30 Fruit Desserts (+ Easy Recipes)

One of my favorite things about fruit desserts is that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating them because fruit is healthy, right?

Of course, it may be less nutritious when you add sugar, flour, chocolate, Cool Whip, icing, cake mix, pastry crust, and all those other yummy things, but let’s pretend otherwise.

In all seriousness, though, fruit desserts are some of most people’s favorites, particularly in the summer.

They’re usually lighter, cooler, and less filling than other desserts.

Most of them also have an outstanding balance of flavors between sweetness, tanginess, and tartness.

And often, they really are less fatty and bad for you than purely decadent desserts.

It doesn’t matter why you like them. If fruit desserts are your thing, you’ve come to the right place.

1. Cherry Yum Yum

Cherry yum yum is the perfect mixture of cheesecake and cherry pie.

It’s double the deliciousness, double the sweetness, and double the yum. I like to think that’s how it got its name.

The crust is rich, crunchy, and full of pecan goodness, and the filling is lightly sweet but has plenty of tart tanginess that every cheesecake and cherry lover will adore.

It only takes about 30 minutes to pull together, but plan ahead because it needs to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving it. 

2. Fresh Fruit Tarts

I think people often shy away from making fresh tarts because they’re so gorgeous that everyone assumes they’re insanely hard to make. 

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

You can make three of these lovely tarts in less than 25 minutes with only five ingredients (not including your fresh fruit toppings). 

They’re light, sugary sweet, and you can top them with any of your favorite fruits and berries.

Plus, they’re pretty enough to liven up any brunch table.

3. Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Strawberry oatmeal bars have crunchy oat/butter crumb toppings and are soft and chewy on the inside. 

They’re packed with vibrant strawberry flavor, and you can top them with an optional vanilla glaze if you like your sweets even sweeter. 

Best of all, each square has less than 100 calories, so you really can eat them guilt-free.

4. Punch Bowl Cake

I’m not sure why they don’t call punch bowl cake “layers of deliciousness cake.”

That would describe this soft, airy, fluffy dessert so much better.

Each layer gets better and better. There’s yellow cake on the bottom, topped with vanilla pudding, bananas, crushed pineapples, cherry pie filling, and coconut.

Once you top it off with a layer of silky smooth whipped cream and some chopped walnuts for texture, you’ll have something that’s this close to being downright heavenly. 

5. Fruit Pizza Cookies

Most of us have heard of fruit pizzas, but these are fruit pizzas in miniature cookie form.

They’re absolutely adorable and perfect for parties and other single-serve events. 

Between the soft, buttery cookie, fluffy whipped cream frosting, and all your favorite fruits and berries, it’ll be hard to decide which part of this cookie you like best.

6. Fruit Dessert Pizza 

Of course, if you’d rather make a full-size fruit pizza, go right ahead!

This recipe will help you make one that’s both delicious and nutritious in 25 minutes.

Thanks to all the red, white, and blue, it’s also ideal for Independence Day and other patriotic holidays!

7. Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake

Bisquick strawberry shortcakes are another single-serving snack that’ll be a hit at any get-together. 

They have all the flavor of a traditional strawberry shortcake, but thanks to the Bisquick, they’re quick and easy to make, and everyone at the party can have their own miniature “biscuit cake.”

These are one of my absolute favorite desserts for brunch because they seamlessly combine breakfast with dessert.

8. Fruit Salad Trifle

At first glance, this may look like nothing more than a giant bowl of fruit.

However, it’s actually a giant bowl of fruit with a ton of creamy whipped topping added into it!

Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier, tastier, or healthier than fruit salad trifle.

9. Lemon Fruit Parfaits

If you enjoy desserts that are more tart and tangy than purely sweet, you’ll love these fruit-filled lemon parfaits.

There’s no cooking involved, and you can make them in 20 minutes or less.

All you’ll need is lemon pie filling, Cool Whip, cream-filled sponge cakes, sliced strawberries, and blueberries. 

That should tell you everything you need to know about how tasty these are.

10. Spiced Hot Fruit Bake

Most of the time, fruit desserts are light, cool, and summery, but this spiced hot fruit bake is an exception. 

It’s rich, warm, filling, and ideal for fall. It features all your autumn favorites, including baked cinnamon apples, nutmeg, cranberries, maple syrup, pecans, and more.

It takes a little time to bake but only 10 minutes to prepare.

Once the delightful aromas of cinnamon, apples, nutmeg, and maple fill your house, you won’t mind the hour-long cook time.

11. Banana Cake

This supremely moist and pillowy cake is simple, light, and full of banana goodness.

It is 100% proof that things don’t have to look fancy to taste phenomenal. 

Of all the desserts on this list, this one may look like the plainest one, but in terms of taste, it’s one of my top three favorite cakes of all time.

12. Pineapple Dream Cake 

Pineapple dream cake is another unassuming cake that’s overflowing with tropical fruity flavor.

I put this one right after the banana cake because the two remind me of each other. 

They’re both easy to make, light, fluffy, and incredibly moist, and they both often get overlooked in favor of more exciting and complex-looking desserts.

And that’s a shame because biting into either cake is like enjoying a little piece of heaven.

The only question you need to ask yourself is whether you want a tropical pineapple heaven or a super sweet banana heaven.

13. Angel Fruit Dessert

You can whip up a half-dozen or more of these tasty, tiny treats in only 15 minutes, and all you’ll need are strawberries, Cool Whip, and angel bread.

Once you have them, it’s just a matter of mixing the bread and cool whip, popping it in a dessert cup, and topping it with strawberries.

14. Summer Fruit Galette

This sweet and tangy tart has a delightful fruit filling and warm, flaky crust.

