Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes 16 Mardi Gras Desserts That Will Transport You to New Orleans By Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 8, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is the end of Carnival season in New Orleans. It's the last hurrah—the finale of all the music, parades, floats, and fun. If you're celebrating this big night, you need a blowout Mardi Gras dessert to end an indulgent meal. We've gathered some classic recipes, like bananas Foster, pralines, bread pudding, and king cake, as well as new twists like a bananas Foster milkshake. All our Fat Tuesday desserts are rich and flavorful—just like the Big Easy! 01 of 16 Easy Crème Caramel Bryan Gardner All you need is 15 minutes and five ingredients (sugar, milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract) to prep this popular custard dessert. Stash the individual crème caramels in the refrigerator and pull them out for the grand finale of your Mardi Gras dinner. View Recipe 02 of 16 Bananas Foster Split This is our take on the sweet, boozy dessert first served at the famed New Orleans restaurant Brennan's in the 1950s. The bananas are cooked in a buttery brown-sugar sauce, doused in dark rum, and flamed just before serving—with a scoop of ice cream, of course! View Recipe 03 of 16 Banana Bourbon Layer Cake We reimagined Banana's Foster, turning the favorite Mardi Gras dessert into a layer cake. Banana-buttermilk layers are sandwiched with a whipped cream filling and finished with a flambéed banana topping. It's spectacular and delicious. View Recipe 04 of 16 Mini Bourbon Bread Puddings Yossy Arefi When it comes to Big Easy sweets, nothing beats bread pudding. Our individual-sized version is studded with golden raisins and finished with an irresistible bourbon glaze. View Recipe 05 of 16 Grasshopper Martyna Szczesna Did you know this classic after-dinner drink originated in New Orleans? The minty, creamy dessert cocktail is just the thing for a boozy holiday like Mardi Gras. View Recipe 06 of 16 Bananas Foster Milkshake Bryan Gardner For another take on the classic dessert, we created a knockout sweet-and-salty milkshake. You're going to need a straw, bowl, and spoon to enjoy this properly. View Recipe 07 of 16 Beignets Mike Krautter A New Orleans classic, these cousins to the doughnut consist of fried pieces of yeast dough dusted with plenty of confectioner's sugar. A fresh batch is the perfect way to start or end the day. View Recipe 08 of 16 Southern Sour-Cream Pralines We can't get enough of this traditional Louisiana confection that transforms toasted pecans into a sugary, fudge-like candy. Our version also calls for sour cream, which gives the treats an exceptionally smooth texture. They're just the thing when you want something small and sweet for a Mardi Gras dessert. View Recipe 09 of 16 Brown-Butter Bourbon Pecan Pie Pieter Estersohn If the residents of the Crescent City had to pick their favorite pie, chances are it would be pecan. This decadent take enhances the classic with brown butter and bourbon. View Recipe 10 of 16 Chocolate-Chicory Logs In New Orleans, ground chicory is blended with coffee beans, a tradition that dates back to the Civil War when supplies were limited. Here, the bitter flavor of chicory pairs perfectly with the sweet chocolate in these biscotti-like cookies. View Recipe 11 of 16 Pecan Sea-Salt Drops For a different take on pralines, try these drops. There's no cream or butter—the nuts are simply suspended in a delicious soft caramel. View Recipe 12 of 16 King Cake What's a Fat Tuesday celebration without king cake? This sweet yeast bread has a colorful glaze in the colors of Mardi Gras—and as tradition demands, a tiny plastic baby hidden inside. View Recipe 13 of 16 Pain Perdu Vanilla bean and hazelnut liqueur set our version of this French toast-bread pudding hybrid apart. Serve it for breakfast or dessert on Mardi Gras—it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at any time of day. View Recipe 14 of 16 Cajun Popcorn Craving something salty? This sweet-spicy popcorn can be whipped up in a jiffy. View Recipe 15 of 16 Praline Cookies Make a batch of creamy pecan praline candy to take simple drop cookies to the next level. They'll be the first dessert to go at your Mardi Gras party. View Recipe 16 of 16 Crepes Suzette Gentl and Hyers A boozy French classic that's much loved in New Orleans, these dessert crepes are made with dark beer in the batter and Grand Marnier in the filling and the sauce. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit