✔ Updated · 34 desserts: cakes, impossible pies, cobblers, bars + more
When I need a dessert in a hurry, I reach for the Bisquick box before anything else. These 34 easy Bisquick desserts cover cobblers, impossible pies, bars, cookies and fried treats.
The best Bisquick desserts are peach cobbler, strawberry shortcake, brownies, blondies, chocolate chip cookies, coffee cake, impossible coconut pie, impossible cheesecake, churros and lemon squares. Bisquick already contains flour, leavening, salt and fat, so most of these need only sugar, eggs, milk or butter and about 10 minutes of prep.
- Easiest: peach cobbler, mug cake, cherry cobbler.
- Crustless pies: impossible coconut, pumpkin, apple and cheesecake.
- Bars and cookies: brownies, blondies, snickerdoodles, lemon squares.
- Fried treats: churros, donuts and funnel cake.
Why Bisquick Makes Desserts So Easy
Bisquick is flour, leavening, salt and fat already mixed, so the "creaming butter and sifting flour" part is mostly done. That's why the famous impossible pies work: the batter settles as it bakes and makes its own crust.
My two rules: stir gently and stop when the dry streaks disappear, and don't overbake. Pull cobblers when the topping is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges. For savory and breakfast ideas, see all our easy Bisquick recipes.
Bisquick Cakes and Quick Breads
1. Bisquick Velvet Crumb Cake
A vintage classic: tender butter cake under a broiled coconut and brown sugar topping.
How: Beat 1 1/2 cups Bisquick, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsp shortening, 3/4 cup milk, 1 egg and vanilla; bake in an 8-inch pan at 350°F for 35 minutes, then broil the topping.
2. Bisquick Coffee Cake
Soft cake with a thick buttery cinnamon streusel. Coffee optional, second slice inevitable.
Get the recipe →3. Chocolate Pudding Cake
A self-saucing cake: the batter bakes on top while a rich chocolate pudding forms underneath.
How: Spread a cocoa Bisquick batter in a pan, sprinkle with brown sugar and cocoa, pour over 1 1/2 cups hot water and bake at 350°F about 40 minutes.
4. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Caramelized pineapple rings and cherries on a buttery Bisquick cake, flipped warm.
How: Melt butter and brown sugar in a pan, arrange pineapple and cherries, top with a Bisquick, sugar, egg and milk batter; bake at 350°F 35 to 40 minutes.
5. Blueberry Bisquick Mug Cake
A single-serving fruity cake from the microwave in about 90 seconds.
How: Stir 1/4 cup Bisquick, 1 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp milk and a handful of blueberries in a mug; microwave 60 to 90 seconds until set.
6. Bisquick Banana Bread
Moist banana bread with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar top. Dessert, snack or breakfast.
Get the recipe →Impossible Pies and Custard Desserts
7. Impossible Coconut Custard Pie
Pour one batter into the dish and it separates into a crust, custard and toasted coconut top.
How: Blend 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup Bisquick, 1/4 cup butter and 1 cup coconut; bake in a greased pie plate at 350°F 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Impossible French Apple Pie
Spiced apples, a custardy base and a crunchy streusel top, with no pastry to roll.
How: Spread spiced sliced apples in a pie plate, pour over a Bisquick, milk and egg batter, top with a Bisquick, nut and brown sugar streusel; bake at 325°F about 55 minutes.
9. Impossible Pumpkin Pie
All the Thanksgiving flavor, no crust stress. It forms a thin base as it bakes.
How: Whisk canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 cup Bisquick; bake at 350°F 50 to 55 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
10. Impossible Chocolate Brownie Pie
Fudgy brownie meets chocolate pie. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.
How: Beat melted chocolate, eggs, sugar, milk, butter and Bisquick until smooth; bake in a pie plate at 350°F 35 to 40 minutes.
11. Impossible Cheesecake
A creamy, crustless cheesecake that blends in minutes and bakes into its own base.
How: Blend cream cheese, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla and 1/2 cup Bisquick; bake at 350°F 40 to 45 minutes, then chill at least 4 hours.
12. Buttermilk Pie
A Southern custard pie with a tangy, silky filling and a caramelized top.
How: Blend buttermilk, sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and 1/2 cup Bisquick; bake in a greased pie plate at 350°F about 45 minutes.
