Transport your party to New Orleans with these Mardi Gras desserts. Yes, beignets and king cake are classic options, but there are plenty of other rich foods that capture the Big Easy vibe!
22 Mardi Gras Desserts for Your Party
Updated on Apr. 09, 2024
New Orleans Beignets
Beignets are an absolute New Orleans staple, and no visit to the city is complete without grabbing a plate at Cafe du Monde. Luckily, there’s no travel necessary when you make beignets for your Mardi Gras party. It’s important to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge to create the lightest, puffiest beignets possible, so plan ahead.
1/22
2/22
King Cake Recipe
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
1 cake (12 pieces)
From the Recipe Creator:
Get in on the fun of traditional king cake by hiding a little toy baby in the cake. Whoever finds it has one year of good luck! —Rebecca Baird, Salt Lake City, Utah
3/22
Bourbon Pecan Pralines
Total Time
40 min
Servings
1 pound (about 16 pralines)
From the Recipe Creator:
Like authentic pecan pralines found in New Orleans, these treats are sweet, crunchy and rich! —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
One of our favorite Mardi Gras desserts is pralines, a sugary sweet candy that melts in your mouth. You’ll find this treat all over New Orleans, and making it is relatively simple. Heating the ingredients to the soft-ball stage (236°F) may sound intimidating, but it’s easy to do with a candy thermometer.
Your event isn’t complete without some of our best recipes for Mardi Gras.
4/22
Bananas Foster Sundaes
Total Time
15 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I have wonderful memories of eating bananas Foster in New Orleans, and as a dietitian, wanted to find a healthier version. I combined the best of two recipes and added my own tweaks to create this southern treat. —Lisa Varner, Charleston, South Carolina
It’s said that this dessert was created at Brennan’s Vieux Carré Restaurant on Bourbon Street as a way to use up excess bananas. The dish is often made tableside with a technique called flambé where rum is lit on fire in an impressive performance. We skip the theatrics with this dessert and make it on the stovetop—no fire extinguisher needed to enjoy this tasty treat.
5/22
Mardi Gras Cupcakes
Total Time
45 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Take these simple Mardi Gras cupcakes to a get-together and watch them disappear. Kids will love to help decorate them with the colorful sprinkles. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
These festive cupcakes capture the spirit of the classic Mardi Gras king cake—decorated purple, green and gold to represent justice, faith and power—but their miniature form makes them easier to serve. Separating the batter to mix with flavored gelatin adds to the fun, and layering the cupcakes creates a gorgeous color contrast.
6/22
Turtle Praline Tart
Total Time
40 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This rich dessert is my own creation, and I'm very proud of it. It's easy enough to make for everyday meals but special enough to serve guests or take to a potluck. —Kathy Specht, Clinton, Montana
This five-ingredient dessert looks like it took hours to make, but it actually couldn’t be easier. The pie crust needs to be prebaked, but the remaining ingredients set up in the refrigerator to create a no-bake tart. Get ready to hand out the recipe, because this is one of those Mardi Gras desserts that gets gobbled up fast!
7/22
Butter Pecan Cake
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
16 pieces
From the Recipe Creator:
Pecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the ever-popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida
8/22
Bananas Foster on the Grill
Total Time
25 min
Servings
4 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Bananas Foster is my husband's favorite dessert, and this is one of the easiest recipes I've ever found. Not only is it delicious, it's a great way to use those bananas that are a little too ripe to just peel and eat. —Rebecca Clark, Warrior, Alabama
Taking this classic New Orleans dessert to the barbecue gives the bananas grill marks that look gorgeous when you bring this dish to the table. Just be sure to keep your bananas inside the peel when you slice them in half. The fruit will soften and turn mushy (in a good way) as it cooks, and it would be a real pain to turn the bananas without the peel providing a little structure.
9/22
Chewy Pecan Pie Bars
Total Time
40 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
This treat is one of my husband's favorites. I've been making these bars for many years, and we still can't get enough. I never mind making this recipe—it's about as easy as baking can be! —Judy Taylor, Shreveport, Louisiana
Not all Mardi Gras parties involve sitting around a table. You might be up dancing or playing games instead. These pecan pie bars are perfect if you want a dessert that can move with your guests. They taste exactly like pecan pie, but they’re handheld and easy to eat. Of course, you could serve them on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too.
10/22
Springtime Beignets & Berries
Total Time
50 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
I've always loved beignets, but never thought I could make them myself. Turns out they're easy! Sometimes I'll even make a quick berry whipped cream and pipe it inside for a fun surprise. —Kathi Hemmer, Grand Junction, Colorado
These deep-fried doughy delights get a burst of freshness when they’re served with fresh berries. To customize the recipe for your Mardi Gras party, add purple, green and gold sprinkles to the whipped cream before serving. Or color the powdered sugar with decorating dust and dust the platter in three different waves.
11/22
Classic Creme Brulee
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
My favorite dessert is this creme brulee recipe. Recently I was at a party where the guests finished preparing their own desserts by "broiling" the sugar on their portions with a small torch. What a great idea! —Joylyn Trickel, Helendale, California
12/22
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Monkey Bread
Total Time
2 hours 20 min
Servings
18 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Time to give rum cake a little competition! If this boozy take on monkey bread is too strong for your taste, cut back on the bourbon or use milk as a non-alcoholic substitute. —James Schend, Plesant Prairie, Wisconsin
We love monkey bread, but it’s even more delicious when the dough balls are stuffed with chocolate and baked with bourbon-infused chocolate and caramel sauces. The homemade dough is light and fluffy, but it can be a little time-consuming. As a shortcut, use a couple cans of refrigerated biscuit dough instead.
