In a world of ultra-rich treats packed with loads of sugar, it’s easy to forget that some of the tastiest sweets come from fresh, nutrient-filled ingredients. Fruit desserts are my go-to—especially after a heavy meal or during summer. But! It’s time to explore an option that won’t leave you with a sugar crash in the hours to follow. From sweet fruit salads to elegant tarts, these fruit desserts prove your post-dinner snack can be indulgent and virtuous.
The Best Fruit Desserts to Make Right Now
Now I know what you’re thinking, and no—fruit desserts aren’t just a couple of strawberries plopped on a piece of vanilla cake. These desserts are the real deal. While this list contains plenty of quick and easy options, these are fruit desserts that will leave your dinner guests begging for the recipe. If you’re ready for a lighter, indulgent experience, look no further than these 29 fruit desserts.
Why We Love It: Contrary to popular belief, strawberries aren’t in season during the peak summer heat. Nevertheless, they make for a stunning addition to fruit desserts any time of the year. The tart and sweet fruit is the star of this cake, accented with creamy mascarpone and fluffy angel food cake.
Hero Ingredient: I’ll find a way to eat these macerated strawberries on everything.
Why We Love It: As we all know, good gluten-free desserts are hard to come by. Luckily, we have a plethora of options when it comes to keeping things GF, including this cake with fresh lemon zest and frozen raspberries. This cake’s incredible texture is brought to you by whole milk ricotta, keeping this sponge light, moist, and rich.
Hero Ingredient: Sliced almonds are the perfect crunchy topping for this flavorful cake.
Why We Love It: No-bake desserts are a go-to for several reasons. Sometimes, they’re the quicker and more convenient option when my schedule is jam-packed. At other times, it’s just too hot outside to bake at all! Light and tangy with citrus and a whipped cream frosting, there’s nothing not to love about this lemon icebox cake.
Hero Ingredient: Orange zest allows the fruity flavors to come through in this soft and sweet cake.
Why We Love It: When I said we had an abundance of gluten-free desserts here at Camille Styles, I meant it. Topped with freshly sliced strawberries and a to-die-for spiced cardamom coconut cream, this cake is perfect for keeping things GF while still bringing great flavors to the table.
Hero Ingredient: Alison Carroll recommends massaging your sugar and citrus zest together for a sweet and colorful burst of flavor.
Why We Love It: Coffee cakes have so much going for them. As a bit of a coffee fanatic, I love any opportunity to construct a dessert that pairs perfectly with my morning (or afternoon) brew. The nuttiness from the almond extract and the walnuts in the streusel act as the perfect base for the addition of fresh blueberries.
Hero Ingredient: Definitely don’t miss out on the brown sugar streusel to top this coffee cake.
Why We Love It: I strive to curate a dessert that’s stunning enough to be the centerpiece of any dinner table, and this upside-down cake topped with vibrantly colored citrus does just that. While the typical upside-down cake can be intimidating for beginner bakers—never fear. This recipe uses parchment paper as the secret hack for a non-stick baking process.
Hero Ingredient: Buttermilk helps this cake stay moist and fluffy.
Why We Love It: Ice cream and fresh fruit are a pairing unlike any other in the realm of fruit desserts. It’s an easy way to make your post-dinner bite refreshing, while still being sweet and satisfying. This ice cream pie with cherries and berries is perfect for serving summer crowds, and it gets bonus points for only requiring five ingredients.
Hero Ingredient: A graham cracker crust is a must.
Why We Love It: This summer, I’ve been obsessed with Claire Ptak’s take on the classic apple tarte tatin. In her version, she uses in-season fresh peaches alongside a light and fluffy puff pastry (store-bought or homemade). With a peach leaf custard accented with nutty almond flavors, this fruit dessert is simply a gem.
Hero Ingredient: Picking ripe, yet firm peaches is key for the best tarte tatin.
