5 Dessert Bowl Ideas To Satisfy Your Sweet Snack Cravings

Though you may have seen colorful smoothie bowls fill your Instagram feed, a sweeter, more decadent version has come to the socials. Imagine an adult-sized trifle served in an aesthetically pleasing dish filled with the food items of your dreams. Any of the ingredients you would crave as an after-dinner treat are fair game: cakes, pudding, ice cream, frosting, cookies, homemade granola, fruits, cheeses, mousse, syrups, caramel, and honey. You get the idea.

We are not here to tell you what is right or wrong when it comes to your yum, but trial and error can help you decide what is too much when it comes to the contents of your dessert bowl. As with any recipe, the right balance of flavors can help establish equilibrium in the overall tasting experience, and it is helpful to consider both texture and taste as you dump items into a dish. 

For prep work, take the extra effort to cut cookies into presentable shapes, stock up on berries and fruits, and reach for fine ingredients as you begin to compile recipes. As tempting as it might be to go wild, think quality over quantity. Spare no shortcuts and use the bowls you reserve for guests, polish off your finest silver, and get ready to dig into the types of desserts fantasies are made of.

You'll need to make some boozy whipped cream for this one. Once you have your adult-intended sweet topping at the ready, you'll fill the pretty dish of your choice with the gelato of your choosing — we recommend vanilla, caramel, or coffee — then top off the scoop or two with crumbled cookies. Whether Girl Scout Samoas, homemade gingersnaps, or broken-up pieces of chewy vegan oatmeal cookies, let your cravings run this show. Then, with a cold treat and cookies as the foundation, add a spoonful of peaches fresh off the grill. For a final crowning finish, top this beauty with a dollop of that whisky-infused whipped cream, and you have yourself a delicious dish that won't be easy to set back down once you start digging in.

Let this serve as inspiration for you to modify this treat as your palate calls for. Toppings like powdered cinnamon and nutmeg, citrus peels or cubes of crystallized ginger, and dark chocolate shavings can be the fitting crown this treat needs.

If strawberry tiramisu is the caffeine-free dessert of your dreams, a dessert bowl inspired by the recipe is sure to hit all the right notes on your palate. Dessert bowls are equally pretty to look at and delicious to scoop into, and ones made with carefully sliced pieces of strawberries are gems for the Gram. Plus, not only can these dessert bowls perk up a night spent home alone on the couch, but the idea can make a fantastic DIY party bar as you set out bowls and items for your guests to assemble as they please. 

Pre-slice strawberries and squeeze a drizzle of lemon over them to preserve their freshness, then whip up some mascarpone whipped cream. You'll want to have ladyfingers at the ready. Whether you soak them in Amaretto or save the almond-flavored liqueur to drizzle over your plated assembly of sweets, this cute treat is one to add to a regular dessert rotation. For a fall version, channel the flavors of a no-cook pumpkin tiramisu recipe and modify ingredients to reflect the culinary trends of the current season.

The rich, milky flavors of hot chocolate don't need to stay in a mug. Carry your favorite wintery treat into a dessert bowl by layering chocolate cake or brownies, spoonfuls of rich chocolate pudding, and whipped topping crowned with a garnish of powdered cocoa and cacao pieces. Use your favorite instant hot cocoa mixes to blend smoothly with whipped cream or add a splash of bourbon to your pudding mixture to turn this treat into an adult-friendly dream. 

Add slices of bananas for a fresher variation on this decadent treat and season your dessert bowls to channel recipes of colder months with pumpkin pie spice, dashes of nutmeg, sprinkles of brown sugar, or cinnamon powder. Of course, mini marshmallows are as equally welcome on top of this bowl as they are on mugs of ultimate hot chocolate, and you can use vegan-friendly substitutes to cater to those with dietary restrictions by whipping up ingredients with almond, coconut, and oat milks instead of full-fledged dairy products. 

That light and fluffy angel food cake you whipped up from scratch serves as the perfect foundation for a dessert bowl that reimagines the flavors of pumpkin spice lattes into a satisfyingly chewy manifestation. Pack bowls with cubes of angel food cake before drizzling pumpkin puree over the pieces. You can grill buttered pieces of angel food cake for an added layer of sweet caramelized smoke, then crown your filled dishes with generous dollops of honey whipped cream. A warming touch of freshly ground pumpkin pie spice and smashed-up ginger cookies can be sprinkled on top of these pretty bowls to complete the presentation. 

Blend the pumpkin puree with maple syrup for a sweeter version, or consider drizzling spoonfuls of sweetened condensed milk or caramel over these delicious dessert bowls for a satisfying treat that warrants a place in your year-round dessert rotation. Whether served to dinner party guests or enjoyed with a latte for a mid-afternoon boost, this is the kind of treat that is guaranteed to put smiles on faces.

If you have perfected making Kit Kat candy bars from scratch or can't leave the house without stashing your own homemade 3 Musketeers into your pocket, this is the kind of decadent dessert bowl that is meant for you. Fill your dessert dishes with the ice cream flavors of your choosing — coffee ice cream, Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, or a 4-ingredient peanut butter ice cream, then crumble chocolate pieces and toasted nuts that are found in your favorite candy bars. Desiccated coconut can channel the taste of Almond Joy bars, and drizzles of peanut butter or almond butter can turn your dessert bowl into a Snickers-inspired treat. You can even break up actual candy bars and crumble the pieces on top of your bowls for added texture.

Chocolate and caramel sauce, pieces of Oreo cookies, and sprinkles of crunchy sea salt will transform a typical bowl of ice cream or gelato into a crunchy treat that converts your favorite sweet snacks into a whole new eating experience. Consider this your permission to let your cravings run wild. You can't go wrong with this one.