Summer produce waits for no one—it ripens fast, tastes best in the moment, and deserves to be celebrated while it’s at its peak. From crisp cucumbers and juicy watermelon to sweet corn and sun-warmed stone fruit, every ingredient feels like a bite of sunshine. This collection of recipes showcases the very best of the season: bright salads that pair sweetness with spice, refreshing drinks that cool you down on the hottest days, and desserts that let summer fruits shine in all their glory. Whether you’re grilling outside, hosting Shabbat, or just looking for an easy weeknight side, these dishes are designed to help you savor every last bite of summer’s bounty.

Corn:

1. Summer Salad with Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing by Molly Hagler

The bright colors of this salad with the creamy avocado dressing bring all the feels of spring turning into summer.

2. Mexican Street Corn by Michal Frischman

When I was growing up, corn on the cob was a summer staple — barely steamed so the kernels were still crisp and never mushy. This is a parve play on a popular Mexican street food, using nutritional yeast in place of traditional Cotija cheese. If you’re nervous about using something that may not become a pantry staple, you can omit it, but don’t. Being adventurous in the kitchen is fun!

3. Fresh Corn, Sugar Snap Pea, and Tomato Salad by Kim Kushner

For this recipe, I boil ears of corn and then I cut the kernels off the cobs. It’s also a great summer salad to make with leftover ears of corn. I used to keep the corncobs in the fridge for my babies to teethe on—they loved it! The ingredients for the dressing go directly into the salad, making for a fast cleanup. Serve this salad as a side dish with grilled fish or meats. People always go crazy for it because the mix of ingredients is unusual.

4. Crispy Fresh Chili Lime Corn Salad by Chaya Surie Goldberger

This salad looks as good as it tastes! The crispiness with the kick of lime juice and chili spice will have you dreaming of spring and summer days.

Tomatoes:

5. Garlicky Cherry Tomato Dip by Yussi Weisz

This is Yussi’s newest homemade dip for Shabbat. It’s full of cherry tomatoes and garlic and delicious served warm with challah. Enjoy!

For more Heimish recipes, watch Baruch Hashem It’s Shabbos!

6. Sea Bass Over Eggplant and Tomato Salad by Victoria Dwek

Sure, you can use any type of white fish for a recipe like this, but if you want to prepare a sea bass starter and need a pretty presentation, this plates beautifully. You can also use this idea if you want to bread the fish (to appeal to a wider range of people), since a breading of panko and herbs would also complement this flavor profile.

7. Cilantro and Lime Salad by Shaindy Siff

I love the cilantro-lime combination in this beautiful salad.

8. Summer Steak Salad by Shifra Klein

This salad is the ultimate combo to serve at your next BBQ.

9. Chile-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Avocado and Pineapple Salsa by Shifra Klein

Watermelon:

10. Summer Caprese Salad by Faigy Murray

My parents are as old-school and traditional as it gets when it comes to food. I was testing this recipe when they were here, and I gave some of this salad to my father without telling him what was in it. He liked it! I rest my case.

11. Watermelon Strawberry Frozen Drink by Victoria Dwek

“Tastes like Rita’s”—that’s what my kids said when I gave them a cold cup of freshly blended frozen drink. Yay! That was the goal. Moms, if you cringe at the amount of sugar consumption in the summer and wish refreshing treats could be wholesome, you’re going to love this recipe. There’s some technique here, so pay attention the first time and you won’t need to pull out this recipe again–you’ll just pull out the blender and know what to do. We found the ratio we liked best was 2:1—four cups watermelon to two cups strawberries, or two cups watermelon to one cup strawberries. Of course, the amount of strawberries you’ll need will depend on the size of your watermelon. Enjoy!

12. Watermelon Feta Salad by Bina Gottdiener

This salad just screams summer, creating a tangy party for your taste buds. Both watermelon and cucumbers are over 90% water, making them perfect candidates for edible hydration!

13. Watermelon Matchstick Salad by Chanie Nayman

One Shabbos morning, as I was cutting watermelon for dessert, I fell in love with the idea of cutting up a watermelon into matchsticks, tossing it with a few other super-fresh ingredients, and creating summer on a plate. After developing what I thought was an amazing recipe, I decided to run it by a few friends to see what they thought, and let’s just say they were less than into it. In the end, I decided to leave the recipe as is, and let Renee Muller be the judge. She was obsessed. She forbade me from changing it, profusely thanking me for enabling her to have lunch that day! So here you have it, the recipe that deserves a try!

