50+ No Cook Meals for Summer

Stay cool when the temperatures rise with over 50 easy no cook meals, plus the best tips for making healthy, delicious food without heating up the house!

Sometimes in summer, it’s so hot, you seriously consider feeding everyone popsicles or ice cream for dinner.

And while that might be a fun treat ONCE, for most of the summer, we need actual meals even when it’s hot out.

You can still eat well without an oven! I have a great list of over 50 no cook meals for hot days in summer, but let’s first talk about tips on cooking without heating the house.

Hopefully, these tips will help you come up with even MORE no cook meal ideas!

TIPS FOR DINNER IDEAS NO COOKING OR HEATING THE HOUSE

#1. GRILL OUTSIDE.

Beyond burgers and grilled chicken, did you know you can grill pizza, vegetables, and even asparagus? If you think your food will fall through the grate, try using a reusable grilling pan.

Use this FREE one-week grilling menu!

#2. USE YOUR SLOW COOKER AND/OR INSTANT POT.

Slow cookers won’t heat the whole house and are great for making staple recipes like rice, chicken stock, or even bread. If your crock pot gives off any heat, you can move it to the garage or porch.

Instant Pots will not heat the kitchen either. Most slow cooker recipes can be made in a pressure cooker, too!

#3. USE OTHER SMALL APPLIANCES.

Break out the waffle maker, toaster, or quesadilla maker, or whatever gadget you have, and use that instead of the oven. Waffles make a great substitute for bread and work with sweets (like berries and syrup) and savories (like almond butter with bananas).

#4. USE A GRIDDLE.

Griddles are essentially portable stovetops. Try biscuits, tortillas (flour or corn), grilled sandwiches, bacon, and eggs. And just like the slow cooker, you can always take the griddle outside if yours makes the kitchen a bit warm.

#5. NO COOK MEALS.

There are lots of dinner ideas no cooking involved! Think of cold meals like sandwiches, summer salads, wraps, lettuce wraps, and cold soups. A side dish like Caprese Salad is perfect for any meal and includes seasonal tomatoes, too.

Lettuce is totally in season now, and you can spruce up any combination of fruits and vegetables with classic dressings and dips (try homemade Zesty Italian Dressing and Greek Salad Dressing).

#6. IF YOU MUST COOK, COOK EARLY IN THE DAY.

It’s tough not to cook AT ALL, so if you have to, cook early in the morning before the sun has a chance to heat up the house. While you’ve got breakfast going, make boiled eggs or cook your meats.

You can always reheat them later, serve at room temperature, or even serve cold if the temperature doesn’t really matter.

Tip: To make this easier, do all the prep work the night before. That way, you can assemble and bake early, then turn the oven off well before lunchtime comes around.

#7. BATCH COOK.

A fantastic way to beat the heat is to cook up a bunch of things at once, so you don’t have to do it again later, aka meal prep. Think meal ingredients like whole grains, pasta, or rice. Like #6, do it early in the morning and cook what you need for the whole week. You’ll have plenty of noodles for pasta salad, and anything warm can be reheated quickly for meals.

This idea applies to just about everything you make, including items on the griddle. Make double or triple batches of tortillas and undercook them just a tad so they’re still very pliable when you reheat. Pancakes can be reheated in a toaster or even eaten cold (as my kids sometimes prefer them).

Batch cook meats overnight! A slow cooker often takes hours to cook Rotisserie Chicken, Carnitas, or Brisket. Use the cooler nighttime temps to let your meat cook while you sleep.

#8. APPROACH MEALS DIFFERENTLY.

What would you pack for a picnic? Chicken salad with Homemade Crackers (that you made a lot of one morning), veggie slices, and fruit?

During our no-spend months, my family and I will have an outdoor picnic on our homestead. Our menu usually includes ingredients like fresh fruit, fresh veggies with crunch that could be eaten raw (carrots, cherry tomatoes, radish, and cucumber), an assortment of cheese and crackers, Homemade Hummus, and an egg salad sandwich or tuna salad. It’s delicious and relaxing, and we all enjoy being outside together.

What if you were on a camping trip? You can see how we cook camping meals here.

What if you were remodeling your kitchen and didn’t have access to the stovetop or oven? If you had to prepare all of your meals with only small appliances in another room, or using the grill, what would you make?

Sometimes thinking of specific situations where you don’t have an oven helps you to think of easy no cook meals that can be made without one.

FAQS FOR NO COOK DINNERS

50+ EASY NO COOK MEALS FOR SUMMER

Summer food needs to be simple. I love these easy no cook meals to keep us well fed without heating up the house!

NO COOK BREAKFAST IDEAS

Breakfast doesn’t have to involve cooking, but you can still go beyond a bowl of cereal.

1. Homemade Yogurt with Cinnamon Granola
2. Oatmeal with fruit
3. Green Smoothies (with or without a blender)
4. Frozen Smoothie Packs
5. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
6. Homemade Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
7. Pear & Blueberry Breakfast Bowl
8. Green Maca Smoothie
9. Vanilla-Almond Chia Breakfast Bowl
10. Greek Yogurt with fruit
11. Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie
12. Easy Pumpkin Smoothie
13. Apple Pie Overnight Oats

If you don’t count toasting bread as cooking, avocado toast is also a great option for a no cook breakfast!

NO COOK MEALS FOR LUNCH

No cook lunches and no cook dinners are pretty interchangeable. Use these recipes for lunch or dinner!

14. Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta
15. Healthy Homemade Lunchables
16. Greek Chickpea Chopped Salad
17. Dilly Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
18. Butter Parmesan Zoodles
19. Panzanella (Bread Salad)
20. Vegetarian Summer Taco Salad
21. Tarragon Tuna Salad
22. Rainbow Collard Wraps with Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce
23. Mint-Cucumber Tomato Sandwiches
24. Greek Pita Bento Boxes (don’t forget to include the olives!)
25. The Best Kale Salad
26. Mason Jar Salads

NO COOK DINNER IDEAS

These no cook dinner ideas are full of fresh veggies and delicious flavors!

27. Vegetable Greek Salad
28. Tomato & Avocado Sandwiches
29. Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
30. Zucchini Salad with Lemon and Parmesan
31. Kale Caesar Salad
32. Greek Veggie Tacos
33. Caprese Salad Recipe
34. Hasselback Tomato Clubs
35. Avocado Salad Caprese Wrap
36. Winter Wedge Salad (preferably with red onions)
37. Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad
38. 15- Minute Gazpacho with Cucumber, Red Pepper, and Basil
39. Greens with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

NO COOK MEALS FOR SNACKS/DESSERTS

Don’t forget the snacks!

40. Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
41. No-Bake Coconut Blueberry Pie
42. Chocolate Hummus
43. Sweet and Salty Energy Bites
44. Sliced carrots and celery with Hummus
45. Healthy No-Bake Cookies
46. Sliced fruit and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Hummus
47. Brownie Bites
48. Strawberries and Snickerdoodle Hummus
49. Tortilla Chips and Pesto Hummus
50. No Bake Cheesecake
51. Sliced fruit and Cake Batter Hummus
52. High Protein Trail Mix
53. Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

There you have it! Over 50 ideas for no cook meals you can try this summer. Which one will you try first?

MORE EASY DINNER RECIPES

• Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry
• Creamy Mushroom Pasta
• Stuffed Peppers
• Vegetable Pasta Primavera
• 30 Minute Cashew Chicken