33+ Delicious Dessert Table Ideas On A Budget (With Styling Tips)

Planning a party?

If you’re treating your guests with a sweet tooth and setting up a dessert bar, you might feel overwhelmed with ideas and how to do it on a budget. We have collected some of the best dessert table ideas which not only look amazing but will allow you to treat your guests on a budget.

Are you ready to find your idea?

Prepare for a punch of flavor and the list of the most delicious dessert tables – scroll down the article to see the best inspiration from Pinterest.

Table of Contents

Styling Tips for Dessert Table Ideas on a Budget

Before you start styling your dessert table, you need to have a clear plan to follow, which will allow you to budget for each item much easier.

First, consider the guest list and party theme. Generally, party for adults will cost a little more than a party for kids, as you can just use any type of candy for their dessert bar.

If you’re going for a specific theme, the easiest way to keep the costs down is to match the theme by color – you can easily do this with a variety of cakes and desserts. Add colorful accents that don’t cost a fortune, like fabric and paper decorations.

Second, the number of guests is obviously the most important factor to consider when planning your dessert bar. You should be able to offer some variety in the desserts, be it cakes, pastries, ice cream or other treats, but also have enough for every guest to choose from.

To stay within your budget, you can make or order sheet cakes that can be cut into nice little squares, that not only look great, but you can get a lot of these made in a variety of flavours, without breaking the bank.

Location, location – setting up your dessert display in a good location within your venue is super important. If you’re hosting an indoor party, it’s much easier as you just need to find a corner of the room, or a wall facing the entrance to make a grand display.

In case the party is outdoors, more considerations need to be taken for the placement – out of the sun, possible wind, and if there are kids running around it needs to be secure enough that the display doesn’t get knocked down.

A pretty signage for your cakes and trays is a popular way to let your guests know what they’re about to taste. Similarly, in wedding reception, if you are serving some sweet treats in addition to the wedding cake, they should be labelled properly, especially if you have guests with food allergies.

Here are some additional styling ideas for your dessert table:

Choose a focal point of your table – it could be a birthday cake, wedding cake, a tower displaying cupcakes or similar. Something that towers over the rest of the items in your sweets table
Use a variety of serving bowls and items that are not normally used for desserts, like champagne flutes, pretty breakfast trays, rustic chopping boards, platters and similar
Add some greenery or flowers – these always elevate any event and make the food look extra appealing
Make them easy to eat – the last thing you want is your guests getting their hands messy. Serving cake pops instead of cupcakes, or macarons instead of brownies will make for a more pleasant experience for your guests
Jump on the trends – candy tables (or candy bar), mini cupcakes, donut wall and mini donuts are huge trends for weddings, but nobody said you can’t still the ideas for a birthday party or a baby shower!
Simple backdrops are the best option for dessert table as they make the food the star of the show

Dessert Table Ideas on a Budget

One of the hardest parts when it comes to setting a dessert table is to pick the number of desserts.

One of the rules is to bet on 1 or 2 really special “star” items (cake, cupcakes, chocolate fountain), around 2-3 homemade desserts you can prepare yourself (banana or pumpkin bread, chocolate or fruit pie, or cookies work great), and of course some candy items and fresh fruits that can bring more attractiveness to your table.

Here are some options that will help you narrow down your selection.