15 Best Disney World Desserts I’d Eat Again and Again
Looking for the best Disney World desserts? These are my 15 favorites after years of Disney dining, from Mickey beignets and Dole Whip treats to incredible restaurant desserts.
Estimated reading time: 21 minutes
I have eaten a lot of desserts at Disney World.
Probably more than I should admit.
I’ve eaten the famous ones. I’ve eaten the weird ones. I’ve eaten the ones that look absolutely amazing on Instagram and then taste…fine. And I’ve definitely ordered dessert when I wasn’t remotely hungry anymore because I wanted to try it anyway.
It’s research, people.
So when I decided to narrow everything I’ve tried down to my 15 favorite Disney World desserts, I thought this would be pretty easy.
It was not.
There are a LOT of really good desserts at Disney World.
And before anyone comes after me because their absolute favorite Disney dessert didn’t make my list, let me get one thing out of the way.
This is my list.
LOL.
I know. Very scientific.
But seriously, I’ve personally eaten everything I’m recommending here. These aren’t desserts I picked because they’re famous or because everyone else puts them on their Disney food bucket lists. They’re the ones I actually loved. The ones I’d order again. The ones I still think about after the trip is over.
And in at least one case, the dessert is good enough that I will stay at a particular Disney resort partly because it gives me easier access to it.
I’m looking at you, Mickey beignets.
Yes, I Know Some of My Disney Dessert Opinions Are Controversial
Let’s just get this out of the way now.
The Crème Brûlée Croissant at Gaston’s Tavern?
I know people LOVE that thing.
I’ve had it.
It’s fine.
The I Lava You Float?
Same deal.
Perfectly good dessert. Super cute. I completely understand why people order it.
It’s just not one of my favorites.
And there are going to be other famous Disney desserts missing from this list too.
That’s okay.
I’m not trying to create a list of the 15 Disney World desserts you’re supposed to like. I’m telling you which 15 I’d actually spend my own money on again.
There’s a difference.
In fact, one of the things I’ve learned after eating my way around Disney World is that “iconic” doesn’t necessarily mean “best.”
Sometimes the dessert everybody talks about really is that good.
And sometimes I’d rather have a giant Mickey-shaped beignet covered in powdered sugar.
Sue me.
A Few Rules for My Disney World Dessert Rankings
First, I only included desserts I’ve personally eaten.
That seems obvious, but it’s worth saying because there are still plenty of restaurants at Disney World I haven’t tried yet. I’m not going to tell you something is one of the best desserts on property because I’ve seen pretty pictures of it online.
If I haven’t eaten it, it doesn’t qualify.
Second, I’m casting a pretty wide net with the word “dessert.”
Some of these are actual restaurant desserts.
Some are ice cream.
Some are pastries.
Some are snacks that I would absolutely eat as dessert.
And then we have things like the Nutella Fruit Waffle at Sleepy Hollow, which could theoretically be breakfast.
Sure.
It’s fruit.
Totally breakfast.
Moving on.
I also included the resorts this time.
When I ranked my favorite Disney World snacks, I deliberately limited that list to the four theme parks because I haven’t eaten nearly enough snacks at every Disney resort to pretend I could rank them fairly.
Desserts are a little different.
There are a few resort desserts I’ve eaten that are simply too good to leave off this list.
Especially those dang Mickey beignets.
And Then There Are the Desserts That Almost Need Their Own Category
There were a few things I struggled with because they don’t fit neatly into a Top 15 dessert ranking.
Take the Salted Caramel Beach Buns at Cape May Café or the ‘Ohana Bread Pudding.
Technically, Disney serves them at breakfast.
But come on.
They’re salted caramel beach buns.
At some point we’re just calling dessert breakfast because it’s 9 a.m.
The same thing happens with the bread pudding at ‘Ohana. I tend to think of that more as part of the breakfast experience than as a dessert, so I’m not giving it one of my precious 15 spots. But that doesn’t mean I’m turning it down if someone puts it in front of me.
Then there are the Zebra Domes at Boma.
Yes, I know.
Zebra Domes are practically Disney dessert royalty.
And they’re really good!
But when I’m standing at the Boma dessert buffet, there’s another dessert I’m reaching for first: the Nala Brownie.
I said what I said.
And then we have the Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream.
This might be my most controversial take of all.
The Kitchen Sink is fun.
It’s iconic.
It’s enormous.
It’s absolutely something I understand wanting to order once just so you can say you did it.
But if I’m going to Beaches & Cream because I actually want an amazing sundae?
Give me the Fudge Brownie Mudslide.
Every. Single. Time.
My friend would probably interrupt me at this point to tell you to order the No Way José instead.
She’s wrong.
Okay, she’s not wrong. It’s also really good.
But again…
My list.
What Makes a Disney Dessert One of My Favorites?
