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Bring a little extra cheer to your holiday table this season. Our collection of the best Christmas desserts showcases a wide range of seasonal sweets that go far beyond the cookie platter to round out your holiday dinner. Treat your guests or hosts to both traditional favorites and inventive desserts from around the world — from the simple pleasure of gingerbread to the festive pageantry of bûche de Noël and croquembouche — with these celebratory recipes.
Pavlova with Caramelized White Chocolate Bark
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
So many levels of fruit and festive flavor go into this pavlova wreath, but the real highlight is the from-scratch caramelized white chocolate bark with tart freeze-dried raspberries and pretty green chopped pistachios.
Ginger Spice Cake
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
This moist, dense ginger cake from Jennifer Latham has a beautiful deep brown color and a lovely sparkling sheen. A light topping of fluffy whipped cream balances the spicy sweetness of the cake.
Coquito Cheesecake
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Coquito, the creamy coconut-rum punch from Puerto Rico, is the flavor inspiration of this impressive holiday cheesecake from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez.
Chocolate-and-Citrus Cassata
This elegant, absolutely jaw-dropping holiday layer cake features a buttermilk-chocolate frosting, pistachio praline, ricotta filling, and dark chocolate ganache glaze.
Bûche de Noël with Mascarpone Cream and Dark Chocolate Ganache
This festive beauty from Food & Wine’s Paige Grandjean features a flourless chocolate sponge cake swirled with mascarpone-cream filling and slathered in dark chocolate ganache frosting. Meringue mushrooms bring the woodsy look to life.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Chef David Guas’ wintry sticky toffee pudding sings of rich, plump dates and buttery, creamy caramel.
Sour Cherry–Cheesecake Trifle with Black Pepper and Saba
Pichet Ong’s adaptation of the British trifle layers cubes of homemade pound cake with a tangy cheesecake filling made from cream cheese, goat cheese, and crème fraĂ®che plus sour cherries in a reduced grape must syrup.
Julia Child’s BĂ»che de NoĂ«l
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Julia Child’s version of this Christmas classic features the standard Italian meringue mushrooms, an orange-almond sponge Swiss roll, and a chocolate-coffee buttercream that both fills the cake and creates the bĂ»che de NoĂ«l’s signature bark. Finish it with a dusting of powdered sugar and a garnish of sugared cranberries and fresh rosemary for a snowy woodland look.
Eggnog Cheesecake
There’s a lot to love about this Eggnog Cheesecake, especially if the creamy, sweet drink is one of your holiday favorites. The filling is made with actual eggnog as well as fragrant vanilla extract, ground nutmeg, and light brown sugar to really drive the flavor home.
Plum Pudding
This dessert isn’t “pudding” in the American sense, but in the British one — essentially meaning dessert. Bright orange zest, warm spices, and dried fruit give the rich, dense steamed cake all the holiday flair you’d expect. The accompanying hard sauce melts over the warm pudding, adding buttery richness, gentle sweetness, and a cozy hit of brandy.
Chestnut Pavlova
In this festive dessert, Nigella Lawson uses meringue as a base for salted chestnut paste, or crème de marrons, a French spread made with sweet pureed chestnuts. Unsweetened whipped cream provides a cool contrast to the thick chestnut layer.
Old Fashioned Doughnut Croquembouche
In pastry chef Paola Velez’s holiday version of croquembouche, cinnamon doughnuts stand in for the typical cream puffs, while delicate strands of caramel and dots of gold leaf adorn the festive tree.
Cranberry-Lime Curd Pie
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Silky, tangy cranberry-lime curd contrasts beautifully with an easy honey-rye cookie crust and whipped cream topping in this vibrant chilled pie. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, fresh berries, and fragrant lime for plenty of red-and-green flair.
Salted Caramel Tart
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Rich, buttery, and easy to love, this simple tart starts with a blind-baked crust that comes together entirely in the food processor. Pour in the amber caramel, cover with dark chocolate ganache, then sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top for tiny bits of contrasting crunch.
Dubai Chocolate Tiramisu
Food & Wine / Photography by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar, this riff on tiramisu layers espresso-soaked ladyfingers with pistachio cream, mascarpone, and buttery kataifi. A cocoa-dusted top and crunchy pistachios make it pop.
Pear Crumble
Dylan + Jeni
Katianna and John Hong bring some international flavor to this cozy crumble, adding sesame seeds, cardamom, and nutty soybean powder to the crispy topping. Using both Bosc and Asian pears adds textural interest, too.
Fig and Caramel Nut Tart
Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This dessert is designed to pair with Madeira, the fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name. Rich, barely bitter caramel, deeply toasted nuts, and chewy dried figs combine in a buttery crust, all topped with a pinch of flaky sea salt for an especially perfect end to your holiday dinner.
Spiced Pavlovas with Oranges and Mulled Wine Caramel
These individual pavlovas represent a mash-up of Food & Wine editor Melanie Hansche’s Bavarian and Australian upbringing. The aromas and ingredients of a Bavarian Christmas market — glĂĽhwein, toasted almonds, spiced cookies — meet the classic Australian dessert.
Coconut Arroz con Leche Tamales
These luscious dessert tamales are filled with a slightly sweet coconut rice pudding. Drizzle with cajeta or dulce de leche for a buttery finish.
Jamaican Black Cake
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
The delicate nuance of raw almonds (and almond extract), the warm spiky notes of allspice, and plenty of rum inform Brigid Ransome Washington’s version of black cake with a uniquely Jamaican sensibility.
White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
You’ll need nearly a pound and a half of high-quality white chocolate to make this incredibly decadent bread pudding from New Orleans’ Palace CafĂ© — some for the pudding and some for the accompanying sauce.
Almond-Cardamom Budapest Roll
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Chocolate-orange fans, this one’s for you. Ann Taylor Pittman’s version of the traditional Budapest roll trades almond flour for hazelnut flour in the meringue batter; fresh navel oranges replace the usual canned citrus.
Chocolate Cardamom Cream Tart with Pistachio-Sesame Brittle
Cookbook author Samantha Seneviratne’s lovely tart gets depth from a combination of bittersweet and milk chocolate, while a tingle of cardamom comes through the custard and whipped cream topping. Homemade nut brittle rounds out this holiday treat.
Cornmeal Cake Trifle with Sabayon and Candied Kumquats
Multiple layers of citrus flavor and aroma waft through this cornmeal trifle. A Prosecco dessert sauce and Italian meringue make the dessert feel (and taste) especially holiday-worthy.
Cheesecake Bars with Candied Orange and Pizzelle Crust
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Chef Camille Cogswell shares the perfect ratio of cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs for this creamy, dense cheesecake filling that’s decorated with candied orange slices. The buttery crust swaps out graham crackers for thin, crispy pizzelle cookies, an anise-flavored Italian Christmas tradition.
Persimmon, Whipped Goat Cheese, and Hazelnut Parfaits
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
These eye-catching parfaits make the most of wintry persimmons. The chopped fruit is tossed with lime juice and sugar, layered with whipped goat cheese and crunchy cardamom-glazed hazelnuts, and topped with fresh mint and dried rose petals.Â
Chocolate-Peppermint Brownies
Perfectly indulgent for the holiday dessert table, these fudgy peppermint brownies also make a wonderful seasonal gift for friends and loved ones.
Orange-Anise Croquembouche with White Chocolate
Wow your loved ones with this stunning tower of seasonal cream puffs, which seems more challenging to make than it actually is (seriously — only one hour of active time on your part).
Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Candied Cranberries
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
Glaze this tender cranberry cake with a sweet vanilla-flecked buttermilk for a delicate dessert from James Beard Award–winning writer and chef Lisa Donovan. Expect subtle spice, bright acidity, and tang from orange zest.
Gingerbread and White Chocolate Mousse Trifle
Ideal for plated holiday feasts, this seasonal trifle contains three perfect desserts in one: velvety white chocolate mousse, warmly spiced gingerbread, and sweet-tart pomegranate caramel. Guests will ooh and aah at each distinct layer.
Cherry-and-Chocolate Bûche de Noël
Festive and fruity, this bûche de Noël from pastry chef Dominique Ansel features a lighter-than-usual chocolate sponge moistened with kirsch syrup and a creamy vanilla-flecked filling jeweled with brandied cherries.
Gingerbread Roll with Cinnamon Cream
A ginger cake makes the sweet, spiced log in this cream cheese–filled holiday roll from Jennifer Giblin.
