I decided to share a guide to the best desserts in Austin with you…mostly because I really wanted to have an excuse to eat more chocolate chip cookies, confetti birthday cake, and giant milkshakes. (What can I say? I’m addicted to sugar!) There are so many fantastic places to get dessert in Austin, so I did my best to pare it down to showcase the best of the best.
Also see: the ultimate guide to the best cookies in Austin
Here are the 20 best desserts in Austin. Happy eating!
20 Best Desserts In Austin
1. The Marilyn Cupcake at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop
Classic and oh-so-sweet. Nothing beats the blonde bombshell: buttery and dense white cake topped with Madagascar vanilla buttercream frosting. Everything at Sugar Mama’s is made from scratch, and this simple cupcake is one of the best you’ll ever have. (But try the other fun cupcake flavors, too!)
Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop
1905 S FIRST ST, AUSTIN TX 78704
512-448-3732
2. Birthday Cake Bingsu at Bar Peached
The perfect dessert, whether it’s your birthday or not! Cake ice cream, birthday cake, whipped cream, mochi, sprinkles, and (of course) a celebratory candle. Bar Peached is a beautiful Asian-inspired bar-focused restaurant near downtown Austin. See my full review of Bar Peached here.
Bar Peached
1315 W 6th St, Austin TX 78703
512-992-0666
3. Grandma Hagler’s Strawberry Cake at Jacoby’s
You’ve never tried a strawberry cake quite this scrumptious! Sweet, soft strawberry cake topped with a thick smear of buttery strawberry frosting. This sweet pink cake is the best summer treat. Or winter treat… This is seriously crave-able at all times of the year and easily one of the best desserts in Austin.
Jacoby’s
3235 E Cesar Chavez, Austin TX 78702
512-366-5808
4. Cherry Pie at Tiny Pies
Tiny Pies is a family-owned pie shop in Austin that has the best little pies around! One pie is the perfect serving size for a sweet dessert, and cherry pie is a year-round flavor that’s sure to please. (Check out their seasonal flavors, too!) Why are these pies so good? Each one is made with a flaky, homemade pie crust, real fruit filling, and lots of love!
Tiny Pies
5035 Burnet Rd, Austin TX 78756
512-916-0184
5. Super Baked Cookie at Soup Peddler (GF)
There’s a reason why they call this the ultimate stoner cookie…ha! I know this one is weird because it comes from a soup bar, but just try it out: it’s a dense, chewy cookie with butterscotch and chocolate chips, coconut, oats, butter, walnuts, and a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Oh, and it’s gluten free cookie in Austin!
Soup Peddler
1112 N Lamar Blvd, Austin 78703
512-444-SOUP
6. Unshake at cold cookie company
Warning: sugar coma ahead. This giant shake/cookie combo is soooo sweet and sugary, but definitely worth a splurge every now and then. The unshake is a crazy combo of ice cream, cookies, and toppings with hundreds of possibilities. Fun kid-friendly spot for dessert in Austin!
Cold cookie Co
6812 Ranch Road 620 N., Austin TX 78732
512-305-3771
7. Campfire churro at Churro Co.
Not your typical churros… The Churro Co starts with homemade churros, fried to perfection, and then creates creative Austin desserts. The “Campfire Churro” is a must-try: two churros tossed in graham cracker sugar, topped with Mexican chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and torched marshmallows. Stop by this south Austin food truck the next time you get a sugar craving.
The Churro Co.
1906 S First St, Austin TX 78704
512-905-52-67
8. Cinnamon Roll at Teal House (GF)
Can a cinnamon roll be included month the best desserts in Austin? When it’s this sugary and sweet, I vote yes! You have to try one of these soft, warm, homemade cinnamon rolls covered in gooey cream cheese frosting. They’re made from scratch from this family-owned store on South Congress. Perfect for breakfast, or as a sweet treat later in the day. They also have really good GF cinnamon rolls!
Teal House
2304 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
512-577-4336
9. Fromage Blanc Gelato at Dolce Neve
If you’ve never tried gelato with a cheese flavor (goat cheese, mascarpone, or fromage blanc), make a stop at a Dolce Neve location. It’s a gelato chain that started in Austin by 3 Italians, and their flavors are made with quality ingredients. The Fromage Blanc + Jam is the perfect cold, creamy treat with a sweet and tangy quality to it. The jam flavor rotates, but they’re all amazing.
Dolce Neve Gelato
1315 W 6th St, Austin TX 78703
512-992-0666
10. Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwich at Launderette
Popular restaurant Launderette is famous for their desserts, but this one really takes the cake (har har) among regulars: it absolutely lives up to the hype as one of the best desserts in Austin. If you love the flavor of birthday cake, you’re going to swoon over this lovely little ice cream sandwich. {photo source}
Launderette
2115 Holly St, Austin TX 78702
512-382-1599
11. Banana-Nutella Stuffed Cookie at Thoroughbread
There are two types of people: those who LIVE for Nutella, and those who dislike it. If you’re the former, stop by this tiny south Austin bakery for a scrumptious soft banana cookie stuffed full of creamy Nutella. The banana cookie almost taste like a really sweet, hearty banana bread, and the soft Nutella inside cranks the sweetness up to level 10. PS: You could totally count as breakfast – I’m not judging.