14. Lemony Farro and Lettuce Salad by Faigy Grossman

My daughter and I had fun adjusting the flavoring for this unique and satisfying salad. With notes of mint and parsley, along with healthful kasha and savory roasted butternut squash, it satiates while being enjoyed down to the last bite!

15. Fruit Pops by Sina Mizrahi

Serve fruit on sticks or skewers for a healthy treat that’s easy to make and fun to eat. You can even get the kids to put them together. And of course, some chocolate makes it a legitimate dessert.

16. Watermelon Radish and Avocado Salad by Victoria Dwek

You know those pink watermelon radishes that look so gorgeous in the produce section…so you want to buy them, but you don’t because you don’t know quite what to do with them. I love this recipe because it captures how fresh ingredients can shine in their simplicity. No complicated salad dressings. No complicated preparation. Just something bright and refreshing.

Strawberries:

17. Summer Fruit Quinoa Salad by Nechama Norman

18. Strawberry Chicken Skewers by Family Table

Watch these skewers come to life along with 2 other amazing strawberry ideas here!

19. Mixed-Berry Apple Bake by Rivky Kleiman

When I set out to develop this recipe, I thought, not another boring apple bake. Well, mission accomplished… The crumb topping and mixed berries are a testament that something new can be amazing!

20. Strawberry Crumb Muffins by Faigy Grossmann

Everyone loves a good muffin, and they’re usually not that hard to make. There are a few basic rules to give you a consistently perfect muffin. The most important one is not to overmix your batter. Unlike bread, where you want the gluten to develop, in muffins, you do not, as this will result in a tough and rubbery end product. Mix your wet and dry ingredients together until just com-bined — lumps are good! Second, to take your muffin from good to great, don’t skimp on your add-ins. You want enough so that you get some in every bite! Some great add-ins include fruit, nuts, chocolate, jams, nut butters, etc.

21. Strawberry-Marshmallow Cake by Sara Wasserman

Turn a favorite treat into a luscious, summery dessert.

How Do I Properly Prepare Fresh Strawberries?

22. How Do I Properly Prepare Fresh Strawberries? by OU Kosher

Remove tops. Carefully rotate and inspect each berry. Place in soapy solution. Agitate each berry and soak for several minutes. Wash each berry thoroughly under powerful spray of running water.

Mint:

23. Strawberry Slushy by Michal Frischman

I’m the griller in our family (because I want to be, not because my husband can’t!), so let’s be honest, this one is really for me to sip while I’m out it in the heat. I’ve been a Ceres fan since I took their juice boxes to camp as a kid, but any juice works well here.

24. Summer Fruit Medley with Mint Pesto Dressing by Chavi Feldman

What a refreshing combination! Mint and basil, who would’ve thought? But together they take this fruit medley to the next level. After I tasted this unusual combo, I got so “pesto happy” that I even tried it over grilled watermelon with equally delicious results!

25. Nana Mint Iced Lemon Slushy by Wissotzky

One of our favorite craft iced teas is our Nana Mint Lemon Slushy! The perfect blend of bright Lemon Herbal tea and exotic Nana Mint, frozen just until it is a scrapable refreshing tea drinking experience!

26. Limonana Sorbet by Brynie Greisman

Limonana is a frosty summer beverage that’s a classic favorite in Israel. It’s a sweet, refreshing slushy drink made with lemon and mint. Here, I’ve taken it to the next level and made it into a sorbet. I used my new mint plant, so the herbs would be very fresh, and we couldn’t get enough of it!

27. Blueberry Limonana by Mirel Freylich

Stupendously refreshing, this drink will hit the spot in any setting.

28. Quinoa-Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas by Rivki Rabinowitz

Inspired by a quinoa salad that recently took the food world by storm, I put together this meal-in-a-bowl. It has all the components of a good meal-sized salad: protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, veggies, and bright delicious flavor. It also holds up well in the fridge, so you can make this over the weekend and have lunch ready to go for the entire week!

29. Fish Tacos with Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa by Alexandra Zohn

I was born and raised in Mexico City, and for everyone in there, tacos, besides being the most common of street foods, are our version of comfort food. A variety of spicy salsas are always offered so everyone can spoon them to taste onto their own taco. This fish taco version of mine is very lean, easy and nutritious.