I’m not scoring these based on presentation or how famous they are.
I’m asking a much simpler question:
Would I go out of my way to eat this again?
That’s really it.
Sometimes the answer is yes because the dessert is incredibly unique.
Sometimes it’s because Disney took something simple and made it ridiculously delicious.
And for me, most of the time it’s because there’s pineapple and caramel involved, and apparently I have no ability to resist that combination.
Bottom line- it’s because eating that particular dessert has become part of the Disney experience for me.
That’s why this list jumps all over the place.
You’re going to find desserts from table-service restaurants right next to quick-service treats. There are French pastries, ridiculous ice cream sundaes, brownies, crème brûlée, macarons, waffles, beignets and more pineapple than any reasonable person probably needs.
Basically, it’s exactly what my Disney dessert list should look like.
So with all of those disclaimers out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff.
Here are the 15 Disney World desserts I’d happily order all over again.
15. Cheshire Cat Tail – Cheshire Café, Magic Kingdom
I’m starting with one of the simplest desserts on this entire list.
The Cheshire Cat Tail isn’t fancy. It’s basically a flaky pastry filled with chocolate and drizzled with colorful icing.
And I love it.
This is exactly the kind of Disney snack that I find myself wanting when I’m walking around Magic Kingdom and need something sweet, but I don’t necessarily want an enormous sundae that requires a table, three napkins, and a recovery period afterward.
The pastry is flaky, there’s plenty of chocolate inside, and the pink and purple icing makes it just Disney enough without Disney having to stick a pair of Mickey ears on it.
Is it the most exciting dessert at Disney World?
Nope.
Would I happily eat another one tomorrow?
Absolutely.
And remember—that’s the whole point of this list.
14. Caramel Turtle – Karamell-Küche, EPCOT
Walking into Karamell-Küche is dangerous.
Everything smells like caramel. Everything looks delicious. And suddenly you’re standing there trying to convince yourself that buying four different caramel treats is completely reasonable because technically you’re on vacation.
Out of everything I’ve tried there, though, I keep coming back to the Caramel Turtle.
It’s such a simple combination—chocolate, caramel and pecans—but it’s SO good.
You get the crunch from the pecans, that thick chewy caramel, and enough chocolate to pull the whole thing together.
This is also one of those desserts where you don’t necessarily have to eat it immediately. If I’ve already eaten my way halfway around World Showcase, I can throw it in my bag and save it for later.
Assuming it actually survives that long.
That’s questionable.
13. Raspberry Macaron Tart – Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, EPCOT
There was absolutely no way I was going to write a list of my favorite Disney World desserts and not include something from Les Halles.
The problem was deciding what.
I love this place.
I’ve gone in for an actual meal. I’ve gone in for a snack. I’ve gone in because I wanted a hunk of bread and some butter. And I’ve definitely gone in because I wanted something sweet and everything in the pastry case looked amazing.
For this list, I’m going with the raspberry macaron tart.
It’s beautiful, for starters. But more importantly, it tastes as good as it looks.
The raspberry gives it that little bit of tartness that keeps the whole thing from becoming overwhelmingly sweet, which I really appreciate after I’ve already spent half the day snacking around EPCOT.
And honestly, this is exactly why Les Halles is one of my favorite places to eat anywhere at Disney World.
I can walk in without knowing what I want and somehow always walk out happy.
12. Baseball Brownie – Casey’s Corner, Magic Kingdom
Here’s another one that isn’t trying to reinvent dessert.
It’s a brownie.
A Disney brownie.
And sometimes that’s exactly what I want.
The Baseball Brownie at Casey’s Corner gets bonus points for being adorable, but I wouldn’t put it on this list just because it fits the Main Street/baseball theme. And yes, I know they recently changed the brownie… it’s still good.
It has to taste good too.
And it does.
It’s rich, chocolatey, and substantial enough that I don’t feel like I just paid Disney prices for three bites of dessert.
Plus, there’s something about eating a baseball-themed brownie from Casey’s Corner while sitting on Main Street U.S.A. that just works.
Disney doesn’t always have to get complicated.
Give me a good brownie in a fun setting and I’m pretty easy to please.
11. Terra Treats Ice Cream Sandwich – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
This one doesn’t get nearly enough attention.
Actually, that’s one of the reasons I like it.
There are Disney desserts that practically have their own fan clubs. People build entire snack strategies around them.
And then there are things like the ice cream sandwich at Terra Treats that you stumble across and think, Wait. Why isn’t everybody talking about this?
It’s exactly the kind of dessert I want in Animal Kingdom when it’s approximately 4,000 degrees outside.
Cold ice cream.
Something sweet.
Easy to share if I’m feeling generous.
And just different enough from grabbing a regular scoop of ice cream that it feels like an actual Disney treat.
It’s not one of the desserts I’d tell you to cross three parks to get.
