15 GRILLED DESSERTS YOU NEED TO TRY THIS SUMMER (BEYOND S'MORES)

My husband's discovery that the grill could make dessert happened during a summer cookout where he had cleaned the grill after the main course and then, considering the residual heat and the peaches sitting on the counter that were one day away from overripe, placed two peach halves cut-side down on the still-hot grate out of curiosity and watched them caramelize in three minutes into something that was genuinely better than the fresh peach would have been in any other format.

His specific observation was that the grill's direct heat caramelizes the natural sugars in fruit faster and more intensely than any oven preparation because the grate temperature is significantly higher than an oven surface temperature and the contact is direct rather than circulated — a peach half on a 400°F grill grate caramelizes the cut surface in 3 minutes; the same peach half in a 400°F oven takes 15-20 minutes to achieve a comparable result because the heat delivery is fundamentally different.

Saad's enthusiasm for the banana boat — a banana split lengthwise through the peel, filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips and placed on the grill until the filling melts into the warm banana — is the specific enthusiasm that first made grilled desserts a household category rather than a one-time experiment. His reaction to the first banana boat was to immediately request a second one, which is his standard metric for whether a food deserves to be made again.

Zainab's preference among the grilled desserts in this collection is the grilled fruit items — specifically the grilled peaches and the grilled pineapple — eaten without the mascarpone, the ice cream, or the additional toppings that the recipes suggest, which is consistent with her general dessert preference for fruit over pastry and for simple over embellished. She is a more honest evaluator of the fruit quality than any adult taster because she is eating the grilled fruit itself rather than the composition of fruit and cream and additional sugar.

My mother in Pakistan's position on grilled sweets is one of principled skepticism — her dessert tradition is halwa, kheer, mithai, and fresh fruit chaat, none of which involves a grill, and her comment when I described grilled banana boats was "why would you cook a banana" — which I understand as a reasonable question from someone whose relationship with bananas is exclusively fresh and whose cooking tradition has no category for caramelized or grilled fruit as a dessert form. Her position has not changed, but Saad has become a convert.

All 15 desserts in this collection use the residual heat of a grill that has been used for a main course — which means these are not desserts that require a separate grill session but rather desserts that use the heat that is already present after the proteins have come off, converting what would otherwise be wasted grill energy into a dessert category that most people do not know exists.

For halal households: all 15 desserts in this collection are halal-friendly as written. Where marshmallows appear (banana boats), use halal-certified marshmallows — they are widely available at halal grocery stores and online.

Whether you are the grill operator who wants to use the residual heat after dinner for something that makes the cookout feel complete, feeding children who did not know dessert could come off a grill and will never forget it after the first banana boat, making a summer dessert that requires no oven and no additional kitchen time beyond 5-10 minutes at the still-hot grill, or simply wanting to go beyond s'mores in the grilled dessert category, these 15 options cover the full range from fastest to most impressive.

15 Grilled Desserts Beyond S'mores

15. Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Pineapple rings grilled until caramelised and smoky — the easiest grilled dessert and the one that converts people who think they do not like pineapple.

Ingredients

• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch rings
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of cayenne
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• Vanilla ice cream and fresh mint to serve

Instructions

1. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne together. Brush pineapple rings with melted butter on both sides.
2. Coat each ring in the brown sugar mixture, pressing to adhere.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place pineapple rings on the grates.
4. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side without moving until deep caramel grill marks form and the sugar has melted and caramelised.
5. Remove immediately — caramelised sugar continues cooking and can burn quickly.
6. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream and fresh mint.

14. Grilled Peaches with Honey and Mascarpone

Ripe peaches halved and grilled until caramelised — served with cold mascarpone, a drizzle of honey, and crushed amaretti biscuits.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe but firm peaches, halved and pitted
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon honey (plus extra to serve)
• 100g mascarpone
• 4 amaretti biscuits, crushed
• Fresh mint

Instructions

1. Brush peach halves with olive oil on the cut face.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place peaches cut-face down on the grates.
3. Grill 3 to 4 minutes without moving until deep caramel grill marks form and the peach is slightly softened.
4. Flip and grill a further 1 to 2 minutes on the skin side.
5. Remove to plates cut-face up. Drizzle honey into each hollow.
6. Add a spoonful of cold mascarpone, a drizzle more honey, crushed amaretti, and fresh mint.

13. Grilled Banana Splits

Bananas grilled in their skins until the skin blackens and the flesh becomes sweet and jammy — split open and filled with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, unpeeled
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate sauce: 100g dark chocolate + 50ml cream, melted together
• ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Place unpeeled bananas directly on the grill over medium heat.
2. Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side until the skin is completely blackened and the banana feels soft when pressed.
3. Remove from grill and rest 1 minute.
4. Slit each banana lengthways through the top — be careful of steam escaping.
5. Open the banana in its skin like a boat. The flesh will be sweet and jammy.
6. Fill immediately with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle chocolate sauce, top with nuts and whipped cream.

