24 Dinner Party Dessert Recipes

These dinner party dessert recipes will make you the hostess with the mostess!

A dinner party is one of the best ways to celebrate milestones, achievements, life in general, or even just the littlest of things.

One of the most beautiful things about food is that it brings us all together. We get to bond and create memories over a meal.

Getting together with your loved ones is always an awesome and special time. But the preparations that come beforehand can be a lot!

These 24 dinner party dessert recipes are guaranteed to impress, so you don’t have to stress. 

These treats will definitely be remembered by your friends and family, and they’ll ask for them again and again!

Check out these foolproof dessert recipes for your next get together!

1. Chocolate Cookie Skillet 

A huge chocolate cookie. Sea salt. Vanilla bean ice cream. Enough said.

How the ice cream melts on top of the warm and chewy cookie will have everybody’s mouths watering. 

This dessert is even better than regular chocolate chip cookies. You don’t have to count how many you had and feel guilty about it afterward!

2. Sheet Pan Brownies 

You can’t go wrong with this classic dessert. The top has a slightly crispy texture and the inside is just pure fudgy chocolatey goodness!

Why make batch after batch of brownies when you can make them on a sheet?

This recipe makes a lot of brownies, so it’s absolutely perfect for dinner parties. 

Don’t even try to think about making only half the recipe. Regardless of how many guests you have over, these will be completely gone.

3. Chocolate Raspberry Pie 

Delicate layers of fresh raspberries, sweet cream cheese, and delectable chocolate. Mmm! This elegant pie will impress your guests.

This light and tart dessert is the perfect treat without being overindulgent. 

If you’re planning to go all out with the meals, this is the way to go. It’s the perfect ending to a succulent dinner.

4. Mud Pie 

Planning a dinner party can get stressful. We’ve all been there.

Make your life easier by whipping up this easy-peasy mud pie that’s sure to be a hit with all ages.

The base is an Oreo crust, followed by a layer of chocolate ice cream and another layer of coffee ice cream.

It’s topped with whipped cream or nuts or chocolate sauce. It’s easy to understand why people love this so much. Two really is better than one!

5. Peanut Butter Pie 

If you’re a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter combinations, look no further!

This peanut butter pie is composed of a rich and fluffy peanut butter filling with an Oreo cookie crust. The best part is that it’s no-bake!

This is the perfect recipe to get the young ones involved. The kids will love assisting you on making this pie as much as they will love gobbling it all up. 

6. Caramel Apple Tart

I have found a caramel apple tart recipe that’s easier than pie! 

Warm apples are mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, and then drizzled with salted caramel sauce.

I bet you can imagine how good it smells, but you need to make it if you want to experience just how good it tastes!

It doesn’t end there. It’s enveloped in a flaky and buttery galette crust that’s undemanding. This dessert definitely feels like a warm hug.

7. Lemon Pound Cake 

You know what they say, when life gives you lemons… Go to town with a lemon dessert! 

This lemon pound cake is a lemon syrup infused cake drizzled with a tart lemon glaze for the ultimate experience.

The revitalizing citrus flavor of lemon can be tasted with every bite. 

It’s the perfect light dessert to cleanse your palate after a night of festivities.

8. Cookies and Cream Brownies

Oreos and brownies are both so good! 

So why not take those two and make cookies and cream brownies?!

The brownie part is made of chocolate and Oreos, so it has the delicious Oreo flavor you can’t find anywhere else.

The cookies and cream topping is white chocolate filled with, you guessed it, Oreos!

It’s a genius idea that I wish I had come up with on my own. 

9. Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes 

Smooth and creamy cheesecake with vanilla wafer crust, and a delectable cherry pie filling for a topping? These cherry cheesecake cupcakes are the perfect treats for a party!

You can even make different variations. Use blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, whatever you can think of.

These cupcakes taste best on the second day, so if you’re having guests over, you can make these a day ahead.

That way, you’ll be able to focus on cooking other things on the special day. 

10. Almond Praline Cheesecake 

Elevate your plain and usual cheesecake to make a bold statement at your next dinner party. 

Almonds are incorporated from the crust, to the cheesecake, to the caramel topping. It’s almonds galore with this elegant and irresistible cheesecake. 

The almonds add a signature crunch to the texture that perfectly contrasts the velvety and creamy cheesecake. 

If there are no nut allergies in your group, I definitely recommend you to try this out.

11. Cranberry Cheesecake

Great news! You need not wait ‘til cranberry season to make this cheesecake. You can simply use store-bought cranberry sauce and cranberry jelly.

Bursting with the tart flavor of cranberries, you can be sure that this cake will be the star of the night. You’ll hear all about it days after.

This recipe is easy, though it certainly doesn’t look like it. The intricate cranberry garnish looks complicated, but don’t rule it out just yet.

There’s an easy hack in the recipe!

12. Butter Toffee 

Rich chocolate, crunchy almonds and pecans, and buttery toffee. Yes, please! Bask in the sweet and crunchy caramel goodness with every bite.

You and your friends will be addicted to these sweets before you know it.

This homemade butter toffee recipe is so simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in any aspect. This will impress your guests just as much as all the other desserts. 

