35 Yellow Desserts for Color Themed Potluck

Color Themed Potlucks or Color Parties are super trendy right now. Basically, each guest is asked to bring a dish with a specific color like red, blue, green, or yellow. This potluck theme can work where everyone brings one color or to mix it up and have different people bring different colors.

Today we will be exploring great options for a yellow themed dessert to bring to an office party or potluck event. Some items are easy to make, easy to buy, or good options for showing off your culinary skills.

What are yellow desserts to bring to a potluck?

I have compiled a list of the best yellow desserts that will work well with a potluck meal. These dishes are easy to prepare ahead of time, simple to buy already made, or desserts that travel well.

(Not everyone wants to make or prepare foods for a party and that is totally fine. If that is you, check out our Ultimate List of Yellow Snack Foods at the Grocery Store.)

1. Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake is such a wonderful dessert that looks impressive but doesn’t require a lot of work. The only difference I would make is that instead of using whole pineapple rings for the bottom, I would use a can of pineapple tidbits. The whole rings become difficult to when trying to serve the cake and this way everyone gets a good amount of yummy gooey pineapple in every bite! (Pro tip: if you want to include the Marshiano cherries, cut the cherries in half and sprinkle them around the pan, so everyone gets to have a bite!)

2. Yellow Cake

Yellow cakes are so easy to make with a cake mix and premade frosting. You can make them into cupcakes, a full pan of cake, or if you have the time, you can make cake pops. (Pro Tip: when making cake pops, once you make the balls and attach the lollipop sticks, put the cake pops in the freezer for a few hours. This makes coating them with almond bark or chocolate so much easier! Once the pops are coated with their shiny shell, go ahead and add sprinkles or sugar dust to give them that extra pop of fun!)

3. Banana Pudding

This beloved dessert can be made from scratch or by using a pudding mix. Both ways come out amazing and are huge crowd pleasers. Additional toppings can be vanilla wafer and or whipped cream! (Pro Tip: Make sure to bring a large spoon or ladle, so guests can serve the pudding easily.)

4. Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are the perfect pairing of sweet and tart in one bite! Plus the gorgeous yellow color is beautiful on a buffet table. Depending on the recipe that you use, these can take 2-4 hours to prepare so you will want to make sure you have enough time to make this dessert. I like the Food Network’s recipe and you can check it out here. (Pro Tip: pre-slice your pan of lemon bars before the party with a nice sharp knife. I like to dip my knife in hot water before each cut to ensure clean cuts. You can also wipe your knife with a paper towel each time. This will make it easier for the party guests to serve themselves!)

5. Yellow Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Honestly pretzels and chocolate are always a crowd pleaser and when you dip pretzels in chocolate, they are always a huge hit! For the yellow part, you can use white chocolate with some food coloring or you can use yellow chocolate melts. (Pro Tip: Make sure to store your chocolate covered pretzels out of the sun and direct heat, because they will melt. If your even is outside, you may want to store them in the freezer overnight before the party. Just know that the pretzels may start to “sweat” in the heat, so this is a dessert that is better for inside parties.)

6. Lemon Drop Jell-o Cups

This is a super easy dessert to make and it can be done in individual cups or as one large pan. I like to start by making lemon jello and letting it set up. Then you can put the jello at the bottom of a small plastic cup or a large aluminum pan. Then top with whipped cream or whipped topping. I like to them sprinkle the top with crush vanilla cookies like oreos. (Pro Tip: If you want to add some pizzazz, you could also top with some yellow crystallized sugar that can be found in the baking section of the grocery store.)

7. Sweet and Salty Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls are actually very similar to rice crispy treats but use microwave popped popcorn instead of cereal. Most recipes use a mixture of corn syrup, powdered sugar, and marshmallows to create the glue that holds the popcorn balls together! (Pro Tip: To make popcorn balls easier to eat, make them about 1-2 inches in size. If the balls are too big, it becomes awkward to eat.)

8. Lemon Cheesecake

Hmmmmm Cheesecake! Instead of doing the normal strawberry or cherry cheesecake, try out a lemon one for your next color potluck. You can opt to do a no bake cheesecake or the traditional option. The lemon flavor can be very subtle or very strong depending on what you like. (Pro Tip: You can add some extra yellow to this cheesecake by sprinkling crystallized sugar in yellow on top! I recently saw that even the Dollar Tree sell these for super cheap.)

