41 Spring Desserts to Lure You Out of Hibernation
The flowers are blooming; the birds are chirping. Dessert just tastes sweeter in the springtime, and our favorite spring dessert recipes highlight all the wonders of the season—tangy rhubarb, sweet strawberries, juicy apricots, and much more. Whether you’re looking for a centerpiece-worthy Easter cake or strawberry hand pies to tote to a picnic, our collection of bright, light, and fresh spring desserts has something for any occasion. We’ve got plenty of easy dessert options too so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time soaking up the sunshine. As for those seasonal allergies, some local bee pollen might help.
More spring recipes, right this way →
Revitalize your taste buds with spicy radishes, earthy mushrooms, and all the rhubarb you can eat.
Blistered asparagus with harissa, shredded carrot and lentil salad, and more sides that make the most of spring produce.
Shaved into a salad, roasted until crispy, or puréed into soup, our best asparagus recipes celebrate spring’s most iconic spears.
Tacos with radish escabèche, fried lemon and radish salad, farmers market farro bowls, and more of our favorite ways to cook with radishes.
And when you’re ready for some warmer weather desserts:
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua1/41The Strawberriest Pavlova
Meringue desserts like pavlova can seem daunting, but meringue isn’t as fickle as you may believe. You can make the components for this spring dessert a day ahead or start it in the morning before heading to the park or the pool. When you return, the meringue should be completely cooled and ready to assemble.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro2/41Lemon Bars
Potlucks, picnics, Monday nights—most things are better with a lemon bar in hand, and with this beginner-friendly recipe, you won’t have to be without one again. The lemon filling has lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice for a puckery punch, plus whole milk for subtle creaminess. Want more lemon desserts? We’ve got plenty.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie3/41Blackberries and Vanilla Cream With Crispy Puff Pastry
This deconstructed take on French mille-feuille comes together quickly thanks to store-bought puff pastry. A quick riff on pastry cream, made from heavy cream and mascarpone, whips to soft peaks in seconds.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie5/41Miso White Chocolate–Macadamia Cookies
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Floral Styling by LaParis Phillips6/41Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
How do you make chocolate sheet cake better? Just add brown butter frosting. This recipe would also make fantastic cupcakes.
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski7/41Lemon Meringue Pie
For bold flavor, the filling of this lemon meringue pie gets the zest of four whole lemons. If you don’t have a rasp-style grater (or yours is dull), this is an excellent time to buy one.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton8/41Buttery Jam Diagonals
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.9/41Apricot Tart With Whiskey-Pecan Frangipane
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin10/41Sheet-Pan Berry Shortcake
This supersized shortcake is our ideal spring dessert. Unlike traditional strawberry shortcakes, which bake in individual portions, this version bundles the dough into one big slab to up the drama and make your prep time easier.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi11/41BA’s Best Cheesecake
Classic cheesecake recipes often get a graham cracker crust (which we fully support), but here we’ll grant you some leeway. Venture into your grocer’s cookie aisle to discover the many possibilities: vanilla or chocolate wafers, gingersnaps, shortbread cookies, Oreos, or any cookie or cracker that looks good.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua14/41Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Whip
