MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY MERRIER WITH OUR BEST NO-BAKE CHRISTMAS DESSERTS
The Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. Between shopping for the perfect gifts for loved ones, coordinating travel plans and holiday party schedules, wading through crowds to enjoy all the best seasonal attractions, and cooking and organizing festive feasts, the last thing that should be adding stress to your life is dessert. There’s a time and place for multi-layered, sculpted cakes—if you’ve got the bandwidth for that this holiday season, I commend you (and wouldn’t mind an invite to the party)—but, if you ask me, no-bake desserts are the way to go for the holidays. Fun, festive, and perfect for freeing up space in the oven, these 42 no-bake Christmas desserts are the best way to spread all the holiday cheer.
We're bringing all of the classic Christmas flavors—hot chocolate, tiramisu, gingerbread, peppermint, and more—in creative and festive preparations. Try our hot cocoa fluff, our tiramisu truffles, our gingerbread cookie bark, or our peppermint bark. We also took considerable inspiration from our favorite holiday movies. Pair our Buddy The Elf cookies, our Reese’s Rudolph bites, or our Grinchy Christmas cake bites with our favorite flicks.
Whatever no-bake desserts you choose this Christmas, you're sure to be glad you did. Looking for more inspiration? Check out our Christmas treats and 10-ingredient holiday party desserts.
Hot Cocoa Fluff
This sweet, creamy hot cocoa fluff is the perfect party dip that’s the best of both worlds. It has all the chocolatey, marshmallowy goodness of a cup of hot chocolate, plus it’s the perfect dip for all your favorite dippers. It’s topped with swoops of whipped cream, a shower of mini marshmallows, and sprinkles, if you're feeling fancy.
Get the Hot Cocoa Fluff recipe.
Chocolate Truffles
Dessert truffles are not only a chocolate lover's dream, but they're also completely customizable and so easy to make. Set them out at your holiday dinner, or make them for the sweetest homemade gift to give to loved ones and neighbors.
Get the Chocolate Truffles recipe.
Hot Chocolate Fudge
We use hot chocolate mix, sweetened condensed milk, semisweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips to create this fudge—that’s it! This hot chocolate fudge is not only a perfect treat to snack on during the winter season, but makes for an adorable food gift for friends and family.
Get the Hot Chocolate Fudge recipe.
12 Layers Of Christmas Trifle
This stunning layered Christmas trifle features buttery pound cake, cranberry compote, and homemade whipped cream for a centerpiece-worthy holiday dessert. Not only does it look amazing, but it’s also incredibly easy to make thanks to using store-bought pound cake.
Get the 12 Layers Of Christmas Trifle recipe.
Reese’s Rudolph Bites
If you need the perfect holiday snack (and craft!) to get the entire family in the holiday spirit, then these Rudolph Reese's bites are just the thing. With only a handful of ingredients, this holiday treat is guaranteed to get everyone involved in the reindeer games this year.
Get the Reese’s Rudolph Bites recipe.
Melted Snowman Cookie Dough Bites
You know how they always describe Frosty the Snowman: a corncob pipe, a button nose, two eyes made out of coal, white chocolate ganache, and a Rolo as a little hat. Well, at least that's how I'd describe this holiday treat.
Get the Melted Snowman Cookie Dough Bites recipe.
Espresso Martini Icebox Cake
Our espresso martini icebox cake has layers of chocolate graham crackers, coffee chocolate ganache, and espresso whipped cream stacked in a loaf pan and chilled until set and sliceable. The top is decorated with cocoa powder and chocolate-covered espresso beans for an added crunch and a hint of the flavors hiding inside.
Get the Espresso Martini Icebox Cake recipe.
Christmas Fudge
With its deep chocolate flavor and melt-in-your-mouth smoothness, our quick and easy Christmas fudge reminds us of why we're still in love with fudge. To make it, all you need are a few simple ingredients: chocolate, condensed milk, some butter, vanilla, and salt.
Get the Christmas Fudge recipe.
Eggnog Truffles
If you don’t want a glass of eggnog but love the idea of its flavors—cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cream wrapped in white chocolate—then you’re gonna love these white chocolate truffles.
Get the Eggnog Truffles recipe.
Grinchy Christmas Cake Bites
Even the Grinch himself couldn’t resist these adorable Christmas cake bites—they're guaranteed to make your heart grow three sizes. This festive twist on classic cake bites is the perfect combination of rich red velvet and the mischievous charm of the Grinch.
Get the Grinchy Christmas Cake Bites recipe.
Creampuff Wreath
We love the success stories of our pull-apart breads and showstopping holiday desserts, so we’re turning the spotlight on a new Christmas dessert this year: a store-bought cream puff-turned-wreath. The excitement and ease of this recipe come from purchasing your favorite brand of cream puffs and dunking them into white chocolate
Get the Creampuff Wreath recipe.
