The 5 Best 3-Ingredient Grocery Desserts to Throw On the Grill

These shortcut sweets are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers.

By Sheela Prakash
Published on 05/24/23
grilled summer desserts

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Summer is all about ease. Some of the best summer dinners are a throw-together situation gathered around the grill with family, friends, and neighbors. This same no-fuss approach is how we’ll be approaching dessert as well. Rather than asking you to sweat over a dessert from scratch, these semi-homemade treats rely on some store-bought conveniences to come together. 

We’re not talking about just handing out ice cream sandwiches (though that is also a perfectly delicious option). When you want to try something a little different, gather three ingredients, keep the grill on, and create some impressive grilled summer desserts that feel totally homemade. The grill can lend a smoky, toasted flavor to your run-of-the-mill store-bought cake, it can caramelize seasonal fruit, and it helps melt chocolate chips in moments. Here are five brilliantly simple three-ingredient grocery store desserts to grill this season.

chocolate ice cream in a grilled croissant

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

 Chocolate Almond Croissant-wich

If a chocolate almond croissant is your go-to order at your local French bakery, this ice cream sandwich twist will hit all the right notes. Salted almonds balance out the buttery richness from the croissant and ice cream.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 plain croissant

2 scoops of chocolate ice cream (we are partial to Jeni’s)
1 tablespoon of roasted, salted almonds (chopped)

PREPARATION

  1. Heat an outdoor grill for medium, direct heat.
  2. Split 1 plain croissant in half horizontally through the middle. Place it on the grill cut-side down and grill until toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and let cool for a couple of minutes.
  3. Top the croissant bottom with 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream and press down gently with the back of the ice cream scoop to slightly flatten the ice cream.
  4. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped roasted salted almonds on top of the ice cream then press the croissant top gently on top to adhere. Serve immediately.
grilled peach with ice cream

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Grilled Peach Melba

Peach melba is a  retro classic of  peaches, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream. Grilling peaches softens and sweetens them, while your favorite raspberry jam helps pull everything together without the fuss of a homemade sauce.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 peach

2 tablespoons of raspberry jam
Vanilla ice cream

PREPARATION

  1. Heat an outdoor grill for medium, direct heat.
  2. Halve and pit 1 medium firm but ripe freestone peach. Brush the cut side of both halves with melted butter or olive oil. Grill cut-side down, covered, until grill marks appear, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, cover, and continue to grill until tender, 3 to 5 minutes more.
  3. Transfer to a bowl or plate and divide 2 teaspoons of raspberry jam between the center cavities of each peach half. Serve with vanilla ice cream.


hot honey fruit kabobs

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Hot Honey Fruit Kebabs

A prepared fruit salad that contains a mix of melon, pineapple, strawberries, and/or grapes is your best bet for these fruit and cake kebabs. We like the simplicity of plain pound cake here, but you do you and go for lemon or chocolate chip if you prefer.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Fruit chunks

Pound cake
Hot honey
Melted butter

PREPARATION

  1. Soak 2 wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes (or use metal skewers).
  2. Heat an outdoor grill for medium, direct heat.
  3. Thread 8 chunks of fruit from a small prepared fruit salad and 8 1-inch cubes of pound cake onto the skewers, alternating between fruit and cake, 8 pieces on each skewer. Brush all over with melted butter.
  4. Grill, covered, flipping once, until light grill marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  5. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with hot honey.


NOTE: One full standard pound cake will yield enough for about 6 servings of this dessert.


cinnamon raisin bread with s'mores filling

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Cinnamon Toast S’mores

Forget plain old graham crackers.Sliced cinnamon swirl bread makes for an  epic s’more. This is an ooey, gooey grilled sandwich that we’d happily eat as a decadent breakfast, too.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of cinnamon swirl bread
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Melted butter

PREPARATION

  1. Heat an outdoor grill for medium, direct heat.
  2. Brush 2 slices of cinnamon swirl bread on one side with melted butter. Place the bread slices on the grill butter-side-down.
  3. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mini marshmallows on one bread slice and 1/4 cup chocolate chips on the other bread slices. Cover and grill until the bread is toasted, the marshmallows have puffed, and the chocolate has melted, 2 to 4 minutes. (Move the bread to indirect heat if it’s toasted before the marshmallows and chocolate have melted.)
  4. Flip one slice onto the other to close the sandwich. Transfer to a plate and enjoy immediately.

Note: One standard loaf of sliced cinnamon swirl bread will yield enough for about 6 servings of this dessert.


grilled banana pudding in a cup

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Grilled Banana Pudding

This grilled take on banana pudding is extra cozy thanks to the caramelized grilled bananas. While vanilla pudding is classic, feel free to swap in chocolate or butterscotch.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 banana
Vanilla pudding cup
Nilla wafers
Melted butter

PREPARATION

  1. Heat an outdoor grill for medium, direct heat.
  2. Without removing the peel, cut 1 medium firm but ripe banana in half lengthwise. Brush the cut side of both halves with melted butter.
  3. Grill the banana cut-side down, covered, until grill marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, cover, and continue to grill until tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and let cool for a minute.
  4. Spoon half of 1 (3.25-ounce) vanilla pudding cup into the bottom of a bowl. Scoop the banana halves out of their peels with a spoon into a bowl (it’s okay if they break into a couple of pieces).
  5. Top with the rest of the pudding and sprinkle generously with crushed Nilla wafers


NOTE: One 4 pack of vanilla pudding cups will yield enough for 4 servings of this dessert.