18 Magnolia Bakery India Menu Items We'd Love To Try In The US

When Magnolia Bakery first opened its doors in the West Village in 1996, few would have imagined that Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City" would one day stroll through the same doors in search of a frosted pink cupcake. The bakery's meteoric success has since blurred boundaries and reached across the globe, from Dubai to the Philippines. After decades of wondering what the hype was all about, I finally found answers when it made its way over to Indian shores in 2019.

However, answers weren't the only thing I sought within its minty interiors. The brand has introduced several new items on the menu to meet the demands of the local palate. Its tres leches is infused with inventive flavors like banana milk and saffron. As a form of respect for India's vegetarian population — currently the largest in the world — an expansive range of eggless treats has also been devised solely for the country. That said, you'll also find whimsical and familiar favorites, like gooey skillet cookies and bars loaded with brownies and whipped cream.

I sampled some of Magnolia Bakery India's offerings and assessed their flavor, texture, and the freshness of their ingredients. If you have visiting India penciled on your bucket list, these desserts from Magnolia Bakery will make for the perfect way to end any food marathon.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

After years of hearing friends and loved ones wax lyrical about Magnolia Bakery in New York, I feel a well-justified sense of vindication as I pry the mint green lid off the classic banana pudding bowl. What follows is a sense of curiosity: Would the eggless iteration of this world-famous dessert have my stateside cousins crying into their pillow at night?

The bakery's banana pudding, which surprisingly features an instant vanilla pudding mix, is known for being whipped and swirled, and these words flash across my brain in neon letters as I close my eyes and take a minute to savor the marshmallow-soft texture. Great care has been taken to ensure that the banana remains the star of this show, and the natural sweetness of the fruit means that I can help myself to large spoonfuls without feeling like my taste buds are drowning in a saccharine bath.

The banana pudding may serve as Magnolia Bakery's golden goose, but the classic tres leches enjoys a cult-like reputation in the country — especially after it was name-checked by popular Indian actress Alia Bhatt. It comes as little surprise, then, that the bakery found itself inundated with requests for an eggless iteration.

Tres leches refers to the three types of milk that this dessert is made with — namely, evaporated, condensed, and whole milk. Over at Magnolia Bakery, the recipe remains similar to the original Latin American version. My spoon sinks through the sponge cake with barely a whisper, a testament to its softness despite the lack of eggs. There is a dollop of whipped cream at the top, studded with a single blueberry, which tempers the sweetness of the cake and the condensed milk for a pleasing aftertaste.

The classic tres leches serves as a willing canvas for a carousel of flavors, from saffron to salted caramel. In its newest iteration, the dessert appears to have borrowed its homework from its famous neighbor: the banana pudding.

The result is an unexpected mélange of flavors. Instead of the traditional cake I expected, I discovered a banana-flavored sponge that eagerly mops up the banana milk it is bathed in. At first read, it may sound like one too many bananas to be sandwiched into one dessert pitch, but the final effect works. A caramelized banana slice was perched atop the signature dollop of whipped cream, and when all the layers are consumed together, they almost dissolve into one mellifluous mass.

Maximalists will want to proceed with caution beyond this point: The eggless chocolate cupcake is not given to frills and fancies — a handful of chocolate cake crumbs on the top replace gimmicky sprinkles. But as I watched it standing tall and proud, it strikes me as the culinary equivalent of a white tee and jeans — the kind that doesn't need to be dressed up with a fancy watch or shoes to make an impression.

This confidence is not misplaced. Despite the lack of eggs, the cupcake was delightfully spongy and moist, with no signs of dryness. Together with the rich swirl of buttercream and the chocolate crumbs adding a hint of textural contrast, it will surely earn a callback from any chocolate enthusiast.

The first two words of this dessert's name also double up as a crucial disclaimer: Only the most ardent chocolate lovers will be able to find their way to the bottom of this heavily loaded dessert jar. If the chocolate cupcake is a no-frills minimalist dream, this gargantuan dessert zags in the completely opposite direction.

A chocolate cookie is stationed atop generous scoops of chocolate ice cream that taste more like a velvety frozen mousse. Subsequent spoonfuls helped me discover chunks of double fudge brownies lying on a bed of whipped cream. When I ended the meal, I was surprised that not one element was lost or jostling for attention, each managed to make a memorable impression despite sharing a crowded marquee.

