Easy Christmas desserts do not have to mean hours at the stove. These 25 easy Christmas desserts range from red velvet cake and cheesecakes to chocolate mousse, gingerbread brownies and a vegan hot chocolate, and many can be made ahead so the holiday itself stays calm. Every one comes from the Dessertlush archive and links to the full recipe with exact measurements and step-by-step instructions.
Times and servings for these easy Christmas desserts come from each recipe card. Some are ready in 7 to 30 minutes, others chill or set for hours, and the batches run from 1 serving to 24, so you can choose the right easy Christmas desserts for a quiet Christmas Eve or a full holiday table.
Which Easy Christmas Dessert Should You Make?
Use this quick guide to choose among the easy Christmas desserts below by speed, batch size or diet.
- Fastest: Vegan Hot Chocolate takes 7 minutes in total, Black Forest Dessert Cups and Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix take 20 and Chocolate Lava Cakes take 27.
- Biggest batches: Easy Slutty Brownies Recipe and Rolo Pretzels with M&M Candies serve 24 each, and Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake serves 15.
- No oven needed: Vegan Hot Chocolate, Black Forest Dessert Cups, Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake, No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake, Classic Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu Recipe and Classic Easy Italian Panna Cotta.
- Make ahead: Classic Chocolate Mousse, French Silk Pie, Tiramisu Recipe, Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake, No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake, Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake and Perfect Cheesecake Recipe all need hours to chill or set.
- Vegan: Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake, Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and Vegan Hot Chocolate.
- Gluten-free or paleo: Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix and Paleo Gingerbread Blondies.
- Gingerbread flavor: Gingerbread Brownies Recipe, Paleo Gingerbread Blondies and Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls.
- Small tables (serves 4): Classic Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Lava Cakes and Black Forest Dessert Cups.
Easy Christmas Desserts: Cakes and Cheesecakes
Cakes and cheesecakes are the centerpieces of easy Christmas desserts, from red velvet layers to no-bake speculoos and Biscoff cheesecakes and a coquito tres leches cake.
1. Red Velvet Cake
A red velvet layer cake made with buttermilk, cocoa and red food coloring, baked in two 9-inch round pans. 30 minutes of prep and 35 of baking.
Get the recipe →2. Easy Red Velvet Oreo Cake
Red velvet cake layers with Oreo cookies, baked in two 8-inch round pans. 35 minutes of prep and 30 of baking.
Get the recipe →3. Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake Delight
An Oreo cookie crust and a cocoa cream cheese filling with sour cream, baked in a 9-inch springform pan. 60 minutes of prep and 60 of baking.
Get the recipe →4. Perfect Cheesecake Recipe
A classic baked cheesecake with a graham cracker crust in a 9-inch springform pan. 30 minutes of prep and 75 of baking; the rest of the 8 hr 45 min is resting time.
Get the recipe →5. Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake
A no-bake vegan cheesecake with a Lotus Biscoff cookie crust, vegan cream cheese and Biscoff spread. 30 minutes of prep; the rest of the 4 hr 30 min is setting time.
Get the recipe →6. No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake
A no-bake cheesecake with a crushed speculoos crust and a mascarpone and whipped cream filling, set in a 9-inch springform pan. 30 minutes of prep and 6 hours of setting.
Get the recipe →7. Creamy Coquito Tres Leches Cake
A tres leches cake flavored with coquito and dark rum (or rum extract), baked in a 9×13 pan. 30 minutes of prep and 25 of baking.
Get the recipe →8. Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake
A chocolate poke cake with German chocolate flavors and semi-sweet chocolate chips, baked in a 9×13 pan. 30 minutes of prep and 30 of baking; the rest of the 5 hours is resting time.
Get the recipe →Chocolate and Creamy Easy Christmas Desserts
Mousse, silk pie, lava cakes and tiramisu make easy Christmas desserts feel elegant, and most of them are made ahead of time.
9. Classic Chocolate Mousse
Bittersweet chocolate, eggs and chilled heavy cream folded into a mousse that serves four. 20 minutes of prep and 10 of cooking; the rest of the 4 hr 30 min is setting time.
Get the recipe →10. French Silk Pie
A French silk pie with unsweetened chocolate, eggs and butter in a blind-baked pie crust. 30 minutes of prep and 10 of cooking; the rest of the 4 hr 40 min is setting time.
Get the recipe →11. Chocolate Lava Cakes
Four individual lava cakes made with bittersweet chocolate in 6-ounce ramekins, baked at 425°F. 15 minutes of prep and 12 of baking.
Get the recipe →12. Black Forest Dessert Cups
No-bake dessert cups layered with chocolate cake crumbs, cherry pie filling and whipped cream, topped with chocolate shavings. 20 minutes, no oven.
Get the recipe →13. Tiramisu Recipe
Classic tiramisu with a cooked custard, mascarpone and espresso. 30 minutes of prep and 10 of cooking; the rest of the 4 hr 40 min is setting time.
Get the recipe →14. Classic Easy Italian Panna Cotta
Italian panna cotta made with heavy cream, vanilla and gelatin, served with mixed berries. 25 minutes of prep and 20 of cooking.
