50 Best Southern Desserts

If you’ve ever ended a meal with a slice of pecan pie or banana pudding straight from grandma’s fridge, you know that desserts are a BIG part of who we are down here in the South. Here’s just a small taste of the best Southern desserts we’ve come to know and love!

Cakes & Pies

1. Southern Strawberry Shortcake

Fresh strawberries, fluffy whipped cream, and a buttery biscuit base turn this classic Southern dessert into a real treat. Simple, nostalgic, and full of flavor!

2. Southern Coca-Cola Pie

Made with classic Coca-Cola, this rich chocolate pie is as Southern as sweet tea. It’s fudgy, bold, and perfect for any special occasion.

3. Maple Pecan Pie Recipe

Take your pecan pie up a notch with maple syrup. This twist on the Southern classic has a caramel-like filling that’ll make it your new favorite for holidays, potlucks, or just because.

4. Old-Fashioned Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Filled with ripe bananas, crushed pineapple, and cozy spices, this moist cake is a Southern classic for a reason. Don’t forget the cream cheese frosting!

5. Southern Sweet Potato Pie

A true taste of the South, this creamy, spiced sweet potato pie comes with a crumbly streusel topping that’ll have folks asking for the recipe before the first bite’s even finished.

6. Lemon Chess Pie

This classic dessert is sweet, tangy, and full of old-fashioned charm. With a silky lemon custard and crisp pie crust, it’s the kind of pie that’s right at home on any table.

7. Fruit Cocktail Cake

This moist cake is soaked in a rich coconut-pecan glaze and filled with sweet fruit cocktail, making it a beloved vintage favorite in the South for good reason.

8. Easy Fried Pies

Flaky, golden biscuit dough meets warm, cinnamon-spiced dried fruit in this shortcut version of a Southern favorite. Perfect for road trips, lunchboxes, or sneaking one on the porch.

9. Mini Boston Cream Pies

Soft cake, rich vanilla filling, and a glossy chocolate top; these mini cream pies bring big flavor. It’s a twist on a classic dessert that’ll have everyone swooning!

10. Caramel Apple Dump Cake

This warm, gooey apple dessert makes every day feel like fall. With caramel, spice, and tender cake from a boxed cake mix, it’s one of those sweet treats that disappears fast.

Cookies & Bars

11. Old-Fashioned M&M Cookies

These cookies have crisp edges, soft centers, and plenty of chocolatey crunch. A sweet treat that tastes like your childhood!

12. Marble Cheesecake Brownies

Part brownie, part cheesecake, and all delicious! Swirls of cream cheese meet fudgy chocolate for one of the best desserts you’ll ever sink a fork into.

13. Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe

These chewy sugar cookies are soft, sweet, and full of classic dessert charm. It’s a simple recipe that keeps folks coming back for more.

14. Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

Loaded with raisins, nuts, and brown sugar, these hearty oatmeal cookies are chewy, nostalgic, and worth every step of the process.

15. Chewy Pear Bars

 These pear bars are packed with juicy pears, brown sugar, and a graham cracker crust. Cozy, sweet, and perfect with sweet tea!

16. No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Fudgy, rich, and made with pantry staples, these no-bake peanut butter cookies are a go-to for busy days and backyard cookouts alike.

17. Pecan Chewies

These soft and chewy bars are like pecan pie in cookie form: sweet, nutty, and absolutely irresistible. 

18. Tropical Dream Bars

With pineapple, coconut pudding, and a Golden Oreo crust, these dreamy bars bring the flavors of summer right to your dessert menu.

19. Peach Bars

Buttery shortbread, sweet peach filling, and a crumbly top, these peach bars taste just like your favorite peach cobbler, minus the bowl and spoon.

20. Glazed Lemon Cookies

A bright bite of lemony sunshine, these glazed cookies are soft, zesty, and topped with a sweet lemon glaze.

Puddings, Salads, & “Airy” Desserts

21. Lemon Syllabub

Light, creamy, and full of zing, this lemon syllabub is one of those desserts that leaves a lasting impression after the very first bite.

22. Easy Strawberry Soup

Cool, creamy, and just sweet enough, this strawberry soup is a favorite for warm days. 

23. Buttermilk Congealed Salad

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! This retro Southern dessert is a fruity, creamy slice of nostalgia. 

24. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Some call it a side, but down South, this is dessert. Creamy mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and pillowy marshmallows come together in this sweet potato pie-inspired casserole. 

25. Southern Baked Rice Pudding

With cozy cinnamon, plump raisins, and sweet vanilla baked right in, it’s one of those southern dessert recipes that brings back the best memories.

