• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Mad about Macarons
  • All Recipes
    • French Classics
    • by Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Autumn
      • Winter
      • Holidays
    • by Course
      • Breakfast
      • Light Lunch
      • Teatime
      • Starters/Appetizers
      • Mains
      • French Desserts
      • Drinks-Nibbles-Apero
    • by Diet
      • Gluten-Free
        • Gluten-Free Desserts
      • Vegetarian
      • Vegan
    • Macarons - Start Here
    • Egg Yolk Recipes
    • Scottish
    • Full Recipe Index
  • French Food Guides
    • Macaron Guide
    • Paris Tea Rooms (by location)
    • France Travel Guides
    • Markets & Produce
    • Paris Pâtisseries
  • Books & Courses
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Macarons (start here)
    • Classic French Dishes
    • by Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Autumn
      • Winter
      • Holidays
    • by Course
      • Breakfast
      • Light Lunches
      • Teatime
      • Starters/Appetizers
      • Main Dishes
      • French Desserts
      • Drinks-Nibbles-Apero
    • by Diet
      • Gluten-Free
      • Vegetarian
      • Vegan Recipes
    • Egg Yolk Recipes
    • Scottish
    • Full Recipe Index
  • French Food Guides
    • Macaron Guide
    • Paris Tea Rooms by location
    • France Travel Guides
    • Markets & Produce
    • Paris Pâtisseries
  • Books & Courses
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home • Recipes • Meals

    French Desserts

    Easy French dessert recipes made lighter with less sugar. From crème caramel and chocolate mousse to classic fruit clafoutis, these are simple, authentic desserts with more flavour and less sweetness.

    Looking for a specific French dessert? Browse the recipe index to refine your search. Need gluten-free options? See my gluten-free desserts.

    • glass bowls of rice puddings topped with golden sultana raisins
      French Rice Pudding (Riz au lait)
    • large trifle bowl made with macarons and topped with fresh vanilla cream, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries and decorated with macaron shells
      Macaron Sherry Trifle with Berries
    • slice of chocolate plate with eiffel tower served with a thin custard sauce
      Crème Anglaise Recipe (Classic French Vanilla Custard Sauce)
    • pumpkin spiced macarons
      Easy Pumpkin Spice Macarons Recipe
    • high raised round buttery biscuits with a rough texture with air-holes
      French Butter Cookies (Palets Bretons)
    • cup of lemon ice cream with strawberries
      Creamy Lemon Ice Cream (Glace au citron)
    • galette des rois French puff pastry almond cake glazed and decorated with a paper crown
      Traditional Galette des Rois Recipe
    • mini cup of creamy ice cream with a sprig of lemon verbena leaves
      Lemon Verbena Ice Cream (Glace à la verveine)
    • individual ice cream with candied fruits on plate with lavender, apricot sauce and a macaron
      No Churn Ice Cream with Candied Fruit (Glace Plombières)
    • easy berry dessert make with an elderflower cream and toasted like a creme brulee
      Easy Berry Dessert with Elderflower Cream
    • cracking in to a milk chocolate crème brûlée showing a delicious set custard topped with a thin caramelised crust - served with halved passionfruits
      Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe
    • French Semolina Cake (Gâteau de Semoule)
    • large pot with a baked rice pudding covered in a thick caramel skin, spooning out a creamy mixture underneath with cinnamon and a traditional French Fallue brioche
      Baked Rice Pudding Recipe (French Teurgoule)
    • plate with eiffel tower and circle of caramel sauce around a shiny creme caramel
      French Crème Caramel (flan aux oeufs au caramel)
    • baked peach without skin and stuffed with a mixture of amaretti or almonds and raspberries
      Baked Peaches with Amaretti
    • Scooped out Maltese orange filled with chopped strawberries and orange and served in a bowl of crushed ice
      Strawberries with Orange (Fraises à la Maltaise)
    • French tarts with strawberries and pistachio pastry cream
      Strawberry Tart with Pistachio Pastry Cream
    • large wine glasses with marinated strawberries in orange liqueur and orange topped with vanilla Chantilly cream
      Strawberries Romanoff (Fraises Romanoff)
    • Whisky glass filled with soft scoop creamy ice cream next to almond cookies, heather and Whisky liqueur
      No Churn Ice Cream with Whisky Liqueur, Drambuie
    • French vacherin ice cream meringue cake with layers
      French Ice Cream Cake (Vacherin Glacé)
    • round crepe pancake perfectly cooked in a pan
      French Pancakes (French Crêpes)
    • tray holding slices of toasted French toast or Pain Perdu in a boulangerie in France in front of baguettes
      Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
    • shallow bowl of white poached vanilla peaches topped with homemade raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream with some fresh lemon verbena leaves
      Peach Melba - Authentic French Recipe
    • glass dishes of tiramisu dessert topped with macaron shell
      Macaron Tiramisu (gluten free)
    • cherry chocolate cream macaron trifles
      Black Forest Creams using Cracked Macarons
    • mini macaron raspberry trifles
      Mini Macaron Trifles - Parisian Ispahan Style
    • 2 scoops of rhubarb sorbet topped with a dried rhubarb chip
      Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe with Rose
    • bowl of bright red rhubarb compote
      Rhubarb Compote Recipe (Healthy & Lower Sugar)
    • Pear Belle Helene, a poached pear on ice cream topped with chocolate sauce
      Poire Belle Hélène - Parisian Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce
    • dish of halved apricots baked with lavender and French honey
      Baked Apricots with Honey and Lavender
    • Baked cherry clafoutis dessert in a round dish topped with powdered sugar and flaked almonds
      Cherry Clafoutis Recipe - Traditional French Custard Dessert
    • baked pineapple with vanilla beans and rum caramel
      Baked Pineapple with Vanilla
    • individual serving dish of rhubarb crumble with oats
      Individual Rhubarb Crumble (French-Style with Oats)
    • moist cake showing roasted rhubarb and toasted almonds on top
      Moist Rhubarb Cake with Almonds, Orange and Rose
    • blueberry clafoutis dessert with lemon and yellow edible pansies
      Blueberry Clafoutis with Lemon
    • slice of purple carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting
      Purple Carrot Cake
    • a large slice of chocolate cake topped with a rum glaze, toasted flaked almonds and gold leaf
      Almond Flour Chocolate Cake (Gâteau Reine de Saba)
    • long-stemmed cocktail glasses filled with light and fluffy strawberry mousse topped with strawberries and served with French tuile cookies
      Strawberry Mousse (Mousse à la fraise)
    • round pie dish with baked strawberries and almonds in a custard
      Strawberry Clafoutis with Almond Flour
    • holding a slice of raspberry clafoutis next to raspberries growing on bushes
      Raspberry Clafoutis (Light, Tangy French Dessert)
    • glass dish of chocolate mousse with cherries
      French Dark Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)
    • French tart au citron showing a glossy, clean cut slice topped with finely grated lemon and lime zest
      Tarte au Citron (French Lemon Tart)

