The 30 Most Popular Easy Summer Recipes.
Sharing the 30 Most Popular Easy Summer Recipes to help inspire you to cook, grill, and bake…all summer long!
And when I say most popular, what I really mean to say is the most popular lazy summer recipes from all the years past. Why are they the most popular? Well one, because they’re delicious (hopefully that’s a given). And two? Because they’re all mostly easy recipes for lazy days in the kitchen when it’s either too hot cook, too late to cook (because you’ve been out enjoying the day), or you just don’t feel like cooking but want good food.
Simple recipes for lazy summer cooking is key right now. With the 4th of July tomorrow, and the long holiday weekend ahead, I thought I’d share out all the recipes that have been the most popular on HBH each and every summer. Some tried and true “oldies, but goodies”.
I’m not usually big on doing recipe round-ups, but I shared a similar post last summer highlighting everyone’s favorites recipes. Ever since then, I’ve received many requests to do these types of posts more often. With 2457 recipes on HBH, I’m realizing that it can be hard to find tried-and-true favorites for each specific season. So, below is my summer 2020 list of the top most popular lazy day summer recipes. Hoping you guys find many recipes to make on repeat all summer long.
Until then, here are the top 30 most popular summer recipes that we’ve shared over the past eight summers. Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!! See you all on Sunday for another favorites post.
Oh and lastly, I’d really love to hear what your personal favorite summer HBH recipe is? What has become a go-to staple for you guys? Excited to hear what you all love most! And let me know what you might be looking for in July and August too!
The 30 most popular easy summer recipes
32. Bonus: Instant Pot Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chowder
Because we all need a good corn chowder, this one is my favorite.
31. Bonus: Rosemary Peach Chicken in White Wine Pan Sauce
Adding this one in…simply because I love it so much.
30. Browned Butter Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon “Toast” Brioche Crumbs
Sweet summertime peach halves, grilled and finished with a drizzle of browned honey butter that’s swirled with both vanilla and cinnamon. Each grilled peach is topped with ice cream and cinnamon “toast” brioche breadcrumbs.
29. Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pretzel Cake
A mouthwatering cake that’s chocolatey, peanutty, heavy on the fudge sauce, and a touch salty.
Every bite is sweet, salty, creamy, and bursting with fresh spring berries.
27. Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
Grilled salmon with spices, herbs, and parmesan. Serve over a summery corn salad made with tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas, feta cheese, and the most deliciously addicting lemon garlic yogurt. This meal is quick, easy, extra colorful, super flavorful, and so delicious.
26. Jammy Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas
Saucy, herby, bursting with jammy tomatoes, layered with creamy burrata cheese, and topped with crunchy rosemary lemon oil “fried” chickpeas. Delicious.
25. Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread
One bowl, uses pantry staple ingredients, is super quick to mix up, healthy…ish, and a great way to use all that summer zucchini. SO DELICIOUS!
24. One Pot Lemon Basil, Corn, and Ricotta Pasta
This simple corn pasta is made in 30 minutes, uses just one pot, and is a great way to use up that summer corn. It’s made with creamy ricotta cheese, packed with sweet corn, is a touch garlicky, and finished with fresh basil and lemon.
23. Skillet Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler
Every bite is layered with fresh strawberries and hints of bourbon. Then topped with buttery, flaky cream cheese layered biscuits. It’s so pretty, super simple to make, and you can swap out the strawberries for any berry you love.
22. Blueberry Lemon Thyme Smash
Fresh blueberries and sweet blueberry jam, smashed together with thyme, lemon, bourbon (or tequila), and fizzy sparkling water. This makes for a simple and quick summer cocktail.
21. Blueberry Basque Cheesecake
Flaky on the outside, but creamy, rich, and bursting with sweet blueberries inside. Bonus? This is the easiest cheesecake to make and (almost) impossible to mess up.
20. Spicy Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Involtini
Summer zucchini is sliced into ribbons and rolled up with a basil pesto and ricotta cheese mixture. It’s then baked in a spicy, herby, tomato sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! This is a great way to use summer produce. It’s also easy enough to serve any night of the week.