These are the perfect take-home gifts as well. When you make something this good, you’ll be proud to share it with others.

13. Chocolate Pudding Pie 

This chocolate pudding pie is bound to become a family favorite.

Good thing it’s as easy as pie! Sorry, I was not about to let that opportunity pass.

This recipe uses chocolate Jell-O pudding mix and graham crackers for the crust, but feel free to make your own variations. 

You can try white chocolate or cookies and cream for the pudding. Experiment with the crust and use your favorite cookies.

You can also mix in fresh fruits if you like. Get creative!

14. Brownie Mocha Trifle 

Some people love chocolate, while others prefer coffee. One thing we can all agree on is that the flavors of chocolate and coffee together is the bomb.

Decadent brownies are layered upon a blanket of fluffy mocha whipped cream in this brownie mocha trifle recipe.

Although coffee is not usually a kid’s go-to flavor, this trifle is a winner to young and old alike!

15. Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie bars put an easy twist on the classic pecan pie. They still have all the goodness of your favorite pecan pie, just in the form of bars.

These nutty treats are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. They’re a Thanksgiving tradition to many, but are delicious any time of the year.

You can serve them for special occasions, dinner parties, or on casual nights with the family.

16. Pineapple Sheet Cake 

Take your guests to a trip to the Caribbean or to any tropical island of their choice. No plane ticket required.

Moist pineapple cake, creamy coconut icing, and crispy pecan nuts. This tropical treat is reminiscent of the summer heat.

It’s bursting with the distinct tropical flavors of pineapple and coconut that you cannot find anywhere else.

Now, this is something you don’t get to try every day. This pineapple sheet cake will definitely be one for the books.

17. Apple Cranberry Crisp 

The apple cranberry crisp is a marriage of warm and tender apples and cranberries, aromatic vanilla and cinnamon, old-fashioned oats, and brown sugar crumble. 

Perhaps it’s the spice of cinnamon or maybe it’s the sweetness of the crumble, but I find this treat gives me nostalgia.

It’s the ultimate comfort food. That’s probably why this is a great companion, as you celebrate with your loved ones.

You’ll want to bookmark this recipe for the upcoming holidays, whether you’re planning to have a quiet night or a bountiful feast.

18. Mini Strawberry Tarts 

Picture perfect strawberry tarts in bite-size form? Count me in!

These are the perfect grab-and-go desserts for a dinner party. You don’t have to worry about getting the cake slices perfect anymore because everyone can simply reach out for their share. 

Get all the best parts of a strawberry tart all in one bite. Or four. Here’s to hoping you’ll be able to help yourself.

The best way to describe these tartlets would be small but terrible. Terribly good, that is!

19. Apple Cider Pound Cake 

Whenever autumn rolls around and apple cider is in season, you should jump at the chance to make this apple cider pound cake.

Apple cider is such a standard ingredient when it comes to autumn recipes. I’m not complaining though, because it’s one of the best things about fall.

The flavorful apple cider and warm spices will definitely have you feeling warm and cozy. 

20. Chocolate Chip Pizza 

When I tell you that chocolate chip pizza is the way to go, you best believe me.

Pizza is a staple get together food. It’s mess-free and everyone gets equal portions. It only makes sense to try pizza in dessert form!

Transform your favorite savory triangle slices into a sweet chocolatey dessert with this chocolate chip pizza recipe. 

This recipe has three components: a simple thin crust, cream cheese and chocolate chips “sauce,” and a streusel topping. It sounds simple enough, but this is a treat you’ll keep going back to.

21. Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Cups 

The gorgeous layers of crushed pretzel, creamy cheesecake filling, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream are too beautiful to devour.

If they weren’t so delicious, I’d keep them as they are. I could stare at these strawberry pretzel dessert cups all day.

These are so simple to make, but they definitely look fancy. They only take 15 minutes to make! 

22. Cherry Bars 

Let your loved ones know you cherry-ish them with these heavenly cherry bars!

These bars are made of cherry pie filling sandwiched between cookie dough and drizzled with vanilla glaze. 

They’re easier to make than a pie, and the bars’ portability make them ideal for potlucks and parties.

I have nothing but praises for this cherrific treat! Okay, time to stop with the puns.

23. Butter Pecan Cake 

Oh my. I feel guilty just looking at the photos of this butter pecan cake. I know it’s sinful, but I also know it tastes devilishly good.

From the fluffy vanilla cake to the rich cream cheese frosting, everything in this recipe is homemade, and that’s one of the many reasons why this cake is so special. 

When we entertain, we want to make sure that our guests are only served the best of the best that we can offer. This one definitely won’t disappoint.

24. Ice Cream Sundae Sheet Cake  

Ditch your boring birthday cake and celebrate with this fun ice cream sundae sheet cake!

Cake and ice cream are everybody’s favorite desserts, so it makes perfect sense to put the two together for an amazing treat. 

It’s double the best of both worlds because the cake is a mix of chocolate and vanilla.

Offer this dessert with various toppings, and let your guests choose their own, like they would at an ice cream parlor. 

Total nostalgia!