26. Front Porch Fruit Salads

Frozen fruit salads just like Granny used to make! These little beauties are tangy, sweet, and full of ripe bananas, cranberries, and pineapple. 

27. Cherry Crisp Recipe

Crumbly, bubbly, and bursting with cherries, this easy cherry crisp comes together in a flash. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for one of the best desserts you’ll ever spoon into.

28. Southern Ambrosia Recipe

One of the most beloved classic Southern desserts, ambrosia is a creamy fruit salad loaded with coconut, mini marshmallows, and pecans. 

29. Quick & Easy Low-Sugar Chocolate Mousse

This chocolate mousse is light, airy, and surprisingly low in sugar. A modern recipe that’s perfect for when you want to indulge without the sugar crash.

30. Congealed Salad With Dr. Pepper

A vintage dessert straight out of the Southern United States, this congealed salad uses cherry Jell-O, Dr. Pepper, and crushed pineapple for a fizzy, fruity surprise that folks either love or really love.

31. Whoa Horsey Salad

Made with mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, and a creamy base, it’s a low-sugar version of Watergate salad that still delivers that rich, sweet flavor we all love.

32. Old Fashioned Bread Pudding 

This bread pudding uses buttermilk biscuits to soak up warm spices, raisins, and a touch of coconut.

33. Homemade Chocolate Pudding, Southern Style

This dreamy dessert takes classic banana pudding and gives it a chocolatey upgrade. With rich chocolate custard, vanilla wafers, and that golden meringue topping, it’s a Southern favorite with a little something extra.

Muffins & Cupcakes

34. Dreamy Banana Cream Cupcakes

These cupcakes taste like a banana pudding dream! Moist yellow cake is filled with creamy banana pudding and topped with whipped cream frosting.

35. Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes

These cupcakes are bursting with citrus flavor and topped with silky vanilla frosting. It’s like a cool, sweet tea on a hot day.

36. Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Don’t let the zucchini fool you, these rich, moist muffins are full of cocoa flavor and sweet enough to count as breakfast or dessert.

37. Cherry Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

These fudgy little gems are packed with maraschino cherries and rich chocolate—perfect for special occasions or just a weekday treat when only chocolate will do.

38. Key Lime Cupcakes

These key lime cupcakes are made with boxed cake mix and lime gelatin for a bright, bold flavor that’s perfect for backyard cookouts or birthday parties.

39. Apple Bran Muffins

Soft, hearty, and studded with sweet apple chunks, these muffins make a wholesome snack or breakfast with a little brown sugar and Southern comfort baked right in.

40. Easy Apple Pie Muffins

Filled with fall flavor and topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel, these muffins taste like apple pie in portable form. 

A Mix of Fun Stuff

41. Cinnamon Sugar Dessert Pizza with Buttery Crescent Crust

This easy dessert recipe is pure comfort: flaky crescent crust meets warm cinnamon and sugar for a simple and satisfying treat.

42. Fair-Style Elephant Ears

A crispy Southern classic! These cinnamon-sugar elephant ears bring back fairground memories!

43. Caramel Apple Milkshake

Cool off with this creamy caramel apple milkshake. It’s sweet, smooth, and goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

44. Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings

These cozy apple dumplings bake up with cinnamon-spiced apples, flaky crust, and buttery brown sugar syrup. 

45. Homemade Cinnamon Love Knots

Sweet, soft, and tied up with cinnamon sugar, these love knots are a fun take on classic bread treats.

46. Twinkie Cake (No Bake Recipe)

Layered with Twinkies, vanilla pudding, fruit, and whipped topping, this no-bake cake is light and creamy.

47. Walnuts in Syrup for Ice Cream Sundaes

These buttery walnuts in brown sugar syrup make the perfect topping for ice cream sundaes, pound cakes, or any sweet treat that needs a little Southern flair.

48. Ice Cream Grahamwiches

These sugar-free graham cracker sandwiches are a chilled dessert with chocolate pudding and whipped topping, making them perfect for those hot days!

49. Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

Loaded with fresh strawberries and strawberry ice cream in a graham cracker crust, this easy dessert is fruity, creamy, and perfect for picnics.

50. No Fry Fried Ice Cream

It may not be fried, but it’s every bit as good! This crunchy-topped ice cream dessert is served with whipped cream, honey, and a cherry for that diner touch.

Just a Little Something Sweet to End On

These are the kinds of recipes that show up for birthdays, backyard cookouts, quiet Sundays, and everything in between. However you enjoy them, we hope this list brought you a few new favorites and reminded you why dessert is always the best part!