16 Irresistible New Zealand Sweets & Must-Try NZ Desserts

As expats living in New Zealand for over 20 years, you can be sure that Jeff and I have made an effort to sample all of the New Zealand sweets and to indulge in as many of the Kiwi desserts as we can discover.

We have even made many at home from traditional recipes or adapted gluten-free versions, always verifying with locals that we hit the mark.

Then, to be sure we had a comprehensive list, we asked at Explore New Zealand, the country’s largest NZ travel Facebook group, offering tips for travel and plenty of photographs. As we run the group, we took some of the recommendations and incorporated them below.

Whether you are a local wanting to know what we like or a visitor looking for a list of the must-try NZ and other New Zealand sweets, we’ve got you covered.

Just a word of warning . . . this page might activate your sweet tooth.

Let’s get started with some classic New Zealand desserts

We love most of the classics, but we included them all here, with our thoughts.

Pavlova – a classic Kiwi dessert that Australia tries to claim

Pavlova is a dessert that triggered a friendly rivalry between New Zealand and Australia, with both countries claiming its origin. However, after over 20 years in New Zealand, we proudly consider it a Kiwi classic.

This light, airy meringue dessert is crispy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside, typically topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Our favourite is strawberries, but the group seemed more focused on kiwi fruit. Either way, we love to drizzle a passion fruit sauce over the top.

Lolly cake – we even have a gluten-free version

Lolly cake is a uniquely Kiwi creation that we’ve come to adore. Made with crushed malt biscuits, sweetened condensed milk, and colourful fruit-flavoured lollies, it’s a sweet, chewy delight. We’ve adapted the recipe to create a gluten-free lolly cake, ensuring that we can still enjoy this beloved treat without any dietary concerns.

Anzac biscuits

Anzac biscuits are made with oats, coconut, golden syrup, and flour, creating a biscuit that’s chewy, full of flavour, and reminds me of the oatmeal raisin cookies my mum made in the States, without the raisins, of course. Originally baked and sent to soldiers during World War I, these biscuits carry a sense of history and comfort. We love them for their simple, satisfying taste that feels like a warm hug in each bite.

Lamingtons

Lamingtons are an Australian classic that many New Zealanders absolutely adore. These sponge cake squares, dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, are a staple at gatherings and afternoon teas. While we appreciate their cultural significance, I’ve always found them a bit plain. I admit they remind me of a childhood treat called Raspberry Zingers.

Enjoy a slice for afternoon tea or as one of your desserts in New Zealand

In New Zealand, a slice is a layered treat often enjoyed either at morning tea with coffee, afternoon tea, or after a meal as a classic NZ dessert. They are usually made in a tray and cut into rectangular slices, ergo the name. Here are some of our favourites:

Caramel slice

My go-to. As much as I enjoy just about every one of the NZ desserts on this page, caramel slice is almost always my top pick at cafes. Even though a very similar dessert originated in Scotland, caramel slice is considered Kiwi and super popular here. The layers of buttery shortbread, rich caramel, and smooth chocolate create a decadent dessert that’s hard to resist. The combination of crunchy, gooey, and velvety textures makes every bite a melt-in-my-mouth experience.

Ginger crunch

Ginger Crunch is my top pick when I’m not in the mood for chocolate. This slice, with its crunchy ginger-flavoured base and sweet, spicy icing, offers a bold flavour that’s both warming and indulgent. The strong ginger kick, balanced by the sweetness of the icing, makes it one of my favourites.

Custard squares – (Australian’s call it snot block)

Custard squares are a popular treat in New Zealand bakeries, although their origin may be either France or the UK. They are known for their layers of flaky pastry, thick, creamy custard filling, and white icing. It’s one of Jeff’s favourites. The custard is rich and velvety, while the pastry adds a crunch. Interestingly, one of the group members added they read an article about NZ’s unique foods, and it referred to the custard square as a ‘snot block’.

Louise slice

Louise slice is a layered dessert that’s both beautiful and delicious. Although claimed as a New Zealand dessert, there is some question as to its actual origin and whether or not it was named after Queen Victoria’s daughter. It features a buttery shortbread base, a layer of raspberry jam, and a coconut meringue topping. I rarely choose these in a cafe, but when I do, I always love them.

