Not On Speaking Terms With Your Oven? No Problem, With These 60 No-Bake Desserts
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Sometimes, turning the oven on in order to make a sweet treat is our last straw. Sound familiar? Because we can name more than a few reasons why we might be avoiding our ovens these days, but that shouldn't mean you have to skip dessert time. Maybe your oven isn’t working quite right or is stacked with other, more important things (like oven-baked ribs or whole roast chicken). Maybe you’re cooking with kids and don’t want them going in and out of a hot oven. Maybe it’s just too dang hot out (or inside your apartment, radiator heat’ll get ya!), and you want to avoid turning on the oven at all costs. Whatever the reason we've got 60 clever no-bake desserts that mean you get to keep your cool AND satisfy your sweet tooth all at the same time!
Some dessert recipes are inherently no-bake, like truffles, ice cream, or fudge, and we’ve included a number of our favorites here. Others are easy shortcuts to more complicated desserts, and that’s where the meaning of no-bake really shines. Love cheesecake, but hate water baths? Yeah, us too. Make our no-bake blackberry cheesecake bars, our no-bake whipped ricotta cheesecake, our lemon-blueberry mini cheesecakes, or our banana pudding cheesecake bars instead. More of a cake or pie fan? Try our éclair cake, our chocolate fluffernutter pie, our lemon icebox cake, or our mint chocolate chip pie.
While these are no-bake, that doesn’t necessarily mean no-cook. We’ve included some recipes here that are cooked on the stove or involve minor heating up of ingredients (more power to you to melt your chocolate in the microwave). Some, like our buckeyes, our no-bake oatmeal cookies, or our chocolate-covered strawberries, are still crazy easy to make. Others, like our peanut brittle, halva, or chocolate almond toffee take a little bit more finesse (and sometimes a candy thermometer). Even so, we think they’re the kind of recipes you should have in your dessert arsenal and make a great addition to any dessert table, year-round.
No-Bake Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
Buckeyes are a beloved truffle made of a rich peanut butter filling and dipped in chocolate. It’s similar to a homemade Reese’s in the easiest way possible. This no-bake cheesecake might be even easier. The cheesecake is lighter and creamier than the truffle, but still has all of the peanut butter and chocolate elements you love.
Get the No-Bake Buckeye Cheesecake Bars recipe.
No-Churn Caramel Apple Pie Ice Cream
Dessert leftovers might get overlooked, but you’ll want to save a few slices of your holiday pie to make this easy no-churn caramel apple pie ice cream. This fresh, rich ice cream is a simplified alternative to using an ice cream maker and is maybe too easy to eat and make!
Get the No-Churn Caramel Apple Pie Ice Cream recipe.
Raspberry Tiramisu
We love a classic tiramisu and couldn’t imagine it getting much better—until raspberries entered the picture. We use a little orange liqueur instead of rum to amplify the bright flavors.
Get the Raspberry Tiramisu recipe.
Fantasy Fudge
Fantasy fudge is a shortcut fudge that is just as good as the real thing. Our two favorite things about it are that 1) it's quick to make and 2) it's totally customizable! Not only can you use any chocolate you like, but you can also choose whatever mix-ins you want.
Get the Fantasy Fudge recipe.
Classic Tiramisu
Filled with so many flavors, tiramisu still somehow tastes light, with soaked ladyfingers that practically melt in your mouth upon the first bite. The best part of this decadent treat? Make this no-bake dessert the day before and let the flavors mix and meld together for a flavor-packed dessert guaranteed to make nonna proud.
Get the Classic Tiramisu recipe.
Triple-Chocolate Trifle
By putting our own spin on the classic, decadent chocolate dessert, we turned this triple-chocolate trifle into a serious showstopper. It’s a great make-ahead, no-bake dessert for larger celebrations and dinner parties, because it's guaranteed to satisfy everyone, whether they’re chocolate skeptics or full-blown lovers.
Get the Triple-Chocolate Trifle recipe.
No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
These no-bake cheesecake bars get a stunning, swirly topping of blackberries that looks more like art than dessert. Bonus: The cheesecake itself is tart and fluffy with the creamiest texture.
Get the No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Bourbon Balls
Made with finely chopped pecans, crushed vanilla wafer cookies, and of course, bourbon, these no-bake cookie truffles highlight the flavor of the bourbon while taming its typical burn. Warning: You won’t be able to stop at one!
Get the Bourbon Balls recipe.
No-Bake Banana Caramel Pecan Pie
When it comes to old-school desserts, banana cream pie and pecan pie are always at the top of the list. If you’re torn between which to make, why not combine them?
Get the No-Bake Banana Caramel Pecan Pie recipe.