    Posts pagination

    1 2 3 Next page

    Primary Sidebar

    Portrait of Jill Colonna, French cookbook author in Paris

    Bonjour - I'm Jill

    Enjoy reliable French recipes for real home kitchens - seasonal family food, macarons and desserts with less unnecessary sugar and more flavour.

    I’m Jill Colonna, a Scottish-French author and home cook, living and cooking in Paris for 30+ years. In 2010, I wrote one of the first macaron cookbooks in English.

    More About Jill

    Inspiration from Paris

    Join Jill's weekly Newsletter with seasonal recipes, inspiration and a dose of French life along the way.

    Latest Autumn Recipes

    • slice of chocolate plate with eiffel tower served with a thin custard sauce
      Crème Anglaise Recipe (Classic French Vanilla Custard Sauce)
    • bowls of bright green watercress soup
      Watercress Soup (Soupe au Cresson)

    Popular this month

    • bright orange mini pumpkins baked and stuffed
      Stuffed Mini Pumpkins - The Most Versatile, Easy Recipe
    • saute pan of fried green beans in garlic and breadcrumbs
      Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic - French Style
    • pumpkin spiced macarons
      Easy Pumpkin Spice Macarons Recipe
    • upside down caramelised apple tart glistening on a glass plate
      Tarte Tatin Recipe

    More from France

    • Guide to Lyon's restaurants and food in France's gastronomic capital
      Lyon's Best Value Restaurants in 3 Days
    • château de Monte Cristo, home of Alexandre Dumas in Port Marly near Paris
      Monte Cristo and Alexandre Dumas' Love for Cuisine

    Macarons

    • large trifle bowl made with macarons and topped with fresh vanilla cream, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries and decorated with macaron shells
      Macaron Sherry Trifle with Berries
    • plain macaron shells from the same batch baked on baking paper, a silicone mat and a macaron silicone mat showing the different formations of shell
      Macaron Silicone Mat vs Parchment Paper: Which is Better?

    Footer

    Mad about Macarons
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • All Recipes
    • About
    • Books & Courses
    • French Food Guides
    • Macarons
    • FAQ
    Contact
    weekly Newsletter

    © 2026 Mad About Macarons®. All rights reserved.

    Privacy Policy

    Terms of Service

    I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.