19. Blackberry Lavender Naked Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
Four layers of light and fluffy vanilla cake with homemade blackberry lavender jam, and white chocolate buttercream.
18. Crinkle Top Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Blondies
With hints of browned butter, swirls of peanut butter, and puddles of melted chocolate, every bite is insanely gooey. Enjoy this giant blondie warm, right out of the oven, with a scoop of ice cream.
17. Greek Lemon Chicken Bowls with Sizzled Mint Goddess Sauce
Grilled Greek chicken (or roasted), served bowl style with orzo, roasted peppers, avocado, feta cheese, cucumbers, and the most deliciously addicting sizzled mint goddess sauce.
The filling is made with four base ingredients, heavy cream, honey, lemon, and vanilla extract. The crust is a mix of sweet graham crackers, salty pretzels, and just a touch of butter. Top with an assortment of fresh berries for an extra delicious…and extra pretty tart!
15. One Pot 30 Minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
Creamy, spicy, tomato basil pesto sauce made with summer tomatoes, basil pesto, and a touch of red enchilada sauce, then tossed with fettuccine pasta, creamy goat cheese, and melty fontina cheese.
14. 25 Minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ Chicken with Spicy Garlic Butter Corn
Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with ginger and garlic, it’s delicious.
13. Crispy Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
Made simply with baby Yukon gold potatoes, vinegar, cheese, fresh herbs, plenty of flaky sea salt, and black pepper.
12. Instant Pot BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos
With spicy avocado jalapeño ranch and sweet corn slaw. Because loaded tacos are just better!
11. 20 Minute Orzo Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
This dish has a classic creamy Italian carbonara sauce, but is updated with orzo pasta, crispy prosciutto, and burrata cheese.
10. Saucy Coconut Curry with Rice Noodles and Garden Vegetables
Make this curry with whatever you have on hand, I used a mix of sweet corn and zucchini, coconut milk, and rice noodles. Then add some heat with curry paste, and balance it all out with a squeeze of lime. All you need for this recipe are pantry ingredients and 30 minutes.
9. Greek Chicken Chopped Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette
Pan-seared Greek chicken tossed together with greens, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, cucumbers, and the most deliciously addicting creamy, lemony tahini vinaigrette.
8. Lebanese Chicken with Charred Lemon Cauliflower
Grilled (or roasted) Lebanese style chicken, served with a charred lemony cauliflower and herb salad and the most deliciously addicting garlic yogurt sauce.
7. Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry with Rice and Fried Halloumi
This dish is layered with flavor and texture, and completely delicious. All you need for this recipe are pantry ingredients, garden veggies, and less than 45 minutes.
6. 30 minute Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Quick-cooking lean ground chicken is tossed in a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce with garden fresh bell peppers, cashews, and summer’s most flavorful basil. Serve this chicken over steamed rice and top with fresh mangos. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with basil. It’s delicious and healthy.
5. Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken
This chicken is made in under an hour, uses just one skillet, and is beyond delicious. It’s creamy, garlicky, packed with corn, and finished with fresh herbs and parmesan. Perfect cozy, summer dinner for any night of the week.
4. Souper Creamy Lemon Butter Cheesy Zucchini Orzo
Kind of like risotto, kind of like soup, kind of DELICIOUS…the ultimate bowl of summer comfort.
3. Cheesy Baked Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Ground chicken seasoned with a smoky chipotle chili spice mix, stuffed into hard shell tacos, topped with cheese, and oven-baked. These tacos are crunchy on the outside, but spicy and cheesy inside.
2. 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles
Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, and spicy Thai style black pepper sauce with plenty of broccoli, cashews, and basil. Serve this chicken over saucy garlic butter rice noodles and top with extra lime juice.
1. 30 Minute Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles
Gluten-free rice noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce with lean chicken, zucchini, garden fresh bell peppers, carrots, and summer basil. Every bite is bursting with saucy noodles, delicious vegetables, and hints of sweet basil.
Lastly, if you make any of the 30 most popular easy summer recipes I’ve listed here, be sure to leave a comment and/or give the recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
More Tex/mex or Mexican style dishes. More fruit desserts. Cherry pie or rumble? No more chocolate-peanut butter!
