10+ Simple Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Easily

Simple dessert recipes are honestly a lifesaver when you just want something sweet but don’t have the time or patience for complicated baking. You don’t need a fancy kitchen or tons of ingredients—just a craving and a little motivation.

You don’t need to be a baking expert to create tasty treats you and your family will enjoy.

Sometimes you want dessert right now. Other times, you want to prep ahead and relax later.

Simple desserts really do make life easier. With the right recipes, you can whip up something delicious that actually fits into your busy day.

1) No-Bake Chocolate Banana Pudding

No oven? No problem. No-Bake Chocolate Banana Pudding is creamy, sweet, and you can throw it together in no time.

Layer sliced bananas with chocolate pudding and a cloud of whipped cream. Toss in some crushed cookies or wafers for crunch.

Let it chill in the fridge for a bit and you’re set. The ingredient list is short, and the steps are so easy you could probably make it half-awake.

Ingredients

• Bananas, sliced
• Instant chocolate pudding mix
• Milk
• Whipped cream
• Crushed cookies or wafers

Cooking Instructions

1. Prepare chocolate pudding using mix and milk.
2. Layer sliced bananas in a dish.
3. Add a layer of pudding over bananas.
4. Spread whipped cream on top.
5. Sprinkle crushed cookies or wafers.
6. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Check out No-Bake Chocolate Banana Pudding Pie for a similar take.

2) Easy 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Three ingredients. That’s it. These peanut butter cookies are soft, chewy, and you probably have everything you need right now.

No need for mixers or weird substitutions. Just mix, shape, and bake.

Even if you’re a total beginner, you’ll nail these. Kids love making them too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a bowl, mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.
3. Roll the dough into small balls and place them on a baking sheet.
4. Flatten each ball slightly with a fork.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set.
6. Let cookies cool before serving.

Here’s the 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies recipe if you want to see it in action.

3) Quick Rice Pudding with Dry Fruits

Rice pudding is one of those old-school desserts that somehow never gets old. You’ll just cook rice with milk and toss in dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.

It’s creamy, lightly sweet, and somehow comforting. You can use leftover rice if you’re feeling especially lazy.

Simmer everything together until it thickens. A dash of cinnamon or vanilla? Yes, please.

Switch up the dried fruit—currants, apricots, whatever you’ve got. There’s an easy rice pudding recipe with dried fruit on Food.com if you want more inspiration.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked or uncooked white rice
• 3 cups milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, or currants)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• A pinch of salt

Cooking Instructions

1. If using uncooked rice, rinse it under cold water until clear.
2. In a saucepan, combine rice, milk, sugar, dried fruits, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring often.
4. Cook until rice is very soft and the mixture is creamy—about 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
6. Let it cool a bit before serving. Enjoy warm or chilled.

4) Simple Gluten-Free Fruit Tart

If you want something that looks impressive but isn’t a hassle, this gluten-free fruit tart is a winner. The crust is buttery and crisp, and it’s way easier than it sounds.

Fill it with a smooth vanilla or lemon cream. Top with fresh berries or sliced fruit—whatever’s in season or on sale.

It’s a solid option for anyone skipping gluten. Plus, it’s just plain pretty.

Ingredients:

• Gluten-free flour
• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Fresh fruit (berries or sliced fruit)
• Lemon juice (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix gluten-free flour, butter, sugar, and egg to form the crust dough.
2. Press dough into a tart pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare and chill the cream filling.
4. Spread cream over cooled crust.
5. Arrange fresh fruit on top before serving.

5) Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and honestly hard to stop eating. You don’t have to roll or cut them—just drop spoonfuls on a baking sheet and you’re good.

They use basic ingredients you probably already have. The combo of butter, sugar, and vanilla makes them taste like childhood.

They bake up soft and a little puffy, almost like sugary pillows. Not fancy, but always satisfying.

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Gradually mix dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
6. Drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
8. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Need more details? Here’s a soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe that covers everything.

6) 5-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake

This flourless chocolate cake is rich, fudgy, and ridiculously easy. Five ingredients, and you don’t even need flour—so it’s naturally gluten free.

The texture is soft inside with a crispy top. You just melt chocolate and butter, whisk with eggs and sugar, and bake.

It’s ready in about half an hour. Dust with powdered sugar or add fruit if you’re feeling extra.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth.
3. Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in a bowl until combined.
4. Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture.
5. Pour batter into a greased 8-inch round pan.
6. Bake for about 25–30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

You can find the full 5-ingredient flourless chocolate cake recipe here.

7) Frozen Banana Cereal Pops

Frozen banana cereal pops are a fun, easy snack—especially when it’s hot outside. They’re sweet, colorful, and not overly sugary.

Slice bananas in half and stick in a wooden stick. Dip them in yogurt, then roll in your favorite cereal (Fruity Pebbles is a classic).

Freeze until firm. If you want to go wild, drizzle with chocolate or sprinkle on nuts before freezing.

Ingredients

• 4 medium bananas
• 3/4 cup strawberry yogurt
• 2 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal
• 8 wooden popsicle sticks

Cooking Instructions

1. Peel bananas and cut them in half crosswise.
2. Insert a wooden stick into each banana half.
3. Dip each banana into the yogurt, coating it well.
4. Roll the yogurt-covered banana in the cereal until fully coated.
5. Place the banana pops on a tray lined with wax paper.
6. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until firm.

8) Classic Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is one of those desserts that feels fancy but isn’t fussy. You just need good chocolate, eggs, and sugar—nothing crazy.

Melt the chocolate gently, then fold in whipped egg yolks and sugar. The trick is to go slow so it stays light and fluffy.

Chill for about an hour to let it set. If you want something rich but not complicated, this is a solid choice.

Ingredients

• 3 ½ ounces dark chocolate (about 62% cacao)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ cup water

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water.
2. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and water until smooth.
3. Slowly add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture, folding gently.
4. Pour into serving dishes and chill in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

9) Maple Krispie Cookies

These cookies are super easy and have a sweet maple kick. They’re a little crispy, a little chewy—honestly, the combo works.

You just grab a cake mix, toss in some crisp rice cereal, melted butter, an egg, and maple flavoring. This mix makes the cookies light and gives them that maple taste that’s hard to resist.

Roll the dough into small balls. Pop them in the oven until they turn golden.

They’re great for a quick dessert or when you’re just craving something sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1 (18 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon maple flavoring

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, cereal, melted butter, egg, and maple flavoring.
3. Form the dough into small balls and place them on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.
5. Let cookies cool before serving.

10) Dump Cake with Canned Fruit

Dump cake might be the easiest dessert ever. Just dump canned fruit in a pan, sprinkle dry cake mix on top, and add butter.

That’s it—bake it, and the cake forms a soft, sweet topping over all that fruit. You can swap in peaches, fruit cocktail, cherries… whatever’s in the cupboard.

The mix of fruit and that buttery crust is just classic. Serve it warm, maybe with a scoop of ice cream if you want to go all out.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of canned fruit (like peaches or fruit cocktail), drained
• 1 box of yellow or white cake mix
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced thin

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Grab a 9×13-inch baking dish and grease it up.

3. Dump the canned fruit into the dish. Spread it out so it covers the bottom.

4. Take the dry cake mix and sprinkle it right over the fruit. Try to get it as even as you can.

5. Slice up some butter and lay those pieces all over the cake mix. Don’t stress if it’s not perfect.

6. Slide the dish into the oven. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the top looks golden and you see some bubbling around the edges.

7. Let it cool for a bit—nobody likes a burnt tongue—then serve it warm.

Craving more ideas? Check out this Fruit Cocktail Dump Cake recipe.