Get the recipe →Gingerbread, Brownies and Pastry Easy Christmas Desserts
These easy Christmas desserts bring in gingerbread spice, fudgy brownies and classic choux pastry.
15. Gingerbread Brownies Recipe
Fudgy brownies with molasses, cocoa and gingerbread spices, baked in an 8×8 pan. 15 minutes of prep and 25 of baking.
Get the recipe →16. Paleo Gingerbread Blondies
Paleo blondies made with almond butter, coconut oil, blackstrap molasses and almond flour, baked in an 8×8 pan. 15 minutes of prep and 25 of baking.
Get the recipe →17. Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan cinnamon rolls made with soy milk, yeast, molasses, ginger and cinnamon. 2 hours of prep and rising, then 25 minutes of baking.
Get the recipe →18. Fudgy Brownie Recipe
Fudgy brownies made with melted butter, cocoa and chocolate chips, baked in an 8×8 pan. 15 minutes of prep and 25 of baking.
Get the recipe →19. Easy Slutty Brownies Recipe
Brownies baked in a 9×13 pan that starts with a brown sugar cookie dough layer. 20 minutes of prep and 45 of baking.
Get the recipe →20. Cream Puffs Recipe
Choux pastry puffs filled with vanilla whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar. 20 minutes of prep and 30 of baking.
Get the recipe →21. Classic Eclair Recipe
Choux pastry eclairs filled with pastry cream. 45 minutes of prep and 35 of baking.
Get the recipe →Festive Treats and Warm Drinks
For snacking and gifting, add a festive Chex mix, a vegan hot chocolate, quick Rolo pretzels or a creamy flan to your easy Christmas desserts.
22. Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix
A gluten-free Chex mix with pretzels, peanuts, white chocolate and red and green candy. 15 minutes of prep and 5 of cooking.
Get the recipe →23. Vegan Hot Chocolate
Vegan hot chocolate made with cocoa, maple syrup and almond or oat milk, ready in 7 minutes. Serves one.
Get the recipe →24. Rolo Pretzels with M&M Candies
Mini pretzels topped with Rolo caramel candies and M&M’s, softened in a 250°F oven. 10 minutes of prep and 5 of baking.
Get the recipe →25. Flan Recipe
Flan made with caramelized sugar, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. 20 minutes of prep and 60 of baking.
Get the recipe →Tips for Planning Easy Christmas Desserts
Plan for chilling time. Perfect Cheesecake Recipe takes 8 hr 45 min in total, Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake takes 5 hours, and Tiramisu Recipe and French Silk Pie take 4 hr 40 min each, mostly resting, so make them the day before.
Keep the oven free. Black Forest Dessert Cups, Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake and No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake need no oven, which leaves it open for the main meal, so these easy Christmas desserts fit any busy kitchen.
Pick one showpiece and a few easy extras. Red Velvet Cake or Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake Delight can be the centerpiece, while Vegan Hot Chocolate and Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix fill the gaps on the dessert table.
If you want more ideas, see our 25 easy cake recipes, the 21 easy no-bake desserts, the 21 easy dessert bar recipes and the 23 easy cookie recipes.
Easy Christmas Desserts FAQs
What is the fastest of these easy Christmas desserts?
Vegan Hot Chocolate is the fastest of these easy Christmas desserts at 7 minutes in total, followed by Black Forest Dessert Cups and Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix at 20 minutes each.
Which easy Christmas desserts need no oven?
Vegan Hot Chocolate, Black Forest Dessert Cups, Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake, No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake, Classic Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu Recipe and Classic Easy Italian Panna Cotta are made without baking in the oven.
Which easy Christmas desserts can I make ahead?
Classic Chocolate Mousse, French Silk Pie, Tiramisu Recipe, Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake, No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake, Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake and Perfect Cheesecake Recipe all need hours to chill or set, which makes them good easy Christmas desserts to prepare the day before.
Are there vegan easy Christmas desserts here?
Yes: Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake, Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls and Vegan Hot Chocolate.
Which easy Christmas desserts serve the most people?
Easy Slutty Brownies Recipe and Rolo Pretzels with M&M Candies serve 24 each, and Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake serves 15.
Which easy Christmas desserts take the longest?
Perfect Cheesecake Recipe takes 8 hr 45 min in total and No-Bake Speculoos Tiramisu Cheesecake takes 6 hr 30 min, mostly for setting. Delish German Chocolate Poke Cake takes 5 hours.
How many easy Christmas desserts are on this list?
There are 25 easy Christmas desserts here: 8 cakes and cheesecakes, 6 chocolate and creamy desserts, 7 gingerbread, brownie and pastry recipes, and 4 festive treats.
Can I find more easy Christmas desserts on Dessertlush?
Yes, the recipe archive has many more easy Christmas desserts, so browse it for extra ideas.
More Easy Christmas Desserts
Want to keep baking? Browse every Christmas dessert, all the cheesecake recipes, or the full recipe archive for more easy Christmas desserts.
