53 Easy Dessert Recipes You Can Whip Up at a Moment’s Notice
We love making a weekend project out of an elaborate cake or pasty, but having a few easy dessert recipes ready to fire is crucial for satisfying sudden sugar cravings or for when you realize—eep!—you forgot the final course while your dinner party guests are en route. For situations like these, we turn to something semi-homemade (shortcuts are key) or otherwise no-fuss: ice cream made in a resealable plastic bag, apples simply halved and baked until soft and warm, or pastries that make the most out of our favorite freezer staple (spoiler: It’s frozen puff pastry).
In this collection of easy dessert recipes, we’re asking the important questions: Why fuss over flaky pastry when you can make a press-in cookie crust in a fraction of the time? Why use more than one bowl to mix cake batter? Why churn ice cream from scratch when you could make cool, calm, collected semifreddo? Scroll on for your new favorite quick, easy, and delicious desserts.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich2/53Matcha-Dipped Strawberries
Speaking of strawberries, dip the fresh fruit—you don’t even have to remove the stems—into a mixture of white chocolate and matcha, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and dessert is done.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Dayna Seman3/53Buttermilk Banana Cake
Those bananas that you let go black and brown? They can become more than just banana bread; they can become this cardamom-scented cake with a buttermilk glaze.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie4/53Blueberry Compote With Coriander
Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht5/53Pear Snacking Cake With Chocolate and Rosemary
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie6/53Cinnamon Butterscotch
There’s no need for a candy thermometer when making this butterscotch sauce. Drizzle it over apple desserts, vanilla ice cream, or even toast.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers7/53Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton8/53Matcha Swirl Spritz Cookies
Thanks to strategically placed matcha powder and green food coloring, these cookies look like they were a lot more complicated to make than they are.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams9/53Raspberry Jell-O Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton11/53Buttery Jam Diagonals
All the comfort of jam-filled thumbprint cookies in a striking, reimagined shape—and a streamlined, less-fussy process. There’s no faster way to churn out a dozen pretty cookies.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Mieko Takahashi, prop styling by Tim Ferro12/53Stone Fruit Brown Betty
Got two pounds of summer fruit and a few slices of stale sandwich bread? You’re just an hour away from this bubbling, juicy, cinnamon toast-y brown Betty.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Liberty Fennell, prop styling by Gerri Williams13/53Oatmeal Baked Apples
Top a baked apple with granola (using store-bought makes it even easier) and maple-syrup-infused sour cream for an easy dessert recipe that effortlessly transitions between delightful breakfast and satisfying dessert.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Sean Dooley, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua14/53Blueberry Fool With Toasted Coconut
Just like the Eton mess, the laid-back blueberry fool is a classic summer dessert with an airy texture and subtle sweetness. This one is particularly creamy, tangy, crunchy, and jammy—basically all the good things.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime16/53Flourless Chocolate Cake With Café de Olla Ganache
So dense it’s almost fudgy, the best part of this flourless chocolate cake might be the Mexico-inspired café de olla ganache that gets poured over top.
Alex Lau17/53BA’s Best Peanut Butter Cookies
File these peanut butter cookies under “easy cookies” and “superior cookies.” (Double-roasted peanuts bring big flavor.) If you’re looking for a no-bake dessert, though, these chocolate-peanut butter cookies are the ones.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua18/53Yogurt-Berry Paletas
If you always keep a carton of yogurt in the fridge, allocate a few scoopfuls to these cooling yogurt-berry paletas. You only need a few hours and a silicone ice-pop mold to make this easy dessert recipe.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua19/53Easy-Fancy Pear Galette
This galette is just as great for brunch as it is for dessert. Since it relies on canned pears and store-bought puff pastry, you can make it in a pinch.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore20/53Chewy Date and Dark Chocolate Cookies
Tahini, olive oil, dates, and bittersweet chocolate chunks make the texture of these cookies almost brownie-like. Pantry running on empty? These Nutella brownies require only three ingredients.
