Nashville is known for so many things; country music, southern hospitality, exciting art and culture, and some seriously great food! If you are visiting Nashville and looking for a sweet treat while you pound the streets of Broadway or peruse charming East Nashville, you’ll want to know about these 15 amazing Nashville Desserts.
If you’re anything like me, I always need something sweet after a delicious meal. In Music City, while you are sampling the best hot chicken or Nashville’s amazing street tacos, you’re going to need to know where to go to get your sweet treat fix. Lucky for you, I’ve outlined all the best desserts Nashville has to offer and where to find them. Let’s get to it!
15 Best Nashville Desserts
1. Five Daughters Bakery
1110 Caruthers Ave, Nashville, TN 37204
Mon – Fri: 7am – 10pm, Sat & Sun: 8am – 10pm
Best Dessert: 100 Layer Donut
Five Daughter’s Bakery is one of the quintessential Nashville dessert spots. Tourists and locals alike know that this is the number one spot for delicious and innovative donuts. Five Daughter’s is known for their 100 Layer Donuts and MAN do they deliver!
Sort of like a croissant, sort of like a donut, with perfect texture and balanced flavors, these donuts are unreal. The 100 Layer Donut is sweet, buttery, light and flakey – it actually melts in your mouth!
5 Daughter’s has 4 different locations in Nashville so you will never be too far from these delicious beauties. We enjoyed our donuts at the 12 South location, a perfect place to spend an afternoon of shopping with donuts and coffee in hand!
2. Legendairy Milkshake Bar
171 3rd Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201
Mon-Sun: 11am – 11pm
Best Dessert: Vegan Milk(Shake) And Cookies
Who doesn’t love a create-your-own milkshake experience? With tons of different ice cream flavors, candies, sauces, and full-sized baked goods to choose from, the milkshakes created at Legendairy are truly out of this world!
We stopped here on our last trip to Nashville and HAD to try their fully vegan Milk(Shake) And Cookies! The vegan ice cream was to die for! This is definitely my pick for one of the best vegan desserts Nashville TN has to offer.
Legendairy has so many other delicious milkshake varieties including their Coffee and Doughnuts Shake – coffee ice cream, chocolate sauce, Oreos, whipped cream, and an entire glazed donut! They also have a secret menu for dessert-lovers looking for even crazier combinations.
Be sure to stop by Legendairy where all your milkshake dreams will come true! Located on 3rd Avenue, it’s easily walkable from all the best bars on Broadway.
3. Frothy Monkey
2509 12th Ave S Nashville, TN 37212
Open Daily 7am – 8pm
Best Dessert: Brownies
The Frothy Monkey is a staple coffee shop in Nashville. With multiple locations around Music City, it’s a popular hub for coffee and sweets lovers! Not only does Frothy Monkey create and brew their own signature coffee, they have a top notch bakery.
We visited Frothy Monkey in 12 South and loved the vibes in this coffee shop. With locals and their pups enjoying the afternoon with signature coffee in hand, we felt right at home! I had to try their rosemary honey latte and (of course) a brownie. Both were amazing, we ended up buying more brownies to take home!
Frothy Monkey is a great choice for a sweet treat and a caffeinated beverage for a midday pick-me-up. With great service and down to earth staff, it’s arguably the perfect Nashville coffee shop!
4. Edley’s BBQ
2706 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204
Sun-Thurs 11am – 9pm, Fri & Sat 11am – 10pm
Best Dessert: Banana Pudding
Edley’s holds the title as one of the best barbecue spots in Nashville, HOWEVER, after we had a lunch there, the one bite I couldn’t stop thinking about was the banana pudding!
Like many barbecue spots, Edley’s offers platters with lots of sides. If you order a smoked brisket or chicken platter, you have to make sure you include a cup of their banana pudding. It’s soft, velvety, and vanilla-y, with whole chunks of ripe bananas. Seriously, it was life-changing. While it is dessert, it pairs so well with the savory, smokey flavors of barbecue.
