Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes 43 Potluck Desserts That Travel Well and Feed a Crowd These easy-to-make treats are also easy to portion and serve for parties. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 29, 2024 Close Potluck parties are a fun opportunity to get together with family and friends—and a chance for everyone to share a dish they love. Whether you're hosting a party or have been asked to bring something sweet, our potluck dessert collection will provide plenty of inspiration. All these crowd-friendly desserts, like cupcakes, cookies, and sheet cakes, are delicious and travel well. We favor desserts made in individual portions, such as cookies and cupcakes, or ones that can be easily portioned out—think bar cookies, sheet cakes, and Bundts—so there is less to fuss over at the last minute. We have included a few easy treats, like fruit crisps, that you could scoop and serve at the party. Whichever recipe you choose, it's sure to be the star of the potluck dessert table. Our 32 Best Party-Ready Recipes for Any Occasion 01 of 43 Carrot Cake Cupcakes Yossy Arefi Your favorite cake but in mini form. These cupcakes are moist, sweet, lightly spiced, studded with golden raisins, and finished with the classic cream cheese frosting. View Recipe 02 of 43 Big-Batch Triple-Chocolate Brownie Bars Marcus Nilsson An absolute winner, these bars score for taste and ease and can be made ahead and frozen—so you can prep them when you have time, pop them in the freezer, and pull them out for the potluck. Oh, did we mention the recipe makes a lot? Just right for your potluck. View Recipe 03 of 43 Peach-Pie Crumble Bars Bryan Gardner A most delicious hybrid of peach pie and crumble bars, these are a treat for any potluck when peaches are in season. They have a press-in shortbread crust for ease. View Recipe 04 of 43 Peanut Butter Cookies Grant Webster If you need a quick and easy dessert for the potluck, make these classic peanut butter cookies. They take about 15 minutes to make and 12 to bake—and use just a few basic ingredients. View Recipe 05 of 43 Coconut-Pecan Tart Dana Gallagher It tastes like the best candy bar you've ever eaten, and it's easy to make. Those are just two reasons you'll want to make this elegant gluten-free tart for a potluck. It has a no-bake, press-in crust made with coconut and almond flour, so you don't need to roll out or blind bake. The filling is an irresistible combination of butter, sugar, cream, and condensed milk with semisweet chocolate and pecans. View Recipe 06 of 43 Chocolate-Zucchini Sheet Cake With Cream-Cheese Frosting Ryan Liebe Sheet cakes are easy to make, travel well, and feed a crowd, so they're one of our favorite potluck desserts. This moist sheet cake has a chocolate base enhanced with grated zucchini, and it's topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. View Recipe 07 of 43 Vegan Blueberry Crisp Bryan Gardner Whether they are vegan or not, everyone will enjoy this dairy-free delight. The filling of juicy blueberries is beneath a crunchy oat and almond topping—and the whole dessert takes just 15 minutes to prepare. View Recipe 08 of 43 Orange-Cardamom Bundt Cake Marcus Nilsson The warmth of cardamom—a traditional spice found in chai tea—combined with the brightness of fresh orange zest and juice are an inspired flavor combination in this stunning Bundt cake. It's sure to wow potluck party-goers. View Recipe 09 of 43 Crispy Cereal Treats Kirsten Francis Prep these crowd-pleasing treats in just 15 minutes. They're also easy to transport to your potluck party. We have four sweet variations on the classic Rice Krispies treat—cocoa nutty, trail mix, tropical breeze, and berries and cream. View Recipe 10 of 43 Everything Cookies Chris Simpson Chock-full of crunchy extras like cereal flakes, pretzels, and toffee bits, these over-the-top chocolate-chip cookies will be the first dessert to disappear from the potluck table. View Recipe 11 of 43 Lemon-Glazed Sheet Cake Alpha Smoot A potluck dessert that looks and tastes like pure sunshine, everyone will want