The best Christmas desserts for 2026, from cascading caramel stars to chocolate gonks

Score: 83/100

Our winning Christmas dessert combines light choux pastry with rich, vanilla-flecked cream and chocolate sauce, all prettily presented as a festive wreath. Testers praised the balance of pastry, cream and chocolate, with most finding the sweetness spot on. Better still, it can be stashed in the freezer ready for festive entertaining – just don't forget to defrost it in time!

Available 17 November 2026

Score: 81/100

Waitrose's vibrant centrepiece is a far cry from your run-of-the-mill cheesecake. The rich, baked vanilla filling sits on a crunchy biscuit base, topped with a glossy mandarin glaze that tastes as good as it looks. Zingy citrus cuts through the creamy sweetness, making this a refreshingly light finale after a heavy Christmas feast.

Available 18 December 2026

Score: 79/100

A little like a festive gnome, the Christmas gonk has gone mainstream, and Lidl has turned it into an impressive festive centrepiece.

Beneath the playful exterior is a layered mousse dessert combining creamy vanilla, sweet caramel, crumbly biscuit and crisp dark chocolate. Testers approved of the 'lovely mixture of textures', although it is rich, so a little goes a long way.

Available 18 December 2026

Score: 79/100

Festive and warming, this spruced-up sticky toffee pudding is laced with salted caramel and feels ultra-Christmassy. The cascading sauce adds theatre to the table, while the crunchy pecan pieces bring a welcome contrast.

Available 18 December 2026

Score: 75/100

Morrisons topped our test with a similar star-shaped dessert last year, and for 2026 it's back with a chocolate orange twist. Our panel said the combination of rich chocolate and zesty orange sauce was reminiscent of Jaffa Cakes, with the citrus cutting through the creamy ganache and sweet white chocolate layers. Finished with a dusting of gold, it's a fitting addition to the Christmas table.

Score: 73/100

Cutter & Squidge's showstopping Christmas wreath may look like a classic dessert but delve a little deeper and you'll discover dense chocolate tiffin packed with chewy marshmallow, smooth ganache and crunchy biscuit. Decadently rich, this is one to slice, share and revisit throughout Christmas.

Available 1 November 2026

Score: 71/100

If chocolate doesn't do it for you, this fresh and fruity dessert may appeal instead. The smooth, creamy vanilla panna cotta is topped with bright clementine jelly, which cuts through the richness nicely. Soft, jiggly and easy to eat, it's a refreshing way to round off a big Christmas feast.

Score: 70/100

Why choose between sticky toffee pudding and roulade when you can have both? COOK's hybrid dessert combines soft, toffee-flavoured sponge with a creamy filling, crunchy nuts and chewy toffee pieces for plenty of textural contrast (although be warned, they may get stuck in your teeth!). Sweet and gently spiced, testers described it as 'very moreish'.