Mason Jar Ice Cream
We’ve got lots of magic shortcuts for you, from no-churn options to ice cream made in a bag, and now this recipe, ice cream in a mason jar. It really is as easy as it sounds: Simply put heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into a jar, then shake it!
Get the Mason Jar Ice Cream recipe.
Buckeyes
Loaded with peanut butter and dipped in chocolate, these buckeyes are basically a homemade Reese’s peanut butter cup in truffle form. They’re easy to make and great for taking to parties—although if you do, you should probably attach a warning label to the plate. You won’t be able to have just one.
Get the Buckeyes recipe.
Hot Chocolate Fudge
All you need for this hot chocolate-inspired fudge is four ingredients, a microwave, and a fridge. The biggest challenge is finding micro marshmallows, like the kind that come in hot chocolate mixes. Once you have these babies in your life, don't be surprised if you add a dash to every dessert.
Get the Hot Chocolate Fudge recipe.
Brigadeiros
Chocolate sprinkles are traditional for these Brazilian chewy truffles, but you can use anything from nonpareils to your favorite nuts.
Get the Brigadeiros recipe.
Puppy Chow
If you've never had Puppy Chow (otherwise known as Muddy Buddies), you're in for a treat. The names are somewhat bewildering, but don't let that stop you—this Chex cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar snack mix is INCREDIBLE.
Get the Puppy Chow recipe.
No-Bake Whipped Ricotta Cheesecake
"No-bake" and "whipped" in the same recipe name as "cheesecake"? Sure! The whipped ricotta and mascarpone combination lightened with whipped cream atop a Biscoff cookie spread is quite dreamy.
Get the No-Bake Whipped Ricotta Cheesecake recipe.
Chocolate-Covered Graham Crackers
Show friends and family you care by making your own graham crackers, then covering them in white or milk chocolate, or both! Feel free to get creative with your decorations (we think drawing little trees on these would be adorable).
Get the Chocolate-Covered Graham Crackers recipe.
Orange Creamsicle Bars
These triple-layered orange bars have us feeling all nostalgic for the classic frozen Popsicle treat that inspired them. But we won’t linger on it for too long because, just like their inspiration, these bars are irresistibly good. They’re creamy, dreamy, and the perfect blend of citrusy orange and vanilla bean flavor paired with a graham cracker crust.
Get the Orange Creamsicle Bars recipe.
Halo-Halo
Halo-halo is a traditional Filipino shaved ice dessert that's topped with a rainbow of delicious ingredients. The beauty of halo-halo is how easy it is to assemble. You'll start by arranging the shaved ice in bowls or a tall glass, then go crazy with the toppings, from kaong (sugar palm fruit in syrup) to sweet chickpeas to ube ice cream.
Get the Halo-Halo recipe.
Drumstick Pie
Sugar cone fans—get ready to meet your new fave dessert. We use sugar cones not only for the topping in this no-bake dessert, but also in the homemade crust. Layered with vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache, and crumbled peanuts for a sweet-salty, topping, this "pie" truly has something for everyone.
Get the Drumstick Pie recipe.
Raspberry Tiramisu
We love a classic tiramisu and couldn’t imagine it getting much better—until raspberries entered the picture. We use a little orange liqueur instead of rum to amplify the bright flavors.
Get the Raspberry Tiramisu recipe.
Peanut Butter Snowballs
These holiday treats coat peanut butter balls in sweet melted white chocolate, before being decorated with festive holiday sprinkles. Bite-sized and too adorable, this easy dessert is a perfect last-minute addition to your holiday spread, or as the sweetest homemade food gift for any PB + chocolate lovers in your life.
Get the Peanut Butter Snowballs recipe.
Easy Halva
Halva is a Middle Eastern tahini-based treat similar to fudge, but less sweet. We're obsessed.
Get the Easy Halva recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Balls
If you love Almond Joy candy bars, these chocolate coconut balls are calling your name. Packed with toasted almonds (use store-bought to completely avoid your oven) and two kinds of coconut, they are chewy, nutty, and totally scrumptious. Oh... and did we mention they’re also covered in chocolate? 😋
Get the Chocolate Coconut Balls recipe.
No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
This no-bake cheesecake gets a stunning, swirly topping of blackberries that looks more like art than dessert. The cheesecake is tart and fluffy with the creamiest texture. You may not use all of the blackberry topping for the swirling, but save it. You can serve the cheesecake with the extra sauce to get more of that blackberry flavor.
Get the No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Éclair Cake
Traditional pate a choux, the French dough used to make classic eclairs and profiteroles, can be a difficult pastry to make, so for this cheater version we use graham crackers. They're not technically anything like an éclair, but they're still great for layering in this cake and become soft as the cake chills (sort of like in an icebox cake!).
Get the Éclair Cake recipe.