I braved this loaded jar after an intentionally light breakfast, but one glance at this towering concoction had me wishing I had opted for looser sweatpants as well. A mason jar stacked high with strawberry-themed treats was delivered gingerly to my table, and I paused — unsure of where to begin. Not only was I entranced by the roasted strawberries drizzled with syrup, but also by the red velvet crinkles that seemed worthy of exploration. 

I spent the next half-hour discovering what the jar had to offer within. There are fresh cherries slyly tucked away and waiting to be uncovered, but you have to first work your way through mounds of strawberry ice cream and pillowy whipped cream. This loaded jar is not meant for casual post-meal nibbles, but if you are willing to come with a hearty appetite, it makes for the perfect antidote to the summer heat.

Magnolia Bakery's cookies need no introduction: Each bite is a buttery, chewy indulgence. But perhaps sensing the urgency to sample these fresh from the oven, the bakery has served up the next best thing: a gooey chocolate cookie delivered on a cast-iron skillet.

Despite nursing singed fingers from the latter, there was no stopping me from digging in. The spoon cracked the surface of the baked cookie with an almost inaudible crunch, which gave way to a gooey, melt-in-your-mouth mass. The scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips pull off admirable cameos, but it is the crunchy-yet-chewy texture that is going to keep me up at night.

Giving the skillet handle a wide berth — once burned, twice shy, or whatever the cool kids call it these days — my spoon sank sumptuously into the double fudge brownie skillet as soon as it arrived at the table. There are some chocolate chips and a scoop of ice cream, but I have few memories of either.

Instead, my attention was held captive by the fudge-like texture of the brownie, which resembles a deliciously underbaked cookie against the canvas of the heated skillet. There was a guilty pleasure here — akin to sticking my finger into the dough as a kid when my mother was looking the other way — that will surely have me coming back for seconds.

Cookie lovers will seldom tire of Magnolia Bakery's menu, and I discovered concrete proof of this hypothesis with the sea salt caramel cookie skillet. Salted caramel is one of its tres leches flavors, and it has seemingly set up camp on the skillet menu.

This cookie iteration features caramel sauce drizzled over a chocolate chunk skillet cookie, kissed by a touch of sea salt. The toffee-like texture of the caramel makes for a gooey indulgence, while the chocolate chunks add greater dimension to the flavor. As I leisurely enjoyed subsequent bites, the salted caramel ice cream melted over the cookie crust to form a toe-curling mix of textures and temperatures.

As the kadayif craze sweeps through Dubai's culinary scene — even triggering an international shortage of pistachio kernels — Indian lovers of the dessert are only too glad to get their hands on the trend in the form of a layered parfait.

Kadayif refers to shredded, vermicelli-like dough that is commonly paired with pistachio. In Magnolia Bakery's take on this popular Middle Eastern dessert, all elements come together to form a harmonious ensemble. First, there is the kadayif: finely roasted and adding a satisfying crunch to the layers of pistachio pudding waiting underneath. As I dug deeper into the cup, I found a spongy, intense chocolate cake that makes for the most delightful dance partner, with the nutty pistachio kernels punctuating every bite.

Ardent dessert lovers tend to proceed with caution when they hear the word "eggless" prefixing a cheesecake. Would the lack of eggs create issues with the texture? Would the cheesecake taste serviceably fine but lack that velvety creaminess? As I carefully bit into the eggless blueberry cheesecake topped with berry compote, any misgivings were quickly washed away.

There was a generous amount of blueberry compote on the top, which meant I wasn't spooning through bland mouthfuls of cream cheese in a bid to reach the center. Instead, the delightfully tangy flavor struck a balance against the creaminess of the vanilla bean filling in every spoonful. The biscuit layer is usually an afterthought in most cheesecakes, but the crumbly base managed to hold its own. It's buttery without ever gluing itself to the back of my teeth — a major win.

From being sent as a coronation gift to King George VI in 1937 to serving as the lynchpin of a trade deal between the United States and India – the country's famous mangos in exchange for Harley-Davidson bikes — it is safe to say that this fruit has a devout group of followers in India. Bakeries can't get away with simply scooping mango puree on desserts in summer and calling it a day. The color, the aroma, and the flavor intensity are all inspected with the discernment typically reserved for young Hollywood royalty descendin the staircase at the debutante ball in Paris.

When I opened the box of the eggless mango jamboree, the texture appeared fragile, but the mango compote earned a reverential nod from my nitpicky palate. Fresh, sweet, and the perfect hue of sunset: check, check, and check. And that's not all there is to celebrate about this eggless creation, either. The pecan shortbread crust makes for a welcome departure from the biscuity base I was expecting. The delightful crunch of the base after the silken smoothness of the cream cheese filling offered a memorable ending.

