb, bell peppers, grilled onions, and tzatziki #greekfood #souvlaki #kabobs

My Greek Grandma’s Lamb Souvlaki Recipe

Learn how to make it just like my grandma! Plus, this summer recipe is easily adapted for other proteins like chicken.

YUM! get this healthy, filling, and easy recipe for Kale Chickpea + Seed Salad with Miso Yogurt Vinaigrette on jojotastic.com (and save this pin for later!)

Chickpea, Seed, and Kale Salad with Miso Yogurt Vinaigrette

Flavorful, packed with protein, and topped with a delicious savory dressing, meet your new favorite salad!

Summer Side Dish Recipes:

Sometimes during the summer, I skip the main dish and instead make a few different sides. I love this approach because it’s perfect for picnicking or for those of us who want to try as many new recipes as possible!

Greek-style sugar snap peas side dish. Very easy to make and delicious. #greekfood #sidedish #snappeas #feta #veggies #vegetables

Greek-Style Sugar Snap Peas

This easy side dish goes with pretty much anything!

The perfect no-cook recipe for a hot day: Grilled Sweet Corn Gazpacho made with @TruviaBrand Brown Sugar Blend. Get the full recipe on Jojotastic.com #TasteTruvia #ad

Grilled Sweet Corn Gazpacho

The perfect hot weather soup – no oven needed!

Grilled Halloumi Watermelon Bites with Pistachios & Mint

My favorite dish to bring to a BBQ. This sweet and savory bite is the perfect ode to my Greek heritage.

Everything Bagel Seasoned Kale Chips

Mix up a big batch of these everything bagel kale chips and keep on hand for whatever you need a snack!

Summer Dessert Recipes:

There is nothing I love more than dessert, especially when it features the summer abundance of gorgeous produce. Personally, I’m partial to anything with peaches in it! In case you’re in the mood for a sweet summer recipe, here are some of my fave from the blog archives:

The Best Homemade Peach Pie Recipe (With Thyme & Honey), perfect dessert for Fourth of July, summer, and stone fruit season. How to make the best lattice pie crust from scratch and the best peach pie filling from scratch

The Best Peach Pie Recipe with Thyme and Honey

Including the easiest, best homemade pie crust! This pie recipe is the one I go back to over and over again.

It's #PopsicleWeek! Head to jojotastic.com for this not-too-sweet and super-hydrating recipe for coconut water + pink lemonade popsicles. They've got bits of lemon zest and strawberry for a refreshing light treat on those hot summer days!

Coconut Water and Pink Lemonade Popsicles

Make a batch and keep cool and hydrated.

Quick and easy no-bake cheesecake recipe with seasonal summer fruit, made with the easiest cheesecake crust from pretzels! The perfect summer dessert for a bbq or picnic in cute mini mason jars

Quick & Easy No-Bake Cheesecake with Seasonal Fruit toppings and a Pretzel Crust

Literally the perfect dessert for when you don’t want to turn on the oven!

Grilled Peaches with Homemade Cardamom Granola and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, an easy summer dessert. Get the full recipe on Jojotastic.com

Grilled Peaches with Cardamom Granola and Ice Cream

Craving a sweet treat without turning on the oven? Meet your new favorite summer dessert!

Mint and Hibiscus Blackberry Popsicle Recipe

The yummiest way to cool down this summer!

Summer Cocktail Recipes:

What’s a summer gathering without a few refreshing cocktails?? Each of these drinks is easily made for one or for a crowd and are perfect whether you’re poolside or at home! I recommend trying them all (not at once though…), but please promise me you’ll give the coconut lemonade a go. It’s fantastic.

Recipe for coconut cream lemonade cocktail with lavender simple syrup. The refreshing way to stay cool this summer! Get the full recipe on Jojotastic.com

Coconut Lemonade Recipe with Lavender Simple Syrup

Meet your new favorite mid-summer drink! It’s easily made as a mocktail or cocktail, too.

Our Twist on the Classic Negroni Recipe made with Aperol, Gin, Vermouth, Celery Bitters, and Grapefruit Bitters. Aperol Negroni aperitivo, Italian cocktail recipe. #italy #italiancocktail #aperitivo #campari #aperol #negroni #aperolnegroni

Our Twist on the Classic Negroni

This beautifully balanced aperitivo was inspired by my time in Italy and is truly my fave summer cocktail!

apple and lavender mojito recipe for summer entertaining! #mojito #lavender #mojitorecipe #recipe #cocktailrecipe #cocktail

Summery Apple & Lavender Mojito

The cocktail is so refreshing and just a bit dangerous!

the classic Aperol Spritz recipe.

The Classic Aperol Spritz Recipe

What’s NOT to love about this classic Italian cocktail? It’s the perfect summer cocktail recipe.

With so many summer recipes to choose from, leave a comment and let me know which you’re most excited to try!

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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