Funfetti Dip
It’s time to channel your inner big kid. Think white cake laced with confetti sprinkles that explode into colorful polka dots (just like in our perfect birthday cake). If you love it as much as we do, it’s time to switch it up and try a quicker, simpler version of Funfetti in dip form—because why not!
Get the Funfetti Dip recipe.
Chocolate Fluffernutter Pie
For all the chocolate peanut butter cup–obsessed, Fluffernutter-loving friends out there: We see you. This recipe is an upgrade of our no-bake peanut butter pie. Instead of topping it with traditional whipped cream (which would still be totally delicious), we made a very quick and easy marshmallow whipped cream. 😍
Get the Chocolate Fluffernutter Pie recipe.
No-Bake Blackberry Oreo Tart
Blackberries are that “side” berry we kind of forget about. But when Oreos come knocking, there is something special to be said about their lovely pairing. And the title of “no-bake” anything should be relieving, especially in the summertime.
Get the No-Bake Blackberry Oreo Tart recipe.
Salted Caramels
Sea salt and caramel are a total match made in heaven, whether it's in a luscious sauce or, in this case, perfectly chewy, wrappable candies. If it seems silly to top them with salt, trust us—it pulls the flavors together (and adds a little crunch!).
Get the Salted Caramels recipe.
Coffee Cookies 'N' Cream Ice Cream
You don't need a machine to make a homemade batch of ice cream—just a strong arm and some imagination. Here, we folded in Oreos, caramel sauce, and a touch of instant coffee for a caffeinated kick, but this recipe is infinitely adaptable.
Get the Coffee Cookies 'N' Cream Ice Cream recipe.
Peanut Brittle
No candy thermometer? Don't worry—this easy brittle can be made with or without one.
Get the Peanut Brittle recipe.
No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Use the base of these impossible-to-mess-up cookies as your launchpad, then stir in some additions to make them your own. Unsweetened shredded coconut, almond extract, chocolate peanut butter or Nutella, and chopped nuts all add extra depth to these cookies. Use a crunchy peanut butter or almond butter if you like too.
Get the No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies recipe.
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Six pints of ice cream and magic shell to top it off? This ice cream cake, inspired by the classic Italian gelato flavor of pistachio, strawberry, and chocolate, is too good.
Get the Spumoni Ice Cream Cake recipe.
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
Oven space is valuable (and hard to come by) during the holidays, so any opportunity we get to make our lives easier on the big day, we’ll take it. When you don’t have the time or oven space to whip up a classic pumpkin pie, this no-bake version will spice up your holiday table.
Get the No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.
Lemon Icebox Cake
Icebox cake may be an old-school concept, but this recipe is truly spectacular. The combination of lemon curd and cream cheese frosting is intensely citrusy and refreshing, and the quick candied lemon peel makes it priceless.
Get the Lemon Icebox Cake recipe.
Gelato
What says summer more than strolling down cobblestone streets, a cone of gelato in hand? If you can't make it to Italy, our homemade gelato recipe will at least make you feel like you're living your best life, right at home.
Get the Gelato recipe.
Oreo Truffles
Raid the cookie and candy aisles to jazz these up—a bit of crushed candy or changing up the variety of Oreo can add a fun boost of flavor and color to your truffles. Make sure to save a little extra too, so you can top each truffle with some crumbs.
Get the Oreo Truffles recipe.
Banana Split
Topped with fruit syrups, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry, few desserts are as recognizable as an ice cream sundae, and this recipe will help you make the ultimate version. The truly classic banana split features strawberry and pineapple syrup as well as chocolate sauce, so we've got it all for you here.
Get the Banana Split recipe.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream—is there anything better? Sure, you could buy it in a pint or trek to a scoop shop, but ice cream made in your own kitchen not only tastes better, it has a bit of magic to it. All this one requires is an electric mixer and a bowl, plus some time in the freezer to let the mixture set up.
Get the Cookies and Cream Ice Cream recipe.
Mochi
Mochi is a sweet, chewy rice pastry that hails from Japan. Traditionally made from cooked and pounded rice, mochi are also easily made with rice flour. Here, each ball is filled with a sweet red bean paste, but you're just as likely to see ice cream, a matcha green tea filling, or black sesame paste inside mochi.
Get the Mochi recipe.
Mint Chip Lasagna
Mint chocolate lovers will lose their minds over this no-bake dessert. We used mint Oreos, but if you already have the classic kind on hand, feel free to use those instead. Adding mint extract to the cheesecake layer is what's absolutely key.
Get the Mint Chip Lasagna recipe.
Chocolate Toffee
This recipe is really simple, but toffee in general can be a littttlllleee fussy. Our biggest piece of advice: WHISK CONSTANTLY! The moment you walk away from the saucepan, the butter and sugar will separate.
