Oct 17, 2025, 8:49 PM

Dessert Trends in Canada 2025: Data-Backed Insights for Restaurant Operators

Dessert trends in Canada show strong growth in frozen, customizable, and premium indulgence segments. See 2025 data, menu insights, and how TFI® dessert equipment helps maximize ROI.

By Nicole Camposeo-Cheung

Dessert Trends in Canada 2025: What’s Rising, What’s Selling, and How to Act

Dessert menus across Canada are shifting fast — from premium soft-serve and milkshakes to baked-and-fried mashups, frozen beverages, and shareable treats. According to recent foodservice data, dessert occasions grew 8% year-over-year in 2024, with quick-service and convenience channels leading. Consumers are looking for indulgent, customizable desserts that feel premium but fit fast service formats.

The Canadian dessert market is heating up.

As one of Canada’s leading foodservice distributors for more than 60 years, TFI Food Equipment Solutions has helped operators launch many of the country’s favourite menu items, from the McFlurry® to 7-Eleven® Slurpees®.

Drawing on six decades of category data, kitchen experience, and operator ROI modelling, we’re breaking down the latest dessert trends shaping Canada’s 2025 foodservice market—and showing how you can turn them into profitable opportunities with the right equipment and menu strategy.

Interior of Sweet Jesus ice cream shop featuring turquoise soft serve machines, digital menu boards, and dessert display on a modern counter.

In this article, we’ll cover the most-asked questions from operators:

What is the most popular dessert in Canada?
What desserts are trending in 2025?
What is Canada’s national dessert?
What are the top-selling and most profitable desserts to add?
How can restaurants and cafés increase dessert sales and calculate price correctly?

1) What desserts are most popular in Canada?

Top 10 desserts ordered in 2025 (foodservice data compilation):

Soft-serve ice cream & frozen yogurt
Milkshakes & blended beverages
Cheesecake (mini & grab-and-go formats rising)
Cookies (fresh-baked and stuffed)
Donuts & crullers
Brownies & bars
Ice cream sandwiches & dipped cones
Pies & tarts (especially butter tart and apple)
Churros & fried dough items
Cupcakes & single-serve cakes

Three women enjoying gourmet soft serve ice cream cones with toppings while sitting outside Sweet Jesus ice cream shop on a sunny day.

Regional favourites:

Ontario & GTA: Premium soft-serve, milkshakes, and cookie skillets.
Atlantic Canada: Traditional pies, deep-fried desserts, and ice-cream-based milkshakes.

Canada’s “national dessert”

While unofficial, the butter tart continues to hold iconic status — mentioned in nearly every tourism and heritage list. Operators modernize it with ice cream, espresso drizzle, or frozen variations.

2) 2025 Dessert Trends in Canada: Data & Direction

Trend	2025 Direction	What Operators Should Do
Soft-serve revival	Up +12 % in QSR dessert sales	Add Taylor® commercial soft-serve or Flavor Burst™ for variety
Frozen beverage desserts	+9 % sales growth in frozen slush/dessert drinks	Use Taylor® or Icetro® slush machines for blended or layered desserts
Air-fried indulgence	+14 % menu penetration of “air-fried” desserts	Test LightFry® oil-free systems for churros, mini donuts, or fritters
Hybrid desserts (fried + baked)	Trending across TikTok & menus	Use Henny Penny® combi or open fryers for high-throughput dessert prep
Mini & shareable formats	Portion-controlled indulgence	Batch small servings for dine-in or grab-and-go
Plant-based frozen	+7 % YoY in vegan dessert sales	Stock oat-based soft-serve mixes compatible with Taylor® freezers
Premium toppings & textures	High-margin add-ons	Integrate Razzle™ blenders and topping stations for upsell

3) Most Profitable Desserts for Restaurants

Desserts with low ingredient cost + strong visual appeal drive the best ROI.

Soft-serve programs: Typical 70–80% gross profit, 6–18 month payback
Franke® coffee + dessert pairings: Coffee programmes average 80%+ profit and boost dessert attach rates
Pressure-fried sweets (churros, beignets): Henny Penny® systems use 40% less oil and speed cook times
Air-fried items: LightFry® commercial air fryers reduce oil costs to zero while offering a health-forward marketing angle.

Man dispensing purple soft serve ice cream into a black paper cup using a commercial Taylor ice cream machine.

4) Canada Dessert Trends & Industry Statistics

Ice-cream demand: per-capita supply ticked up in 2023

4.75 litres of ice cream were available per Canadian in 2023, up from 4.51 L in 2022 (food availability series). That’s the first notable uptick in years and supports menu space for soft-serve, sundaes, and novelty formats. (Statistics Canada)

Why it matters: a rising base means operators can confidently feature soft-serve and shakes year-round, with seasonal flavours or limited-time toppings to lift cheque size.

