Holidays & Occasions Easter 25 Last-Minute Easter Desserts That Will Save the Day By Southern Living Editors Updated on January 26, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Mama's got the ham, Grandma's bringing the rolls, and your sisters are bringing the scalloped potatoes and asparagus salad. Who's in charge of dessert? Looks like it's you! Before you break out the chocolate bunnies, take a look at these simple and beautiful recipes. These last-minute Easter desserts come together with a minimum of time and fuss and will end your meal on a sweet note—no raiding the kids' Easter baskets necessary. We pulled together our best—and easiest—Easter desserts for when you're short on time but still want to impress a crowd. (Which is always, right?) From Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie to Coconut-Banana Pudding, these desserts are extra-easy and designed to impress. Plus, they all have short prep times, leaving plenty of time for you to worry about those finishing touches. We've got Mini Confetti Cakes that start with boxed cake mix and Bird's Nest Cookies that come together in just 15 minutes. These Easter desserts won't just save the day—they'll steal the show. The Easter bunny might just be dropping by your house to get a taste of these confections. 01 of 25 Bird's Nest Cookies Joy Howard You only need 15 minutes to whip up a batch of these festive, seasonal treats. Even better, little bunnies can pitch in with this easy recipe. 02 of 25 Strawberry-Pretzel Icebox Pie Jennifer Davick Turn to icebox pies when you're short on time and need a dessert to feed a crowd. This one, with its creamy, light pink strawberry filling, will look right at home on your Easter table. 03 of 25 Easter Rice Krispies Treats Micah A. Leal Commission the kids to help toss together these festive Rice Krispies Treats. To make these treats perfectly egg shaped use those plastic eggs you just have lying about. 04 of 25 Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas This sheet cake was made to impress. What makes it even more impressive is that it travels well and is ready in under three hours. 05 of 25 Coconut-Banana Pudding Hector Manuel Sanchez This big-batch recipe serves 16 people—perfect for a large Easter gathering, and it can be made in advance. A touch of coconut extract in the homemade custard adds a tropical vibe to this classic Southern dessert. 06 of 25 Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting Hector Manuel Sanchez Cupcakes are a favorite for birthdays and other family celebrations. They work just as well for an Easter meal, especially when topped with lemony buttercream in pretty pastel shades. 07 of 25 Hummingbird Bundt Cake Jennifer Davick Want the drama of a cake without having to frost all those layers? Slice up this tempting bundt cake and enjoy the best of both worlds. We turned our legendary Hummingbird Cake into a easy-to-make bundt, complete with a rich cream cheese glaze. 08 of 25 Mini Confetti Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This recipe truly is a piece of cake. Simply use boxed cake mix according to package directions and whip up some whipped cream. It's that easy! 09 of 25 Easter Birds' Nest Coconut Cupcakes Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox An upgrade from boxed cake mix, these cupcakes are as eye-catching as they are delicious. The coconut cream cheese frosting, however, is what really steals the show. 10 of 25 Strawberry Icebox Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Construct this five-ingredient icebox cake the morning of your Easter celebration and let it chill during the church services. It's pretty in pink thanks to the strawberry jam in the whipped cream mixture. 11 of 25 White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Micah A. Leal Keep it simple at this year's Easter celebration with fresh fruit and chocolate. You can never go wrong with this winning combination. 12 of 25 Peach Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox When in doubt, break out the trifle glass. That's Grandma's rule, not just ours. This spoonable dessert is fresh and satisfying and requires just 20 minutes of hands-on time. 13 of 25 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel No time to bake a cheesecake? Make these easy-to-transport cheesecake cookies. 14 of 25 Carrot Cake Cookies Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin These cookies have all the charm of carrot cake in a convenient, hand-held package. They also take a little over an hour to put together, and we can't say that about a layered carrot cake. 15 of 25 Cathedral Window Cookies Zoe Denenberg, Styling: Rachel Mulcahy No baking is required to throw together these pretty Cathedral Window Cookies. Be sure to use colored marshmallows to achieve that stained glass effect. 16 of 25 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez Make the most of sweet spring strawberries with this slice-and-serve sheet cake. The cake is made with chopped berries (and strawberry-flavored gelatin, for that bold pink hue) and the creamy frosting is also full of sweet berries. 17 of 25 Icebox Cheesecake This easy recipe is just as easy to make as those no-bake cheesecake box mixes, and tastes ten times as good. Top with fresh berries or your favorite sliced fruit. 18 of 25 Ambrosia Bark Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Whether you believe ambrosia is a salad or the ultimate dessert, we can all agree that this easy Ambrosia Bark is sure to be a hit. We used dried fruits so that this bark can last for up to one week in the fridge. 19 of 25 Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox No time to execute a full Hummingbird Layer Cake? Opt for these cute cupcakes instead. 20 of 25 Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox These Cornflake Cookies are a classic for a reason. The best part is that you probably already have all the ingredients to make them at home! 21 of 25 Eclair Cake Molly Bolton/Southern Living Would you believe us if we told you this pretty cake is actually no bake? Well, it is! We rely on graham crackers and pudding to make the tender layers in this cake. 22 of 25 Peach Delight Photographer: Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman Peaches are just about to come into season, so why not start off the season with delicious, springy treat. A homemade whipped cream cheese mixture is easy to make and sets this apart from other simple desserts. 23 of 25 Mint Oreo Truffles Jessica Furniss This oreo treat is a sweet mix of fudgey chocolate and mint flavor just like it's not-so-distant relative, Grasshopper Pie. These truffles take less than an hour to make, and everyone will want at least one on their dessert plate. 24 of 25 Peach Fried Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Do you know the secret of these Fried Pies? It's store-bought biscuit dough. Sometimes store-bought really is just fine. 25 of 25 Strawberry Cheesecake Bites Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn These little bites taste a whole lot like cheesecake, but they come together in a lot less time. Get everyone involved by letting your kids crush up graham crackers for the topping. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit