Easy no-cook recipes for hot summer days
Keep your cool in the kitchen
You'll be amazed how easy it is to eat well without turning on the oven or the hob. All it takes is some smart shopping and a little know-how. From summer salads and wraps, to no-churn ice cream and simple cheesecakes, check out these brilliant no-cook meals you can make without any form of heat.
Smoked mackerel and lentils
Smoked mackerel comes ready to eat in a vacuum pack or tin. This fresh, filling, super-healthy salad combines the oily fish with lentils (you can buy them pre-cooked), crunchy vegetables, herbs and a mustard dressing to delicious, nutritious effect.
Prawn and pomelo salad
Having a bag of cooked frozen prawns in the freezer is a lifesaver. Defrost in the fridge overnight and use in this Vietnamese-inspired salad with mint, coriander, Thai basil, pomelo, carrot, cucumber and spring onion. A spicy, sweet and sour dressing, plus a sprinkling of peanuts brings everything together beautifully.
Smoked salmon salad
A little goes a long way with smoked salmon, so it's worth having a pack in the fridge for everyday use. It makes a great salad with sliced red onions, olives, capers, rocket and a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
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Courgette tostadas
In need of a fresh, zingy and tasty snack or light lunch? These easy courgette tostadas are your new go-to. Finely diced courgette is briefly marinated in lime juice, maple syrup, oil and salt, then mixed with basil, spring onions and avocado. It's all piled onto tostadas (buy them ready-made) and finished with a sprinkling of chilli flakes. The recipe also includes instructions for making gin-based paloma cocktails – the perfect pairing, in our opinion.
Beetroot, orange and fennel salad
A couple of savvy shop-bought shortcuts mean you won't have to turn on the oven to make this sunshine salad. Buy unsalted, roasted pistachios and use pre-cooked beetroot (purple is fine if you can't find the golden variety). Then add zesty, sweet orange segments and bitter shaved fennel. An orange juice and ginger dressing rounds out the dish.
Salmon and quinoa
When you're in no-cook recipe mode, hot smoked salmon is definitely worth having on hand. We love it in this crunchy salad with quinoa and a coconut and horseradish dressing. Find quinoa pre-cooked in packets or prepare a batch at the start of the week, then use to bulk out lunches and main meals alike.
Carrot and apple salad
Ready in five minutes, this zippy, crunchy salad is just wonderful. A food processor makes easy work of grating the apple and carrots (if you don't have one, use a box grater instead). A dressing of lemon juice, salt, brown sugar and oil, plus a scattering of chopped spring onions and walnuts lifts the earthy apple and carrots nicely. Make a big batch – it'll keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
Mango salad with peanuts and pomegranate
Candied peanuts, sweet mango, sharp pomegranate seeds, sour molasses, creamy avocado and a lime juice, cumin and chilli flake dressing – this punchy salad hits all the flavour notes. Layered on a bed of chopped lettuce, sliced red onion and fresh herbs, it's a light, bright and filling main meal. Skip the need for the oven by buying sweet caramelised peanuts or honey-roasted peanuts.
Potato salad
Canned cooked potatoes are completely fine for a potato salad. You'll barely taste the difference once you've added the soft cheese, lemon juice, capers and fresh herbs in this recipe. Chopped celery and red onion will give the dish much-needed crunch. Serve it with a fillet of smoked mackerel or slices of smoked salmon.
Cheese, ham and fig crêpe
Crêpes don’t need to be saved as a once-yearly treat for Pancake Day, they make a lovely light lunch any time. Pick up buckwheat crêpes ready-made in the supermarket, then fill them with your favourite ingredients, from a fried egg to salmon and spinach. Here we love the combination of ham with Comté cheese, fig jam and cornichons.
Pea and radish salad
For a sweet, crunchy summer salad, try this dish. It uses fresh peas but you can thaw petits pois from the freezer. For a twist on the recipe, crumble over feta or cottage cheese before serving for a pleasing sharp flavour, and add your favourite pre-cooked grains to make it more filling.
Chicken gyros
This is just the meal to feed a family when you don't want to turn on the oven. Use ready-marinated, cooked rotisserie chicken or pep up plain, cooked chicken with a dressing made from garlic, chilli, herbs, lemon zest, olive oil and vinegar. Make a fresh tomato salsa, cooling tzatziki and salad. Toast flatbreads or leave them soft, and you’re done.
Courgette carpaccio salad
For a gorgeous no-cook vegetarian dish, look no further. Carpaccio means something that's raw – in this case, courgette. Slice the summer vegetable into thin ribbons and let it sit in a pistachio vinaigrette to soften (you can skip the griddling in our recipe). Top with a salsa made from tinned chickpeas, lemon juice, cumin, tomato and red onion. Finish by crumbling over feta and garnishing with chopped coriander.
Prawn ceviche
In this popular Peruvian dish, raw prawns are cured in Tabasco, lemon juice and salt. Then they're combined with avocado, red onion and tomato to make a sweet, spicy, citrus mix. Use to top tostadas or fill tacos and serve with a dollop of sour cream and lime wedges on the side.
Spanish cheese salad
A hearty dish that doesn’t require cooking, a cheese salad is always a good idea. Arrange your favourite ripe cheese on a bed of radicchio, chicory or rocket, then drizzle over a roasted walnut and quince dressing. A scattering of spring onions or a few slices of pear wouldn’t go amiss either.
Tinned sardines on toast
Canned fish is a store cupboard saviour when it comes to quick, healthy and tasty meals. For a Mediterranean-inspired dish that would make a satisfying lunch or dinner, spread hummus over crusty bread and lay sardines on top, then serve with a juicy tomato salad on the side.