Why We Love It: When I first discovered this recipe, brought to us by Camilla Marcus, I was stunned by all of the savory and tart flavors that pluots could bring to a dessert. It’s the perfect sweet for when you want something without a thick pastry dough. To prevent your delicate galette from becoming soggy, brush the interior with egg whites before adding your filling.
Hero Ingredient: Crème fraiche to top is the perfect addition.
Why We Love It: If tarts are more your style, these tartlets may be the perfect dessert for you. They require a bit of attention and care, but the end result is worth the effort. You can whip and chill your mascarpone in advance to save time, making day-of assembly less of a hassle.
Hero Ingredient: This recipe’s pistachio praline is top-notch.
Why We Love It: If you’ve never tried an olive oil cake, now is your chance to indulge in this rich and decadent dessert. The olive oil flavor you’d expect isn’t the highlight of this dessert—it simply helps to keep this cake moist while other flavors shine through.
Hero Ingredient: Candied citrus of any variety is an automatic yes for me.
Why We Love It: This fruit dessert highlights one of the most unique and underrated seasonal fruits—rhubarb! This elegant treat is the perfect combination of moist cake, vibrant rhubarb filling, and a range of textures that transport you to a sunny day with every bite.
Why We Love It: With the perfect flaky biscuits that rival your typical wheat-based shortcake, these strawberry shortcakes are layered with fresh, juicy strawberries and whipped cream. It’s the perfect twist on a classic summer dessert that keeps things both delicious and gluten-free.
Hero Ingredient: A high-quality GF flour can take your shortcake to the next level.
Why We Love It: Our food editor, Suruchi, absolutely nailed the perfect no-bake summer dessert with this mango icebox cake. With a pistachio crumble and fruit-filled layers, it’s a balanced treat with plenty of sweet, salty, and savory to go around.
Hero Ingredient: I would eat this cardamom cream on every dessert.
Why We Love It: This warm apple tart is a perfect blend of comforting flavors that create a show-stopping appearance. It’s a classic dessert that’s typically enjoyed warm—perfect for settling down indoors after a day in the sun.
Hero Ingredient: A sprinkle of cinnamon goes well with the tart apple flavor.
Why We Love It: Just because this pie recipe is perfectly fitting for the fall months doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed year-round. For this particular pie, feel free to opt for a store-bought pie crust to save a bit of time, but for the best results, try blind-baking your crust with the filling to avoid a soggy base.
Hero Ingredient: Minced ginger is the unexpected (and highly underrated) complement to this classic dessert.
Why We Love It: Now I know this fruit dessert might not fit the image you have of a typical fruit salad—trust me when I say that this recipe is ten times better. With a simple, low-effort meringue and a hint of citrus, these personal fruit salads are easy to assemble and serve, and even easier to enjoy.
Hero Ingredient: Honey and fruit are one of my top flavor pairings.
Why We Love It: This recipe is the real deal when it comes to an easy and simple fruit dessert. In her new cookbook Le Sud, Rebekah Peppler shares this simple melon recipe, which only requires one Charentais melon, your sweet wine of choice, and flaky sea salt.
Hero Ingredient: While you can make do with a canteloupe, Peppler recommends the Charentais melon due to its intense aroma.
Why We Love It: This apple crumble is a fruit dessert that can be enjoyed for practically every meal. If you’re craving fall flavors, look no further. The combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves will leave you wishing for autumn leaves and a warm chai latte.
Hero Ingredient: Coconut sugar sweetens this crumble topping without overwhelming your taste buds.
Why We Love It: If you haven’t tried grilling your fruit, you’re totally missing out on a delicious way to enjoy your desserts. Drizzle these peaches with a bit of honey (and maybe a bit of vanilla ice cream) for a simple and satisfying treat.
Hero Ingredient: Brushing your peaches with olive oil keeps them from sticking to your grill.