Don’t forget to try some classic New Zealand ice cream

• Hokey pokey ice cream
  This was one of the first New Zealand sweets we tried, and we instantly fell in love with it. This quintessential Kiwi dessert features creamy vanilla ice cream with crunchy honeycomb toffee pieces scattered throughout.
• Jelly tip ice cream
  A nostalgic treat for many Kiwis, it’s another that our girls absolutely loved when they were young. It features a vanilla base with a layer of raspberry jelly with dark chocolate flakes (compared to the USA, ‘jelly’ in NZ is closer to a US jello). Despite our girls’ enthusiasm, neither Jeff nor I ever quite acquired a taste for the jelly and ice cream together.

Must-try New Zealand sweets

We chose to separate NZ desserts from NZ sweets, with the division being when you would eat them. We are calling dessert anything we would typically eat for morning tea, afternoon teas, or dinner. In contrast, this list is really about New Zealand lollies (candy).

Pineapple lumps

Pineapple Lumps are a uniquely Kiwi sweet that combines chewy pineapple-flavoured candy with a chocolate coating. We have to admit that we first discovered them from their hilarious TV commercial. After one taste, we were hooked. We brought these back to the States on every visit for years.

Jaffas

Jaffas are small, round candies with a chocolate centre and a hard orange-flavoured coating. They are a bit like what I would imagine a round, orange M&M would taste like. We also brought these back to the States but often ate most of them in flight, as they are a bit ‘moreish’ – a term Kiwis use to describe tasty, addictive food.

They’re a popular treat in New Zealand where many mainlanders have memories of the no-longer happening annual jaffa race where Cadbury rolled thousands down the world’s steepest street located in Dunedin.

Chocolate fish

Chocolate Fish are a fun and iconic Kiwi treat, consisting of a fish-shaped pink marshmallow coated in milk chocolate. Simple yet amazing.

Popular New Zealand sweets – that are not my favourite

My apologies to these classic NZ sweets. While they are all super popular, loved by Kiwi kids, and all appeared on the list from our group, none of these ever won my heart.

• Kiwifruit slices
  Kiwifruit slices are a sweet treat that celebrates New Zealand’s famous kiwi fruit, grown predominantly in the Bay of Plenty. These chewy slices are typically made from dried kiwifruit, offering a tangy, natural sweetness that’s both healthy and delicious.
• Jet planes
  Jet Planes are soft, chewy lollies shaped like small aeroplanes. They come in a variety of fruity flavours, and kids love them.
• Milk bottles
  These solid yet chewy, milk-flavoured lollies, shaped like milk bottles, could be marketed as a way to remove your dental crowns or wiggly teeth without going to the dentist. They are quite opposite in texture to soft, chewy jet planes. Kids love these as well, although I can’t figure out why.
• Explorer lollies
  These were renamed a few years ago to be politically correct, so most Kiwis still know them by their prior name. However, now called Explorers, these fruity, chewy lollies are a bit like circus peanuts in the States and just too sweet for my taste – that is, unless you put them in lolly cake, then they are great.

Do you have favourite New Zealand sweets or desserts not mentioned? Add them to the comments below or to the discussion at Explore New Zealand here.

Where is the pudding I keep hearing about?

If you have spent time in New Zealand, you may have been offered pudding after a meal. Are you wondering why there is no pudding on the list? Don’t worry, we were too.

In fact, when we first arrived in New Zealand, we were thoroughly confused by the word “pudding.” Back in the USA, we had always thought of pudding as a specific type of dessert—usually a creamy, custard-like dish, often flavoured with chocolate or vanilla.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that “pudding” is simply another word for dessert in New Zealand. Whether you’re having a slice of cake, a bowl of ice cream, or a piece of pie, it’s all considered pudding here.

This was just one of many language blunders we encountered when we first moved to New Zealand. Another memorable one was discovering that “lollies” are what Kiwis call candy. We had a good laugh over that and quickly adapted to the local lingo. In fact, there were so many of these little surprises that we ended up writing a separate article poking fun at all of the strange Kiwi slang we encountered.

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What are your favourite NZ sweets or Kiwi desserts?

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