Thoroughbread
1709 Bluebonnet Ln, Austin TX 78704
512-922-7622
12. Texas Sheet Cake Ice Cream at Lick
If you grew up in Texas like I did, this dessert is near and dear to your heart. Lick Honest Ice Creams turned popular Texas Sheet Cake into one of their best-selling ice cream flavors: delicate chocolate ice cream with a thick swirl of chocolate-pecan icing.
Lick Honest Ice Creams
6550 Burnet Rd #200, Austin TX 78757
512-609-8029
13. Oatmeal Cream Pie at Bouldin Creek Cafe (Vegan)
I’m not sure if you can tell from this photo, but the OCP at BCC is massive! The taste of oatmeal cream pies brings me back to childhood (anyone else live for those Little Debbie’s way back when?), but this one is vegan, freshly made, and much more delicious. Bouldin Creek Cafe is an old-school vegetarian restaurant in south Austin and one of the best brunch spots in Austin, too!
Bouldin Creek Cafe
1900 S First St, Austin TX 78704
512-416-1601
14. Hummingbird Cake at Sweet Cakes 4 U
This little cake shop in Buda (about 15 miles south of Austin) serves the most scrumptious, giant slices of cake. And while there are lots of fun things to do in Buda, a stop at this cake shop is a definite must. They have both regular and rotating flavors on their menu with all sorts of flavors, frostings, and fillings like strawberry mousse, lemon buttercream, caramel filling, and fudgy dark frosting – I promise you’ll find something you love! The hummingbird cake is a crowd favorite whenever it graces the menu: spiced banana and coconut cake with pecans and a lemon cream cheese frosting.
Sweet Cakes 4 U
302 S Main St Suite 101, Buda TX 78610
512-312-4594
15. Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs
These creamy treats are a fun way to cool off in the hot Austin summers. Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs are big cups full of shaved ice, ground up so fine it has a creamy texture to it. Add flavored fruity or creamy syrups, toppings like chocolate or sweetened condensed milk, and even a scoop of ice cream on top! Kids love this place because there are endless possibilities of flavor combos.
Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs
808 E 51st St, Austin, TX 78751
Also see: 17 best ice cream shops in Austin
16. Confetti cupcake AT Capital City Bakery (vegan)
If someone asks me for good vegan desserts in Austin, I’m always going to point them to Capital City Bakery. Everything at this female-owned bakery is 100% vegan and 100% delicious, and the Confetti Cupcake is one of the best-selling items: soft, fluffy vanilla cake with sprinkles and a big dollop of vegan buttercream frosting. The founder worked for years to perfect the recipe to make it a perfect dupe for a regular cupcake…but this one has no butter or eggs in it.
Capital City Bakery
2211 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin TX 78702
512-666-7437
17. Tres Leches Cake at Word of Mouth Bakery
A tres leches cake is a super light sponge cake soaked with three types of milk (heavy cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk) and then topped with a whipped frosting. Word of Mouth Bakery’s Tres Leches cake is perfect: a light cake that’s dripping with cream, topped with a single raspberry on top for contrast.
Word of Mouth Bakery
1506 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704
(737) 443-8290
18. Ice Cream at Fresa’s Chicken
Remember the ice cream sandwich at Launderette (#10 on this list)? The same chef make this ice cream at Fresa’s restaurant on South First St. You can buy pints of this ice cream to-go, and the flavors are unreal. There are typically 4 rotating flavors, and a few of my favorites have been Lemon Meringue Pie (pictured), Mexican Hot Chocolate, and Rice Krispy Treat ice cream.
Fresa’s
1703 S First St, Austin TX 78704
512-992-2946
19. Snickers Stuffed Cookies at Kellie’s
Kellie’s bake shop has some of the most delicious, decadent cookies in Austin. They start with giant, chewy cookies (that would honestly be amazing by themselves) and raise them to the next level by stuffing them with a big pieces of a Snickers bar. Hand down one of the best desserts you can find in Austin.
Kellie’s Baking co.
5245 Burnet Rd, Austin TX 78756
512-336-7300
20. Lemon Pie at Buenos Aires Cafe
This South American Restaurant on Cesar Chavez is a fantastic place to dine for lunch or dinner in east Austin, but it’s also worth stopping by just for one of these individual lemon pies. It’s a family recipe that the owner’s mom made when she was young: crumbly crust, tart and creamy lemon filling, and a fluffy torched meringue topping.
Buenos Aires Cafe
1201 E 6th St, Austin TX 78702
512-382-1189
Looking for more delicious food in Austin? Start with the 20 Best Austin Restaurants!
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