Foodservice sales backdrop: industry growth supports dessert attach

Canadian food services and drinking places sales were $8.4B in March 2025, up 1.8% month-over-month; restaurant menu prices were +3.2% YoY. (Statistics Canada)
For 2024 as a whole, annual sales reached $96.5B (StatCan total), confirming a healthy demand environment for add-on items like desserts. (Retail Insider)

Why it matters: a growing ticket pool makes desserts one of the fastest ways to expand average cheque with minimal incremental labour (especially when automated).

Colorful green, orange, and red slush drinks served in glass bowls, made using a Taylor commercial slush machine.

Cost pressures to watch: cocoa & sugar

Cocoa prices remained very high through 2024 and into 2025; sugar eased somewhat but stayed elevated, keeping pressure on confectionery margins. (fcc-fac.ca)

What to do:

Lean into frozen desserts (soft-serve, shakes, slush) where cocoa intensity can be lower.
Use portion-controlled toppings and premium price cues to preserve margin.

Dairy market signals that support frozen dessert menus

Canada’s dairy trade data show ice-cream and mix imports rose to 720 tonnes in 2024 (from 591 t in 2023), a demand-side signal for frozen treats. (dairyfarmersofcanada.ca)
The Canadian Dairy Information Centre remains the canonical source for dairy consumption, price, and availability trends that influence soft-serve and shake costs. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Why it matters: increased availability/imports + stable retail pricing help you price frozen desserts competitively while protecting gross profit.

Drive-thru & speed: format where desserts thrive

Canada’s drive-thru channel continues to be benchmarked as a critical QSR battleground for speed and order accuracy, which directly enables dessert add-ons and impulse purchases. (intouchinsight.com)

Tactics: pre-programmed dessert builds, simplified topping matrices, and screen prompts (“Add a mini shake for $2.49?”) are proven to lift attach without slowing service.

Price growth for goods slowed sharply in 2024 while services stayed firmer, per StatsCan’s CPI review; food-away-from-home faced mixed pressures into early 2025. (Statistics Canada)
January–February 2025 tax relief briefly lowered recorded prices for restaurant foods, a reminder to monitor input costs and competitive pricing in Q1/Q2 planning. (Reuters)

How to use it: keep a tight cost-per-serve on each dessert (cone, cup, shake) and adjust portion or topping ladders instead of base price when sentiment is sensitive.

Person dispensing vanilla and blue swirl soft serve ice cream into a cone using a Taylor commercial soft serve machine.

5) Dessert Equipment That Drives ROI

Soft-Serve & Frozen Desserts – Taylor®

Taylor® commercial soft-serve machines and milkshake blenders dominate Canadian QSR dessert programs. Countertop models like C706 or C161 deliver premium texture with compact footprints, ideal for cafés or convenience stores.

Side-by-side comparison of Taylor soft serve ice cream machines: countertop models C152 and C161, and freestanding model C706/C707.

Frozen Slush & Blended Beverages – Icetro® & Taylor®

Frozen carbonated and uncarbonated systems allow iced coffee-dessert crossovers and boozy frozen specials.

Icetro commercial slush machines with colorful branding and cooling units. Showcasing the single, double, and triple barrel models.

Oil-Free Air Fryers – LightFry®

Serve hot desserts like churros, beignets, and apple fritters with no oil. Operators reduce energy use by ≈ 50 % while offering a clean-label dessert option.

Lightfry commercial air fryer with stainless steel body, digital touchscreen controls, and front-loading fry chamber for oil-free cooking.

Combi & Open Fryers – Henny Penny®

For baked-then-fried or high-volume dessert SKUs, Henny Penny® combi ovens and open fryers enable precision control and oil savings.

Henny Penny Evolution Elite commercial deep fryers with multiple fry vats, digital touchscreen controls, and oil management system.

Coffee Pairings – Franke® Super-Automatics

Dessert sales often rise 20 % when paired with premium coffee. Franke® A Series machines deliver consistent espresso, foam, and flavoured recipes to upsell affogatos or dessert-coffee bundles.

Franke bean-to-cup commercial coffee machine dispensing a latte with touchscreen menu interface in a modern café setting.

6) How to Increase Dessert Sales

Bundle combos: Pair desserts with coffee or meal add-ons.
Promote visuals: High-contrast menu boards, digital screens, and clear images.
Offer mini sizes: Encourage impulse orders at 2–4 CAD price points.
Cross-train staff: Dessert upsell scripts at drive-thru and POS.
Automate prep: Super-automatic, low-labour machines maintain consistency during peaks.
Monitor costs: Use cost-per-portion data (ingredient + cup + topping ÷ sale price) to calculate margin.