But if you’re already in Animal Kingdom?
Yep.
I’d absolutely get it again.
10. Maple Crème Brûlée – Le Cellier Steakhouse, EPCOT
Okay, now we’re getting serious.
Le Cellier is already one of my favorite restaurants at Disney World because the steak is fantastic, the pretzel bread is dangerous, and I would happily drown half my meal in that Canadian cheddar cheese soup.
Then you get to dessert.
The Maple Crème Brûlée is exactly what I want after a meal like that.
It’s creamy and rich, with that crackly caramelized sugar layer on top that makes crème brûlée so satisfying in the first place. But the maple gives it enough of a Canadian twist that it doesn’t feel like the exact same crème brûlée you could order at a hundred other restaurants.
And I appreciate that.
Is this the flashiest dessert on my list?
Not even close.
There aren’t Mickey ears involved. Nothing lights up. Nobody pours anything over it at the table.
It’s just a really, really good dessert.
Sometimes that’s enough.
9. Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse – Satu’li Canteen, Animal Kingdom
This is probably one of the strangest-looking desserts on my list.
If you’ve never seen it before, you might look at that bright blue dome and wonder exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Get it anyway.
I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this.
The blueberry flavor is bright and fruity, the cream cheese mousse is smooth and creamy, and the whole dessert is much lighter than you’d expect from looking at it.
That’s especially important at Animal Kingdom, where I’ve probably already eaten a giant meal at some point and I’m walking around in Florida heat.
I don’t always want something ridiculously heavy.
This gives me something sweet without making me feel like I need to lie down afterward.
And yes, it looks a little weird.
It’s Pandora.
It’s supposed to.
8. Fudge Brownie Mudslide – Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
Remember earlier when I said the Kitchen Sink is overhyped?
This is why.
If I’m sitting inside Beaches & Cream and I have the choice between participating in the spectacle of eating a Kitchen Sink or ordering the dessert I actually want to eat…
Give me the Fudge Brownie Mudslide.
It’s everything I want from an old-fashioned ice cream sundae: brownies, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and enough chocolate to make the entire thing completely ridiculous.
But unlike the Kitchen Sink, I don’t feel like the primary purpose is to prove that I can eat it.
I just get to enjoy a really freaking good sundae.
My friend will continue campaigning for the No Way José.
She’s welcome to it.
That means I don’t have to share my Mudslide.
7. Churro Sundae – La Hacienda de San Angel, EPCOT
This one absolutely needed to be on the list.
La Hacienda de San Angel was already one of those meals where I kept thinking, Wow. Everything we’ve ordered is really good.
And then dessert showed up.
The Churro Sundae takes something that’s already pretty hard to mess up—warm churros—and turns it into a full-blown dessert. You get that wonderful hot-and-cold combination with the churros and ice cream, plus all the sweet goodness that comes with a sundae.
It’s decadent.
It’s definitely not something you’re ordering because you want “just a little something sweet” after dinner.
But after an excellent meal at La Hacienda, this was such a fantastic way to finish.
And if you time your reservation so you’re eating here during the EPCOT fireworks?
Even better.
Great Mexican food, a ridiculous churro dessert, and fireworks over World Showcase Lagoon?
Yeah.
I can live with that.
6. Mickey Brownie Sundae – Hollywood Scoops, Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios has plenty of decent snacks.
But when we’re talking specifically about desserts?
This is the one.
The Mickey Brownie Sundae is exactly what I want a Disney dessert to be.
It’s big.
It’s chocolatey.
It’s covered in ice cream.
And it’s unapologetically Mickey Mouse.
I’ve already ranked this as one of my favorite Hollywood Studios snacks, and it absolutely deserves a spot here too.
This isn’t a sophisticated dessert.
Nobody is carefully plating a delicate quenelle of something next to it.
It’s a giant Disney sundae.
That’s the point.
And after spending hours walking around Hollywood Studios in the Florida heat, sitting down with one of these is pretty close to perfect.
5. Pineapple Crisp Sundae – Tamu Tamu Refreshments, Animal Kingdom
Here we go again with the pineapple.
I told you.
I have a problem.
The Pineapple Crisp Sundae at Tamu Tamu is basically what happens when someone takes several things I already love and decides to pile them all into one dessert.
You’ve got pineapple.
You’ve got soft serve.
You’ve got warm pineapple crisp.
You’ve got caramel.
I mean…
What exactly am I supposed to do with that?
Of course I’m ordering it.
What really makes this dessert work for me is the combination of temperatures and textures. You’ve got cold, creamy soft serve against the warm crisp, and then that caramel gets mixed into everything.
It’s sweet.
Very sweet.
But apparently my tolerance for sweetness increases dramatically when pineapple is involved.
This is easily one of my favorite things to eat at Animal Kingdom.
4. Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich – L’Artisan des Glaces, EPCOT
The France Pavilion is just unfair.
