19 easy desserts to bring to summer potluck: Delight in every bite

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Ah, summer potlucks – where food, fun, and great weather combine! So whether you’re beachside, poolside, or just chilling in the backyard, get ready to rock that dessert table with these 19 easy desserts.

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Ricotta cookies with icing and colored sprinkles on a cooling rack and on the counter.
Italian Ricotta Cookies. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Italian Ricotta Cookies are soft, moist, and delicious. Their unique texture, provided by the ricotta, makes them perfect for a light summer dessert. With a hint of lemon, they are a refreshing treat that’s sure to impress at any summer event.
Get the Recipe: Italian Ricotta Cookies

Pistachio Fluff Salad

Pistachio salad topped with nuts and cherries.
Watergate Salad. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Pistachio fluff salad is a sweet and creamy make-ahead dessert that brings a touch of nostalgia to your summer cookouts. With its combination of fluffy whipped cream, crushed pineapple, and crunchy pistachios, it’s a delightful treat for all ages.
Get the Recipe: Pistachio Fluff Salad

Tie Dye Jello Cookies

These Tie Dye Jello Cookies are an edible celebration of sunny colors! The bright hues and fun patterns make these cookies an instant hit at summer get-togethers or just a day chilling at home.
Get the Recipe: Tie Dye Jello Cookies

Coconut Bars with Chocolate Chips

Gooey coconut bars on a wooden cutting board with coconut.
Coconut Bars with Chocolate Chips. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

These Coconut Bars with Chocolate Chips are a little slice of heaven. They are super easy to transport, can be cut to feed a crowd, and offer a sweet, tropical twist to the usual chocolatey desserts making them totally irresistible.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Bars with Chocolate Chips

Easy Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake Bars topped with fresh strawberries with a blue napkin.
Cheesecake Bars. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Because who doesn’t love cheesecake? These Cheesecake Bars are portable, sliceable, and incredibly decadent. They’re a top-notch potluck dessert because they offer the richness of cheesecake in a fuss-free, easy-to-serve format.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cheesecake Bars

Cool Whip Cookies

Cool whip cookies on parchment with powdered sugar.
Cool Whip Cookies. Photo Credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Cool Whip Cookies are refreshing, light, and packed full of zesty lemon flavor. They’re the perfect antidote to a hot summer day. With their tangy taste and soft texture, they’re like little bites of sunshine!
Get the Recipe: Cool Whip Cookies

No Bake Pina Colada Cheesecake

Four jars of pina colada cheesecake on a wooden cutting board topped with pineapple, coconut and cherries.
No-bake Pina Colada Cheesecake Jars

These Pina Colada Cheesecakes are like a tropical getaway in dessert form! Made in Mason jars they are portable and their coconut-pineapple flavor will have you swaying to island rhythms. Summer + Cheesecake = Paradise.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Pina Colada Cheesecake

Lime Jello Salad

Piece of lime jello salad topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
Lime Jello Salad. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Lime Jello salad is a refreshing and nostalgic dessert that brings a burst of citrusy goodness to summer cookouts. With its vibrant green color and sweet-tart flavor, it’s a fun and playful addition to any gathering.
Get the Recipe: Lime Jello Salad

Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar Cookie Bars with colorful sprinkles.
Sugar Cookie Bars. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Sugar Cookie Bars are sweet, simple, and an excellent way to feed a crowd at a summer picnic or gathering. They are lighter and less dense than traditional cookies, making them a less heavy choice for a summer dessert.
Get the Recipe: Sugar Cookie Bars

No Bake Haystack Cookies

Top view of haystack cookies on a backing rack with a blue napkin.
Haystack Cookies. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

No Bake Haystack Cookies are perfect for those warm summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven! With crunchy, sweet flavors and a delightful, airy texture, these cookies require minimal ingredients and time to prepare. Plus, kids love helping to make these fun, quick treats.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Haystack Cookies

Orange Fluff Salad

Orange fluff salad in a bowl.
Orange Fluff Salad. Photo Credit: Upstate Ramblings.

This vibrant orange fluff salad is the perfect make-ahead dessert for summer cookouts. With its creamy texture, citrusy flavor, and hints of sweetness, it’s a refreshing treat on a hot day.
Get the Recipe: Orange Fluff Salad

Kitchen Sink Cookies

cookies with M&M's, potato chips, pretzels, nuts and chocolate chips.
Kitchen Sink Cookies. Photo credit: Feast + West.

Kids will love these loaded chocolate chip cookies that are filled with everything but the kitchen sink! Chocolate chips, candies, nuts, pretzels and potato chips turn the classic cookie into a sweet-and-salty treat.
Get the Recipe: Kitchen Sink Cookies

Old Fashioned Pecan Cake Bars

Stack of four pecan cake bars on marble board.
Pecan cake bars. Photo credit: Real Life of Lulu.

Create a taste of nostalgia with old-fashioned pecan cake bars, a treasured family recipe featuring just 4 ingredients that come together to create a dessert that is both comforting and irresistibly delicious.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Pecan Cake Bars

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Keto Cookies layered on a white surface with yellow flowers on the side.
Peanut Butter Cookies. Photo credit: Low Carb – No Carb.

The easiest ever Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe with only a few ingredients and done in less than 20 minutes are a perfect staple for a quick dessert idea. Bring them along to your next potluck and watch them disappear.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookies

Chewy S’mores Cookie

Image shows a series of chewy s'mores cookies on a wooden board.
Chewy S’mores Cookie. Photo credit: Honest and Truly.

When you don’t have access to a campfire, these chocolate chewy s’mores cookies are the next best thing. They’re absolutely delightful with the marshmallow baked into the center.
Get the Recipe: Chewy S’mores Cookie

Banana Buttermilk Cake

Banana-Buttermilk Cake on a platter.
Banana-Buttermilk Cake. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Sign up for dessert and bring this amazing cake that everyone will love! It’s rich, moist, and infused with banana flavor, and the cream cheese glaze puts it over the top!
Get the Recipe: Banana Buttermilk Cake

No-Bake Macaroons

No-bake coconut macaroons in coconut shell on stripped cloth.
No-bake Coconut Macaroons. Photo credit: Primal Edge Health.

Whip up these delicious no-bake macaroons with only 5 ingredients. With their chewy coconut texture and sweet flavor, these delightful treats are perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth and easy to bring with you to a party.
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Macaroons

Marshmallow Fruit Salad

Marshmallow Fruit Salad with Cool Whip.
Marshmallow Fruit Salad with Cool Whip. Photo credit: Little Bit Recipes.

Treat your tastebuds to a decadent marshmallow fruit salad made with Cool Whip. With just five simple ingredients, you can enjoy this delicious and easy-to-make dessert any time!
Get the Recipe: Marshmallow Fruit Salad

Iced Lemon Cookies

A white plate with iced lemon cookies.
Chewy Iced Lemon Cookies. Photo credit: One Hot Oven.

Bake a batch of these Chewy Iced Lemon cookies that have a bold taste of fresh lemon in a soft buttery sugar cookie. A delicious recipe for the lemon lover and perfect for summer.
Get the Recipe: Iced Lemon Cookies

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