18 Fresh and Flavorful Summer Recipes That Require 5 Ingredients or Less

These low-effort, high-reward recipes come together in a snap.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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Published June 16, 2025
A plate of Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo). On the right hand side of the image is a smaller plate of toasted bread.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Summer is here, which means it's time to soak up the sunshine and keep the cooking projects light. That's where these low-effort, high-reward recipes come in: They all call for just about five ingredients (not including pantry staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil). That may sound constraining, but you don't need much to make a stellar meal, especially if you're starting with good-quality ingredients that can shine on their own. Luckily for us, there's plenty of fresh seasonal produce available, including sweet zucchini, plump tomatoes, and juicy strawberries, which are delicious on their own or incorporated into other dishes. Below, you'll find our favorite five-ingredient summer recipes, many of which come together in a snap.

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  • Kachumbari (East African Tomato Salad)

    Overhead view of tomato salad

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This vibrant mixture of tomatoes, onions, and chiles is a staple salad in East African countries. Salting the tomatoes and letting them sit for about 15 minutes draws out their excess liquid and enhances their flavor, and briefly soaking and rinsing the raw onions before adding them to the salad tames their bite. Tossed with fresh lime or lemon juice, it's a refreshing side with a nice kick of heat from the pepper.

  • Caprese Salad

    An oval ceramic platter holding caprese salad. The platter is on a dish cloth. There is a pair of forks to the left of the platter, and in the bottom right of the image is a wooden cutting board holding torn chunks of bread.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    You don't need much to make a Caprese salad, just some ripe, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, coarse sea salt, and basil. The salad is only as good as the ingredients you use, though, so be sure to get your hands on the best tomatoes, mozzarella, and olive oil you can find.

  • Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad

    Watermelon, feta, and mint salad in a bowl on a colorful tropical print napkin
    Serious Eats / Liz Voltz

    In this easy summer recipe, sweet watermelon, salty feta, and mint come together for a fantastically refreshing salad. A healthy dose of chopped lemon zest enhances the flavors in the watermelon, and crumbling the feta over the top—instead of tossing it with the rest of the salad—gives you more contrast in each bite.

  • 5-Ingredient Fried Chicken Sandwiches

    Two fried chicken sandwiches on ceramic plates.

    Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic

    The secret to excellent fried chicken at home is to use pickle juice as a brine, which seasons the chicken thighs while also helping them retain more moisture as they cook.

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  • Stewed Summer Squash

    20170814-stewed-zucchini-vicky-wasik-3.jpg

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Zucchini is wonderful fried, tossed into pasta, or incorporated into bread. But this straightforward method of stewing squash until it's plump and juicy is also delicious—and exceedingly easy.

  • Classic Tomato Sandwich

    Classic tomato sandwich on a cutting board, cut diagonally and stacked

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Intended to showcase tomatoes at their peak, this sandwich works by keeping the trappings uncomplicated and minimal.

  • Spaghetti alla Nerano (Zucchini Pasta)

    Side angle view of Spaghetti alla Narano

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    This pasta's unique sauce is made from zucchini that’s deep-fried, cooled, then mashed into a silky sauce that coats each pasta strand. And in case you're wondering—it is indeed that creamy zucchini spaghetti that Stanley Tucci famously loves.

  • Air-Fryer Salmon

    Air-fryer salmon hero

    Serious Eats / Jen Causey

    Our foolproof air-fryer salmon cooks in under 15 minutes and guarantees tender fish with crisp skin every time.

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  • Grilled Tuna Steaks

    20190620-grilled-tuna-steak-vicky-wasik-11

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Tuna ain't cheap—especially not the quality you'd want to eat near-raw after a quick jaunt on the grill—so ruining it with bad technique is as close to unacceptable as it gets. This recipe, however, will ensure you get perfect results every time.

  • 5-Ingredient Strawberry Shortcakes

    A top-down image of six composed strawberry shortcakes, on a speckled ceramic plate on a textured cloth background.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    This strawberry shortcake recipe is deceptively simple and falls squarely into the maximum-return-for-minimum-investment category. All you need are 10 minutes and five ingredients to whip it up.

  • Pan con Tomate (Spanish-Style Grilled Bread With Tomato)

    Pan Con Tomate (Spanish-Style Grilled Bread With Tomato) on a white ceramic plate.

    Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

    Pan con tomate is just about as humble as tapas can get. It has only five ingredients—bread, tomato, olive oil, garlic, and salt—and requires almost no actual cooking.

  • Juicy Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts

    A grilled boneless chicken breast on a white ceramic plate along with two grilled pieces of corn-on-the-cob.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

    Chicken breasts are arguably one of the most difficult cuts of meat to grill well; more often than not, they are dry and chewy. With a little know-how, however, it's possible to make juicy, tender grilled chicken. Serve this grilled chicken with a simple vegetable side, incorporate it into a Caesar salad, or enjoy it alongside other popular cookout dishes, such as grilled corn or potato salad.

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  • Summer Squash Salad

    20150701-squash-salad-vicky-wasik-1

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This refreshing summer squash salad is a meal you can make without breaking a sweat: Toss thinly sliced young summer squash with fennel, fresh dill, lemon juice, and goat cheese, and you've got yourself a sweet, crisp salad for lunch or dinner.

  • Virgin Piña Colada Popsicles

    20200824-virgin-pina-colada-popsicles-vicky-wasik-2

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Here, former Serious Eats editor Kristina Razon transforms the classic tropical cocktail into mouth-watering, non-alcoholic popsicles full of sweet ripe pineapple and rich, creamy coconut. Equal amounts of pineapple and coconut cream, plus a splash of lime juice, strike the perfect balance between creamy sweetness and bright acidity. 

  • Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp)

    A plate of Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo). On the right hand side of the image is a smaller plate of toasted bread.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    Sweet, juicy shrimp bathed in a garlicky olive oil is so easy, you barely need a recipe. Marinating the shrimp in salt, baking soda, and garlic keeps the shellfish plump, and infusing the oil with shrimp shells and garlic creates a sauce with layers of flavor.

  • Whipped Feta Dip

    20190614-whipped-feta-vicky-wasik-11

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Versatile whipped feta cheese can be served as a dip, slathered onto toasts and sandwiches, dolloped into soups, and more. To make it, combine salty, tangy feta with yogurt in a blender or food processor, then blitz until it's smooth. It's that easy.

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  • Sichuan-Style Smashed Cucumber Salad

    20150909-smashed-sichuan-cucumber-kenji-6.jpg

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    This refreshing salad is wonderfully crisp and refreshing. Salting the chopped cucumbers and letting them sit for about 10 minutes removes excess liquid while also concentrating the fruit's sweetness. A drizzle of black or rice vinegar provides zing, and a touch of sesame oil gives the salad a deep nuttiness.

  • Tod Man Khao Pod (Thai Corn Fritters)

    Fritters on a blue and white printed plate, on a bamboo mat. Glass of blue water, and red chili sauce on the side

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    These sweet, spicy corn cakes are flavored with curry paste and makrut lime. With their crisp edges and slightly chewy interior, they're extremely snackable—and you might find yourself reaching for more.

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