Discover more tinned foods you should always have to hand here
Crab, fennel and orange salad
This gorgeous crab, fennel and orange salad is so easy it can be thrown together in mere minutes. Youll find white crab meat ready-picked in supermarkets or at your fishmonger. Sweet orange, crunchy radish, peppery watercress and fennel are the perfect match.
Mango and chilli coleslaw
Coleslaw tastes best when it's homemade. You need crunchy vegetables such as red cabbage, white cabbage, carrots and onions, and a flavourful dressing to bring everything together. We like to mix it up by adding mango for sweetness and a really spicy, hot sauce.
Classic guacamole
Full of healthy fats, advocados are super filling and make a great dip. Our recipe has some top tips for the perfect guacamole. Find the best-quality avocados you can and ensure they're fully ripe. Salt the chopped tomatoes and drain off any watery juice before mixing in. And, as well as lime juice, add the avocado stone back in to the finished dish to help prevent it turning brown.
Sardine salad
Tinned sardines are incredibly versatile and work brilliantly in a number of different no-cook salads. Keep it classic with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and feta, or mix it up with a Spanish-style combination of pitted olives, artichoke hearts and chicory. Whatever you choose, dinner will be a simple assembly job.
Smoked mackerel, orange and beetroot salad
Citrus pairs brilliantly with oily fish like smoked mackerel as it helps cut through the richness. If you have leftover cooked potatoes, they're a great addition to the salad and make it more filling. Or use a tin of peeled, cooked spuds. You could also add some pickled or pre-cooked beetroot and a few green leaves such as watercress.
Get the recipe for smoked mackerel, orange and beetroot salad here
Grapefruit and sea bass ceviche
In this ceviche recipe, fresh sea bass is cured in lime juice and combined with grapefruit segments, chopped coriander, chilli and red onion. What better way to eat it than scooped into crunchy taco shells or piled high onto tostadas?
Coronation chicken
We love spicy Coronation chicken with a peppery salad and crusty bread. The classic British dish is a great low-effort meal. Buy a whole rotisserie or ready-cooked chicken and chop it into pieces. Then just let it marinate in the mango chutney, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy, curry powder and mayonnaise sauce for 30 minutes before serving.
Hummus and pitta
It's well worth having a few hummus recipes in your no-cook repertoire. Start with a can of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice for a classic dip. Then experiment by adding pesto, roasted red pepper, cumin or chilli. You could even try blending in carrots, cooked beetroot or broad beans. Serve with flatbreads.
Classic Caesar salad
A homemade Caesar dressing knocks the socks off anything you might buy at the shops – and it's incredibly easy to make, especially with our recipe. All the ingredients are whizzed in a food processor, so there's no manual whisking involved. The dressing will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to three days. Buy the croutons ready-made so you don't have to use the oven.
Chicken and avocado Caesar salad
Chopped, pre-cooked chicken is a speedy way to turn Caesar salad into a satisfying main course. This version also contains chunks of creamy avocado and a dressing made from crushed garlic, anchovies, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and plenty of Parmesan. Again, buy the croutons to keep the oven firmly switched off.
Condensed milk ice cream
You don’t need an ice cream machine to make this smooth and rich dessert. Just four ingredients are required, including condensed milk and evaporated milk. Experiment with add-ins such as passion fruit pulp, caramel sauce, honeycomb or raspberry purée.
Ice cream meringue cake
Keep a couple of ready-made meringues in the pantry and this dessert can be assembled in no time. Meringue is layered with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and whipped cream to give a stunning ombre effect – it’s the ideal treat on a hot day.
Tiramisù
An Italian dessert that’s super simple to make. Give the sponge fingers a really good dunking in the coffee and brandy. There’s plenty to go around and ideally, you want them to absorb all the flavour and add moisture to the dish. You can build the tiramisù in individual glasses or a single serving dish.
Banana and chocolate ice cream
The secret behind making healthy ice cream in five minutes is frozen bananas. Whizz the fruit with cocoa powder and chocolate almond milk, and it's ready! A word of warning: the dessert melts quickly so be sure to serve and eat it immediately.
Lime cracker ice box cake
This is like a cheat's version of Key lime pie and can be put together in just 10 minutes. Alternate layers of salty Ritz crackers with a lime filling made from double cream, condensed milk and citrus. Leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours to set before dishing up.
Banana and chocolate mousse
You won’t believe these decadent chocolate pots are vegan. Made from bananas, oat cream, maple syrup and cocoa powder, they take just 10 minutes to make in the blender. You’ll never buy ready-made chocolate mousse again.
Rosewater and pistachio cheesecake
This aromatic cheesecake has a crumbly base made from crushed pistachios and digestive biscuits. It's topped with a pillowy, perfumed mix of cream cheese, clotted cream and rosewater. In short, it's heaven in a dessert (and doesn't require any cooking at all).
Chocolate and peanut butter fridge bars
These rich chocolate and peanut butter fridge bars are made from chickpeas, dates, peanut butter and cacao nibs, meaning they're a great healthy dessert option. You can finish them off with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate, if you like.
Get the recipe for chocolate and peanut butter fridge bars here
Watermelon granita
A granita is like a sorbet, with no churning required. It's a little icier and has a crunchy texture. This one is made from watermelon, pomegranate seeds, lime juice and zest, and mint leaves and just so happens to be the perfect dessert on a hot day. Making it for grown-ups? Add a drizzle of sparkling wine on top.
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