Why We Love It: Who doesn’t love a popsicle for dessert? With no kitchen cleanup, these mango lassi pops are perfect for warm weather. They’re made from coconut milk or milk powder, cubed mango, yogurt, and a variety of warm spices.
Hero Ingredient: Garnish with melted white chocolate for a stunning presentation.
Why We Love It: While these muffins aren’t technically a fruit dessert, they definitely have fruit-based elements thanks to the citrus zest and juice used in their batter. Greek yogurt and any plant-based milk of choice add moisture and flavors that pair well with all the citrus zest.
Hero Ingredient: Edible flowers are the real highlight of these muffins. You can often find them at your local farmer’s market or specialty grocer.
Why We Love It: Any recipe with only four ingredients captures my attention. These fruit fools keep it simple, using only berries and cream to layer together a time-saving fruit dessert.
Hero Ingredient: Whether thawed or frozen, a variety of berries is a necessity.
Why We Love It: Maybe it’s a Southern tradition, but I can’t remember a family gathering without a homemade blackberry cobbler. While crumbling sweet streusel isn’t a requirement for this recipe, I think it has the potential to bring this traditional dish to the next level with an extra touch of texture to the topping.
Hero Ingredient: An ice cream or whipped cream topping is practically a requirement.
Why We Love It: This raspberry tiramisu is arguably one of our best recipes here at Camille Styles, and it undoubtedly deserves the hype. This no-cook dessert uses raspberry liqueur—in addition to actual raspberries—to contrast the rich chocolate and cream flavors.
Hero Ingredient: Vanilla bean seeds are a baking hack that I never knew I needed until I tried this recipe.
Why We Love It: I love a fruit-filled crumble, and this pineapple version is no exception. For both the pepper and cardamom that are included, freshly ground options are a must for the best flavor. The extra bit of effort is totally worth it in the end.
Hero Ingredient: Don’t knock a pineapple dessert until you try it.
Why We Love It: If you’re not familiar with pavlova, it’s a simple meringue-based dessert with Australian origins that almost resembles a cake-like structure. In this almond and blackberry version, the tart berries plus the richness of the mascarpone cream are exactly what you need for an elevated and elegant fruit dessert.
Why We Love It: This fruit dessert gets points simply due to its beautiful assembly. However, just because its presentation is lovely doesn’t mean it lacks flavor. Filled with a blend of fruit and sweet rice pudding, it’s a smooth and creamy single-serving snack.
Hero Ingredient: Rosewater brings a herby and floral flavor into this simple dessert.
Living in a society where perfection is not only the norm but encouraged can be disheartening to say the least. How many times have you taken a blurry photo and overlooked its perceived flaws because it goes against the grain (mind the pun)? It’s true that historically we have tended to lean toward the shiny and new versus the old and worn, but those tides are turning as more of us embrace authenticity over accuracy. True beauty lies in the cracks, the rough edges, the imperfect glazes, and even the deliberate flaws.
It’s why the Japanese philosophy, wabi sabi has captured our imagination and our hearts—it’s quite literally the antidote to perfectionism. Photographer, creative director, and author, Julie Pointer Adams was so drawn to the wabi way of life that she wrote an entire book dedicated to it, titled Wabi-Sabi Welcome: Learning to Embrace the Imperfect and Entertain with Thoughtfulness and Ease. As Adams explains, wabi sabi means “living in a way that pays attention and appreciates the beauty of the mundane, minute details of everyday life—things that often go unseen, unnoticed or unvalued.”
Why Wabi Sabi Could Change the Way You See the World
She adds: “For me, living with that kind of careful consciousness is the way I strive to live all the time, and always have, even before I was aware of the concept. By writing a book, I wanted to make the concept perceivable and attainable in many different settings to many different people… I wanted to show how the philosophy can be adopted into anyone’s life experience through the simple rituals and routines of everyday life.”
