New Year's Eve

109 New Year’s Eve Desserts for a Sweet Start to 2024

These stunning desserts feel even more festive than a bottle of Champagne.

December 11, 2021

Your New Year’s Eve dessert sets the tone for the year to come. And we’re determined to start 2024 on a delicious note, whether that means a luscious spoonful of chocolate mousse, a flaming baked Alaska, tangy grapefruit bars, or fluffy chiffon cake. Below you’ll find all of our best New Year’s desserts, including easy no-fuss options as well as true showstoppers for a festive celebration. Pick one or offer a whole assortment of sweets so that you and your loved ones can linger over dessert as you wait for the ball to drop.

Photo by Alex Lau
1/109
Salted Caramel–Chocolate Tart
This is the perfect New Year's Eve dessert for chocolate lovers: a chocolate tart shell is filled with a soft-but-stable caramel filling and swoops of chocolate ganache. Yes, the flakes of salt on top are important.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
2/109
Classic Crème Brûlée
If your New Year's theme is all things vintage, bookmark this classic recipe to follow up a menu of retro New Year's appetizers like stuffed dates, deviled eggs, and herby cheese spread.
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Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo
3/109
Backyard Citrus Upside-Down Cake
In this cake, the natural pectin in the citrus, combined with the sugar, creates a pudding-like upside-down layer that’s similar to a buttery marmalade.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
4/109
Chocolate Mousse
Straining the custard guarantees that it'll be creamy and silky-smooth. The best news: it's ideal to make this a day before you want to serve it, which also means no stress at the last minute.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
5/109
Baked Alaska Saint Pierre
If you want your dinner mates to really be convinced that your New Year's Eve dinner was fire, you might want to light the dessert on fire.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
6/109
Nanaimo Bars
The Nanaimo bar is an iconic Canadian confection that is remarkably easy to make and takes very little hands-on time.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
7/109
Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
Our editor Joe Sevier says this dessert was the best thing he baked in 2021—so it's a perfect way to celebrate the end of the year. Think tres leches meets olive oil cake, with a light and fluffy chiffon base. Serve another round of Champagne cocktails on the side.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Kim
8/109
Glazed and Beautiful Pear Tart
Red-skinned pears and dulce de leche (store-bought or homemade) are the keys to this stunning yet simple dessert.
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Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
9/109
Three Cities of Spain Cheesecake
This New Year's Eve dessert recipe from Gourmet is the secret to the smoothest, creamiest, dreamiest cheesecake around.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
10/109
Coconut-Sugar Crinkle Cookie Sandwiches
These cookie sandwiches get a bit of rich flavor from coconut sugar. The filling is a whipped white chocolate ganache that’s enriched with coconut cream, a dash of rum or whiskey, and a bit of salt for balance.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
11/109
Classic Kouign-Amann
Small, hand-held kouign-amann are common in North America, but this recipe shows off the other way the classic Breton pastry can be made: as a single 9-inch cake.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
12/109
Boozy Trifle
You don't need an exact recipe to make this festive NYE dessert. Just follow our formula and directions—this is a great way to use all those bits and bobs you have around after the holidays.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou
13/109
Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
An easy press-in Nilla wafer crust cradles a silky layer of fresh banana cheesecake, which gets topped with a light and fluffy sour cream whip.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
14/109
Mince Pies
New Year's might be your last chance for these holiday classics. If you don't have time to make your own mincemeat, storebought is just fine.
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