31 Simply Delicious (And Summery) Recipes From Across The Internet That You Actually Must Cook This August
August cooking, in our humble opinion, is all about two things: beating the scorching heat and making the most of all the epic produce on shelves right now (read: tomatoes and corn). To keep your recipe rotation fresh all month long, we've assembled a collection of our favorite late summer recipes — one for each day of this glorious month.
This quick and easy appetizer is simple to prep, but it still feels a little fancy. Plus, it's the perfect way to enjoy some juicy summer tomatoes with fresh, crusty bread. Serve it as an appetizer at your next dinner party, or split it with your bestie for a happy hour snack.
Recipe: Easy Burrata Bruschetta
2.Gochujang Chicken Burgers with Kimchi Bacon Jam
A three-ingredient kimchi bacon jam takes these Korean-inspired burgers from amazing to absolutely out-of-this-world.
Foodie Crush / Via foodiecrush.com
Any salad that involves more crispy rice than lettuce is a win in my book.
Recipe: Crispy Rice Chicken Salad
Before stone fruits like peaches, apricots, plums, and cherries go out of season, you've got to try this beautiful salad. Quinoa adds filling fiber and protein to this dish, which would make a great starter or a full meal on its own.
Recipe: Stone Fruit Salad
5.Basil Roasted Eggplant With Heirloom Tomatoes
Eggplant comes into season in August, and this dish is a beautifully summery way to enjoy it. Definitely don't skip prepping your eggplant in a dry salt bath — this step helps tone down the bitterness and sucks excess water out of your eggplant to get it ready for the oven.
These tasty noodles can be served chilled for the perfect warm-weather meal. Cooling mint and crisp radishes play off the tangy sesame noodles, and since cucumbers are in season, feel free to add a few slices for even more crunch.
Recipe: Sesame Soba Noodles
Use fresh or frozen blackberries to create these ultra-decadent blondies, and don't skip that vibrant pink glaze for the ultimate wow factor.
Recipe: Blackberry Blondies
8.Crispy BBQ Salmon Bowls with Roasted Jalapeño Peach Salsa
Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com
The salmon and salsa ingredients for this summer-in-a-bowl meal all get tossed together to roast in the oven, making it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that's wildly delicious.
Recipe: Crispy BBQ Salmon Bowls with Roasted Jalapeño Peach Salsa
Batch this sweet and tart cocktail for your next summer dinner party, and you'll be sure to turn heads. You can also leave out the vodka for a deliciously refreshing mocktail.
Recipe: Spiked Cherry Limeade
2024 marks the Caesar salad's 100th birthday, and this version with summery roasted corn is a great way to celebrate. Topped with a Greek yogurt-based homemade dressing, you'll be hooked on this take on a classic.
Recipe: Roasted Corn Caesar Salad
The Modern Proper / Via themodernproper.com
It's sweet corn season, folks, and this is how you take full advantage. These simple fritters are an excellent start to a vibrant, summery meal.
Recipe: Corn Fritters
Cripsy pita and smoky roasted eggplant make this traditional Middle Eastern dish a textural dream. The best part is there are endless variations and takes on fatteh, so feel free to swap the eggplant for another vegetable, legume, or even meat.
Recipe: Eggplant Fatteh
There's nothing like a pasta salad at a summer picnic or barbecue. This one shines thanks to fresh tomatoes and a bright, lemony dressing. Your guests will definitely ask you to share the recipe.
Recipe: Orzo Spinach Feta Salad
Six Sisters Stuff / Via sixsistersstuff.com
This lightened-up coconut-crusted shrimp is the best summer party app. Serve them with some Thai chili sauce for dunking.
Recipe: Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
If you have an ice cream maker, this homemade Oreo version is a MUST-try. Made with extra egg yolk and a double layer of cookie crumble, it's ultra rich and decadent.
Recipe: Oreo Ice Cream
Tempeh is a soy-based protein with a more textured, meaty bite than tofu. This jerk-marinated version makes for a quick and easy meatless weeknight meal. Serve it over red beans and rice, add your favorite veggies, and enjoy!
Recipe: Jamaican Jerk Tempeh
The Modern Proper / Via themodernproper.com
Who says you can't have a cozy dessert in the summer? This bread pudding only uses a few simple ingredients and takes advantage of all those end-of-summer peaches.
