27+ Dessert Ideas For A Dinner Party Dessert 

A dinner party is a great way to celebrate some good news, achievements, birthdays or anything in your life.

In addition to that, food is a great way to bring people together. We can bond over a meal and have memories relating to a certain dish or meal.

At a dinner party, everyone is out to impress. Therefore, a lot of work is put into the meal, including the desert.

The dessert is the final impression you will leave on your guest, thus you want to impress.

We have put together 27 dinner worthy desserts that are easy to snake but look incredible! 

1. Cranberry And Apple Crisp

First on our list is the Cranberry and Apple Crumble. This dessert combines warm, delicate apples and cranberries with sweet vanilla, cinnamon, traditional oats, and crumbled brown sugar on the top.

You could consider this dessert as the ultimate comfort food. Yet, if you served this at your dinner party, everyone will love the flavors and aromas it produces.

2. Salted Caramel Apple Tart

Warm apples are combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg before being topped with salted caramel sauce.

However, there is still more to it than that. It is then encased in a simple galette crust that is flaky and buttery.

It may sound complex, but in fact, anyone could make this tart.

3. Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

With a delicious cherry pie filling on top and a smooth, creamy cheesecake with a vanilla wafer crust.

These cherry cheesecake cupcakes are the ideal dinner party food, as they are simple, but look gorgeous.

In fact, these cupcakes taste better the day after you’ve made them, thus this saves you time baking on the day of your dinner party if you make them beforehand. 

You can change this recipe depending on the berries that are available to you.

Use any berry you can think of, including strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

4. Lemon Meringue Pie

A mile-high, swooping layer of meringue is placed on top of the tangy, creamy lemon custard filling.

This is a classic dessert, will always impress and everyone will always enjoy. It is all about getting the right balance between the sweet and light meringue and the dense yet sour lemon filling.

It is up to you whether you pipe or create a design with the meringues using a fork.

However, your guests will be impressed that you managed to make meringue.

5. Pecan Pie Bars

The traditional pecan pie is given a simple makeover in the form of these bars.

Just in the form of bars, they nevertheless include all the flavor of your favorite pecan pie.

These nut-based treats provide the ideal balance of salty and sweet flavors.

Many people consider them a Thanksgiving tradition, but they are delectable all year long.

They are suitable for serving at dinner parties, as they take under an hour to make and bake.

6. Chocolate Cookie Skillet

A massive chocolate cookie that is full of chocolate, vanilla and sea salt. What more could you want?

Each and every person’s mouth will be watering as they watch the ice cream melt on top of the warm, chewy cookie.

This recipe will take 30 minutes to bake and will serve 8 people. However, you could always create individual portions as well, which will take less time to bake.

7. Churro Lava Cakes

When you are trying to impress, why not try making these churro lava cakes.

Once your guests break into their cinnamon sugar coating, melted chocolate will ooze out.

The outside is really crispy, while the inside is soft and gooey thanks to the chocolate ganache.

These lava cakes are a real treat, and aren’t as difficult as you may first think.

8. Mini Strawberry Tarts

Miniature strawberry tarts that are picture-perfect, and look as if they were created by a professional pastry chef.

For a dinner party, these are the ideal desserts to pick up and go.

You don’t have to worry about slicing anything, everyone can just pick the tart they like the look of and eat it. 

With this recipe, it tells you how to make everything from scratch, but you could always buy premade pastry shells to save yourself some time.

9. Mud Pie

Dinner parties can be tough to plan, thus make it simple on yourself by making this kid-friendly mud pie, which is simple to prepare.

The base is an Oreo crust, then there are layers of chocolate ice cream and coffee ice cream on top of that.

It is then topped with your favorite toppings Such as whipped cream, almonds, or chocolate sauce on top.

10. Pineapple Sheet Cake

Crispy pecan nuts, rich coconut frosting, and moist pineapple cake.

This sweet dessert  is brimming with the distinctive pineapple and coconut aromas of the tropics that are unique to it.

This recipe is really easy to create in under an hour and will produce 24 servings of this cake, thus enough for a large dinner party. 

You can also top this cake off with your favorite type of frosting as well and more pineapple.

11.  Chocolate Chip Pizza

Pizza is a go-to food for social gatherings. Everyone receives an equal amount, and there is no mess.

Pizza dessert is a logical experiment to try at your next dinner party.

