Summer

47 Sweet and Savory Plum Recipes

When the late-summer fruit is in season, we're eating it every way we can.
Photo of polenta budino one of our favorite plum recipes.
Photo by Alex Lau

If you haven't yet eaten your fill of plums this summer, it's time to get started with these recipes. Plums bring bright, tangy flavor to salads and juicy depth to cakes and galettes. We love to use them in savory preparations—plums + pork chops make the perfect summer dinner—though we'd never turn down a plum-rippled ice cream cake. Below you'll find our favorite options for cooking with plums.

  • White dinner plate with sliced grilled pork chop saucy plums and a charred lemon half on a marble surface.
    Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    1/47

    Grilled Pork Chops with Plums, Halloumi, and Lemon

    Jammy grilled stone fruit and halloumi are the ultimate accompaniment to juicy marinated pork chops in this summer plum recipe. You'll brighten the whole dish when it's done with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of oregano leaves.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    2/47

    Plum-Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios

    Name a fruit, and you can crumble it. But plums make particularly good crumbles, especially when paired with cardamom and crunchy pistachios.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    5/47

    Peach-Plum Galette

    Peaches and plums bring out the tangy, sweet, and juicy best in each other, but you could also just use an assortment of plums, including varieties like Greengage, Damson, Elephant Heart, Santa Rosa, or any others you can get your hands on.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    6/47

    Plum Semifreddo

    Keeping the skins on when you make the plum purée is key—it's what gives it its rich, ruby hue.

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  • Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Sue Li
    7/47

    Charred Buttered Plums with Cheese

    Forgive us, we have eaten all the plums. They are just so good this way, charred in a buttery skillet and served with creamy goat cheese.

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  • Photo by Ted Cavanaugh
    8/47

    Baked Plum Pudding

    Bake your plums in an anise-tinged, pancake-like batter for a simple dessert that’s airy, silky, and just sweet enough.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Sue Li
    9/47

    Tiger Fruit Salad

    This salad is inspired by Chinese dish lao hu cai, otherwise known as tiger salad. Unripe plums, nectarines, or peaches marinate in a spicy dressing and get tossed with crisp celery and herbs.

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  • Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Sue Li
    10/47

    Radicchio and Plum Salad

    You can use almost any type of plum in this salad recipe, even hybrid ones like Pluots and Peacotums. If it looks like a plum, it probably acts like a plum too.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Andy Baraghani
    13/47

    Arugula With Italian Plums and Parmesan

    Peppery arugula loves to be matched with sweet-tart plums. Don't skip the cheese, which adds richness to this salad.

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  • Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Sue Li
    14/47

    Barley Porridge with Honeyed Plums

    Plums have a sweet but brightly acidic flavor, which suits them well as a topping for this savory porridge.

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  • Photo by Christopher Testani
    15/47

    Cold Brew Plum Iced Tea

    Slightly bruised or wrinkled stone fruit is ideal for making the infused syrup that gives this tea its distinct flavor.

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  • Photo by Peter Frank Edwards.
    16/47

    Pearl Sugar Waffles With Bacon And Plums

    These plum waffles really are worth waking up for. But to serve them for brunch without waking up at the crack of dawn, make the dough the day before and chill overnight.

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  • Hirsheimer & Hamilton
    17/47

    Cherry and Plum Bruschetta

    The combination of creamy ricotta, sweet fruit, rich olive oil, and a little salt makes for an excellent snack, or breakfast, or dessert.

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  • Tara Donne, food styling by Diana Yen
    18/47

    Five-Spice Fall Fruit Salad

    Chinese five-spice powder, fresh ginger, and vanilla scent this delicious fruit salad, which is great on waffles or spooned over yogurt.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Dawn Perry
    21/47

    Grilled Stone Fruit Sangria

    Grilled peaches, plums, and nectarines add a natural caramelized sweetness to this refreshing summer drink.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    22/47

    Plum Freezer Jam With Cardamom and Ginger

    Neither long simmering nor heat-canned, this vibrant, lightly spiced jam couldn't be simpler to prepare. Red-fleshed plums lend a gorgeous garnet color, but any variety works well.

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  • 23/47

    Chocolate Plum Cake

    Dark chocolate and ripe plums make a sweet match in this luscious dessert. It's topped with unsweetened whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

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  • Johnny Miller
    24/47

    Nectarine, Plum, and Raspberry Pie

    Just about any fruit will work under this delicious lattice crust, but the sweet-tart trio of nectarines, plums, and raspberries is hard to beat.

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  • 25/47

    Plum Clafoutis

    This easy plum dessert is a bit like a custardy fruit pancake, cooked effortlessly in the oven while you do other things. It's the perfect way to wrap up a summer meal. (Though we've also been known to eat it for breakfast.)

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  • Romulo Yanes
    26/47

    Grilled Kale Salad with Ricotta and Plums

    Grilling the kale makes it nice and crispy, so it's the perfect counterpart to the juicy plums.

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  • Francesco Tonelli
    29/47

    Plum and Polenta Cake

    Dessert doesn't have to be fussy when you start with great plums. This Italian-style polenta cake is as laid back as a summer afternoon.

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  • Photo by Romulo Yanes
    30/47

    Plum Berry Crisp

    Using both blueberries and blackberries in addition to plums makes for one intensely colored crisp.

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  • Christopher Testani
    39/47

    Plum-Marzipan Galette

    Marzipan—a sweetened almond paste—makes a lush, nutty bed that melts as it bakes with the plum juices.

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  • Maren Caruso
    40/47

    Stone Fruit Slaw

    Serve this succulent slaw as a side or condiment for grilled chicken or pork. Use slightly underripe fruits, which julienne better than soft, juicy ones.

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  • Photo by Quentin Bacon
    43/47

    Plum-Blackberry Streusel Pie

    Beneath a humble, oaty streusel topping lies a sleek, inky jumble of plums and blackberries—talk about a delicious contrast.

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  • Roland Bello
    44/47

    Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Plum Pluot Compote

    Plums and pluots—a hybrid that blends the color of plums with the flavor and soft texture of apricots—have a natural tartness that flatters the accompanying pound cake (which tastes even better if made a couple of days ahead).

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  • Christopher Baker
    47/47

    Nectarine and Blue Cheese Salad with Plum Vinaigrette

    We love elaborate plum desserts, but we really have a soft spot for easy plum recipes like this one, which simply brings together the fruit, pungent blue cheese, and toasty almonds. Any leftover plum vinaigrette is awesome drizzled over pretty much any salad.

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