Easy Raspberry Desserts to Brighten Any Way — 10 Shortcut Recipes

Emily Boyette

September 20, 2023 at 10:34 PM·3 min read

Tender and oh so juicy, fresh raspberries are the perfect balance between tart and sweet. Not only can you eat ‘em fresh from the container, this versatile fruit can also be canned for preserves, reduced into a silky sauce or baked into a decadent dessert — truth be told, it’s one of our favorites at the First for Women test kitchen. So we couldn’t resist gathering up our best-ever easy raspberry desserts that make it so simple (and delicious!) to satisfy a sweet craving. Keep scrolling for the foolproof recipes, plus secrets to getting the most out of berries.

How to keep raspberries fresh longer

There’s nothing quite like a juicy, super-fresh berry that’s bursting with flavor. And here’s the tricks we use in the test kitchen to help those raspberries really last:

Don’t wash them beforehand. While it’s common to rinse your fruit off and store it in the refrigerator so that it’s clean for consumption, rinsing raspberries too soon can actually cause them to go bad faster. That’s right — the dryer they are, the longer they last. It’s best to rinse ‘em off little by little as you work your way through the container.
Avoid storing them in the coldest part of the fridge. Places like the back or inside the crisper drawers are typically the coldest parts of a refrigerator. When placing fruits as delicate as raspberries, they break down much quicker. It’s best to keep them towards the front of the fridge.
Freeze ‘em this way. If you bought more raspberries than you know what to do with, not to fret! The freezer is your friend. Simply rinse your raspberries and lay them onto paper towels to dry completely. From there, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, you’re good to transfer them to a freezer-safe storage bag and freeze until you’re ready to use. (For more berry storage tricks, click through to learn how to make strawberries last longer.)

Our 10 favorite easy raspberry desserts

These recipes prep in as fast as 10 minutes, and we’ve got all sorts of treats that are sure to please. The hardest part? Picking which one to whip up first!