With this recipe for chocolate chip pizza, you can turn your favorite salty triangle pieces into a sweet, chocolaty dessert.

You only need three ingredients to produce this sweet treat.

This includes a basic thin crust, a “sauce” made from chocolate chips and cream cheese (see also ‘28 Of The Most Delicious Cream Cheese Dessert Recipes‘), and a streusel topping. You’ll keep coming back to this dessert time after time.

12. Cherry Bars

Cherry pie filling is layered between cookie dough in these bars, which are then glazed with vanilla icing.

These bars are portable and easier to create than a pie, making them perfect for social gatherings.

Cookie dough adds sweetness to the dessert, while the cherries balance this out with their acidity.

Making this a well-rounded dessert that looks impressive with the cherry filling peeping out of the cookie dough.

13. Brownies

With this traditional dessert (see also ‘28 Traditional Desserts From Germany‘), you can’t go wrong. The exterior is somewhat crunchy, and the interior is pure, chocolate deliciousness!

When brownies can be made on a sheet, why create batch after batch?

This recipe yields a large quantity of brownies, making it ideal for dinner parties.

No matter how many visitors you get, these will be all gone by the end of the night.

14. Ice Cream Sundae Sheet Cake

Replace your dull birthday cake (see also ‘37 Fantastically Fun Birthday Cake Ideas‘) with this amusing sheet cake featuring an ice cream sundae!

Everyone loves cake and ice cream, so it only makes sense to combine the two to create a delicious treat.

Due to this cake being a combination of chocolate and vanilla, it offers the best of both worlds.

In addition to that, it is up to you the toppings that you place on your cake.

You can change it depending on the person that you are giving it to. Making this a really versatile cake to bring out at every dinner party. 

You could also offer various toppings on one cake, to give your dinner guests a choice on the toppings that they would enjoy the most.

15. Almond Praline Cheesecake

Improve your typical boring cheesecake and make a real statement.

From the crust to the cheesecake to the caramel topping (see also ‘20 Delectable Cheesecake Toppings‘), almonds are used. With this sophisticated and delicious cheesecake, there are almonds everywhere.

The texture is given a distinctive crunch by the almonds, which is the ideal contrast to the velvety, creamy cheesecake mixture.

16. Spotted Dick

Unquestionably, one of the best British desserts is spotted dick (see also ‘27 Traditional British Desserts You Need To Try!’).

A fruity sponge, zest, and currants-based steaming suet dessert that is best when accompanied by copious amounts of custard.

The “spotted” in the name alludes to the currants that are scattered across the sponge. 

This dessert only takes 30 minutes to prepare, and will be able to serve at least 8 to 10 people at your dinner party.

17. Peanut Butter Pie

If you enjoy pairings of chocolate and peanut butter, then there is nowhere else you need to look for a tasty dessert.

This peanut butter pie has an Oreo cookie crust and a thick, fluffy peanut butter filling.

In addition to that, what makes this recipe so good is the fact there is no baking required.

You can even get your children involved with this recipe, it is that easy! Yet it still tastes and looks amazing.

18. Brownies Mocha Trifle

While some people love coffee, others like chocolate. We can all agree that the combination of chocolate and coffee flavors is amazing.

This brownie mocha trifle dish has layers of rich brownies covered in a cloud of light mocha whipped cream.

Although coffee is not typically a kid-friendly flavor, both kids and adults will love this trifle (see also ‘32 of The Tastiest Trifle Recipes‘)!

19. Butter Toffee

Buttery toffee with almonds and rich chocolate. Sounds like heaven!

Enjoy the flavor of the rich  and crunchy caramel with every bite.

Although this homemade toffee recipe is straightforward, it doesn’t mean it lacks anything.

Your guests will be impressed by your homemade toffee, which is sometimes considered a difficult thing to create, but not with this recipe.

20. Butter Pecan Cake

Everything in this recipe, from the light vanilla cake to the decadent cream cheese frosting, is homemade, which is just one of the many reasons this cake is so remarkable.

With that being said, this cake will only take you 40 minutes overall to create, and that includes frosting time.

This cake is well-balanced, and will be the centerpiece on your table.

21. Apple Cider Pound Cake And Glaze

When apple cider is in season in the fall, you should seize the opportunity to make this apple cider pound cake.

Warming spices and tasty apple cider will undoubtedly make you feel snug and warm with every slice of this cake.