As the recipe says, it’s a simpler version of a mixed fruit pie, and it’s exceptionally good.

It’s simple to make, requiring basic baking ingredients and fruit. You can have it ready in 35 minutes. 

15. Peach Cobbler With Cake Mix

Ask anyone south of the Mason-Dixon Line what the best summer dessert is, and at least half of them (or more) will say peach cobbler. 

When you can prepare it simply using cake mix, it’s even better.

Making it this way eliminates a lot of time and work and cuts the ingredients list down to four things – cake mix, peaches, butter, and cinnamon.

Even so, it has the same warm, rich flavor that makes peach cobbler so unbeatable. Serve it topped in vanilla ice cream for extra yumminess.

16. Strawberry Cheesecake Lasagna

This strawberry-filled dessert has a lot going on. It’s halfway between strawberry trifle and cheesecake, but you’ll make it in layers just like lasagna! 

It’s light, cool, full of tart strawberry sweetness, and takes less than 30 minutes to make. It doesn’t get much more impressive than that.

17. Gourmet Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

It seems insane that one of our most beloved “delicacies” is so simple to make. 

There’s nothing special about strawberries dipped in melted chocolate, yet they consistently rank at the top of many people’s “favorite desserts” lists.

That’s why, despite their simplicity, I couldn’t leave them off the list.

18. Trisha Yearwood Key Lime Cake

The ingredients list on this cake is long, but don’t let it scare you away; it’s actually quite simple to prepare, though it does take a little time.

If you love key lime pie, though, you’ll go crazy for this cake version.

It’s fluffier and zestier, and the key lime glaze and cream cheese icing are phenomenal. 

19. Cherry Clafoutis

If you’ve never had one before, clafoutis is like a fruit-filled flan with crispier edges.

This particular clafoutis features tons of black cherries for a sweet, tangy, totally unforgettable flavor.

If cherries aren’t your thing, you can use just about any fruit you like. The trick to making the perfect clafoutis is not to overbake it. 

Baking it too long turns the custard-like consistency into something harder and less creamy.

It’ll still taste good, but you’ll lose the texture that makes it unique.

20. Apple Brown Betty

If Apple Brown Betty isn’t fall in a bowl, then nothing is.

Packed with tart, flavorful apples, cinnamon, sugar, and ground nutmeg, this dessert smells as fantastic as it tastes.

It’s sweet, crunchy, and perfectly crumbly, and with or without vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

21. Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Speaking of autumnal delights, the caramel apple dump cake is similar to Apple Brown Betty, but it’s so much more. 

It takes about 10 minutes longer to make, and it puts a much heavier focus on caramel. 

So if you’re the kind of person who looks forward to caramel-covered apples every year, this is the fall treat for you. 

22. 2-Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream

I’m predisposed to loving anything with the words “two-ingredient” or “5-minute” in the name, and this two-ingredient watermelon ice cream is no exception.

If you can cut and freeze watermelon chunks and blend them with coconut milk in a food processor, you can enjoy this watermelon ice cream practically all summer long.

23. Chocolate-Dipped Kiwi Slices

These are like chocolate-covered strawberries; only you’ll make them with frozen kiwi slices instead.

It gives you the same rich, chocolatey goodness, but the kiwis add a uniquely tropical flavor.

24. Lemon Sour Cream Cake

Lemon sour cream cake is the lemon cake for people who don’t like lemon cake (and for those who do!). It’s dense, fluffy, and sweeter than you’d imagine. 

The only lemon in it is in the glaze, so it’s not overwhelmingly zesty or sour. 

People I know who aren’t particularly fond of lemon desserts still enjoy this cake because the lemon is so light, and people who love lemon cake already will like it, as well.

25. Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Everything you need to know about this sweet treat is right there in the name.

It’s basically banana pudding on a vanilla wafer crust and with some cream cheese filling mixed in.

It’s unbelievably light and airy, and the filling is silky smooth and full of banana flavor. 

The topping of whipped cream, banana slices, and vanilla wafers isn’t strictly necessary, but it makes it even better.

26. Banana Split Cake

With a buttery graham cracker crust, a filling of cream cheese, powdered sugar, bananas, pineapples, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and peanuts on top, this truly is a banana split in cake form.

The only thing missing is the ice cream and chocolate sauce, but the cake tastes so good, you won’t even miss them.

And if you do, you can always add them to the top!

27. Chocolate Cherry Brownies

There’s one downside to these chocolate cherry brownies. Once you’ve tried them, plain brownies will never again be good enough. 

These brownies are supremely gooey and full of fudgy deliciousness and tart and tangy cherries. 

One nibble is all it takes to hook you. as soon as the juicy sweetness hits your tongue, you’ll beg for more.

28. Blueberry Pie Bars

These beautiful purple bars have all the taste and texture of blueberry pie, but without the hassle of homemade pie crusts.

They’re soft, tender, and full of scrumptious blueberries and blueberry juice. Plus, they look fantastic and will help brighten up any table. 

29. Raspberry Crumble Bars

Raspberry crumble bars aren’t quite as moist and soft as the blueberry pie bars, but they’re every bit as delicious. 

And if you prefer crunchy desserts to soft, you may like them even better. 

The only downside to these is that they take a little time to make, cook, and chill, so be sure you plan in advance if you want to serve them for a particular event.

30. Rhubarb Dump Cake

Despite what you may think, the sweetness of the strawberry gelatin and yellow cake mix perfectly complements the slight citrusy sourness of the rhubarb. 

If you’re an inexperienced baker, you’ll especially love this cake because it’s one of the easiest you could ever make.

There isn’t even any stirring or mixing involved! 

It requires only six ingredients and is ready in less than an hour. It’s one of the most straightforward desserts you’ll ever make.