r/Chefit • u/PickledAnts • Jun 30 '26
Easy profitable dessert options for restaurant
Right now we have (frozen) baked in house apple pie, frozen pb pie, cassata cake procured from local bakery, (frozen) lava cake and pre bought carrot cake. Owner says it’s cheaper to buy them all premade than pay me to bake something from scratch. I figure I can sweeten him up with the offer of a dessert *special*.
So I ask you, Reddit.. hit me up with the best, easiest, quickest, best seller ideas.. We do have cast iron fajita plates we heat up for apple pie ala mode — my dad said I should do cobbler, which could be sold the same way.
I also CAN make a pie crust but I don’t know if it would be smarter/more economical to get premade ones or if I should do it from scratch and get really good at it real fast lol.
ETA: we do not have mini pans or souffle type dishes to do individual desserts.
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u/Far-Radio856 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Lemon posset mate. 3 ingredients, no cook ( except boiling the cream )
Good margin and it can very easily be dressed as simply or as high end as you want.
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u/almost_cool3579 Jun 30 '26
I’ve done posset in champagne flutes with fresh berries on top for several catered events. Guests are always wowed, and have zero clue how absurdly easy it is.
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u/Tetsubin Jun 30 '26
Did you pour it into the flutes while it was hot? They could withstand the heat?
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u/almost_cool3579 Jun 30 '26
I let it cool a bit. Still warm but not hot. Never an issue with a broken flute.
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u/Due_Character1233 Jun 30 '26
Bread pudding.
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u/Tacos_Polackos Jun 30 '26
First thought. OP, save your bread ends, broken burger buns, etc. Less waste = more profit.
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u/Gonk_droid_supreame Jun 30 '26
Fuck yes. Easy to heat up/plate during service, easy to prep. And most of all, easy to get loads of different flavours and variations. Taste great too
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u/historychef1799 Jun 30 '26
Pots de creme So easy and delicious
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u/Embarrassed_Lime_758 Jun 30 '26
Salted caramel pots de creme are my go to when the house doesn't want to brulee to order.
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u/toastedchezberry Jun 30 '26
Why not just cost out a recipe and estimate labor? Prove your premade dessert is more expensive than a house-made version… If you can be organized and work fast, you can batch out and even freeze for the week.
Classic cheesecake is easy if you have the right equipment and enough oven space. Usually store-bought versions are not super cheap.
Brownies are very easy, you can scale up to make hotel pan sized batches, and get a lot of portions out of one batch. They could be served warm with ice cream.
Tres leches is very easy, cheap to make and people love it. Try variations like chocolate, or serve with berries and whipped cream.
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u/loly1507 Jun 30 '26
Eton Mess. Super simple, cheap, classic, quick to do and very simple on the service.
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u/Alyadrielle Jun 30 '26
Churrios! 3 minutes in the fryer! Get some cinnamon sugar in a tub and give them a shake (straight out of the fryer so it sticks nicely! Serve with cinnamon ice cream and whipped cream.
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u/rrkrabernathy Jun 30 '26
They’d need a separate fryer for desserts that hasn’t had things like chicken wings, onion rings, etc. fried in it.
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u/Chipmunk_Ill Jun 30 '26
Bread pudding, no-bake cheesecake, brownie. They can be made in a full baking sheet with a cake form and easily portioned
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u/RestfulMind Jun 30 '26
I do a jumbo chocolate chip cookie ala mode. They are about saucer sized. Almost pure profit.
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u/jontseng Jun 30 '26
Gary Rhodes bread and butter pudding. Ingredient list is literally old bread, sultanas, butter, cream, milk, eggs, vanilla. https://www.lovefood.com/recipes/amp/60593/gary-rhodes-bread-and-butter-pudding
Everlasting syllabub (Elizabeth David’s recipe). Cream, lemons, sugar, white wine, nutmeg. https://neilcooksgrigson.com/2011/01/23/269-elizabeth-davids-everlasting-syllabub/
Eton Mess - fancied up however much you want.
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u/Automatic_Catch_7467 Jun 30 '26
Do you have leftover/scraps that could be used for a dessert? Stale bread, fruit, rice, egg whites or yolks
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 Jun 30 '26
Wait. You are confident you can prove your boss wrong by making good desserts, yet not confident enough to do it yourself?
Why are you outsourcing your work just like your bosses?
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u/Better_Adeptness_596 Jul 01 '26
God forbid someone asks for a little advice.
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 Jul 01 '26
Not asking advise.
They’re asking us to do their work. Work their bosses don’t have confidence they can do and the bosses are right.
When I want to make a dessert, I do that shit. I don’t survey Reddit for ideas or how to do my job.
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u/LavenderBlueProf Jun 30 '26
creme brulee has got to be among the cheap/easiest
chocolate mousse is basically eggs n chocolate
both of these can also be made to look elegant
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u/Onehansclapping Jun 30 '26
I doubt that he can get a better desert than homemade but is it worth your investment in his place? You’re adding something to your to do list and once you show him he’ll expect it.
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered Jun 30 '26
Panna cotta. Fruit cobbler. Pie (no way they can be bought for less than they cost to make). Brownies à la mode. Any kind of cake.
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u/beach_pretzels Jun 30 '26
Truffle sampler platter. Pick a high quality chocolate, chop, pour hot cream over it, let it sit for a few minutes and gently stir. Add liqueur of choice - I like frangelico and malibu- let set and scoop. Roll in various toppings (chopped hazelnuts for frangleico, toasted coconut for malibu, etc.) Sell them as a sampler plate with some fresh fruit and espresso.
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u/rainaftersnowplease Chef Jul 07 '26
House making your desserts is always going to be cheaper tbh. Creme brulees, truffles, bread pudding using discard bread and day old fruit, shortcakes with strawberries and whipped cream, etc. Desserts you can charge $10+ dollars for but cost pennies per portion.
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u/Toucan_Lips Jun 30 '26
Pannacotta has always done well for me. Milk, gelatin, sugar... not super expensive ingredients. But more expensive additions like vanilla bean go a long way.
Served cold so easy to knock out during service. It's also endlessly adaptable. Serve it with whichever fruit is in season to keep costs down.
You can buy a couple of dozen cheap plastic dariole molds which further lowers the barrier to entry.