Photography by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk21/53Easiest Vanilla Birthday Cake
We call this cake recipe the easiest for a reason, but if you really don’t want to bake a cake from scratch, learn how to jazz up boxed cake mix.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Kat Boytsova. Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca23/53Classic Bananas Foster
High drama, minimal effort—that’s the allure of this classic, fiery, quick dessert. If you’re not a fan of bananas, know you can light just about any fruit on fire.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca24/53Any-Berry Lemon Ricotta Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi25/53Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
This peanut butter fudge pie has a little secret—oh, we just gave it away: There’s a layer of chewy chocolate on the bottom. It’s got all the flavor of a frozen Reese’s cup, but in a cool, creamy sliceable form.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh26/53Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake
This bouncy, buttery mochi cake is naturally gluten-free—thanks, sweet rice flour—and is sure to impress everyone at the potluck. Just look at that chic dusting of matcha on top.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie27/53Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats With Brown Butter
What should you do with the rest of that jar of peanut butter? Use it for these chewy treats, made with marshmallow and puffed rice cereal. Brown butter gives them a warm, toffee-like flavor.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk28/53Ruffled Milk Pie With Raspberries
If you want an easy recipe that looks incredible, reach for frozen sheets of phyllo pastry. Scrunch them up with your hands, then stud them with fresh berries and bake them in a milky custard and you’ve got an artful centerpiece.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie29/53Blackberries and Vanilla Cream With Crispy Puff Pastry
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Kat Boystova, prop styling by Allie Wist30/53Classic Banana Pudding
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni31/53Strawberry-Biscoff Cheesecake Tart
With no springform pan or mixer required and a 30-minute bake time, this might be the least fussy cheesecake we’ve ever met. Prefer no-bake cheesecake? Try these ginger-lime bars.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh32/53Plum–Black Pepper Yogurt Semifreddo
Think of semifreddo like homemade ice cream, only requiring less effort. This one gets its light, airy texture from a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, and whipped cream.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by JoJo Li34/53Brown-Sugar-Braised Pineapple
Picked a subpar pineapple at the grocery store? Bathe it in brown sugar syrup and no one will be the wiser. The only real effort required in this recipe is cutting that pineapple.
Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Sean Dooley35/53BA’s Best Snickerdoodles
There are three major time-savers in this cookie recipe: No need to wait for butter to soften; you’re melting it. No need to chill the cookie dough; just let it sit on the counter. No need to cook them until golden brown; you’re not looking for color, just a 10-minute bake.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova36/53Chocolate-Almond Fridge Fudge
A secret ingredient replaces the dairy in this easy chocolate dessert. Just kidding, it’s not a secret: It’s avocado. Bonus: This recipe can be made one week ahead of serving.
Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich.37/53Candy Cane Ice Cream in a Bag
Making ice cream without an ice cream machine? If you have two resealable plastic bags, rock salt, and a bunch of ice, then you can do it.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado38/53Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime39/53Rum-Soaked Fruit and Coconut Crisp Sundaes
It only takes 10 minutes and zero heat to turn ripe strawberries and raspberries into a syrupy topping for a not-so-typical vanilla ice cream sundae.
Photo by Chelsie Craig40/53Easy Sheet Cake With Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting
Meet your new favorite birthday cake recipe, cooked in one 13x9" baking dish. (For what it’s worth, our readers tell us the batter and icing work well as cupcakes too.)
Gentl & Hyers42/53Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
Silky like chocolate mousse, this pudding is actually vegan (thanks, avocado), low-sugar (thanks, maple syrup and agave nectar), and would be acceptable on the breakfast table. Mousse could never.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Olivia Mack McCool43/53Peach and Sesame Crumble
Triple the sesame, triple the deliciousness. Rich, earthy tahini teams up with toasted sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil to balance the sweetness of late summer peaches in this easy dessert recipe.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio44/53Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups
45/53Lemon Pound Cake
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh46/53Coconut-Mango-Lime Barfi
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio47/53Cookies and Black Sesame Ice Cream
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz48/53Blackout Chocolate Banana Bread
Think of this recipe as a cross between BA’s Best Banana Bread and a crowd-pleasing blackout cake. Whole wheat flour lends a nuttiness to the batter, but feel free to replace it with more all-purpose if that’s all you’ve got.
Photo by Heidi's Bridge49/53Blackberry Icebox Cake
Not only is this icebox cake a no-bake dessert, it also has you build its layers in a bowl for maximum ease. Invert it, remove the bowl, and boom: You’ve got a dome-shaped dessert that helps you keep your chill.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Alison Attenborough51/53Cardamom Bread Pudding
Infuse heavy cream with sugar and cardamom, toast white bread in a skillet, and then let your refrigerator do the rest of the work before you top this easy dessert recipe with chopped pistachios and serve.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh52/53Dark Chocolate-Espresso Ice Pops
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen53/53Roasty Toasty Pecan-Caramel Shortbread Cookies
All right, we’re just going to say it: shortbread > sugar cookies. This not-too-sweet treat is one of our favorite easy dessert recipes because it’s a slice-and-bake and leans on store-bought dulce de leche.