13/22
King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Total Time
45 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
Round out your Mardi Gras celebration with a King Cake—a colorful ring-shaped pastry drizzled with green, gold and purple icing. This stunning cake has become the gala holiday’s signature dessert.—Alice LeJeune, Ville Platte, Louisiana
This shortcut king cake recipe comes together in about 45 minutes, making it ideal as a last-minute Mardi Gras dessert option. The sugary cream cheese filling is packed with warm cinnamon, and the refrigerated crescent roll dough crisps up beautifully in the oven. Top it off with a few drizzles of colorful icing, and this one is a winner!
14/22
Favorite Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Tart
Total Time
45 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
I grew up in Louisiana where, as in most of the South, pecan pie is a staple. This tart variation is extra good because it includes chocolate. I decided to up the decadence even more by adding bourbon and drizzling some caramel on top. —Amber Needham, San Antonio, Texas
Pecan pie has a special place in our hearts, but we’ll never say no to a tart version that’s loaded with chocolate and bourbon. This tart can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator; just bring the dish to room temperature before serving. It can also be frozen for three months and thawed overnight in the fridge.
15/22
Candied Pecans
Total Time
55 min
Servings
about 1 pound
From the Recipe Creator:
I pack these easy candied pecans in jars tied with pretty ribbon for family and friends. My granddaughter gave some to a doctor at the hospital where she works, and he said they were too good to be true! —Opal Turner, Hughes Springs, Texas
Pecans are a quintessential part of southern cooking, and candying them in butter and sugar creates a light but flavorful dessert. Make sure you spread the pecans out in an even layer on the baking sheet before popping them in the oven, or they won’t toast evenly. As a bonus, any leftovers can be used on a salad for lunch tomorrow.
16/22
Banana Bread Pudding
Total Time
50 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
When I visited my grandmother in summer, I always looked forward to the comforting pudding she'd make. With its crusty golden top, custard-like inside and smooth vanilla sauce, this bread pudding is a real homespun dessert. Now I make it for my grandchildren. —Mary Detweiler, Middlefield, Ohio
Is bread pudding a breakfast or a dessert? Both! This recipe uses pieces of bananas to amp up the bananas Foster vibe, so it’s a wonderful dessert for a Mardi Gras dinner party. We wouldn’t be upset if it was served during a Mardi Gras brunch, either.
17/22
Berry-Filled Doughnuts
Total Time
25 min
Servings
10 doughnuts
From the Recipe Creator:
Four ingredients are all you'll need for this sure-bet breakfast treat. Friends and family will never guess that refrigerated buttermilk biscuits are the base for these golden, jelly-filled doughnuts. —Ginny Watson, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
A filled doughnut called packzi is one of the most famous Fat Tuesday snacks, so berry-filled doughnuts absolutely fit the bill for your next Mardi Gras dessert platter. There’s no need to make the dough from scratch, either; you’ll be amazed at how well refrigerated biscuit dough works here! By the time you dust them with confectioners’ sugar, no one will be the wiser.
18/22
Margarita Cake
Total Time
1 hour
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This margarita cake is perfect for a picnic on a warm day. You'll be surprised at how closely it tastes like the real thing. These other <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/margarita-dessert-recipes/">margarita dessert recipes</a> are delicious, too. ?—Dawn Lowenstein, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Extravagant drinks are a big part of Mardi Gras, and this cake captures all the flavor of a margarita without any of the booze. If you can’t find the frozen margarita mix called for in the recipe, substitute a can of frozen limeade or liquid margarita mix instead. Don’t forget to check out our collection of the best Mardi Gras drinks.
19/22
Butter Pecan Cookies
Total Time
35 min
Servings
4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
When my daughter was a teen, these butter pecan cookies earned her blue ribbons from two county fairs. Then a few years ago, her own daughter took home a blue ribbon for the same cookie. Needless to say, these mouthwatering morsels are winners! —Martha Thefield, Cedartown, Georgia
20/22
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Total Time
3 hours 15 min
Servings
6 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
There's nothing better than this comforting bread pudding on a cold, wintry day. The bourbon sauce tastes extravagant, but it's really simple to prepare. The slow cooker does the most of the work for you! —Hope Johnson, Youngwood, Pennsylvania
This slow cooker dessert recipe is a lifesaver if you’re struggling to get everything together for a Mardi Gras party. The bread pudding is completely hands-off, cooking in about three hours on low in the slow cooker, freeing you up to work on the event’s other components. When it comes time to serve, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil, scoop the bread pudding into cups or bowls and drizzle on the sauce.
21/22
Banana Cream Eclairs
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
To surprise my banana-loving family, I made this dessert for a reunion, where it stood out among the usual fare. These special treats are something to look at and mouthwateringly delicious. —Ruby Williams, Bogalusa, Louisiana
If doughnuts are served at most Fat Tuesday celebrations, we think éclairs also belong on the Mardi Gras desserts menu—especially when they bring a strong bananas Foster energy! If you end up with extra banana whipped cream after filling the puffs, serve it on the side with fresh berries or use it to top coffee or hot chocolate.
22/22
Banana-Hazelnut Pain Perdu Duet
Total Time
30 min
Servings
4 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
The ultimate breakfast at our house is French toast with warm bananas and Nutella. Pass it around with confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and fresh mint. —Charlene Chambers, Ormond Beach, Florida
Pain perdu is basically a fancy name for French toast, and this recipe combines some of our favorite Mardi Gras desserts into one dish. It has a cream cheese filling like king cake and brown-sugared bananas like bananas Foster. It could easily be served for brunch, but we love it for dessert, too.