a slice of this lemon cake. Because it's just a single layer with a lemony glaze on top, it's easy to transport and can be served at room temperature. View Recipe 12 of 43 Black-Bottom Cupcakes Mike Krautter These chocolate cupcakes (the recipe yields 24) have a marbled cream cheese filling that's also their topping—no decoration necessary. They're sure to go fast at any potluck. View Recipe 13 of 43 Fig-and-Plum Cake Justin Walker Rich, plump figs and plums peek out of the top of this almond cake that's easy to bake and even easier to love. Making it requires less than half an hour of hands-on prep work. View Recipe 14 of 43 S'mores Bars Kana Okada Guests will feel like they're sitting around the campfire when they take a bite of one of these s'mores-inspired treats. Broken graham crackers and chopped chocolate are folded into the puffed-rice cereal and melted marshmallow mixture, then everything is pressed into a pan to set. Cut the bars into fun shapes for an irresistible potluck dessert. View Recipe 15 of 43 Strawberry Biscuit Sheet Cake Alpha Smoot Inspired by one of the most classic summertime desserts—strawberry shortcakes—this sheet cake is perfect for a crowd. The biscuit base is topped with sweet cream and macerated strawberries. View Recipe 16 of 43 Raspberry-Almond Crisp Chris Simpson Make the most of fresh raspberries when they're at their peak in summer with this juicy and crunchy dessert. The crumble is made with melted butter, rolled oats, sliced raw almonds, and light brown sugar. View Recipe 17 of 43 Fudgy Turtle Brownies Ren Fuller As if brownies aren't delicious enough, these decadent bar cookies are made with pecans and a caramel cream sauce. The finishing touch is a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, which adds crunch and contrast. View Recipe 18 of 43 Vanilla-Rhubarb Tart Con Poulos Rhubarb is arranged in a geometric pattern atop a buttery pastry crust for this spectacular potluck dessert. View Recipe 19 of 43 Butter-Pecan Blondies Ren Fuller Dark rum is the secret ingredient that takes these rich, caramel blondies to a whole new level. The recipe yields 24 blondies, and they'd make a perfect addition to any potluck. View Recipe 20 of 43 Buckwheat Chocolate-Chip Cookies With Sea Salt Mikkel Vang These nutty, salted cookies take chocolate chips to a new level. A combination of all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour creates a unique base that will have all the guests talking. View Recipe 21 of 43 Lemon Curd Soufflé Tart Emily Kordovich When life gives you lemons, make this light-as-air tart with a four-ingredient filling made with eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest, and butter. View Recipe 22 of 43 Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Bryan Gardner Gently pressing a Hershey's Kiss into each peanut butter cookie creates the signature cracked finish to these popular treats. View Recipe 23 of 43 Three-Layer Pound Cake Sidney Bensimon This multi-layered dessert is rich, fudgy, and sweet as can be. Cocoa powder and melted semisweet chocolate are added to the batter for the chocolate layers. View Recipe 24 of 43 Pull-Apart Vanilla-Wafer Cupcake Cake With Berries Hosting a Fourth of July or Labor Day potluck party? There's no more suitable dessert than these vanilla cupcakes topped with blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. They're patriotic, pretty, and perfect for a large group. View Recipe 25 of 43 Lime Sandwich Cookies Ren Fuller A bright, zesty lime cream filling is sandwiched between sugar cookies. Dust the tops with powdered sugar for a sweet finish. View Recipe 26 of 43 Rhubarb Crumb Cake Sidney Bensimon Rhubarb stars in this buttery, crumbly cake made for a crowd. View Recipe 27 of 43 Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar Sidney Bensimon It looks and tastes decadent, but this gluten-free, vegan dessert is made with healthy ingredients, including coconut oil, walnuts, dates, peanut butter, and semisweet chocolate. View Recipe 28 of 43 Big Almond-Orange-Ginger Cookie Louise Hagger This bake-and-slice