Milk ‘N’ Cookies Icebox Cake
A nostalgic childhood favorite, milk and cookies just might be the most classic combination. You can enjoy them all on your own, Santa Claus style, or you can make this show-stopping icebox cake—which only requires cookies, heavy cream, cream cheese, and powdered sugar—instead.
Get the Milk ‘N’ Cookies Icebox Cake recipe.
Christmas Tree Churros
Frying churros into these festive little trees will be sure to lift your (holiday) spirits. To make these Christmas tree churros, I used our classic churro recipe. After tracing out your circles and piping over them, all you have to do is fry them up, roll them in cinnamon sugar, and cover them in ganache and sprinkles.
Get the Christmas Tree Churros recipe.
Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites
We're obsessed with this holiday treat for two reasons: 1) It’s ridiculously cute and 2) ridiculously simple. All you need are 3 ingredients—store-bought cheesecake, whipped cream, and strawberries—and 10 minutes to create this adorable holiday dessert.
Get the Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites recipe.
Gingerbread Truffles
Goodbye gingerbread cookies—these gingerbread truffles are what we’ll be serving, giving, and devouring all season long. These truffles are loaded with gingerbread flavor that instantly warms you to the core, and they’re rolled in crushed gingersnaps for a zippy ginger bite and a pleasingly crunchy texture.
Get the Gingerbread Truffles recipe.
Reese’s Trees
In true Delish fashion, these Reese's trees couldn't be simpler to create. All you need are both sizes of Reese's peanut butter cups (regular and mini), melted chocolate to act as your glue, a Hershey's kiss as a tree topper, and sprinkles and icing for decorating.
Get the Reese’s Trees recipe.
Elf On The Shelf Mischief Munch
Finally catch that Elf on the Shelf in the midst of his crazy antics with this no-bake mischief munch. Trust me—he won't be able to resist this sweet mischief munch with marshmallows, candy, chocolate, and three types of crunchy cereal.
Get the Elf On The Shelf Mischief Munch recipe.
Oh Fudge, Fudge
Watching A Christmas Story is a yearly tradition for many families, and movie night isn’t complete without eating on-theme Christmas treats. This eye-catching fudge gets its stunning look from its white chocolate-cherry flavor and "Oh Fudge" stamp.
Get the Oh Fudge, Fudge recipe.
Gingerbread Cookie Bark
Congratulations, you've stumbled upon the perfect recipe for your holiday season. An amalgamation of all the festive holiday flavors, this bark blends white chocolate with all your favorite holiday spices. It is topped with gingerbread cookies to create a simple yet delightful treat.
Get the Gingerbread Cookie Bark recipe.
Reindeer Berry Snacks
With pretzel antlers, a red M&M for a nose, chocolate chip ears, and candy eyes, these easy-to-make berries just might be the cutest Christmas snack we’ve ever laid eyes—er, candy eyes—on.
Get the Reindeer Berry Snacks recipe.
Triple-Chocolate Trifle
This triple-chocolate trifle is nothing less than a showstopper. While it may look difficult to achieve, it’s actually relatively simple to make (& adapt!). It’s a great no-bake dessert for larger celebrations and dinner parties—almost every aspect of this dessert can be made ahead of time, and will only get better as time goes on.
Get the Triple-Chocolate Trifle recipe.
Cookie Butter Truffles
If you love those little packs of Biscoff cookies you get on some flights, you’ll go crazy for these cookie butter truffles. Dipped in white chocolate and drizzled with cookie butter, these four-ingredient treats are bringing big cookie butter flavor in a classy, small bite, just in time for the holidays.
Get the Cookie Butter Truffles recipe.
Mini No-Bake Gingersnap Cakes
For this recipe, everything is scaled down to create individually sized icebox cakes using thin gingersnaps full of warm spices, cool cream, and adorable charm. The sturdy filling is a blend of cream cheese and whipped cream flavored with a hint of caramel and pumpkin pie spice to keep it from tasting one-note or dairy-heavy.
Get the Mini No-Bake Gingersnap Cakes recipe.
Fantasy Fudge
Fantasy Fudge is a shortcut fudge that is just as good as the real thing. Our two favorite things about it are that 1) it's quick to make and 2) it's totally customizable! Not only can you use any chocolate you like, but you can also choose whatever mix-ins you want.
Get the Fantasy Fudge recipe.
Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip
This delightfully festive dip has all the warm, spiced flavors of your favorite holiday cookies transformed into a fluffy and light spread for gingerbread cookies, graham crackers, or pretzels. A mashup of gingerbread and creamy cheesecake, this is a great alternative holiday dessert to serve for your next party!
Get the Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip recipe.
Cannoli Icebox Cake
With the not-too-sweet creamy filling inside a crispy shell, cannoli are a nearly perfect dessert. Making your own is a fun project, but it can be a little time-consuming, and frying the shells can be intimidating. This easy cake is a great alternative.
Get the Cannoli Icebox Cake recipe.
No-Bake Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
Buckeyes are a beloved truffle made of a rich peanut butter filling and dipped in chocolate. This no-bake cheesecake might be even easier. Instead of individually hand-dipping each buckeye, you get to cut squares of peanut cheesecake with a crunchy chocolate crust and a snappy chocolate top.
Get the No-Bake Buckeye Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Puppy Chow
Whatever you call it—puppy chow, muddy buddies—one thing is for certain: This creation is one of the easiest, most satisfying party favors. With only a handful of ingredients, this peanut butter-chocolate dessert comes together in under 20 minutes, making it the easiest dessert or party snack for your holiday dinner celebration, game day dessert, or party potluck.
Get the Puppy Chow recipe.
Tiramisu Dip
What do you do when you’re craving tiramisu, but you don’t have the time or patience to chill it for hours? Enter tiramisu dip. It’s got all the right flavors—creamy mascarpone, rich espresso, and a generous dusting of cocoa powder—and it comes together in just 10 minutes.
Get the Tiramisu Dip recipe.
No-Bake Banana Caramel Pecan Pie
When it comes to old-school desserts, banana cream pie and pecan pie are always at the top of the list. If you’re torn between which dessert should be the centerpiece of your holiday table, why not combine them? This pie pairs pecans in a sticky caramel, layered with bananas, and topped with a light and fluffy vanilla cream filling.
Get the No-Bake Banana Caramel Pecan Pie recipe.
Brigadeiros
Many a Brazilian birthday party has a dessert table that features these fudgy, sprinkle-covered truffles, and it's pretty clear why. They’re delicious, adorable, addictive, and would disappear in seconds!
Get the Brigadeiros recipe.
Rice Krispies Snowballs
Rice Krispies Snowballs are the perfect holiday treat. Super easy to make and filled with mini Reese's make them extra fun. Just make sure to let the Rice Krispies cool until they are easy enough to handle!
Get the Rice Krispies Snowballs recipe.
Chocolate Fluffernutter Pie
This recipe is an upgraded no-bake peanut butter pie. Instead of topping it with traditional whipped cream (which would still be totally delicious), we made a very quick and easy marshmallow whipped cream.
Get the Chocolate Fluffernutter Pie recipe.
Peppermint Bark
If you've never made peppermint bark at home before, now is the time to start. This holiday treat couldn't be easier to make: with just a few ingredients, you can make a batch with only 10 minutes of prep time.
Get the Peppermint Bark recipe.
Frozen Fudge
This fudge is perfect whether you're a fan of the movie franchise or just love the winter wonderland outside. Use whatever winter-y sprinkles you can find
Get the Frozen Fudge recipe.
No-Bake Whipped Ricotta Cheesecake
"No-bake" and "whipped" in the same recipe name as "cheesecake"? Sure! This may be the anomaly to cheesecake, but I promise it’s one of the best. The whipped ricotta and mascarpone combination, lightened with whipped cream, is quite dreamy, and the no-bake crust is made of your favorite airline snack: Biscoff cookies.
Get the No-Bake Whipped Ricotta Cheesecake recipe.
Mint Chocolate Chip Pie
This no-bake pie tastes just like the beloved ice cream flavor. The cream cheese, mint, and chocolate filling sits inside a delectable Oreo crust for the perfect no-bake pie.
Get the Mint Chocolate Chip Pie recipe.
Milano Reindeer Cookies
Milano cookies get a Christmas reindeer makeover with pretzels, candy eyes, and a red M&M nose. It's the easiest holiday treat you'll ever make—and it's guaranteed to be delish.
Get the Milano Reindeer Cookies recipe.
Buckeyes
Loaded with peanut butter and dipped in chocolate, these buckeyes are basically a homemade Reese’s peanut butter cup in truffle form. They’re easy to make and great for taking to parties—although if you do, you should probably attach a warning label to the plate. You won’t be able to have just one.
Get the Buckeyes recipe.
Oreo Truffles
If you’re looking for an easy alternative to chocolate truffles, then these Oreo truffles are the answer. They only require a handful of ingredients and a little over an hour to make, making them a perfect last-minute holiday dessert or homemade gift for a friend, and they are an ideal make-ahead dessert for any party.
Get the Oreo Truffles recipe.
Buddy The Elf Cookies
If you're going to emulate Buddy's spaghetti breakfast, you might as well make it actually edible (and delish). These no-bake cookies are the perfect treat and include all the main food groups. We love taking these to cookie exchanges to change things up!
Get the Buddy The Elf Cookies recipe.
Tiramisu Truffles
Craving a sweet pick-me-up at the end of a meal? These tiramisu truffles are for you. Luscious espresso and mascarpone white chocolate ganache is coated in a crisp chocolate shell for a dreamy bite-sized dessert that’s sure to delight every coffee lover.
Get the Tiramisu Truffles recipe.