Stone Fruit:

30. Roasted Plum Salad with Candied Walnuts by Sima Kazarnovsky

I was never one to throw in an apple or cut up a strawberry in a salad. Call it blasphemous, tell me I’m missing out on the best flavors ever, I don’t really care. I don’t mix my fruit with my vegetables. And yet, I was able to get behind this recipe. Maybe it’s the roast on the plum, or maybe it’s the addition of savory thyme. I’m not really sure. All I know is that this salad, with its stone fruit, sweet, nutty crunch, and bright basil dressing, just works. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

31. Farro, Corn, and Plum Salad by Ashira Mirsky

I’m always looking for new, interesting salad ideas that don’t involve lettuce. This salad is the perfect answer for shalosh seudot, Shabbat lunch, or weekday. It tastes great cold or room temperature and can be made in advance. Its vibrant fresh flavors will leave you craving it again and again.

32. Plum Galette by Rivky Kleiman

An easy, no-fuss dish that will have everyone thinking that it took so much preparation. In reality, it can be assembled in just a few minutes. So take advantage of summer’s bounty, and prepare a galette that’s ready in no time and tastes positively divine.

33. Almond Custard Plum Bars by Brynie Greisman

Fresh plums star in this delicious cake. Paired together with crunchy almonds and a hint of orange, the flavor is very refreshing and summery. Last time I made it, I gave most of it away because I kept “straightening” out the pieces and snipping the corners just one more time….

34. Honey Grilled Peach Dessert by Sara Goldstein

Grilling peaches is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this seasonal stone fruit. Grilling them intensifies the natural sugars, softens them, and imparts a touch of smokiness. It pairs so beautifully with creamy Tuscanini gelato and a crunchy oat crumble.

35. Open Stone-Fruit Tart by Michal Frischman

Stone fruit is a fancy name for fruit with a big pit inside. They taste amazing through the summer, and this easy tart is the perfect way to take advantage of the season’s bounty!

Cucumbers:

36. Smashed Cucumber Dill Salad by Micah Siva

My zaida (grandfather), named Arnold, was a natural host. Every time we went to his house, he would come in with a tray of candies, Mrs. Fields cookies, Coke, and ice cream floats (with unique flavor combinations, like cream soda or orange soda in place of cola, no less). He made freshly squeezed orange juice for my bubbe (grandmother) every morning, and if you were lucky, he would make you a batch of “Zaida’s Pickles,” made with pickling cucumbers, salt, sugar, and vinegar. It was a perfectly tangy treat that we looked forward to and craved every summer. Since then, I often make my own pickle variations and think of how he took such pride in caring for others. The flavors of Arnie’s pickles inspired me to create this cucumber salad, a modern twist of a side dish that is a hybrid between a salad and a plate of his pickles. It’s a great dinner party option.

37. Cucumber Kohlrabi Salad with Peanut Dressing by Sima Kazarnovsky

This salad has all the crunch, a little spice, and a bright ginger profile to balance out the creamy peanut butter. Think it’s weird to put peanut butter in your salads? Don’t knock it until you try it. I can go at this one with a spoon.

38. Vietnamese Cucumber Salad with Cilantro & Roasted Peanuts by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer

This fresh and spicy summer salad topped with crunchy roasted peanuts is perfect for your next vegan barbecue or as a side dish to your favorite Asian stir-fry.

39. Asian-Style Pickled Cucumbers by Leah Leora

Sour, spicy, and slightly sweet, these are great on their own as a snack or add to rice for an elevated side dish.

40. Quick Pickled Vegetable Chips by Kim Kushner

The best thing about this recipe is you can use ANY veggies so long as they have some bite. The amount of oil and vinegar is dependent on the quantity of veggies you’ll be using. Generally speaking, the ratio should be two parts oil to one part vinegar. Add enough to cover the pickles halfway.

Zucchini:

41. Zucchini Walnut Muffins by Dorit Teichman

These muffins are flavorful, moist, and full of heart-healthy fat from the olive oil and walnuts.