Thank you Joyce! xTieghan
my brother only likes when i make french toast sticks and cinnamon crunch bagels ! So anything with a LOT of cinnamon and sugar! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL THE AMAZING RECIPES!!!!!
Thank you Clare!! xTieghan
Drunken noodles are my absolute favorite and I have searched for a long time for a recipe that tastes anything remotely similar to what I get from my favorite Thai restaurant. This recipe is LEGIT AMAZING. I’m so glad it’s number one! I love it so much and it has become a staple in my house. I do sneak in some extra chile pepper, just because I love spicy food, and it has knocked everyone’s socks off. I’ve made a bunch of the other stuff on this list-everything is fantastic, but those drunken noodles….mmmm.
You should do a Better Than Takeout cookbook- it’s so great to be able to whip up something in your home that had all the flavor and bang of your favorite takeout but without the grease factor. You are absolutely my favorite recipe blog on the internet. Thank you!
Ah I am so glad you loved that one, Jess! That is such a great idea for a next one.. but honestly won’t be for a little bit haha! Thank you so much! xTieghan
These all look fantastic! I think my favourite recipe of yours so far is a simple one – the tuscan oven baked fries. I’ve NEVER liked oven baked fries before and I’ve made these on repeat for months now. Delicious!
Thank you so much Leanne!! I am really glad these turned out so well fror you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I’ve been following your blog for a few months now and I am loving it! Every day is a new recipe, which is so fun! I look forward to seeing them in my inbox and on instagram! As a new HBH fan, I really love this round up post! Can’t wait for more recipes! 🙂
You are so sweet! I am really glad you enjoyed this and I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes!! Thank you Megan! xTieghan
These all look delicious, already made a bunch and a few more on my list. Love recipe round ups! Especially since I’ve only been around a few months, helpful to see popular older recipes! Would also love to be able to sort your recipes on the site by different characteristics, e.g. season, meal, dessert, vegetarian etc etc etc. Thanks again for the round up and recipes!!
Thank you so much for trying my recipes! I hope you continue to love them, Ashley! xTieghan
These look delicious, already made a bunch and a few more on my list. Love recipe round ups! Especially since I’ve only been around a few months, helpful to see popular older recipes! Would also love to be able to sort your recipes on the site by different characteristics, e.g. season, meal, dessert, vegetarian etc etc etc. Thanks again for the round up and recipes!!
Thank you so much for posting this list, which makes weekly meal planning for the summer so simple. Keep doing it please!
Thank you Sophie!! xTieghan
I’ve made 11 out of 30! I’ve also made at least 5 of them multiple times each.
Definitely all the right things to put on this list.
The thai drunken noodles, lemon tart, blueberry Basque cheesecake and sweet basil chicken are regulars in my kitchen and my family ask for the lemon tart often. It’s my ‘signature’ dish 😂
Oh wow!! I am so glad you have been loving some of these recipes! I hope you love all of the others you try! xTieghan
so many wonderful recipes to choose from, wow, very impressive set of recipes, Rosemary Peach Chicken is a great way to start, thank you!
Thank you so much Sabrina! xTieghan
These all look so good.. bookmarking most of them to try soon.
Love that! Thank you so much for trying this one, Hena! xTieghan
Your all recipes looking so yummy, attractive, and health worthy!!!!! I appreciate your work. Food is our requirement but like this type of food is our desire. thank you for sharing all recipes, keep sharing more. I like to eat Chocolates so I would like to recommend my favorite chocolate http://www.cacaoandcardamom.com
Thank you so much Jaspar!! I am really glad you like my recipes! xTieghan
I’ve made quite a few of your dishes over the past few months (since I discovered you) and ALL of your cocktails. And keep those peanut butter/chocolate desserts coming! 🙂
Thank you so much Diane! xTieghan
I want to make them all! Now that corn and other summer produce has finally hit my CSA box, I have to decide where to begin. Tough choice!
Thank you Margie! I hope you love whichever you choose! xTieghan