There's a certain earthy "oatiness" to the taste of oat milk that can be sweet for some people and off-putting for others. If you are in the latter camp, this oat milk peach latte is made for you. The oat milk is light to sip on and has a watery texture akin to skimmed milk. 

The strong wake-up scent of coffee hit my nose when I first peered inside the bottle, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sweet, juicy notes of peach were dominant here. If I hadn't read the order receipt, I would have sworn that I was drinking peach milk. At the time of writing this, unseasonal rains have been pounding my windows for a week, and there seem to be few better ways to savor the cozy weather than to sip on the taste of sweet, sweet nostalgia of this peach-spiked latte.

Eggs are far from a casual bystander in the world of cheesecakes. Their thickening properties mean that they are forever ready to roll up their sleeves and take on the tough task of binding ingredients together to keep desserts from falling apart. As I lifted the lid of the eggless caramel pecan cheesecake, I knew it had big shoes — or yolks? — to fill. 

Inside, a vanilla bean cheesecake waits with a metaphorical eyebrow raised. The challenge is silent but tangible: Would I wait for the formality of fetching a spoon or just stick one finger into the caramel drizzling temptingly down the sides? I lost the challenge, but the payoff is instant and delicious. The caramel is silky-smooth and immensely satisfying. When I did finally fetch a spoon and sliced through all the layers together, I found the caramel sauce worked harmoniously with the vanilla bean cheesecake — an experience made even better when I reached the pecans studding the center.

From Turkey to Qatar, Magnolia Bakery's sticky toffee date pudding has found fans wherever it goes. And given the popularity of dates in India — a fact proven by our status as one of the largest importers of the fruit in the world — it aligns seamlessly with Magnolia Bakery's offerings for the country.

I would dial the bakery's number for the best buttercream cake in town. But I may have been sleeping on its other desserts. This sticky toffee pudding featured a toffee-like slab, glistening with an orange glaze that should be bottled and sold on its own.

The texture of the sponge cake is unimaginably soft, and my spoon sliced through without any resistance, picking up delightfully malleable chunks of dates along the way. The notion of pairing dates and toffee together might sound like sweetness overload on paper, but the wise choice of the caramelized orange glaze makes for a balanced flavor profile that I am keen to revisit.

In case it hasn't been established already: Indians tend to be nitpicky about their mangoes. The name of the mango milk drink gives little away — should I be expecting a tropical milkshake or a lighter mango-flavored milk? The bakery sets up camp between the two ends of the spectrum with a vanilla-flavored beverage that puts this "king of fruits" at the forefront.

The mango milk drink arrived in a milkman-style bottle that feels extremely generous for one serving — but the leftovers make for a welcome sight when I am padding over to the pantry for a midnight snack run. The fresh, fruity notes of mango are unleashed with full force here, but there is also a creamy vanilla taste that makes this drink the perfect ending to a summer meal.

Even though strawberry season is fleeting in India, the taste of roasted strawberries lives on in the Magnolia Bakery menu with an ice cream and milk drink. My curiosity was piqued when I saw this roasted strawberry drink on the menu. 

The tart taste of roasted strawberries made its presence known, but my attention was captured by the irresistible creaminess of the milk, which never felt heavy. The strawberry chunks are a welcome surprise that I discovered with subsequent sips, and the size is generous enough for me to save a little bit to beat that mid-afternoon work slump.

The eggless mango jamboree left me wanting more of the fruity compote, and the mango pudding parfait puts that complaint to bed. Fluffy dollops of whipped cream are punctuated with generous lashings of fresh mango compote — the word "fresh" is not one I use lightly here.

Most mango lovers in India can smell bottled mango concentrate from a mile away, but the zesty chunks in this compote offer a freshness that I would usually only expect if I were out plucking mangoes from my family's orchard. Coconut shavings christen the top of the whipped cream, adding a woody dimension to all the sweetness that lies within, making this the perfect way to end a tiring day.

There is a certain threshold beyond which all desserts can start to taste the same. To ensure that each dessert and beverage I sampled from Magnolia Bakery could stand out on its own merit, I spread the tastings out over several days and at different times of the day. 

The desserts that made this list offered great flavors and textures. Freshness was also a factor for desserts that included local ingredients, like mangoes. My favorite desserts balanced their inherent sweetness with an unexpected depth, making them worth revisiting.