As far as shifting her whole mindset to embrace wabi sabi in daily life and work? Well, let’s just say it’s an ongoing, everyday learning process. “I joke that I never should have written a book about wabi sabi until I had a toddler in my house!” she laughs. “It’s comical but also true that since having a child, I have come to have a whole new understanding of what it means to embrace the perfectly imperfect and to try to be fully present in every moment, even when things are not going as hoped or planned.
“To see it show up in my own life is to try to accept the fact that all things are impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete (for everyone, no matter how much social media might make us believe otherwise!), and that even in the midst of challenging moments or work experiences that feel like failures, each hour, each experience, each day is a perfect gift. It’s about living wholly in each fleeting moment, while also being aware of the whole arc of time, where nothing stays constant forever.”
We couldn’t agree more. Keep reading to learn more about what is wabi sabi, the meaning behind the movement, and how to incorporate the philosophy into your home, life, and work.
But first, what is wabi sabi?
Wabi sabi is a many-layered concept so it’s difficult to define in a few words. Most simply put, it’s a way of seeing (as coined by the Japanese) that frees us to find beauty in what is impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete.
Wabi refers to living simply and in tune with nature, to paring down to the essentials so we can appreciate each moment and object in its fullness; Sabi refers to transience and the passage of time.
Together, the two words describe a type of beauty and a way of life that embraces imperfection and simple living, clinging to what is humble, mysterious, and unassuming. To me, it’s a way of living that wholly appreciates the perfectly imperfect—something we can strive for every day in each one of our homes, our lives, and in the natural world around us. I believe wabi sabi can open our eyes and our minds to a broader, more accepting, and more joyous way of being in the world.
Can you outline the wabi sabi philosophy and why you connected with it so much?
The wabi sabi philosophy emerged around the 14th century when various artistic and Buddhist principles taken from Chinese traditions came to form a distinctly Japanese concept. At the time, the idea was very tied to the tea ceremony, and is still deeply rooted in that time-honored tradition which holds up simplicity, humility, and rustic elegance as essential ideals. It has now come to embody a particular Japanese aesthetic that celebrates a kind of flawed beauty, and is understood to be the “wisdom in natural simplicity.” While many Japanese people may find the concept difficult to describe or translate, they all inherently understand it as a hard-to-pinpoint aesthetic and a distinct way of being in the world.
This philosophy is a sharp departure from our deeply-ingrained Western ideal of what’s new, shiny, fancy, expensive, modern, and flashy. Instead, it upholds that which is aged, has a patina, is humble, modest, impermanent and isn’t attached to status. It invites us to reframe for ourselves what has value in our own lives, apart from what modern or popular culture might say.
Why do you think wabi sabi style has resonated in the West and become so popular?
It’s sort of ironic that wabi sabi has recently become a bit of a catchphrase because by nature, it goes against the grain of what’s popular or trendy. However, I think what people are attracted to by the idea of wabi sabi is that it upends the idea of the convenient, big-box consumerism that so many of us grew up with, and instead, encourages a more thoughtful approach to what we fill our lives with, and what we value.
In the midst of a deeply perfection-seeking era, especially fueled by the rise of social media, many people are also desperate to find a mode of seeing/being/thinking that frees them from this kind of perfectionistic ideal.
What does a wabi sabi home look like?
Wabi sabi can be applied to interior design in the same way it can be applied to all other parts of life—by paring down your surroundings to a simple, unfussy elegance inspired by nature, natural materials, and the beauty of imperfection. It is found in creating calm, warm, zen-like environments that are designed for intimacy versus impressing others. Wabi sabi items and spaces are full of inviting, earthy materials and tones (wood, clay, stone, etc.) that celebrate nature as she is—perfectly imperfect—and have a quiet, subdued quality to them. Even if wabi sabi spaces are decorated sparsely or have textured roughness to them (like plastered walls, live-edge wood, raw stone, nubby wool), they are full of life and warmth, versus having a kind of perfect showroom sterility to them.
How can we incorporate wabi sabi in our homes?
