Hello lovelies, when it's hot outside, I love desserts that are quick to make, not too heavy and only need a few ingredients. That's exactly why I've put together 3 of my favorite summer desserts for you here, each with just 4 to 5 ingredients and of course completely vegan. Simply pick your favorite dessert, or make all 3.
1. Apricot Crumble with 5 Ingredients
Juicy apricots under a crunchy streusel of almonds and oats, warm from the oven and a dream with a scoop of nice cream. The crumble comes together in a few minutes and always turns out well.
To the recipe: Apricot Crumble with 5 Ingredients
2. Mango Nice Cream with Dried Fruit
Creamy "nice" cream without an ice cream maker: frozen mango and banana blended until smooth with dried fruit. Ready in minutes, fruity-sweet and a favorite with the kids.
To the recipe: Mango Nice Cream with Dried Fruit
3. Stracciatella Parfait with Berries
An airy, layered parfait with fine chocolate pieces and fresh berries. Served in pretty glasses, it can be prepared ahead wonderfully, perfect for when guests are coming.
To the recipe: Stracciatella Parfait with Berries
Which summer dessert suits which occasion?
The stracciatella parfait in a glass works best for guests, the mango nice cream for spontaneous hot days, and the warm apricot crumble for a cozy finish.
The three desserts are built differently on purpose. You layer the parfait into glasses and chill it, so it looks pretty and waits patiently. The nice cream is ready in the time your blender runs, which makes it the dessert for days when nobody wants to be in the kitchen any more. The crumble is the only one that goes into the oven, and the only one you serve warm.
| Dessert | Time | Makes | Per serving | Oven |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apricot crumble | 10 min plus 30 min baking | 4 servings | 470 kcal | yes |
| Mango nice cream | 10 min | 2 servings | 200 kcal | no |
| Stracciatella parfait | 10 min prep | 4 glasses | 190 kcal | no |
Times and nutrition come from the three recipes themselves.
How far ahead can you prepare them?
The apricot crumble and the stracciatella parfait prepare well and keep in the fridge. The mango nice cream tastes creamiest straight from the blender.
With the parfait, preparing ahead is part of the recipe: layered in the glass, chilled, done. When guests are coming that is the biggest advantage for me, because there is nothing left to do later.
You can assemble the crumble completely and bake it just before serving, so it comes to the table warm. The nice cream can be frozen but gets firmer. Take it out a few minutes before serving and it is spoonably soft again.
Which summer dessert is the lightest?
The stracciatella parfait is the lightest of the three at around 190 kcal per glass, closely followed by the mango nice cream at around 200 kcal per serving.
Both work without butter and without baking, and that is where the difference comes from. The parfait gets its creaminess from plant yogurt and almond butter, the nice cream from nothing but frozen banana and mango.
The apricot crumble sits higher at around 470 kcal per serving, and that is completely fine. The streusel of almonds, oats and vegan butter is exactly what makes it warm and crunchy. If you want it lighter, take a smaller portion and add a scoop of nice cream.
Since we moved to Bali, my summer dessert looks different from the one I made in Switzerland. There are no apricots here, but mangos with a sweetness I did not know before. The nice cream is on our table almost all year round, while the crumble still tastes like a Swiss late summer to me.
More quick summer desserts
If you like these three, I have a few more that work without an oven. The closest one is my berry popsicles with coconut water: four ingredients, ten minutes, and always ready in the freezer.
For everyone who likes banana, there is banana nice cream in three versions, the same principle as the nice cream above, thought through three different ways. For something to nibble in between, the frozen yogurt clusters with berries and chocolate are perfect. And when it should be really fruity, I recommend my vegan mango and raspberry ice cream.
3 easy ideas to get something sweet on the table in summer without much effort. If you're after more quick, cool treats, also try my chia pudding as a dessert or the fruity orange cream with silken tofu. And for the matching refreshment in a glass, I've brought you 4 iced tea recipes.
Which of the 3 desserts will you try first? I'd love to hear about your summer favorites.