I highly recommend going to Edley’s for barbecue and staying for their insane banana pudding! Located in 12 South, this is the perfect lunch stop on a shopping day.
5. Goo Goo Chocolate Company
116 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201
Open Daily 10 am – 6 pm
Best Dessert: Goo Goo Clusters
Known as the official candy of Nashville, the Goo Goo Chocolate Company is a must-see for any Music City visitor! Goo Goo is the home of trailblazing chocolatiers; it’s noted as the first candy company to invent and manufacture a chocolate bar with more than one ingredient!
That being said, if you have to pick only one sweet treat at Goo Goo, you’ll have to opt for their Classic Cluster. Peanut, caramel, marshmallow nougat, and milk chocolate – what more could you want in a candy!?
Not only will you be entranced by the flavors of the handmade chocolate treats, Goo Goo has a host of amazing chocolate experiences including chocolate wine pairings! A trip to Goo Goo Chocolate Company in Nashville is a must. Located right across the street from the Johnny Cash Museum, it’s a great midday stop to grab one of the most famous Tennessee desserts!
6. Mattheessen’s
123 2nd Ave N fl 1, Nashville, TN 37201
Mon-Wed 9am – 11pm, Thurs & Sun 9am – 12am, Fri & Sat 9am – 1am
Best Dessert: Key Lime Pie
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This family-owned restaurant took their successful shop in Key West and brought it to Downtown Nashville! And boy, am I glad they did. Mattheessen’s is a good old fashioned dessert parlor with giant cookies (like the size of your head!), ice cream, fudge and homemade key lime pie.
While they may have a huge following for their dinner plate sized cookies, their key lime pie has to be your first bite at Mattheessen’s. Homemade graham cracker crust and fresh key limes are what put Mattheessen’s pies a cut above the rest.
Located right across from the Wildhorse Saloon, Mattheessen’s Key Lime Pie could easily contend for the best dessert in Downtown Nashville!
7. Baked on 8th
1512 8th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Mon-Sat 8am – 6pm, Sun 10am – 3pm
Best Dessert: Confetti Cake
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Baked on 8th is one of the most highly rated cake shops in Nashville. They boast same day custom cake orders alongside readily available cookies, scones, and confections in their adorable storefront.
If you are visiting Nashville for a celebration, you will want to contact Baked on 8th for your custom cake needs! Their most popular cake is by far their confetti cake. Not only will the flavors be on point, the decorations are beautifully professional and perfect for any special occasion.
Located south of Downtown Nashville, it’s worth the short drive to experience this Nashville sweet shop!
8. Donut Distillery
311 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206 & 5055 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Sun-Thurs 9am – 9pm, Fri & Sat 9am – 10pm
Best Dessert: Whiskey Glaze Donut
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The Donut Distillery is a one-of-a-kind dessert shop. It all started in Nashville when owner Shauna McCoy thought that mini donuts just had to be paired with cocktails and boom it was a success!
The Donut Distillery is a super fun stop for anyone visiting Nashville. Enjoy one of their many uniquely crafted mini donuts alongside boozy milkshakes, craft beer, and coffee flights! If it’s your first time at DD, you’ll want to try their original donut, the Whiskey Glaze. Made with real Tennessee Whiskey, it’s a Donut Distillery right of passage.
Located in East Nashville and on Broadway, these mini donuts are never too far while you’re visiting Music City. Donut Distillery is also rapidly growing – you may see one pop up in your hometown soon!
9. Milk and Honey
214 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Daily 6am – 3pm
Best Dessert: Cinnamon Rolls
Milk and Honey is arguably one of the most popular brunch destinations in Nashville. On any given weekend, you’re bound to see a line out the door with brunch goers waiting patiently for some of the best chicken and biscuits in the Gulch.
Jonnie and I waited our turn one Sunday morning to experience Milk and Honey and, while the chicken biscuits are GOOD, the cinnamon rolls at Milk and Honey should be deemed the best cinnamon rolls in all of Nashville. They were seriously delectible. Between the soft and pillowy roll that was generously filled with cinnamon sugar and the tangy cream cheese piled on top, it was a morning dessert like no other.