Get the Chocolate Toffee recipe.
Cookies 'N' Cream Ice Cream Pie
With lots of rich, creamy vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie bits flecked throughout, there's something in this pie for everyone. And if the chocolate cookies aren't enough, there's a warm, rich, fudgy chocolate sauce in this recipe, too. What more could you ask for?!
Get the Cookies 'N' Cream Ice Cream Pie recipe.
Mint Chocolate Chip Pie
This no-bake pie tastes just like the beloved ice cream flavor. Looking for more no-bake mint chocolate goodness? Give our mint chip lasagna a try too!
Get the Mint Chocolate Chip Pie recipe.
Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Golden sandwich cookies (like Oreos) and freeze-dried strawberries are the secret to the irresistibly crunch topping for this spin on strawberry shortcake.
Get the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake recipe.
Confetti Squares
If you need a quick and easy dessert idea, these peanut butter and chocolate confetti squares are the perfect thing. They are a breeze to put together and after a quick chill in the fridge, everyone will go crazy for them. Rainbow marshmallows make for an extra fun pop of color, so use them instead of boring 'ole white.
Get the Confetti Squares recipe.
Icebox Cake
Few desserts are as easy as an icebox cake. If you can whip cream, you're basically halfway there. Oreo Thins make a great cookie base because they can soften perfectly all the way through, but, honestly, a a regular Oreo will work just as well if you have those on hand.
Get the Easy Icebox Cake recipe.
Creamsicle Cheesecake
Orange and vanilla is one of our favorite flavor combinations, year-round. You too? Try our creamsicle milkshake next.
Get the Creamsicle Cheesecake recipe.
Oreo Cookie Balls
Oreo lovers, meet your new favorite dessert. These cookie balls are essentially truffles. You simply crush up Oreos (we like using a food processor but the old Ziploc bag and rolling pin definitely works), mix them up with cream cheese, and then dunk those balls into melted chocolate.
Get the Oreo Cookie Balls recipe.
No Churn Strawberry Shortcake Vegan Ice Cream
Plant-based, dairy-free, vegan… no matter what you want to call it, this ice cream is as good as—if not better—than any dairy counterpart. Thanks to the no-churn method, this recipe is also easy to make without an ice cream maker. The only equipment needed is a blender to whip up the base, then the freezer does the rest!
Get the No Churn Strawberry Shortcake Vegan Ice Cream recipe.
Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
For nice and neat cheesecake bars that are easy to slice, you need to freeze them. There isn't a super-quick way to firm them up, so we highly suggest making these the night before and garnishing them right before serving.
Get the Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars recipe.
No-Bake Cheesecake
The only downside to a cheesecake is how long it takes to bake and how fussy it can be (water bath? no thank you!). This no-bake cheesecake takes all the stress away. Plus, it only takes about half the time to make.
Get the No-Bake Cheesecake recipe.
Lemon-Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes
Even though these cheesecakes might be miniature, they deliver maximum flavor. Bonus: no finicky water bath!
Get the Lemon-Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes recipe.
Strawberry Cheesecake Pie
Kitchen just way too hot this summer (or missing summer this winter)? No sweat, this no-bake strawberry cheesecake pie is here for you.
Get the Strawberry Cheesecake Pie recipe.
No-Bake Peaches And Cream Pie
There's simply nothing better than sweet cream and juicy peaches together. The gently cooked and fresh peaches really highlight the summer fruit, and the salty pretzel crust puts this over the top. It’s an easy dessert to make ahead and without turning on the dreaded oven.
Get the No-Bake Peaches And Cream Pie recipe.
Creamsicles
Super-simple to make, these frozen bars are a refreshing, easy dessert to enjoy on those too-hot summer days. Trust us—these creamy yogurt-based orange Popsicles are so much better than anything you can buy at the store.
Get the Creamsicles recipe.
Nutella Pops
Turn your favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread into these adorable little pops. They taste like Fudgesicles, only better!
Get the Nutella Pops recipe.
Frozen Samoa Pie
Even when Girl Scout Cookie season is over, you can still satisfy your Samoa cookie cravings. This frozen pie is the perfect no-bake treat and has all of the coconut, caramel, and chocolate you love.
Get the Frozen Samoa Pie recipe.
Pineapple Granita
Simple to make and easily modified, granita is perfect on its own as a light palate cleanser or dressed up with whipped cream and toppings. This pineapple version is big on tropical flavors, with heavy notes of vanilla and toffee thanks to a splash of rum and a scoop of dark brown sugar.
Get the Pineapple Granita recipe.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Is there anything better than chocolate-covered strawberries? We think not. They're indulgent and classy, romantic and a little cheesy—just sweet enough to make you and your loved ones smile.
Get the Chocolate-Covered Strawberries recipe.
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