If you think making delicious fruit desserts requires hours in the kitchen or advanced baking skills, think again! This collection features 12 of my easiest-ever fruit dessert recipes—from flaky pies and rustic galettes, to creamy cheesecakes and light pavlovas, there is something here for everyone.
These recipes are big on flavor without any complicated techniques. After years of baking fruit desserts for family gatherings (and dealing with my share of soggy pie bottoms!), these recipes are the exact shortcuts I rely on.
From 10-minute prep crumbles to foolproof no-bake cheesecakes, you'll get maximum flavor with minimum effort using a variety of fresh, frozen, or canned fruits.
Whether you're baking for a family gathering, a weekend treat, or a special celebration, you'll find plenty of inspiration.
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How to Make the Best Fruit Based Desserts
Here are a few simple tricks I use to ensure every dessert comes out perfectly without extra stress or long prep time.
- Make the most of seasonal fruits. Where possible I try and use fruits when they are in season. Not only will it taste at its glorious best, but seasonal produce is also much cheaper—especially when bought direct from local fruit farmers or markets.
- Use frozen or canned fruit as smart swaps: When fresh fruit isn't in season, frozen or canned options work brilliantly in baked desserts like crumbles, cobblers, and pies.
- Homemade v Store-bought Pastry. You can absolutely make your own pie dough, but using quality store-bought shortcrust or puff pastry is a huge time-saver. Don't hesitate to use store-bought when you need to get dessert on the table fast!
12 Easy Fruit Dessert Recipes
What to serve with fruit desserts
Many of these desserts—like a light syllabub or rich cheesecake—are completely satisfying on their own. But if you want to take them to the next level, here are a few easy serving ideas:
- Cold Desserts (Pavlovas, Cheesecakes): Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped heavy cream, crème fraîche, or thick Greek yogurt.
- Hot Desserts (Pies, Crumbles, Cobblers): Pair with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream for that delicious warm-and-cold contrast, or pour over warm homemade or store-bought custard.
Expert Tips & Tricks
Expert Tips for Baking Success
- Keep pie dough cold: Cold butter creates steam as it bakes, which gives you those coveted flaky pastry layers. Always handle pie dough gently and keep it as cold as possible. If it starts to feel warm or soft while you work, pop it back into the fridge for 10–15 minutes before baking.
- Drain frozen fruit: When using frozen berries or stone fruit, thaw them first and gently drain off excess liquid. This prevents your pie crusts or crumble toppings from getting soggy.
- Thicken juicy fillings: If your fruit is particularly juicy, toss it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch before baking. It will help bind the liquid into a glossy, rich sauce rather than a watery base.
- Freeze leftover pastry and crumble topping: Don't let extra dough go to waste! Wrap leftover pastry or crumble topping securely and store it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can scatter frozen crumble topping straight over fresh fruit for an ultra-fast weeknight dessert.
- Prevent over-browning: If your pie, galette, or crumble topping is browning too quickly before the fruit filling is tender and bubbling, loosely tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the top for the remaining bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the easiest fruit desserts to make?
My favourite easy desserts are fruit crumbles, which require very little technical skill, just rub some flour and sugar with butter, and place over the fruit before baking in the oven. No-bake cheesecakes are also an easy dessert, the crusts are made with Graham crackers and butter combined and pressed into a tin, and the topping ingredients just need whipped together in a bowl.
Which fruits are best for baking?
You can use a wide variety of fruits in baking, try apples, pears, rhubarb, or any variety of stone fruits like peaches, plums and apricots. Berries also work really well, try cherries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. You can also combine fruits, for example try apple and blackberries, strawberries and rhubarb.
Can I use frozen fruit instead of fresh, and is it really as good for baking?
Yes, absolutely! Frozen fruit is flash-frozen at peak ripeness, so it retains almost all of its natural flavor and sweetness. It works brilliantly in baked desserts like crumbles, cobblers, and pies. The only difference is that frozen fruit releases extra liquid as it thaws, so you can simply toss juicy berries or stone fruit with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch before baking to keep your filling thick and glossy. One extra tip I always share is using frozen cherries for crumble! One extra tip I always share: Use frozen cherries for crumbles! They are much less expensive than fresh, plus you get to skip the time-consuming chore of pitting them.
Can I use canned fruits in desserts?
Yes, canned fruits like peaches, pears, cherries, mango and pineapple work well in fruit desserts, particularly crumbles, crisps and cobblers. Just be sure to drain them well and where possible buy in natural juice rather than overly sugary syrups.
How do I stop fruit pies from having soggy bottoms?
If you are cooking fruit pies, you can first blind bake the base pie crust for 10 minutes, before adding the fruit. If the fruit it particularly juicy you can also add cornstarch to thicken the fruit mixture.
What's the difference between and crumble and a crisp?
A crumble is traditionally made by rubbing together flour, sugar and butter. Whereas a crisp also includes oats which gives the topping a crunchier texture.
What is a galette?
A galette is a type of rustic pie, where rather than having a base and top crust, the pastry is rolled out, the filling placed on top and then the edges of the pastry (around 2 inches/5cm) are folded back over the fruit.
Which fruit desserts can I make ahead?
One of the easiest desserts to make ahead is a cheesecake, just assemble it then cover and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Some pies and crumbles can be made ahead, cooled and even frozen, then reheated when you are ready to enjoy. You can even bake the meringue layers for a pavlova, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature, until you are ready to add the layers of cream and fresh fruits.
Can fruit desserts be frozen?
Fruit pies, crumbles and cobblers are ideal for freezing and they can be frozen before or after baking. Just wrap them tightly in kitchen foil, place in a ziploc bag and store for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, and either bake any uncooked desserts as per the recipe, or for pre-baked pies and crumbles, just place into a hot oven until warmed through.
Which recipe will you try first?
So, which desserts are you going to try first? I always love hearing which recipes you enjoy, so drop a comment below and let me know how it turned out.
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