You must go to Milk and Honey for brunch before a day of shopping the Gulch and get a few cinnamon rolls for the table!
10. D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe
555 Church St, Nashville, TN 37219
Mon-Fri 7am – 2pm, Sat & Sun 8am – 2pm
Best Dessert: Pecan Cinnamon Bun
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D’Andrews is a Bakery and Cafe in Downtown Nashville owned by New York City Chef David Andrews. Andrews took his love of refined modern pastries and brought it to bustling Music City! With an array of professional French pastries, fresh baked bread, breakfast and lunch options, D’Andrews is the perfect quaint cafe to stop in for a bite.
One of their most popular treats is the Pecan Cinnamon Bun. Make sure you arrive early to grab one before they run out and ask for it warmed up! This sweet and salty bun would be the perfect sweet breakfast!
11. NoBaked Cookie Dough
5055 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Sun-Thurs 11am – 11pm, Fri & Sat 11am – 12am
Best Dessert: Peanut Butter Pancakes Cookie Dough
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NoBaked Cookie Dough is a nationally known raw (safe to eat!) cookie dough company, seen on many media outlets including the Food Network! CEO and Founder Megan Feeman dreamt about edible raw cookie dough and created a seriously successful business out of it! With multiple locations and shipping capabilities across the country, NoBaked is the leader in edible cookie dough shops!
Nashville is lucky enough to have one of NoBaked’s “Scoop Shops” where you can order fresh cookie dough! Head on over to the NoBake Scoop Shop right on Broadway and enjoy silky smooth cookie dough goodness. The best flavor, in my opinion, has got to be the Peanut Butter Pancakes – what is not to like!? Red Velvet is also a very popular flavor if that is more your style.
Visit NoBaked and get your fill of cookie dough deliciousness. They also have plenty of vegan and gluten free options. It’s the best late night dessert Nashville has to offer!
12. Liege Waffle Co
5055 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Sun & Mon 10am-10pm, Tues-Thurs 10:30am-10pm, Fri & Sat 10am-11pm
Best Dessert: Banchurro Leche Waffle
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If you are looking for an out-of-the-box dessert experience, Liege Waffle Co is a fantastic pick. Liege Waffle Co is all about bringing authentic Belgian street food to Nashville. These are not your typical waffles; the hearty brioche-style batter is dusted with imported Belgian pearl sugar and cooked to perfection in cast iron waffle presses. Their dedication to authentic techniques and high-quality ingredients truly sets them apart from your average sweet treat.
Liege Waffles can be served plain or with sweet or savory toppings. Since this is all about dessert, my top pick would have to be their Banchurro Leche Waffle. Cinnamon sugar dusted (churro-like), with bananas and house-made dulce de leche… my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Their savory options look pretty amazing too. If you’re looking for some lunch before you indulge in desserts, be sure to try the Whip Di Parma – whipped feta, arugula, prosciutto, and hot honey.. YUM!
Liege Waffle Co is conveniently located in the Assembly Food Hall on Broadway – a great stop to refuel with some Nashville sweets while bar hopping!
13. HiFi Cookies
733 Porter Rd, Nashville, TN 37206
Tues-Sat 11am – 6pm, Sun 11am – 3pm, Closed Mondays
Best Dessert: I’m Just a Kid Stuffed Cookie
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HiFi Cookies is a small business with a huge heart in the Nashville dessert scene. Sean and Kristin Newsome created their wildly successful cookie business all in the name of love – love of Nashville, cookies and each other!
HiFi is known by locals as one of the best dessert places in Nashville for their nostalgic flavors that push the envelope. HiFi offers cookie sandwiches with varieties of buttercream sandwiched between two yummy cookies. But you’ll want visit HiFi for their stuffed cookies!