You have Les Halles sitting there tempting me with bread, pastries and macarons.
And then basically next door you’ve got L’Artisan des Glaces.
I don’t stand a chance.
The Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich is one of my favorite desserts in EPCOT because it manages to feel a little fancy while still basically being an ice cream sandwich.
That’s a combination I can get behind.
The macarons are chewy and delicate, the ice cream is creamy, and together they make something that’s completely different from the typical Disney sundae.
It’s also one of those desserts that feels very EPCOT to me.
I don’t want every dessert at Disney World to be shaped like Mickey Mouse or covered in sprinkles.
Sometimes I want to walk around the France Pavilion eating a giant macaron stuffed with ice cream.
Balance.
3. Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake – Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom
Okay.
If you’ve never had the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake at Liberty Tree Tavern, we need to talk.
Because the name is not overselling it.
This thing is ridiculous.
You’ve got warm toffee cake, ice cream and that gooey, sweet, caramel-y goodness all working together in one dessert.
And somehow, after eating an enormous Thanksgiving-style meal at Liberty Tree Tavern, I still find room for it.
That should tell you something.
Honestly, this is one of those Disney desserts where I’m not even particularly interested in moderation.
Do I need dessert after turkey, pot roast, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and everything else they just brought to the table?
Absolutely not.
Am I eating the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake anyway?
Obviously.
This is easily one of the best table-service desserts I’ve had anywhere at Disney World.
2. Mickey Beignets – Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
I stay at Port Orleans French Quarter partly because of these.
There.
I said it.
Obviously, that’s not the only reason. I love the resort anyway.
But having Mickey beignets approximately three minutes away from my hotel room certainly doesn’t hurt.
These are one of the very few Disney foods that I think are genuinely worth going out of your way to get.
They’re served hot and fresh, they’re light and pillowy inside, and they’re absolutely buried in powdered sugar.
And yes, you will get powdered sugar everywhere.
On your shirt.
On the table.
Probably on the person sitting next to you.
That’s part of the experience.
The fact that they’re shaped like Mickey makes them even better, but honestly, I’d love these even if they were boring little squares.
They’re just really freaking good beignets.
When I wrote my Best Disney World Snacks guide, I specifically limited it to the four theme parks because I haven’t eaten enough snacks at every Disney resort to rank resort snacks fairly.
But I still gave these a special shout-out.
Because leaving Mickey beignets completely out of a conversation about the best Disney food felt wrong.
This time?
They’re eligible.
And they sailed straight to #2.
1. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake – Aloha Isle, Magic Kingdom
Of course it is.
If you’ve read basically any of my Disney food posts at this point, you knew where this was going.
The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from Aloha Isle is my favorite snack at Disney World.
It’s my favorite Disney dessert.
And apparently it’s going to continue winning every competition I put it in until Disney invents something I like better.
I’m okay with that.
I already love pineapple upside-down cake.
Then Disney puts pineapple soft serve on top of it.
Come on.
The cake is sweet and moist, you get that caramelized pineapple flavor, and then the cold pineapple soft serve starts melting down into the warm cake.
That’s it.
I’m done.
I don’t need an elaborate presentation.
I don’t need an enormous sundae with 27 toppings.
I don’t even need Mickey ears.
Give me that little piece of pineapple cake with soft serve on top and find me somewhere to sit.
That’s my Disney dessert.
And yes, I know the classic Dole Whip gets all the attention.
I like Dole Whip too.
But if I’m standing at Aloha Isle and you’re making me choose?
I’m getting the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
Every.
Single.
Time.
And that’s my Top 15.
Are there more elaborate Disney desserts?
Absolutely.
Are there desserts that are more famous?
Yep.
Are people going to be personally offended that I left their beloved Crème Brûlée Croissant or I Lava You Float off the list?
Probably. 😂
But if you handed me my own money and told me I could go back to Disney World tomorrow and order whichever desserts I actually wanted?
These are the ones I’m eating.
Keep Planning Your Disney World Dining
If you’re anything like me, dessert is only part of the Disney food equation. I’ve eaten my way through a LOT of Disney World restaurants and snacks over the years, and these guides can help you figure out what else is actually worth your time (and money).
Best Disney World Table-Service Restaurants – If you’re trying to decide which dining reservations are actually worth making, start here.
Best Disney World Quick-Service Restaurants – My favorite places to grab a genuinely good meal without spending a big chunk of your park day at a sit-down restaurant.
Best Disney World Snacks – The sweet and savory snacks I’d happily order again, including several desserts that made this list.
Best Disney World Buffets – I rank Disney’s true buffets two different ways: by the quality of the food and by the overall dining experience.
Best Disney World Character Dining – Because sometimes you’re choosing a restaurant just as much for who’s coming to your table as you are for what’s on your plate.
