Food & Drink

We Asked 4 Chefs Their Favorite Berry Desserts, and We're Taking Notes

By Kenn C. Bivins Parade - Food and Drink Stories

Updated June 28, 2026 5:11 AM

It's officially peak berry season, and if you haven't already, now's the time to start gathering your recipes for what to make with the season's best. Ruby red strawberries, plump blueberries and juicy raspberries so ripe they stain your fingertips-what more could you ask for?

But when it comes to berry desserts, unless you've got a tried-and-true favorite, sometimes things can get a bit stale. Sure, there's nothing wrong with eating a giant bowl of macerated berries topped with whipped cream or making yet another blueberry pie, but why not step outside the traditional pie crust and try something different?

😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔

Instead of just using strawberries as-is, why not roast them with balsamic and maple syrup to make things a bit more interesting? You could even give blueberries an upgrade by blending chilies into your usual go-to compote recipe. There's even a reality where instead of the expected summer's bounty, you reach for gooseberries or currants for a twist on your favorite tart.

We've only scratched the surface of what makes a great berry dessert, and if you're looking to upgrade your recipe book, then read on. To give you the berry best berry-picking tips and inspire you to think beyond the basic fruit tart or pie, we consulted four berry-loving chefs to find out how they upgrade the season's sweetest berries and turn them into the best berry desserts.

Our Panel of Chefs

These are the chefs we spoke with about how to make the most of berry desserts this season.

Jason Jonilonis: Chef Jason Jonilonis is the director of culinary at The National Autograph Collection in downtown Oklahoma City. He has been selected twice by the James Beard Foundation as one of the Best Hotel Chefs in America, won the Best of Phoenix Southwestern Restaurant award from the PhoenixNew Times and has been named by the American Culinary Federation as an Arizona Rising Star Chef of the Year.
Julian Eckhardt: Chef Julian Eckhardt is the culinary director at The Inn at Little Washington, and he has spent more than 15 years honing his craft under Chef Patrick O'Connell. Having worked his way through numerous roles in the kitchen since joining the Inn in 2009, Eckhardt brings deep expertise in ingredient selection, seasonality and fine-dining dessert creation.
Molly Pisula: Molly Pisula is currently a food blogger and content creator for her site Vanilla Bean Cuisine. She is also a former personal chef. Her formal training in French pastry makes her an expert at teaching home cooks to create French-inspired recipes that are doable for cooks of all skill levels.
Victoria Fisk: Chef Victoria Fisk is the confectionery chef behind Bouqedibles, which has been in operation since 2022. She makes traditional Eastern European zefir into showstopping edible bouquets.

What to Look for When Shopping for Berries

According to our very berry-obsessed chefs, shopping for perfectly ripe, juicy berries is surprisingly simple. Unlike other fruits like pineapple, avocado or watermelon where you might have to employ a variety of hacks to find out which one is the ripest, spotting the best berries in the bunch comes down to a few key indicators.

First and most importantly is how do the berries look. Chef Jason Jonilonis says, "Always look for berries that are deeply colored, vibrant and aromatic." Chef Julian Eckhardt notes that "berries that look bright and full-colored and hold their natural shape are important."

For Chef Molly Pisula, the best way to determine if strawberries are ripe is by looking for "deep red, shiny, bouncy-looking berries." She says that "the more the red color extends to the green leafy stem area, the better (and sweeter) the berry."

Another tell-tale sign that you're getting the season's best is whether or not they have a distinct aroma. "If they don't smell like anything, they're not going to taste like much either," Chef Jonilonis says.

You'll also want to pay careful attention to ensure there's no mold in your berry container. Because of their higher moisture content, berries are notorious for spoiling quickly, so looking for dry, intact fruit with minimal bruising is your best bet.

It's also a good idea to buy local berries when you can because they'll often be fresher and tastier than the ones shipped to the grocery store. You could even make a fun summer activity out of it and find a local pick-your-own berry farm.

Now that you know how to pick the best berries, it's time to turn them into the sweetest summer desserts. Here are the best berry desserts according to our panel of experts.

The Best Berry Desserts, According to 4 Chefs

When it comes to transforming juicy blueberries, strawberries or raspberries into transcendent desserts, the possibilities are virtually limitless. You could cook blackberries down into a compote to top your ice cream, or fold blueberries into cake batter for a tart pop of freshness. From the conventional and expected to more inventive feats of gastronomic experimentation, berries are one of the most versatile ingredients you can use in the kitchen.

For Chef Jonilonis, his favorite way to use berries is to keep things simple and let the berries shine. "Fresh berries lightly sweetened with agave nectar, micro lemon zest and whipped cream is hard to beat," he says. He also notes that "they cut through butter, cream and chocolate beautifully."

Chef Victoria Fisk takes a more visually striking approach, using berries in her edible works of art made with zefir. (Zefir is an Eastern European dessert similar to marshmallow or meringue that's flavored with various berry and fruit purees.)

Chef Eckhardt chooses to use berries to make ice creams and sorbets. "Berries are usually at their peak during the warmer weather, and using them for these chilly treats is always a refreshing way to champion their natural flavor and purity," he says.

Chef Pisula prefers to transform strawberries into a stunning galette or a parfait topped with mascarpone cream. She also likes to make a strawberry coulis that's perfect for drizzling over ice cream, cheesecake, crepes or even pancakes.

5 Genius, Chef-Approved Ways to Make Berry Desserts 10x Better

Like most ingredients in the kitchen, how you treat each one individually can have a huge impact on the outcome of your final dish. Berries are no different. Whether you use them fresh or cook them, there are subtle ways you can boost their flavor to make your berry desserts 10x better. Here are five ways to take berries to the next level.

1. Add Herbs or Vinegar

It might seem counterintuitive to sprinkle tarragon into your blueberry compote or fold thyme into your macerated strawberries, but surprisingly, berries can benefit from the addition of herbs to add a subtle lift to their flavor.

"We also enjoy pairing them with complementary herbs like lemon-thyme, heirloom basils and tarragon for a more multi-dimensional flavor profile," Chef Eckhardt says.

2. Roast Berries to Bring Out Their Natural Sweetness

Although you'll want to consider what kind of integrity you want in your finished berries, roasting them can transform berries into even sweeter, more complex versions of themselves. The roasted result can be perfect for topping cakes and pies, or even folding into ice cream.

According to Chef Jonilonis, "Sometimes I'll macerate them with sugar and freshly squeezed lemon or lightly roast them with a little sugar, freshly ground black pepper or chili powder, and citrus to concentrate their flavor and create a natural sauce."

3. Experiment With Different Berries

Although strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are popular picks, there are a variety of other berries out there that also work beautifully in desserts. Gooseberries, currants, kumquats, cranberries and even tomatoes-which, yes, are indeed berries-all make fabulous additions to sweet summer treats. Chef Eckhardt uses gooseberries to make a GooseJuice mocktail for The Inn at Little Washington, and also turns them into a delicious ginger-gooseberry jam.

4. Use What's Available

Depending on where you live, there might be additional varieties of berries available, but it's always a good rule of thumb to shop for what's in season. Although you might have your heart set on blueberries, sometimes the strawberries are better. And if you can't find currants, it's OK to sub in another tart berry for your stunning berry-studded muffins. For Chef Fisk, that means making her zefir with only what's seasonally available.

5. Frozen Is Just Fine

While it's always nice to buy fresh berries when you can, frozen berries are often just as good because they're picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. The only caveat to using frozen berries is that they'll have a higher moisture content and less structural integrity than fresh berries, so you'll want to save them for making jams or in recipes that prioritize their flavor over their texture.

This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 4:02 AM.