If you grew up loving Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then the “I’m Just a Kid” Stuffed Cookie is for you! A cinnamon sugar cookie, stuffed with snickerdoodle cheesecake, topped with milk glaze and cinnamon toast crunch pieces. I mean come on!
Located in East Nashville, nearby other shops and cafes, HiFi Cookies has to make it on your list. They also have a pick up service – it’s one of the best Nashville desserts to buy ahead of time for a party or event!
14. Lockeland Table
1520 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206
Mon-Sat 4pm – 10pm, Closed Sundays
Best Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet
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Lockeland Table is a true gem in East Nashville. Opened in 2012, Lockeland Table is a staple restaurant in the Nashville food scene, offering professionally prepared American cuisine. Chef Hal Holden-Bache is an accomplished figure in the community with James Beard awards and Food Network appearances under his belt (among many other accolades!).
Lockeland Table is one of the best places to get wood-fired pizza, perfectly cooked and seasoned fish and steak, and melt in your mouth biscuits. But if you visit Lockeland Table without saving room for their famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet, you’re missing out big time!
The LT Cookie Skillet is known by locals as the best dessert in Nashville. Their ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie in a hot cast iron skillet topped with vanilla bean gelato will have you dreaming of milk and cookies all night. Lockeland Table is a bucket list visit for any Nashville foodie and you better save room for dessert!
15. The Baked Bear
1809 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203
Sun-Thurs 1pm – 10pm, Fri & Sat 1pm – 11pm
Best Dessert: Customizable Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
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The Baked Bear is not your average cookie shop… or ice cream shop! It’s BOTH and it’s all about being creative! At The Baked Bear, customers are presented with dozens of homemade cookies, ice cream flavors, and toppings and are tasked with creating their perfect cookie ice cream sandwich. At The Baked Bear, the options are limitless!
Founders Rob and Shane had a bit of an obsession with ice cream sandwiches and created an empire of customizable desserts that can now be enjoyed in many cities across the USA! If you’re visiting Music City, The Baked Bear is a great stop to satisfy your sweet tooth.
There are so many options when it comes to creating your perfect cookie ice cream sandwich but if I HAD to pick… I’d go for a snickerdoodle cookie, churro ice cream, and Heath Bar bits. Is it chaotic? Maybe! But that’s what The Baked Bear is all about. Stop by their location on Division Street (across from Broadway) to enjoy some seriously amazing cookie ice cream sandwiches!
There you have my take on what the best desserts in Nashville TN are and where you can get your hands on them! I hope you are able try as many of these Nashville desserts as possible on your next visit. They will certainly make your time in Music City that much sweeter! Oh, and Stay Fancy!
FAQ About Nashville Desserts
What is Tennessee’s National Dessert?
While it’s hard to say exactly which dessert Tennessee’s known for most, banana pudding is definitely a top contender! So much so, the state holds a National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville, TN every year! While many BBQ places in Nashville offer banana pudding, I’d highly recommend Edley’s Barbecue and their incredibly smooth and flavorful banana pudding!
What Dessert is Nashville Known For?
Nashville is most known for The Goo Goo Chocolate Company’s Goo Goo Clusters. Back in 1912, they were Nashville-born pioneers in the candy bar business. Goo Goo created the first candy bar with multiple ingredients! The legacy of The Goo Goo Chocolate Company and their trailblazing chocolate is now a national treasure in the world of candy. You’ll find Goo Goo Cluster candy rounds at just about every shop in Nashville!
What is Nashville’s Signature Dish?
Ask anyone who lives in Nashville this question and they will always say.. HOT CHICKEN! It’s a staple in Nashville and you’ll find many restaurants tirelessly working to be deemed the best of the best. While locals and visitors like to argue which is the best, I’d have to say my pick is Prince’s Hot Chicken. Their sauces are spicy, sweet, and sticky but the chicken is still crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Try a few of the top contenders and let me know which one is your pick!
Going to Nashville? Check out these other posts you may like!
17 Unique Things to do in Nashville (that isn’t bar crawling on Broadway!)
Where to Find The Best Tacos in Nashville
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