9. Pineapple Fluff

Not only is Pineapple super easy to make but it is usually a huge crowd pleaser. This light and fluffy dessert screams spring and summer time too. It is really just a mixture of vanilla pudding mix, cool whip, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans. (Pro tip: Make sure to chill this dessert overnight so it can firm up. If you make it in the morning, make sure it has enough time to get nice and cold. Otherwise, your fluff will turn out to be more like chunky soup.)

10. Pineapple Orange Sunshine Cake

Sunshine cake is sure to make anyone smile at a potluck! This basic yellow cake with vanilla pudding mix, mandarin oranges, and pineapple added to it is so soft and the whipped cream frosting is just light enough. (Pro tip: I would use extra pineapple tidbits to decorate the top of the cake, but make sure to drain and dry them first so they don’t add a ton of juice to the top of your whipped cream frosting.)

11. Lemon Bread

A lemon quick bread may not seem like a dessert, but if you add a nice glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest on top, it will be a big hit! This thick lemon bread has a tartness but also a sweetness that is wonderful with a heavy meal. (Pro Tip: Depending on the size of the potluck, you may want to make 2 loaves and pre-slice them. I like to lay out the slices in a shingle style on a nice plate, then cover well with plastic wrap!)

12. Peach Cobbler

OK so technically peaches are an orangey color, but there are lots of varieties of peaches that a nice golden yellow color so I think it works! You can make a cobbler super quick with canned or frozen peaches if fresh peaches are not in season. The top can be made with biscuit mix or you can make a mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk. (Pro Tip: if this is for an outside potluck event like a barbeque, you may want to bring some vanilla ice cream to top it off!)

13. Frosted Sugar Cookies

Thankfully frosted sugar cookies are readily available at any grocery store all year round! So, this is my super easy buy at the grocery store option. Yes, you can make sugar cookies at home using a mix or from scratch, but if you are not a baker just buy a few dozen cookies and call it good! (Pro tip: if you are making sugar cookies from scratch and adding frosting, take care in how you present them. Homemade frosting doesn’t always set to firm, so you may have your cookies stick together if you try to put them all on one plate. I would prefer to bring a couple platters or even aluminum foil covered baking sheets of cookies, then try to stack them into a mess.)

14. Baked Pears

Pears are an often-overlooked fruit, but they are actually really versatile! I like to bake or sauté pears in a method similar to what you would do with apples. I use brown sugar, cinnamon, and occasionally maple syrup. I also like to add golden raisins and a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan to really enhance the natural sweetness of the pears! (Pro tip: if you use the golden Asian pears, you will get the right color. Green pears will work and be tasty, but won’t end up with the right color)

15. Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue pie is definitely not a beginner baking dessert. If you are not familiar with making a meringue out of egg whites, you may want to buy a premade one from the bakery or buy a frozen one at the grocery store. (Pro Tip: if you make a Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch make sure your bowl is extremely clean with no soap residue. Soap will react with the egg whites and give them a funny color.)

16. Blondies

Blondies are the hybrid of a brownie but instead of milk chocolate they are usually made with butterscotch or white chocolate chips. Once baked, the brownies have a nice golden dark yellow color and smell amazing. (Pro Tip: go ahead and pre-slice your brownies and arrange them on a nice plate or platter. Nothing is worse than seeing a pan with bake marks on them, because it just looks unappealing. I like to buy cheapy trays at the discount stores, so if it breaks or I lose it, I am not out much money or a favorite dish.)

17. Rum Cake

Rum cakes are a nice upgrade from a yellow cake but due to the alcohol in them these are best for a dinner potluck party and not a work potluck. (Pro Tip: If children will be at the potluck event, skip this dessert. It is not worth having a child accidentally eat cake with rum in the cake and icing.)

18. Lemon or Vanilla Bundt Cake

If you love the Rum Cake but want to make the mild version that is safe for kids and work, try a lemon or vanilla bundt cake. There are tons of options to make a bundt cake from scratch or to use a cake mix with a pudding mix. There are also tons of glazes or frostings. (Pro Tip: if you want to decorate the middle opening of the cake, place a small cup upside in the hole, so it won’t take as much fruit to full. I like to pair a lemon bundt cake with strawberries and a vanilla cake with purple or red grapes. If you clean and dry the fruit ahead of time, it won’t make the cake wet!)

19. Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie is basically banana pudding in a prebaked pie crust or cookie crust with whipped topping and bananas on top. This simple pie can be made a couple days in advance but wait to put the bananas and cool whip on top until the day of so the bananas don’t turn brown. (Pro Tip: Don’t forget to bring a pie server or spatula to help serve your pie. Nothing is worse than trying to cut and serve a pie with a spoon or fork!)