Recipe: Almond Peach Bread Pudding
18.Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad
Made with thin ribbons of zucchini (straight from your veggie peeler!) and plenty of sweet summer corn, this no-cook salad makes a perfect side dish — but would also be scrumptious paired with grilled shrimp skewers or herbed chicken meatballs.
Recipe: Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad
19.Ricotta Cheesecake with Plums
This creamy cheesecake would be good as is, but the addition of some jammy fruit on top really takes it up a notch. Feel free to swap for any other seasonal fruit you can slice up for that showstopping pattern.
Recipe: Ricotta Cheesecake with Plums
The Little Epicurean / Via thelittleepicurean.com
This cake has all the tropical flavors of summer you'll want to soak up before chillier days are upon us. Serve it for a special occasion or really any time you're craving a snacking cake.
Recipe: Mango Coconut Sheet Cake
If you're sick of serving your family the same old beef burgers on grilling night, allow these juicy, tender salmon burgers to claim a spot on your weekly recipe rotation. The best part? They come together in 30 minutes (or less) from beginning to end.
Recipe: Salmon Burgers
22.Summer Gnocchi with Corn and Smoked Sausage
I get it: The last thing you probably want to do in this heat is boil a vat of pasta water — but if you were going to do it for any recipe, let it be this spicy, sweet, and meaty weeknight gnocchi dish. Fresh jalapeños add a hint of heat and smokiness to the dish, but if you're spice-averse, leave 'em out.
23.Air Fryer Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
Cotter Crunch / Via cottercrunch.com
You can use any white fish like cod, haddock, or hake to make these crispy and moist fish tacos — and they come together in a half hour or less.
Recipe: Air Fryer Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
In the heat of summer, it's all about blueberries, and this delightfully puffy Dutch baby might just be one of the best ways to use them up. With lots of fresh lemon zest, it's a bright dish to serve for breakfast or brunch, especially with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby
25.Triple Berry Cheesecake Galette
If you want all the wonderful flavors of a berry pie without the effort, then this galette is for you. Dollops of cheesecake filling add a tangy and creamy lift that pairs like a dream with any fresh in-season berries.
Recipe: Triple Berry Cheesecake Galette
Thought one galette was enough? Incorrect! August is actually National Peach Month — though it might as well be National Galette Month — so there's never been a better time to use the juiciest peaches you can find to make this straightforward but crowd-pleasing dessert. Just be sure to top with a generous scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream for good measure.
Recipe: Peach Galette
The Modern Proper / Via themodernproper.com
Thanks to plenty of grated zucchini (which is always in abundance this time of year), these breakfast- or afternoon snack-friendly muffins stay delightfully moist. Made fresh, they're perfect sliced in half with a pat of butter — but leftover, halved muffins pan-toasted until golden brown are simply next level.
Recipe: Zucchini Bread Muffins
28.BBQ Curry Salmon With Mango Avocado Salsa
These Thai-inspired salmon skewers taste amazing over rice or a big bed of greens. Just don't skimp on the mango avocado salsa. You'll want leftovers to drizzle over anything and everything.
29.Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken
"I recently moved, and with the new apartment, I inherited a charcoal grill. As a total charcoal newbie, I spent days looking for the 'perfect' first meal to christen the grill, and I landed on this spatchcocked grilled chicken recipe from The Modern Proper. In short, it was...probably the most delicious grilled chicken I've ever tasted; the simple but scrumptious spice rub took the whole thing over the top, and while I opted for a few lazy spoonfuls of store-bought pesto in lieu of the recommended homemade herby sauce, I have a feeling it would've made this perfect meal even more delightful."
—Ross Yoder
Recipe: Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken
30.Mango Pineapple Sangria Slush
Use frozen fruit to get just the right slushy consistency for this cocktail, and you'll be left with your new favorite happy hour drink.
Recipe: Mango Pineapple Sangria Slush
Using a store-bought quiche crust, this Caprese-inspired quiche comes together in no time and makes for an easy brunch for a crowd (or just a very hungry family).
Recipe: Easy Caprese Quiche
Which recipe are you most looking forward to making this August? Sound off in the comments to let us know — or feel free to share your favorite late-summer recipe that we should know about ASAP!
