25 Easy No-Bake Desserts: Icebox Cake, Cheesecake, Pudding And More

There's a lot to be celebrated during summer. In addition to a few patriotic holidays, there are bridal showers, bachelorette parties and countless birthday events for the Cancers, Leos and Virgos in our lives. And what's one thing every celebration needs? Dessert. But firing up the oven on a 90-degree day isn't our idea of fun. When you need something extra special, turn to these incredible no-bake desserts and you'll avoid preheating your oven for the rest of the season.

Even the name of this dessert takes our body temp down a few degrees. Icebox cakes have been around since the 1920s and they're not going out of style any time soon. The retro dessert is usually made with cream, fruit, nuts and wafers. This version calls for extra refreshing lemons.

For the Lemon Icebox Cake recipe, click here.

Margaritas are a welcome cocktail during summer, but margarita ice pops take the concept to another level. The splash of tequila makes this one of the best boozy desserts. Just add the ingredients to a blender, mix until smooth, add the mixture to popsicle molds and store it in the freezer to set.

For the Strawberry Margarita Pops recipe, click here.

Frozen yogurt is easier to make from scratch than you might think. Made with two ingredients, the light dessert comes together in about an hour. This recipe suggests adding a whipped honey topping but if you don't feel like it, drizzle honey over the treat for a similar effect.

For the Frozen Yogurt With Whipped Honey recipe, click here.

Strawberries are in season starting in late spring and remain fresh throughout summer. Here, they're mashed in a food processor and mixed with an egg-cream mixture to form a delightfully sweet and refreshing frozen custard.

For the Frozen Strawberry Custard recipe, click here.

Orange creamsicles are a popular ice cream truck treat, but in this recipe, the timeless dessert is turned into a fluffy, lighter-than-mousse Jell-O mold that's guaranteed to melt in your mouth.

For the Orange Creamsicle Jell-O Mold recipe, click here.

If you need to get a dessert on the table fast, this homemade honeycomb candy is the way to go. Made with just four pantry staple ingredients, this treat is ready in 30 minutes. Serve it as is, or use it as an ice cream topping.

For the Homemade Honeycomb Candy recipe, click here.

Rice pudding may not be as popular as it once was, but that doesn't mean it's not delicious. Skip the packaged stuff and make it from scratch by following this easy recipe.

For the Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding recipe, click here.

If you're someone who can't resist taking a few bites of raw cookie dough when baking, you're in luck. This frozen cookie dough ice cream sandwich is prepared with an unbaked, egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough so you can snack on it without getting sick.

For the No-Bake Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich recipe, click here.

Shaved ice is one of the most iconic desserts in the country, and it tastes especially good during summer when 90-degree days are the norm. On top of being an ideal way to cool down, shaved ice is a perfect dessert to make with your kids. Let them pour the food coloring over the shaved ice.

For the Crushed Orange Shaved Ice recipe, click here.

If you have a sweet tooth but don't want to fire up the oven to bake brownies or cookies, try making fudge. This recipe uses chocolate chips, mint extract and marshmallow fluff, and will satisfy your hankering for chocolate without heating up the house.

For the Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge recipe, click here.

Another way to get your chocolate fix is by making truffles. Although they're typically found at dessert shops, these fudgy delights are super easy to make at home. Case in point: you only need four ingredients for this recipe.

For the Chocolate Truffles recipe, click here.

Of course, the easiest way to cool down during summer is to have ice cream or another frozen dessert. This "pie" might have the appearance of watermelon, but it's made out of sherbet, sorbet, gelato and chocolate chips.

For the Watermelon Pie recipe, click here.

Peanut butter cups are one of the most popular candies around, but did you know that you can easily make the treat from home? It's true! This recipe adds a pretzel to the center of each cup, giving the dessert a balance of sweet and salty flavors.

For the Pretzel Peanut Butter Cups recipe, click here.

This limoncello mousse will easily turn a meal at home into a 5-star dining experience. Buttery, fluffy mascarpone cheese is whipped to perfection with cream, lemon zest and limoncello liqueur. The ethereal dessert is perfect for dinner parties, but keep in mind that the mousse needs four hours to chill before serving.

For the Limoncello Mousse recipe, click here.

Japanese milk pudding, also known as purin, has a texture similar to flan, but its flavor is reminiscent of ice cream. Enjoy it plain or topped with black sugar sauce, ginger-lemon sauce or macerated blueberries. This recipe gives options for all three.

For the Japanese Milk Pudding recipe, click here.

One bite of this pineapple-flavored Dole Whip and you'll feel like you're at Disney World. The light, creamy dessert is dairy-free and is sure to cool you down on hot summer days when you don't feel like leaving the house for ice cream.

For the Dairy Free Dole Whip recipe, click here.

Parfaits aren't just for breakfast; they also make for great desserts. Swap out granola for crumbled cookies and sweetened whipped cream. You can use any of your favorite fruits, but this recipe suggests adding in peaches and strawberries.

For the Nectarine and Berry Parfaits recipe, click here.

Cherries are a versatile ingredient that can be used in everything from salads to pies and tarts. Here, the sweet-and-sour fruit is pureed with water, simple syrup and salt, then frozen until it has a slushie-like consistency for an easy, refreshing dessert.

For the Frozen Sweet and Sour Cherry Granita recipe, click here.

If you love strawberry shortcake but don't want to turn on the oven, take the same idea but turn it into an icebox cake instead. It'll have that quintessential strawberry and whipped cream flavor without heating up the entire house.

For the Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake recipe, click here.

If you want to impress your dinner guests during dessert, tiramisu is the way to go. But this recipe strays away from the typically chocolaty espresso treat and gives it a summer flare by using mango and rum instead.

For the Mango Rum Tiramisu recipe, click here.

Panna cotta is a popular Italian dessert that translates to "cooked cream." The dessert itself is a simple mixture of cream, sugar and vanilla. Gelatin is used to give the dessert its firm structure. Give the treat a bright pop of flavor by adding in the juice and zest of a lemon, as this recipe does.

For the Lemon Mascarpone Panna Cotta recipe, click here.

Dried lavender buds are used in this honey lavender ice cream recipe from Salt & Straw to bring floral notes to this elegant take on a summertime staple. After forming a honey syrup to punch up the sweetness, steep the lavender in the syrup for four hours, allowing the flavors to meld together.

For the Honey Lavender Ice Cream recipe, click here.

Just looking at the picture for this chocolate peanut butter icebox cake makes us hungry. The confection seems complicated at first glance but it's actually a cinch to pull together — you only need five ingredients and 20 minutes.

For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake recipe, click here.

When you were young, no dessert was more laugh-inducing than dirt cake. The treat, which looks like worms are growing out of the ground, is a mixture of crushed Oreos, gummy worms and pudding.

For the Dirt Cake recipe, click here.

Cheesecake crust typically requires baking, but this cold confection uses vanilla wafers instead. The cream cheese filling is topped with strawberry Jell-O and fresh strawberries. Once you have your dessert list down, check out more cold dishes to make on hot days.

For the Cold Strawberry Cheesecake recipe, click here.

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