I believe the first way to think about incorporating wabi sabi into your home is to take stock of what you have and determine what you may no longer need. Your home may very well simply have too much stuff in it to really feel calm, peaceful, and life-giving.
Achieving a sense of wabi sabi is rarely about going out and buying a whole bunch of new stuff, but rather about simplifying, re-evaluating, and thinking carefully about every new purchase.
When you do need to purchase something new or new-to-you, as often as you can, select timeless items made from natural materials and fibers that will age well (versus cheap and/or trendy) and can be repaired or re-used for years to come.
Kintsugi—the art of beautiful repairs—is also popular now in the U.S. as a result of the rise in wabi sabi. Can you tell us more about this concept?
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing pottery by mending it with gold-infused glue, so that once the object is repaired, rather than hiding the fracture lines, the gold highlights the seams, adding a new kind of beauty and grace to the piece. I think this method works beautifully as a metaphor for how if we steadily work on getting the broken parts of lives healed, rather than hiding, ignoring, or glossing over them, they can actually become a visible and lovely part of our strength. It’s yet another perfect example, like wabi sabi leads us to, of the beauty that can be found in imperfection if we have the eyes to see it.
5 Practical Ways Wabi Sabi Can Be Incorporated at Home:
1. Make do with what you have
Embracing wabi sabi is all about recognizing the beauty in humble and imperfect things, rather than always needing or desiring more. The moment you find yourself thinking your space or your objects are “not enough” is the moment you’ve lost your way with a wabi sabi mindset. Invite wabi sabi in through the simplest of ways like clipping some branches from your backyard and putting in a vase to refresh your space with a bit of nature.
2. Collect sentiment over things
Learn to collect special things that have meaning and significance, but then be willing to curate your spaces so that simplicity and comfort reign above all.
3. Practical is pretty, too
Invite beauty into your home through practical means with lovely dishware, storage, and even housecleaning items (like a lovely wooden brush and glass dispenser for the sink). Pare down to only what you need, but let some things be beautiful just for beauty’s sake—not everything needs to be useful, too.
4. Make it personal
Make your home personal by incorporating items that likely only have value to you: special family photographs, mementos collected on trips, art made by your children, and so on.
5. Bring Mother Nature in
Bring the outdoors and some earthiness inside whether through a nature-inspired color palette, wildflowers plucked from the roadside, a collection of potted plants, or your favorite beach-walk pebbles.
Last week, Isabelle and I went on a 7 a.m. walk by the lake for what has become a regular tradition. It was the first chilly fall morning, and between catching up on the daily happenings and our obsession with Taylor Swift’s first outfit of the football season (important), I was debriefing her on the next recipe I was developing. Think: a bolognese pasta but made vegan with crumbled mushrooms and tofu. Of course, I was also intent on packing it with a ton of ingredients that give you that ultimate cozy but umami flavor for the most satisfaction. Her reaction? You’re really on a mission to make tofu sexy again, aren’t you?
Now look, I understand that for non-vegetarians and vegans, tofu is probably not on your regular grocery list. But I’m here to tell you that you’re missing out. Long gone are the days of boring and bland tofu recipes. We’re in the era of endless and flavorsome possibilities when it comes to tofu, plus the benefit of extra protein. And this recipe does all of that and more. I try not to play favorites when it comes to recipes I’ve developed, but this one might just be the best I’ve come up with yet. This tofu and mushroom bolognese is here to welcome fall with open arms. Let’s get cooking.
Ingredients for Vegan Mushroom Bolognese
Onion or shallot.
Mushrooms. I use both shiitake and baby bella, but use what you have on hand.
Extra-firm tofu.
Tomato paste.
Sun-dried tomatoes. Plus the oil from the jar for even more flavor.
Garlic.
Oregano.
Diced tomatoes.
Tomato sauce.
Pasta. For extra protein, you could swap a protein pasta.
Basil.