20. Flan

Flan is a Spanish dessert that is basically baked custard with caramel sauce that is AMAZING! It looks intimidating to make but it is actually very easy. First sugar is melted in a saucepan until it turns into caramel and is poured at the bottom of a baking dish. Then you make a creamy custard out of eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. The egg mixture is poured on top of the caramel and then baked for about an hour. (Pro Tip: After the flan is baked, you will want to invert it onto a platter similar to a pineapple upside down cake. I like to make this the night before a potluck and let it chill in the fridge. Flan can be served chilled or warm, so this gives you lots of options!)

21. Butter Cookies

Butter cookies are some of the most basic and yummy cookies that you can make. If you want to get extra fancy you can use cookie cutters for fun shapes or you can also add sprinkles on top! This is another easy one to buy premade butter cookie dough, or even pre-made cookies if you are in a hurry! (Pro Tip: it is easier to roll out butter cookie dough when it is cold, so allow yourself enough time to make the dough and let it chill for 1-2 hours.)

22. Lemon or Vanilla Flavored Oreos

I always try to include easy grab and go options in my potluck lists, so if you are really short on time and energy, grab some Oreos! Both the Lemon flavor and the vanilla flavor have a yellow tint so they will totally work for a color party potluck! (Pro Tip: Check out “Can I Bring Cookies to a Potluck?” for tips on how to bring cookies especially grocery store ones to a potluck!)

23. Banana Nut Bread

Who doesn’t love banana nut bread? I am a huge fan and love that it is so versatile. You can replace the nuts with mini chocolate chips, or you can add more flavor by adding peanut butter! This is one of those desserts that is part comfort food and also just delicious. It doesn’t even matter if you bake them from scratch or use a mix, they both turn out awesome! (Pro Tip: if you don’t have ripened bananas, you can bake the bananas in the oven in the peel for a little bit to “quick ripen” them!)

24. Sponge Cake or Angel Food Cake

I love the airy and light texture of a sponge cake or angel food cake. This is also another dessert that can totally be made from scratch or you can buy it premade at the grocery store bakery. Another benefit is that these cakes are so easy to transform into any flavor you like. You can add a lemon drizzle, a bowl of diced pineapple, or even a banana ice cream for a make your own dessert option! (Pro Tip: if your oven does not heat evenly, your cake will come out lopsided. In that case, go ahead and buy a premade cake, because a very lopsided cake will not look as appealing.)

25. Mango Pudding

This is typically a Chinese dessert, but it is so simple to make and tastes fabulous! All you need is two very ripe mangos, gelatin, water, sugar, and a little half and half (you can also use evaporated or sweetened condensed milk). You will start by putting your chopped mango in a food processor or blender and running it until smooth. If you want, you can strain your mango puree or you can keep it pulpy! Now it is time to make your gelatin on the stovetop. Once your other ingredients are mixed and ready to go, you will then pour everything in a buttered or greased pan. Your Mango Pudding will need to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours to set and I personally just make it the night before, so it gets plenty of chill time! (Pro Tip: if you are not able to find fresh mango at a decent price, you can actually buy mango puree or canned mango for this dessert!)

26. Rice Crispy Bars with Yellow Sprinkles

Ah the ever loved rice crispy bars. Not only are these treats easy to make they are actually very versatile as well. To get a more yellow color, you can use yellow marshmallows, yellow Peep candies, or just yellow sprinkles. (Pro Tip: Use a sharp chef knife to slice your treats ahead of time. After every cut, run the knife under warm water and it will keep the treats from tearing up. These treats can get pretty sticky, so I like to place a sheet of parchment or wax paper down on top of my platter so it doesn’t get all messy!)

27. Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie is similar to a banana cream pie where you have a baked crust, then a creamy custard, topped with whipped cream. You can make this dessert as simple as you want by using a coconut pudding mix and a container of cool whip, or you can make all the elements from scratch! (Pro Tip: If you want to garnish the top of the pie with coconut, try toasting the shredded coconut in the oven for about 8-10 minutes so it has a beautiful brownish color. This can really add some extra flavor to your pie!)

28. Crockpot Banana Bread Pudding

I love a good dessert made in a crockpot because you can actually serve it warm at the party without having to move it to another container! I have seen lots of different versions of a crockpot banana bread pudding, where some are super simple with canned biscuits, and others use a loaf of French bread. Either way they taste like heaven in a bowl! (Pro Tip: If you want to keep your bread pudding warm in the crockpot to serve it later, you may want to consider using a Crockpot liner. This will keep your crockpot insert from getting scorch marks with the prolonged heating, which means it will be much easier to clean up later!)