42. Stuffed Zucchini Pizza Boats by Elizabeth Kurtz

The keto diet allows for non-traditional diet foods, like cheese. These pizza boats are adorable and delicious and will become your new family favorite. They are filled with protein from vegetarian meat, and loaded with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and melted cheese. Serve with a salad and you have a well-rounded meal.

43. Crosshatch Zucchini by Chanie Nayman

Zucchini is great on the grill any way you slice it (literally), but this method gives maximum searing surface, plus a great presentation.

44. Zucchini Corn Fritters by Sara Goldstein

These crispy fritters are addictive! Corn is at its peak season, and it lends a delicious sweet and delicate flavor to these fritters.

45. Crispy Baked Zucchini Sticks with Parsley Yogurt Dip by Victoria Dwek

Usually, we need to make a choice: healthy or indulgent. But rare dishes hit both notes, satisfying that taste for something crispy and dairy, while also being good for you. I don’t mind having a tray of this on my own for my meal. I also love these as chips. Cut your zucchini into 1⁄4-inch slices. The chips are easier to dip and coat than the sticks are. Though you can bake for as little as 15 minutes, I like these extra-crispy and golden, so I keep it in for 20 minutes.

Cantaloupe and Honeydew:

46. Strawberry-Cantaloupe Soup by Alison Gutwaks

I am always looking for soups that are refreshing and easy to serve in the summertime. This recipe not only takes advantage of the super-sweet strawberries and cantaloupe available now, but it is done in one bowl and takes only five minutes to prepare!

47. Cantaloupe and Feta Salad by Sara Goldstein

A combination of sweet fruit and salty feta is one of our favorite summertime treats. It’s refreshing and beautiful. Enjoy it in one bite or toss it into a big bowl.

48. Passion Fruit Salad by Renee Muller

My kids are obsessed with passion fruit. They’ll pick a passion fruit over a bag of sour sticks any day of the week. It’s great, I know, but it’s the kind of healthy choice that will make me broke at $2.99 a pop. I believe this obsession started on a trip to London, years back. I’m not sure why, but passion fruits are pretty common and cheap there. So as a result, every time I traveled to London, or, as a matter of fact, every time anyone I knew traveled there, I made sure we’d smuggle at least a dozen passion fruits back to the US. My sister from Golders Green knows this is her only ticket into our home. Therefore, you can begin to understand my joy when I discovered passion fruit pulp in the freezer section of my local grocery! Granted, you cannot compare to eating the actual fruit with a spoon. But the flavor is all there. When it comes to preparing a fruit salad, there are no set rules. A salad that’s prepared in August will not and cannot be the same as the one prepared in January. Therefore, trust yourself and create your very own combination. I give you here a sample of fruits (the ones I used for the picture) but you can change it all to your liking. The secret here lies in the “sauce.”

49. Melon-Cherry Pops by Marilyn Ayalon

Say goodbye to store-bought ices loaded with artifical flavors and food coloring! Here’s an array of 100% natural fruit pops made from fresh fruit. They’re refreshing, delicious, and perfect for a lazy summer day. A terrific treat for young and old alike.

50. Honeydew Cucumber Salad by Sina Mizrahi

This salad feels so fresh and clean. The flavors come together to yield a delicious, healthy dish that can be enjoyed on its own or can complement an entrée of fish, chicken, or meat.

Cherries:

51. Oatmeal Cherry Muffins by Miriam (Pascal) Cohen

In my opinion, there’s no better way to start a summer morning than with one of these muffins and a tall glass of iced coffee. They’re easy to make and easy to pop out of the freezer and grab as you head out the door.

52. Fruit Soup Smoothie by Chaia Frishman

This is such a popular menu item in the business my husband and I run that we decided to share it with you! You’re welcome. It’s nice to have an addition to your Yom Tov meal that is so simple to make and so good for you, too. (It yields a lot, so feel free to freeze some for the summer.)

53. Sour Cherry Crumble by Sara Goldstein

Last month was my birthday. What did I want to do? Sour-cherry picking of course. Unexciting, I know! Truth is, these sour cherries have such a short season that you’re really lucky if you catch them (so I tried hard to get this recipe to you fast). When you eat them raw, you really pucker up. But if you can get your hands on them, they make excellent crumbles, pies, and preserves. The longer you wait, the less tart they are. So, roll up those sleeves! I made mine in a cast-iron skillet on the grill (cuz SUMMER!). No worries—you can make it in the oven too!