After all the grilling and eating, you might think that Father’s Day is over—but aren’t you forgetting something? (And no, I don’t mean a gift.) Right, there’s still dessert. Now, Dad isn’t going to complain about carrot cake for the third year in a row (he loves it, after all) but there’s an entire world of sweet treats to impress your pops this holiday. From homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream to a giant skillet cookie, here are 37 Father’s Day desserts sure to end his day on the tastiest note possible.
37 Father’s Day Desserts to End Dad’s Day on a Sweet Note
There will be carrot cake (and so much more)
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Published May 10, 2024
1. No-Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 5 hours
- Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
The fresh mint flavor will blow any store-bought pint out of the park. That’s not just my opinion—try it yourself and see. From-scratch is as easy to make as whipped cream, since that’s the first step.
2. Pineapple and Ginger Upside-Down Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
It’s a little spicy from the ginger, a little tropical from the fruit and super impressive when flipped out of the pan, since the sugar will caramelize in the pan and create its own sauce.
3. Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Raspberry Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendy, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
This dessert is more of a baking project than most, but Dad is totally worth the effort. And besides, the result is basically a masterpiece. To streamline the process, I’d recommend you make the dough—and even bake and fill the pie—ahead.
4. Ina Garten’s Black and White Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
A New York classic, these chocolate and vanilla cuties are just like the ones from a professional bakery, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. Be sure to turn them over and glaze the flat bottoms, not the rounded tops (trust me, the icing will just run off the cookies).
5. Blackberry-Raspberry Skillet Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
It has all the perks of a homemade pie, but it’s ready in 30 minutes and bakes up in one pan. I’d head to the farmers market for the freshest fruit possible if I were you—you can use any type of berry, if the raspberries and blackberries aren’t up to snuff.
6. Lemon Pie with Blueberry Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
If the goal is to impress, I know exactly what you should make. The light-as-air topping gets its lilac hue from freeze-dried blueberries, which you can pick up at Trader Joe’s or purchase online.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Nothing says “Love you, Dad” quite like a batch of heart-shaped cookies filled with his favorite jam. I like to use a seedless variety so the filling is smooth, but any flavor is fair game.
8. Carrot Cake Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
I didn’t say carrot cake was completely off the table. “Doughnuts for dessert” has a nice ring to it, does it not? You’ll need a doughnut pan to bake these, but you can easily find them online for about $10.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
It’s like sunshine in cake form. Use regular lemons in place of Meyer, which are only in season in the winter. The flavor will be slightly more tart, but I kind of prefer it that way. (You’ll also need lemon oil for the most intense citrus flavor, FYI.)
10. No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no bake, make ahead
Yes, you can pull out all the stops without all the fuss. This cheesecake recipe comes together without a hot water bath or an oven at all.
11. 3-Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream Shell
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead
Freeze-dried strawberries are the source of flavor here, but you can use the same method with matcha, another fruit or even dark chocolate instead of the white chocolate called for in the recipe.
12. Instant Pot Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding
- Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes chilling time)
- Why We Love It: Instant Pot recipe, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Dad won’t believe this is an Instant Pot dessert—truth be told, I hardly did. If you prefer a thick, mousse-like texture, cook the pudding on high pressure. For a silky, looser result, use low pressure.
13. Peaches and Cream Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly
Pops for your pop. (I simply couldn’t resist.) Here, the fruit is roasted in the oven to concentrate its sweet flavor, so you can even use frozen if you want.
14. Mini Strawberry Ice Cream Pies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Can you tell I love this trick? Once again, the secret to ultra-strawberry flavor is roasting, which concentrates the fruit’s sweetness and quickly makes a mean sauce for vanilla ice cream.
15. Blackberry Plum Upside-Down Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Plums are at their best this time of year, and they make a really gorgeous dessert addition. That’s your cue—this pretty cake tastes like a fancy PB&J thanks to whole wheat flour in the batter.
16. Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
This flavor combination will have everyone at the table feeling nostalgic. For the most aesthetically pleasing swirl of jam, use a resealable bag to pipe it on top.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
This recipe has all the best parts of s’mores (gooey marshmallows, melty chocolate), minus the trouble of a fire pit, skewers or late-night cleanup. Thank me later.