29. Pumpkin Bread

Of all the quick breads, pumpkin bread is one of my favorites. I think it is because you can make it just sweet enough or go full in for a super sweet bread. I prefer the slightly sweet version myself, but I have tried lots of versions with a cream cheese icing topped with chopped nuts that was super good as well! (Pro Tip: Pre-slice your pumpkin bread and shingle it out on a platter so it is much easier for guests to serve themselves. If you have a pair of tongs, bring those with your platter so it is less mess too!)

30. Frosted Pistachio Cake

Technically pistachios are green but when this cake is cooked it is actually a yellowy-light green color so I still think it works! I like to go super simple on this cake and start with a white or yellow cake mix. The last one I made used a can of lemon-lime soda, a pack of pistachio pudding mix, eggs, and oil. The frosting was made with whipped cream and topped with either chopped pistachios or almonds. (Pro Tip: you can add a few drops of yellow food coloring to your whipped cream frosting if you really want to make the yellow pop in this dessert!)

31. Boston Cream Pie with White Chocolate

I am obsessed with Boston Cream Pie and I absolutely love the combination of vanilla pudding and chocolate paired with a soft cake layer. The center will definitely be yellow but if you want to up the yellow color, try using melted white chocolate instead of milk chocolate on top! (Pro Tip: Make this dessert super simple with a box of yellow cake mix, some vanilla pudding mix, a container of whipped topping, and candy melts. Candy melts come in a huge variety of colors too and you can find them at Walmart or most grocery stores!)

32. Butter Cake

Butter cake is like butter cookies on steroids! The taste is similar to a pound cake where it is thick and rich and so yummy! This dessert can be made from scratch, or you can make one with a yellow cake mix that has the secret creamy ingredient of cream cheese added! (Pro tip: I love to make this cake in a bundt pan so it is super easy to slice into even pieces and lay out on a nice platter or serve whole on a platter. If you serve whole, consider filling the center with fresh fruits like grapes or strawberries for a little extra touch of sweetness!)

33. Rice Pudding

I usually only make rice pudding when I have a ton of leftover white rice, but this super tasty dessert is always a hit! Plus it can be made very cheap because a bag of plain white rice is usually very affordable. The custard of the rice pudding is made with milk, sugar, salt, and eggs. You can also add golden yellow raisins and cinnamon to add a ton of flavor to this dessert! (Pro tip: if you have an oven at the potluck event make the rice pudding ahead of time and heat up at the event. If you don’t have access to an oven, this dish is very easy to make, store, and serve in a crockpot!)

34. Almond Cake

Almonds get looked over a lot for desserts, but they can be so delicious! The flavor they give is nice change from chocolate and the normal berry desserts that most people bring. Almonds also go really well with lemons, so you can power pack this cake with both and it will turn out lovely! (Pro tip: an easy garnish for this cake is candied lemon slices. Simply cut a lemon in half length wise and then make nice thin slices. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water and lemon juice. Heat the mixture until boiling then lower the temperature to medium-low. Add your lemon slices and stir till full coated with the liquid sugar. Cook for 15 minutes or so and then remove the lemon slices and let cool on parchment paper. These yummy edible garnishes are a perfect yellow accent!)

35. No Bake Passionfruit Cheesecake

Passionfruit is not a super common fruit in the US but it is actually super easy to find at most grocery stores. I usually find passionfruit juice in the ethnic aisles at the grocery store or check for the fruit in the frozen section. You will start with a basic no bake cheesecake with a graham crcker crust, but then top it with a cooked curd made from the passionfruit juice or puree. The color of the passionfruit is a beautiful yellow color and the taste is a little sweet and a little tart. (Pro tip: Passionfruit pulp is sweet and the seeds are tart. If you want a sweeter flavor then don’t use as many seeds, these can be strained out.)

Yellow Desserts for a Color Party

I am a huge fan of color themed potlucks, but I am not a fan of adding a lot of food coloring to make dishes a certain color. A little bit of extra color in whipped topping or frosting is fine and looks great, but unnaturally colored food always looks unappealing.

To make sure your yellow dessert looks beautiful and tasty, try to utilize fruits and ingredients that are already yellow in color. Also remember that there are a million shades of yellow from the softest pastel to the darkest deep golden side.

Hopefully this list of yellow desserts has inspired you to create a fabulous dessert. If I missed one of your favorites, feel free to leave me a comment! Don’t forget to check out our list of Yellow Side Dishes.