Valentine's Day

40+ of Our Best Valentine’s Day Desserts

updated Jan 12, 2023

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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk
Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes

Even if you never eat dessert, you may find yourself taking part on Valentine’s Day because desserts, and Valentine’s Day, are all about indulgence. It might be one perfect chocolate truffle, or a big slice of creamy cheesecake, or (I confess) passing a pint of favorite ice cream back and forth. It’s Valentine’s Day — a day that celebrates the pleasures of being alive and full of love — don’t miss out! We’re sharing 41 of the best Valentine’s Day desserts that offer a little something for everyone.

Valentine’s Day Desserts Without Chocolate

1 / 8

Cream Puffs with Rose-Cardamom Pastry Cream

One of the coziest flavor combinations is rose and cardamom. Both flavors are extremely aromatic and delicate, and make for a light yet rich dessert when paired with cream puffs.

2 / 8

Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pavlova with Coconut Cream & Exotic Fruit

Once you get the hang of the pavlova technique, making them is really a joy.

3 / 8

Crème Brûlée

No torch or special equipment required, and you’ll only need five or six ingredients to get that sweet, creamy custard with a shattering sugar crust.

4 / 8

Strawberry Cheesecake

This classic dessert is sure to win over hearts at the dessert table.

5 / 8

What makes this silky custard dessert so rich is the caramel sauce that's baked into it.

6 / 8

Butterscotch Pudding

Homemade butterscotch pudding evokes wonder and amazement — did you really make this from scratch? — and yet it is so easy and homey

7 / 8

Mini Baked Alaskas

Inidividual mini baked Alaskas never fail to impress and delight.

8 / 8

Angel Food Cake

Serve this classic cake with fresh fruit, topped with whipped cream, or flavored with coffee, cocoa, or citrus zest.

Easy Valentine’s Day Desserts

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Sugar Cookie Bark

The large-format cookie bakes up snappy and is broken into large slabs like classic chocolate bark. A thin layer of melted white chocolate holds the festive sprinkles in place.

2 / 12

Dark Heart Brownies

These triple-chocolate brownies are covered in a deep dark chocolate ganache and topped with dark chocolate hearts.

3 / 12

Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow

This guaranteed crowd-pleaser is made for sharing and comes together without needing to turn on the oven.

4 / 12

Valentine's Day Oreo Truffles

These festive Oreo truffles are easier to make than classic chocolate truffles, and everyone will love their fudgy centers and snappy chocolate coating.

5 / 12

Heart-Shaped Vanilla Cupcakes

There's minimal effort and no special equipment required for these Valentine's cupcakes.

6 / 12

The Easiest Chocolate Pudding Cakes

This decadent treat is one to break out on the fanciest of occasions, yet is quick and easy enough to pull off any night of the week.

7 / 12

Bittersweet Brownies with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

As if these brownies didn't already have you swooning - there's also brown butter invovled.

8 / 12

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

This is the ultimate fast and fancy dessert.

9 / 12

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

This ultra-moist chocolate cake is deep and rich in flavor and best served with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts.

10 / 12

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Just wait til you taste how rich and chocolately it is. And it also happens to be naturally vegan and gluten-free.

11 / 12

One-Bowl Pantry Blondies

Some a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make these easy blondies even more festive.

12 / 12

How To Make Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

It's so easy to make this fast-and-fancy treat at home — no candy-making skills required!

Red (and Pink) Desserts for Valentine’s Day

1 / 9

Classic Red Velvet Cake

Take your pick between topping this cake with cream cheese frosting, boiled milk frosting, or whipped cream.

2 / 9

Red Wine Strawberries

These boozy strawberries taste almost caramelized and just a touch earthy, yet they are still incredibly juicy and bright.

3 / 9

Red Velvet Rice Krispies Treats

Classic homemade Rice Krispies treats get a Valentine's Day makeover with a little cocoa and red food coloring for red velvet vibes and a festive drizzle of white chocolate.

4 / 9

Gingerbread Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet and gingerbread are natural partners.

5 / 9

Strawberry Cake Mix Brownies

Here's an easy way to turn a box of strawberry cake mix into dense, chewy brownies, topped with swirls of cream cheese frosting.

6 / 9

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Wafers

These chocolate dippped wafers are easier and tastier than chocolate dipped strawberries.

7 / 9

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

This recipe channels everything there is to love about tall, gooey sugar cookies, and brings them to you in the form of a bar cookie slicked with a layer of strawberry frosting.

8 / 9

Red Velvet Cookies

You can transform red velvet cake mix into cookies by making just a few small changes to the instructions on the box.

9 / 9

Pink Champagne Poke Cake

A riff on the classic, this pink Champagne cake treats you to moist, tender cake lightly spiked with Champagne and dotted with wells of strawberry syrup.

Decadent Valentine’s Day Desserts

1 / 11

Dark Chocolate Pots de Crème

Looking for the most luxurious chocolate pudding you’ve ever had? This is for you, the most serious of chocolate-lovers.

2 / 11

Mississippi Mud Pie Recipe

Chocolate lovers, listen up! You’ll want to dive deep into the layers of this Southern belle of pie – from the whipped cream topping, the chocolate pudding and fudge brownie midsection, all the way down to the Oreo cookie crust.

3 / 11

Chocolate Soufflé

If you want a super chocolatey dessert that also happens to feel incredibly fancy, this is the dessert for you.

4 / 11

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is a truly flourless chocolate cake that manages to be light and rich at the same time.

5 / 11

Instant Pot Death by Chocolate Cheesecake

This over-the-top dessert features a buttery Oreo cookie crust, a double-chocolate filling made with both cocoa and melted chocolate, and a crown of the most luscious and silky chocolate ganache.

6 / 11

Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes

With just five ingredients, this classic restaurant dessert is surprisingly easy to whip up at home, and thanks to their surprise-inside center, they're guaranteed to delight whoever you're serving.

7 / 11

Chocolate and Pear Clafoutis

The French have such a sensible attitude towards breakfast: Chocolate is perfectly acceptable, like in this easy chocolate clafoutis.

8 / 11

Chocolate Truffles

Our step-by-step guide to making rich, creamy chocolate truffles at home.

9 / 11

Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

Luxurious and bittersweet, this dessert is Valentine’s Day in a mouthful.

10 / 11

Chocolate Cream Pie

A silky-smooth chocolate cream pie made with an Oreo crust and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

11 / 11

Chrissy Teigen's Three-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse with Salty Rice Krispies–Hazelnut Crackle

This 3-ingredient chocolate mousse is topped with a crave-worthy hazelnut crackle.

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