12 Recipes for When "It's Too Hot to Turn the Oven On"

By Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine | Updated on July 25, 2023

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Too hot to cook? Here are 12 easy, delicious, summery recipes that you can make without turning on your oven!

Much of the country has been experiencing record-breaking heat this summer. And it's only July! When it's so hot out, the last thing we want to do is turn on a hot oven and heat the house up even more.

If you feel the same way, we've rounded up some easy, delicious and refreshing recipes to get you through the summer. There are fresh salads, easy stir fries and no-bake desserts. Enjoy these recipes and stay cool out there!

Vertical photo of photo of a Watermelon Arugula Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing in a serving bowl on a white marble surface.

Watermelon Arugula Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing

With tender arugula, crisp cucumber and red onion, creamy blue cheese, crunchy candied pecans and lots of sweet, juicy melon this Watermelon Arugula Salad is beyond delicious!

Overhead picture of summer tomato salad on a wooden table

Ballymaloe Summer Tomato Salad

When summer tomatoes are at their peak, this is the salad you want to make! Simple yet incredibly delicious, this Ballymaloe Summer Tomato Salad may just be the best thing you eat all season!

Vertical picture of French Bistro Salad in a white bowl on a wooden table.

Classic French Bistro Salad

This simple Classic French Bistro Salad, served at cafés, brasseries and bistros all over France, is beyond easy and one of those recipes you'll be turning to again and again (especially when you want to feel a little "fancy")  - with minimal effort on your part.

Vertical photo of a Chopped Mexican Street Corn Salad in a white an turquoise serving bowl.

Chopped Mexican Street Corn Salad

This Chopped Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, super delicious rendition of the iconic street food antojito ("snack"), sold by roadside vendors all over Mexico City!

Mexican Seared Salmon Salad

Mexican Sugar-Seared Salmon Salad

This Mexican Sugar-Seared Salmon Salad is one of our favorite meals ever. Use the easy, healthy salmon recipe in lots of other ways too!

Brown Butter Tomato Shrimp and Grits

With a creamy, brown butter-tomato-wine sauce, this Shrimp and Grits recipe is easy enough for weeknights but also VERY dinner party-worthy! This fabulous meal in a bowl also features barely cooked fresh cherry tomatoes, sweet, tender shrimp and smoky Andouille sausage served over a bed of white cheddar grits.

Overhead picture of juicy tender chicken breast cooked on the stovetop on a fresh salad

Juicy Tender Chicken Breasts (on the stovetop)

Tired of dry, tough boneless chicken breasts? These Juicy, Tender Chicken Breasts are so delicious and (like rotisserie chicken) can be used for a zillion different things as well as for an entreé!

Vertical overhead picture of Basil Coconut Chicken on white plates with navy napkins

30-Minute Basil Coconut Chicken

Slightly sweet, slightly smoky with just a bit of heat, this easy Basil Coconut Chicken recipe makes a restaurant-quality meal in 30 minutes! Serve it with a side of veggies for a fabulous meal in a bowl!

Basil Beef Rice Bowls - an easy, Thai-inspired meal in a bowl that's fresh, vibrant, healthy and super delicious!

30-Minute Thai Basil Beef Bowls

You'll flip over this easy, Thai-inspired meal in a bowl that's fresh, vibrant, healthy and super delicious!

Vertical photo of an Easy Irish Blackberry Fool in small glass jars garnished with mint and small blue flowers.

Irish Blackberry Fools with Shortbread - A Heavenly Summer Dessert

With sweet, lightly stewed blackberries layered with tangy vanilla whipped cream and yogurt, this delicious Irish Blackberry Fool is easy to put together and universally loved. It's perfect for both fancy dinner parties and casual nights at home!

Vertical picture of Ridiculously Easy Hot Fudge Sauce poured over vanilla ice cream in a blue and white bowl.

Ridiculously Easy Hot Fudge Sauce

This Ridiculously Easy Hot Fudge Sauce is seriously some of the silkiest, smoothest, most delicious chocolate sauce you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting!

Vertical picture of Easy Microwave Lemon Curd in glass jars

Ridiculously Easy Microwave Lemon Curd

Making homemade lemon curd can be a complicated process. Not this Microwave Lemon Curd! It's silky smooth, bursting with bright lemon flavor and color and comes together in minutes!

"Come now, let us reason together,
says the Lord: "Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool."
Isaiah 1:18

What we're listening to for inspiration:

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2 Comments

  1. HI Chris
    Cant wait to try these recipes They all look wonderful especially since I don't have to turn on the oven forecast today in Phoenix is 117 degrees Thank you!
    Chrissy