Parmesan. Optional to keep this vegan, or you can use a vegan parmesan!
How to Make Mushroom Bolognese
The goal here is to really emulate the texture of a bolognese sauce with the bits and pieces of the mushroom and tofu for a thick and textural sauce that clings to the noodles.
To do that, you’ll blitz the mushrooms in a food processor until crumbly, and then do the same with the tofu. Be careful not to over-pulse, as the mixture will develop a paste-like texture. Just a few blitzes is perfect. Then, you’ll just add the mushrooms and tofu to the pan with the onions to cook them down and caramelize a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients. The mushrooms add a really nice earthy flavor and texture, and the tofu adds a healthy dose of hidden protein that make this a truly satisfying vegan dinner recipe.
Tips for Boosting Flavor
Vegan recipes are notorious for lacking flavor. However, the key is to think about which ingredients add that extra pop of flavor.
In this recipe, you’ll develop and layer flavor with caramelized onions and tomato paste, along with umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes. They all come together for a recipe with a ton of depth and richness that would make anyone question if it was vegan. Lastly, properly salting any recipe makes a huge difference. Be sure to salt your pasta water and taste and adjust the sauce’s salt levels as you go.
Tips for Serving and Storing Leftovers
I love spaghetti or tagliatelle noodles for a sauce like this, but a shorter option like a penne with the nooks and crannies for the sauce to nestle into is also a great option. You could even use this as the sauce in a lasagna for an extra dose of protein and vegetables.
This sauce also stores very well. I’ll even make a batch early in the week and store in the fridge if I’m planning to make pasta later in the week. But you can also freeze and thaw the sauce if you make it ahead of time. Just heat on the stove and adjust the flavors as needed.
An easy weeknight sauce packed with protein and flavor.
2–3 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomato jar (or sub olive oil)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4-ounce box shiitake mushrooms
4-ounce box baby bella mushrooms
7ounces extra firm tofu (1/2 block)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
14-ounce can diced tomatoes
15-ounce can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
In a large stovetop pot, add the sun-dried tomato oil and heat to medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes until the onions begin to caramelize.
In a food processor, add the mushrooms and blitz until crumbly. Add to the onions in the pot. Then, add the tofu to the food processor, and blitz until crumbly. Add to the pot as well, stirring to combine. Cook for a few minutes.
Add the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook until the tomato paste slightly darkens in color.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on medium for 10-15 minutes until thick. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt as needed. I sometimes like to add a pinch of sugar to help round out the flavors as well.
To serve, prepare your pasta of choice then add drained pasta to the sauce. Coat in sauce and serve warm with parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Everywhere you turn, there’s proof that social media is the ultimate highlight reel. Pregnancies, promotions, and relationship launches—”soft” and “hard.” But as a young millennial myself, there’s one that seems to populate my feeds most of all: the post announcing a new home. Whether it be an apartment or the purchase of a new house, after a few years that saw many of my friends (myself included) moving back home, we deserve to claim and curate our own little havens. And there’s no way I like to celebrate that milestone more than with my favorite housewarming gifts.
Yes, I said celebrate. While social media can make us feel bitter and cynical at times, it can also inspire greater kindness and support. Personally, I’ve stepped into this year with the perspective that I’m going to *actually* engage with content that I find exciting and uplifting. I’m going to cheer on my friends and spread positivity instead of simply being a bystander.
15 Housewarming Gifts to Welcome Your Loved Ones Home
So go ahead and like the post that celebrates what’s arguably the biggest purchase of most of our lives. Let the friend from college know that you’re proud of them for taking the leap and leasing an apartment across the country. Cheer on your cousin who, after years of dating, is moving in with their S.O. And if you feel so inclined, give a heart to the creator whose minimalist home aesthetic has inspired your own.
Once you’ve shown your digital support, it’s time to shower them IRL. Keep reading for the best housewarming gifts. From creative ceramics to candles you’ll stock up on, this list has it all.