18. Cherry Slab Pie
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
If you ask me, a slab pie has it all: It serves a crowd and has a better crust-to-filling ratio than a traditional round pie does. Use fresh cherries for the tastiest filling—the pitting is a pain, but the flavor is worth it.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
This one goes out to all the chocolate dessert lovers (and 30-minute dessert lovers, too). I always find it tricky to determine when chocolate cookies are done, so I err on the side of underbaking them so they stay chewy and soft.
20. Cookies and Cream Shortbread Cookies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
These cookies are made with, you guessed it, cookies. The dough is made in the food processor, so it’s impossibly simple. And they’re delish? I mean, what more could you ask for?
21. Muffin Tin Lemon Meringue Tarts
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
Using a muffin tin means they bake up in individual portions (no frustrating slicing) and they take less time to cook and cool. Mini desserts: cute and functional!
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
If your dad is known for being a cookie monster, he’ll love this skillet treat—because no one should have to choose just one flavor. Sure, making three doughs takes a little time, but you don’t have to scoop anything, so it evens out.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Save the leftovers for breakfast. That is, if there are any leftovers. A little bit of cornmeal in the batter lends the cake a tender, moist crumb, so don’t skip that.
24. 3-Ingredient Coconut Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead
You’ll get major bonus points if you serve this dreamy ice cream in a pineapple half. If you want to make it vegan-friendly, I’d suggest swapping the honey for maple syrup or agave.
25. Slow Cooker Oreo Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 5 hours, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead
A pro-level dessert that requires just 15 minutes of effort? My heart skipped a bit just now. The slow cooker essentially acts as a hot water bath here—to make it easier to remove the pan, you can make a sling from aluminum foil or buy one.
26. Chocolate ‘High-Ratio’ Sheet Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser
High ratio, what? In baking lingo, this means the cake has a higher quantity of sugar than is typical, which lends a tender, moist, close-grained crumb that’s light as air. (Read: It’s delicious.)
27. Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Psst: You can start with store-bought angel food cake and no one will know the difference. (Trust me, they’ll be too focused on the homemade blueberry sauce.)
28. Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Nothing personal against bananas, but pineapple makes these sundaes summertime-ready. Homemade cherry sauce takes the dessert up a notch; make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
29. Chocolate Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Store-bought ice cream sandwiches or homemade? It’s your call, but I think you know that there’s only one correct choice. These will keep in the freezer until you’re ready to eat, so you could make them weeks in advance if you wanted.
30. Strawberry Shortcake Skewers with Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Don’t put out the coals so fast—this classic dessert benefits from a little heat. The biscuits get toasty, the strawberries get caramelized…I’ll bring the whipped cream.
31. No-Bake Avocado Lime Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: no cook, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
If you haven’t tried avocado in a dessert yet, you’re totally missing out. It doesn’t taste like anything, really, but it adds a luscious creamy texture you can’t replicate any other way. (Plus, there’s no baking required.)
32. Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
I have nothing against chocolate chip cookies (see no. 37 on this list), but this cake format just feels holiday ready. (And cream cheese frosting is your dad’s favorite, amiright?)
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes (+ chilling)
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Behold, the easiest pie you’ll ever make. The crust is crushed up Saltine crackers, the filling requires just four ingredients and the salty-sweet flavor will end your Father’s Day dinner on a perfect note.
34. Rainbow Cookie Icebox Cake
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, make ahead, kid-friendly
When people say “taste the rainbow,” I wish this is what they meant every time. For the record, if you’re not hip on food dye, you can use a natural variety or just leave it out for a black-and-white confection.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes (+ chilling time)
- Why We Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Hot (or not-so-hot) tip: Unlike a regular affogato, there’s no ice cream here, so the espresso does not need to be hot and is maybe even better at room temp or cold. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can even buy shots at a coffee shop and save them to serve later.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
With a Nilla wafer crust and slightly tangy whipped topping, this cheesecake is sweet and rich without being cloying, and has all the nostalgic flavors of the pudding Dad craves. Oh, and my favorite part? No water bath necessary (you’re welcome).
37. Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Not that Dad would scoff at regular chocolate chip cookies (he’s nice like that), but I think you can do a little better. It’s as easy as adding pecans and a dash of his favorite libation, bourbon.