There is apple cider everywhere you look from the cake and even the glaze, that helps this cake feel even more luxurious.

22. Chocolate And Raspberry Pie

This dessert consists of  delicious chocolate, cream cheese and fresh raspberries. 

Your guests will be impressed by this classy pie, which can be made in only 30 minutes. 

This tart is a light dessert which is a great treat to bring out once in a while, while it isn’t overindulgent either.

This is the strategy to use if you want to go all out with the dinner party, as it is the perfect  way to cap off a delicious meal.

23. Cookies And Cream Brownies

Brownies and Oreos are both delicious, so why not combine those two to create brownies with cookies and cream.

Due to being created from chocolate and Oreo cookies, the brownie portion has a unique and delectable Oreo flavor.

Then the white topping is made with more chocolate and Oreos.

With little effort and only takes 25 minutes in the oven, this dessert is a step up from your usual brownies.

24. Strawberry Pretzel Cups

The stunning layers of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, crumbled pretzels, and creamy cheesecake filling are too lovely to eat.

These cups  are quite easy to create, but they look posh. They can be made in about 15 minutes, hence ideal if you are short on time and don’t want to bake anything either.

25. Lemon Pound Cake

This lemon pound cake is a cake that has been infused with lemon syrup and then drizzled with a sharp lemon icing for the ultimate lemon flavor.

With every bite, the zesty citrus flavor of lemon is detectable. It’s the ideal light treat to sooth your palette following a night of celebrations.

26. Chocolate Pudding Pie

The family is sure to love this chocolate pudding pie.

The crust in this recipe is made with graham crackers and chocolate Jell-O pudding mix, but feel free to experiment with other ingredients.

For the pudding, you might experiment with white chocolate or cookies and cream.

Try different crusts and use your preferred cookies. In adaptation to that, you can also add fresh fruit to add a refreshing flavor to the overall dessert.

27. Cranberry Cheesecake

Making this cheesecake doesn’t need you to wait until cranberry season.

You can  use cranberry sauce and jelly from the store. You can be sure that this cake will be the highlight of the evening because it is bursting with the acidic flavor from the cranberries. 

Even though it doesn’t seem that way, this dish is actually quite simple.

Don’t discount the complex cranberry garnish either, there is a simple tip within the recipe to help you achieve it.

Conclusion

Everyone wants to impress when they are hosting a dinner party.

The food is really important as you want it to not only taste great but also to look just as good as well.

Dessert is sometimes a dish that a lot of people worry about, because it is at the end of the meal.

It can either end a meal on a high or leave it with a sour taste in your guest mouths.

In this article, we have put together 27 delicious and dinner party worthy desserts (see also ‘75 Insanely Delicious And Fun New Year’s Eve Desserts‘) that you should consider for your next dinner party.

All the desserts mentioned will definitely impress your guests and make a real impact on the dinner party table (see also ‘37 Dessert Bar Recipes Perfect For A Party‘). 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Can You Serve Alongside Your Dessert?

Your dessert is the main thing that you should put your focus into, however, you can serve it alongside some other things to make it extra special.

This can include ice cream or a homemade sauce. A homemade sauce is a great way to show that you have put in a lot of time and effort, yet most of these sauces take very little time and effort at all. 

Chocolate or caramel sauces are ideal for anyone who has a sweet tooth, as well as custard.

You could also serve fruit sauces, also known as coulis, as they are refreshing yet sheet depending on the fruit that you use.

All these sauces can be served in various different desserts and will usually compliment the desert.

Which Type Of Sugar Is Commonly Used To Dust Over Desserts?

Granulated sugar is processed through various-sized sieves to create powdered sugar, sometimes referred to as confectioners sugar.

Powdered sugar in the 10X size is the most popular and finest.

This is the most common type of sugar that you will see dusted on the top of desserts once they are baked and being served. 

How Do You Plate A Dessert?

Depending on the type of dessert that you are offering, you can either allow your guests to plate their own dessert or you can do it for them.

If you are doing the plating yourself, then try to experiment with the types of plates that you are using.

Sometimes a different plate shape that isn’t round can make your dessert look much more professional and impressive towards your guests. 

Also, if you are serving sauce, instead of pouring it straight over the dessert.

Use a squeeze bottle and drizzle the sauce around the dessert instead.

Then the guest can add more sauce over the dessert if they wish. Also play with the different textures on the plate as well.