12. Grilled Pound Cake with Berries

Thick slices of store-bought pound cake grilled until golden and slightly crispy — served with fresh mixed berries and whipped cream.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought pound cake, sliced 1.5cm thick
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• 300g mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
• 2 tablespoon caster sugar + 1 teaspoon lemon juice (for berries)
• Whipped cream or crème fraîche

Instructions

1. Toss berries with caster sugar and lemon juice. Leave 20 minutes to macerate.
2. Brush both sides of pound cake slices with melted butter.
3. Preheat grill to medium. Place cake slices on the grates.
4. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden grill marks form — watch closely, pound cake burns quickly.
5. Remove to plates.
6. Spoon macerated berries and their juices over each slice. Top with whipped cream.

11. Grilled Watermelon with Feta and Mint

Thick watermelon slices grilled briefly until grill marks form and the flesh warms — topped with crumbled feta, fresh mint, and lime.

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices seedless watermelon (about 2cm), rind on
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 100g feta, crumbled
• ¼ cup fresh mint, torn
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Pat watermelon slices dry with paper towels.
2. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil.
3. Preheat grill to high. Place watermelon directly on the grates.
4. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side — just long enough to create grill marks and warm the flesh without making it mushy.
5. Remove to a platter. Squeeze lime juice over.
6. Scatter crumbled feta, torn mint, chilli flakes, and flaky salt.

10. Grilled Nectarines with Almond Cream

Nectarines halved and grilled until caramelised, served with an almond cream made from mascarpone and crushed amaretti.

Ingredients

• 4 nectarines, halved and pitted
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Almond cream: 100g mascarpone + 2 tablespoon icing sugar + ½ teaspoon almond extract + 2 crushed amaretti biscuits
• Toasted flaked almonds and honey to finish

Instructions

1. Brush nectarine halves with olive oil.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place cut-face down. Grill 3 to 4 minutes until deep caramel grill marks.
3. Flip and grill 1 minute more. Drizzle honey into each cavity.
4. Make the almond cream: beat mascarpone with icing sugar, almond extract, and crushed amaretti.
5. Arrange nectarines on a platter.
6. Add a spoonful of almond cream to each half. Scatter toasted almonds and drizzle honey.

9. Grilled Mango with Lime and Chilli

Mango cheeks grilled until charred and caramelised — served with a squeeze of lime and chilli flakes. Natural sweetness amplified by the grill.

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe mangoes, cheeks cut off and scored
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder or Tajín
• 2 tablespoon honey
• Fresh cilantro or mint

Instructions

1. Score mango cheeks in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through the flesh but not the skin.
2. Brush scored flesh with olive oil.
3. Preheat grill to high. Place mango flesh-side down on the grates.
4. Grill 3 to 4 minutes until the flesh is caramelised and grill marks are deep.
5. Remove and drizzle honey and lime juice over immediately.
6. Sprinkle chilli powder or Tajín and fresh herbs. Serve in the skin or scoop off.

8. Grilled Angel Cake with Strawberries

Angel food cake sliced and grilled until toasted — served with macerated strawberries and softly whipped cream.

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought angel food cake, sliced 2cm thick
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• 300g strawberries, hulled and halved + 2 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 200ml double cream + 1 tablespoon icing sugar + ½ teaspoon vanilla, whipped

Instructions

1. Macerate strawberries with sugar and lemon juice 20 minutes.
2. Brush angel cake slices with melted butter on both sides.
3. Preheat grill to medium. Place cake slices on the grates.
4. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden with clear grill marks.
5. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
6. Place grilled cake on plates, top with macerated strawberries, cream, and any remaining juices.

7. Grilled Chocolate Bananas

Bananas slit and stuffed with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, wrapped in foil and grilled until melted and gooey.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, unpeeled
• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• ½ cup mini marshmallows
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Ice cream or whipped cream to serve

Instructions

1. Slit each banana lengthways through the top, leaving the skin intact and not cutting all the way through.
2. Open each banana slightly. Stuff with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and a pinch of cinnamon.
3. Wrap each stuffed banana tightly in foil.
4. Place foil packets on the grill over medium heat. Grill 8 to 10 minutes until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted.
5. Unwrap carefully — very hot steam inside. The flesh will be fully cooked and the filling molten.
6. Serve in the foil with a spoon. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.

6. Grilled Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Firm pears halved and grilled until caramelised — topped with blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and honey. The cheese board in a single bite.

Ingredients

• 4 firm pears, halved and cored
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 100g blue cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoon honey
• Fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Brush pear halves with olive oil on the cut face.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Place cut-face down on the grates.
3. Grill 4 to 5 minutes without moving until deep golden caramel marks form.
4. Flip and grill 2 minutes on the skin side.
5. Remove to a platter cut-face up.
6. Top each pear half with blue cheese, toasted walnuts, a drizzle of honey, and fresh thyme.