potluck dessert is flavored with orange zest and orange marmalade, ground cardamom, and fresh ginger. It's a warm, inviting treat to serve family and friends. View Recipe 29 of 43 Marshmallow Fudge Bryan Gardner Cut into bite-sized pieces, this six-ingredient fudge recipe is perfect for a potluck party. The one-pot base is made with mini marshmallows, evaporated milk, bittersweet chocolate, sugar, and vanilla. View Recipe 30 of 43 Snickerdoodle Crumb Bars Alpha Smoot Anyone who likes coffee cake and snickerdoodle cookies will love this spiced dessert. Cinnamon and sugar flavor the streusel filling and are mixed into the topping for irresistible flavor. View Recipe 31 of 43 Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies Armando Rafael A caramel is stuffed into each chocolate-chip cookie for this ooey-gooey recipe. These treats are sure to be a hit at your potluck. View Recipe 32 of 43 Apricot Cobbler Martyna Szczesna This potluck dessert is pure sunshine. Hidden beneath an oat drop-biscuit topping is a juicy combination of apricots and strawberries. View Recipe 33 of 43 Hummingbird Carrot Cake Chris Simpson No matter where your potluck is being held, guests will enjoy this classic southern spice cake made with pineapple, coconut, and bananas. We've added shredded carrots to the batter for extra moisture and even more texture. View Recipe 34 of 43 Bourbon-and-Brown-Sugar Cake With Berries Kate Mathis Bourbon complements brown sugar in this berry-studded cake that looks enticing and tastes delicious. We like a combination of raspberries and blueberries for a festive finish, but feel free to use whatever kind of berries you have. View Recipe 35 of 43 No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake for a Crowd Alpha Smoot Consider this your easiest-ever cheesecake—no fussy water bath needed! It's made in a large baking pan, which makes it easy to transport. View Recipe 36 of 43 Strawberry-Swirl Bundt Cake Marcus Nilsson Freeze-dried strawberries, pink gel-paste food coloring, and sliced fresh strawberries create the pretty pink swirls in this Bundt. View Recipe 37 of 43 Vanilla Pound Cake Reed Davis Guaranteed to please one and all, pound cake is the perfect easy potluck dessert. We've elevated the recipe from the classic version, but there's still nearly a pound each of butter, eggs, sugar, and flour. View Recipe 38 of 43 Blueberry Crumble Bryan Gardner Juicy blueberries are exactly what we want when they're in season. So, why not turn them into this casual, crunchy dessert that pairs well with vanilla ice cream? Everyone at the potluck will be asking for seconds. View Recipe 39 of 43 Chocolate-Chip Streusel Brownies Linda Pugliese Can't decide between chocolate chip cookies and brownies? Now you don't have to, thanks to this genius potluck dessert recipe. Chocolate chip cookie dough is sprinkled on chewy brownie batter for the ultimate two-in-one dessert. View Recipe 40 of 43 Cowboy Cookie S'mores Linda Pugliese Take the classic campfire treat to the next level by sandwiching jumbo toasted marshmallows between cookies. But not just any cookies—these are loaded with shredded coconut, pecans, chopped chocolate, and oats. View Recipe 41 of 43 Chocolate Sheet Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Alpha Smoot Nothing is more crowd-pleasing than a sheet cake, especially one made from the ultimate flavor duo that is chocolate and vanilla. The finishing touch is a shaving of chocolate, so everyone knows there's a bit of both in this fudgy treat. View Recipe 42 of 43 Coconut Cake With Berries and Cream Johnny Miller A riff on tres leches, this coconut-spiked sponge cake is soaked in condensed milk, heavy cream, and coconut milk, which stands in for the usual evaporated milk. Serve it with mixed berries and whipped cream. View Recipe 43 of 43 Strawberry Cupcakes These moist white cupcakes—crowned by a meringue buttercream made with strawberry jam—will be the hit of any potluck. Top each cupcake with a fresh strawberry just before serving. View Recipe Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit