Quick And Easy No-Cook Dinner Recipes For Summer

Salads, noodles, spring rolls and more meal ideas that don't require an oven or stove.

No matter where you live in the United States, your weather is likely some degree of hot right now, whether it’s just a gentle melt or a face-blasting scorch. Either way, you probably don’t want to spend any time in the kitchen, much less stand over a stove or in front of an oven. 

For these days, we’ve got 10 no-cook dinner recipes that require absolutely no heat. They’re made with fresh ingredients and zippy flavors, and they require very little effort ― if you can give a quick chop and open a can, you’re nearly at the finish line.

Check out the best no-cook recipes from some of our favorite cooks on the internet, from protein-packed salads (thanks, canned chickpeas) to crunchy spring rolls, cold noodle salads and more. 

1
I Heart Umami
Shirataki Noodles with Paleo 'Peanut' Sauce
Shirataki noodles come precooked, so there's no need to boil water.
2
Anna Hampton
No-Cook Cold Sesame Rice Noodle Salad
3
Foodie Crush
Tuscan Tuna White Bean Salad
4
Foodie Crush
Greek Chickpea Salad
5
Minimalist Baker
Vegan Collard Green Burritos
These are made with raw vegan walnut taco "meat."
6
Half Baked Harvest
Corn, Tomato and Avocado Chickpea Salad
7
Minimalist Baker
Collard Green Spring Rolls + Sunflower Butter Dipping Sauce
8
Minimalist Baker
Five-Minute Green Salad with No-Mix Tahini Dressing
9
Minimalist Baker
Rainbow 'Raw-maine' Taco Boats
10
Jessica In The Kitchen
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Ginger Sauce
One of the fillings in this recipe is cooked vermicelli noodles, but you can either skip them or use leftovers that have already been cooked.

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Before You Go

Margarita And Slushy Makers For Making Frozen Drinks
A commercial slushy maker to really impress your friends(01 of06)
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To some, buying a commercial-grade slushy or frozen margarita maker might be excessive. To others, it might be the best decision of a lifetime. Really, though, imagine whipping out this bad boy at a party — pretty fun. It’s pricey, but it has incredible customer reviews. (credit:Walmart)
A budget-friendly slushy and margarita maker(02 of06)
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Not everyone has the desire (or budget) to throw down a ton of cash for a high-tech smoothie maker, but there are more affordable options everywhere if you know where to look. And for smaller parties, this one would work just as well as the bigger, commercial option.

One happy customer wrote: “We used the margarita machine for our family get together and we loved it. It takes a while to get the margarita's just right but the wait is well worth it. Able to serve lots of drinks at once and that was great!!”
(credit:Walmart)
This Jimmy Buffet-approved dream machine(03 of06)
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This machine allows you to make and serve multiple, different frozen concoctions at once. From Jimmy Buffet’s brand Margaritaville, this is a frozen beverage aficionado's dream. It features three independent blending stations and can make 72 ounces or six frozen drinks per cycle. (credit:Walmart)
A simple, easy-to-pour frozen margarita maker(04 of06)
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Jimmy Buffet knew what he was doing when he decided to turn the song “Margaritaville” into an entire brand of frozen drink makers. Though you can find affordable machines from other brands, it’s the Margaritaville machines that seem to have Walmart’s best reviews outside of the commercial makers. (credit:Walmart)
A retro-style option for less than $50(05 of06)
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It can be tempting to get the most elaborate, fancy frozen drink maker, but there are more affordable, simpler options, too. While this one doesn’t have quite the same level of positive reviews as some of the more expensive versions, it would be a great option if you only plan on using it a handful of times per year. It may feel cheaper, as one reviewer points out, but it still produces a good drink: “I was surprised that this machine really grinds the ice well enough for margaritas. The parts are plastic and feel toy like. I thought that there was no way it would make anything. I was wrong.” (credit:Walmart)
A traditional (but powerful) blender(06 of06)
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The key to making a good frozen drink is the perfect blend of ice, which is exactly why some standard blenders don’t cut it. This Blendtec blender is so well-reviewed, though, that you can be confident that it can handle all of your frozen margarita and daiquiri making needs. As one customer wrote, “There is no comparison with a regular old blender. The power is amazing. The torque is so high it can move the blender when it breaks up a whole beet or frozen banana. It blends so well everything I've tried.” (credit:Walmart)

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