5. Grilled Churros with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Store-bought or homemade churros briefly grilled to add char and smokiness — rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with warm chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

• 12 churros (store-bought frozen, baked per instructions, or homemade)
• 3 tablespoon caster sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed
• Chocolate sauce: 150g dark chocolate + 100ml cream, melted together
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1. Bake or prepare churros per package instructions.
2. Spray grilled grates with cooking spray. Preheat to medium.
3. Place churros on the grates. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side until grill marks appear and the exterior has a slight crunch.
4. Remove immediately and roll in cinnamon sugar while still hot.
5. Make the chocolate sauce: heat cream until steaming, pour over chopped chocolate, stir smooth.
6. Serve churros immediately with warm chocolate dipping sauce.

4. Grilled Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats grilled until the outside is toasted and the marshmallow inside becomes warm and stretchy again.

Ingredients

• 12 store-bought or homemade rice crispy treats, cut into squares
• Cooking spray
• Chocolate sauce or ice cream to serve

Instructions

1. Prepare rice crispy treats if making from scratch — allow to cool and set fully before grilling.
2. Spray grates with cooking spray. Preheat to medium.
3. Place rice crispy squares on the grates.
4. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side — watch closely, they toast very quickly.
5. Remove when toasted golden with grill marks and the outside is slightly crispy.
6. Serve immediately with chocolate sauce or alongside ice cream.

3. Grilled Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients

• 4 large apples, cored and cut into thick wedges
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• Caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream to serve

Instructions

1. Toss apple wedges with melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until evenly coated.
2. Preheat grill to medium. Place apple wedges on the grates.
3. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side until grill marks form and apples are tender but still holding shape.
4. Remove to a bowl. Any caramelised sugar on the grates will smoke — normal.
5. Drizzle caramel sauce over the warm apples.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

2. Grilled Doughnuts with Ice Cream

Plain glazed doughnuts briefly grilled until toasted and warm — served immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The 5-minute dessert that everyone loves.

Ingredients

• 6 glazed doughnuts, halved horizontally
• Cooking spray
• Vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate sauce or caramel sauce
• Optional: fresh berries

Instructions

1. Spray grates with cooking spray. Preheat to medium.
2. Place doughnut halves cut-face down on the grates.
3. Grill 1 to 2 minutes until golden grill marks form and the glaze begins to caramelise.
4. Flip and grill 30 seconds more.
5. Remove immediately — grilled doughnuts must be eaten hot.
6. Place bottom half on a plate, add a scoop of ice cream, drizzle sauce, top with the other half.

1. Grilled Cookie Dough in Foil

Pre-made cookie dough wrapped in foil and grilled until baked through and gooey — the campfire cookie that works on a backyard grill. Serve with ice cream.

Ingredients

• 1 roll store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough
• 4 squares of foil
• Cooking spray
• Vanilla ice cream to serve

Instructions

1. Tear off 4 squares of foil. Spray each with cooking spray.
2. Divide cookie dough into 4 portions. Place each in the centre of a foil square.
3. Fold the foil over and crimp all edges tightly to create sealed packets.
4. Place foil packets on grill over medium heat. Cook 8 to 10 minutes — the dough should be baked through but still soft and gooey in the centre.
5. Remove and rest 2 minutes. Open carefully — steam inside.
6. Eat directly from the foil with a spoon. Top with vanilla ice cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hot should the grill be for grilled desserts?

Medium heat (350-375°F) is the correct temperature for most grilled desserts — hot enough to caramelize the cut surface of fruit and to char cake and bread without burning them, but not so hot that the exterior burns before the interior warms through. The exception is shishito peppers and high-moisture vegetables that need high heat to blister, and very thin fruit slices (watermelon) that benefit from medium-high for a quick char. Most of these desserts are made on the grill's residual heat after the main course comes off, which is naturally in the medium range as the grill cools slightly from its peak cooking temperature.

What fruit works best on the grill for desserts?

The best fruits for grilling desserts are those that are firm enough to hold their structure on the grate but ripe enough to caramelize their natural sugars quickly — stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots), pineapple, mango, pears, and firm bananas. Avoid very soft ripe fruits (overripe peaches, very ripe bananas without their peel) that disintegrate on the grate, and avoid high-water fruits like melon slices that are thin enough to fall through or citrus that has insufficient natural sugar to caramelize effectively.

These 15 grilled desserts have permanently changed the post-dinner part of every summer cookout in our household — the peaches go on the grate as soon as the proteins come off, the banana boats take the foil-wrapped position on the cooler outer zone, and Saad's second banana boat request arrives before the first one is finished. My husband started it with two ripe peaches and residual grill heat, and it has not stopped since. Don't move the peach until it releases. The mascarpone goes on cold. The honey goes on last. 🍑🔥✨

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