7) How to Calculate Dessert Price

A simple margin model:

Cost per serve = Ingredients + Cup + Topping + Labour share
Profit = Selling price – Cost per serve

Example:

Soft-serve cone: $0.55 cost → $2.49 price = 78 % gross profit
Milkshake: $0.95 cost → $4.99 price = 81 % gross profit

Use these metrics to design LTOs that protect margin while enticing repeat visits.

8) How Operators Can Act Now

For 60 years, TFI Food Equipment Solutions has supported Canada’s leading brands with dessert and beverage equipment programs—from the McFlurry® to Slurpee®. We serve Ontario and Atlantic Canada with sales, leasing, and service programmes that keep equipment running profitably.

Next steps:

Explore Taylor® Soft Serve Machines
Compare Henny Penny® Fryers & Combi Ovens
Discover LightFry® Commercial Air Fryers
Pair desserts with Franke® Coffee Systems
Protect uptime with TFI Total Care

Taylor commercial slush machine—single-barrel, blue cabinet—shown at TFI Food Equipment Solutions’ trade show display with sample cup and citrus decals.

What is the most popular dessert in Canada?

Soft-serve ice cream and milkshakes remain Canada’s top-ordered desserts in both quick-service and convenience channels. They’re popular for their nostalgia, fast prep, and strong profit margins—typically 70–80 % gross profit with payback in under 18 months.

The biggest dessert trends include soft-serve revival (+12 %), air-fried items (+14 %), and frozen beverage desserts (+9 %). Operators are also adding hybrid fried-and-baked creations, plant-based frozen treats, and mini shareable portions. (Statistics Canada)

What is Canada’s national dessert?

The butter tart continues to be considered Canada’s signature dessert. Restaurants modernize it with espresso drizzle, ice-cream pairings, or frozen versions to meet changing consumer tastes.

What is the most profitable dessert to sell?

Soft-serve and milkshake programs lead in profitability. A cone can cost about $0.55 to produce and retail near $2.49, while shakes average 81 % gross profit. Coffee-dessert pairings using Franke® super-automatic machines also drive high attach rates and 80 %+ profit.

Hand holding a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone with a waffle cone against a clear blue sky on a sunny summer day.

What is the target market for desserts in Canada?

Core buyers are Gen Z and Millennial consumers seeking customizable, Instagram-worthy indulgence, plus families looking for affordable treats. Portion-controlled formats and premium toppings resonate across both groups.

How can restaurants and cafés increase dessert sales?

Bundle desserts with coffee or meal combos
Feature visuals and digital menu prompts (“Add a mini shake for $2.49?”)
Introduce seasonal or limited-time flavours
Automate prep with Taylor® soft-serve, Henny Penny® fryers, or LightFry® air fryers to speed service and reduce waste

What is the most bought dessert in Canada?

Data from Canadian QSR menus show soft-serve cones and blended milkshakes as the most purchased desserts nationwide. They dominate impulse buys, especially through drive-thru channels. (Intouch Insight)

Why are frozen and air-fried desserts growing so fast?

Frozen desserts tap into Canada’s expanding 4.75 L per-capita ice-cream availability and year-round demand, while air-fried options meet consumer calls for lighter indulgence. Both formats deliver consistency and cost savings with equipment like Taylor® and LightFry®.

A set of Taylor soft-serve ice cream machines, designed for high-volume commercial kitchens, dessert shops, and restaurants. These machines offer efficient freezing technology for consistent, high-quality soft serve.

Conclusion

Desserts in Canada are moving toward premium, portable, and profitable. From soft-serve and milkshakes to air-fried and frozen hybrid creations, operators who adapt quickly with the right equipment will capture more check-add-ons and repeat traffic.

TFI Canada helps you build menu profitability with equipment programs backed by factory-trained technicians, OEM parts, and flexible rental or leasing options.

Reach out today for a free dessert equipment quote.

Nicole Camposeo-Cheung

Nicole Camposeo-Cheung is the Director of Marketing, People & Culture at TFI Food Equipment Solutions, Canada’s leading provider of premium commercial foodservice equipment. She combines her expertise in business management and fashion arts to foster a dynamic, innovative, and people-centric corporate culture. Passionate about empowering teams, building strong client relationships, and driving growth through creativity and collaboration, Nicole plays a key role in shaping TFI’s brand and workplace culture. She also shares her industry expertise and insights through the TFI blog, helping foodservice professionals stay informed about the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in commercial food equipment.