13. Impossible Rhubarb Pie
Tangy rhubarb mellowed by a sweet custard, with a crumbly Bisquick topping.
How: Arrange chopped rhubarb in a pie plate, pour over a Bisquick, sugar, egg and milk custard, top with a buttery crumble and bake at 350°F 45 minutes.
Cobblers, Crisps and Fruit Desserts
14. Bisquick Peach Cobbler
Juicy peaches with a golden batter that bakes up around the fruit. My go-to summer dessert.
Get the recipe →
15. Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake
Sugar-crusted shortcakes, juicy strawberries and clouds of whipped cream.
Get the recipe →16. Apple Cobbler
Cinnamon apples under a soft biscuit topping. Fall in a baking dish.
How: Toss sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon in a buttered dish, top with spoonfuls of Bisquick, sugar and milk dough; bake at 375°F 35 to 40 minutes.
17. Blueberry Cobbler
Bubbly, jammy blueberries and a sugar-sparkled biscuit crust. Frozen berries work too.
How: Mix 4 cups blueberries with sugar and lemon juice, drop Bisquick dough over the top, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 375°F 30 to 35 minutes.
18. Cherry Cobbler
A shortcut cobbler with canned cherry pie filling and a buttery Bisquick batter.
How: Pour Bisquick, milk and sugar batter over melted butter, spoon cherry pie filling on top and bake at 375°F 40 minutes until golden.
19. Bisquick Apple Crisp
Tender baked apples under a crunchy brown sugar, oat and Bisquick crumble.
How: Rub 1/2 cup Bisquick, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter into crumbs, scatter over spiced apples and bake at 375°F 35 minutes.
Bisquick Bars and Cookies
20. Bisquick Brownies
Fudgy one-bowl brownies with a crackly top. Chocolate fix in under an hour.
Get the recipe →21. Bisquick Blondies
Chewy, butterscotch-flavored bars with brown sugar and white or semisweet chips.
How: Mix 2 cups Bisquick, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 eggs and vanilla, fold in 1 cup chips; bake in a 9-inch pan at 350°F about 25 minutes.
22. Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy middles, golden crisp edges and plenty of chips, made fast with the mix.
Get the recipe →
23. Bisquick Peanut Butter Cookies
Soft, nutty cookies with the classic fork crosshatch. Lunchbox gold.
Get the recipe →24. Bisquick Snickerdoodles
Soft, tangy cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar, ready in about 20 minutes.
How: Beat 2 cups Bisquick, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 egg and vanilla; roll balls in cinnamon sugar and bake at 375°F 8 to 10 minutes.
25. Lemon Squares
A buttery shortbread-style base and a zingy lemon curd top, dusted with powdered sugar.
How: Press a Bisquick, butter and powdered sugar crust into a pan and bake 10 minutes; pour over lemon juice, eggs and sugar and bake at 350°F 25 minutes more.
26. Strawberry Bars
Jammy strawberry filling sandwiched between buttery crumb layers.
How: Press half a Bisquick, oat, brown sugar and butter crumble into a pan, spread with strawberry jam, top with the rest and bake at 350°F 25 to 30 minutes.
27. Raspberry Bars
Tart raspberry jam bars with a crisp crumb top, perfect for bake sales.
How: Same method as the strawberry bars with raspberry jam; add a pinch of almond extract to the crumble.
Churros, Donuts and Sweet Breakfast Treats
28. Bisquick Churros
Crispy, cinnamon-sugar churros with no fussy choux pastry. Dip them in chocolate sauce.
Get the recipe →29. Bisquick Donuts
Quick fried donut holes rolled in cinnamon sugar or tossed in glaze, no yeast needed.
How: Stir 2 cups Bisquick, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg into a soft dough; drop small balls into 375°F oil for 1 to 2 minutes, then roll in sugar.
30. Bisquick Funnel Cake
Crispy lattice of fried batter under a snowfall of powdered sugar, straight from the fair.
How: Thin Bisquick batter with extra milk, pour through a funnel into 375°F oil in swirls, fry 1 minute per side and dust with powdered sugar.
31. Bisquick Cinnamon Rolls
No-yeast, no-knead cinnamon rolls on the table in about 40 minutes.
How: Pat out a soft Bisquick dough, spread with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, roll up, slice and bake at 400°F about 20 minutes; drizzle with glaze.
32. Easy Bisquick Danish
Flaky-ish sweet pastries with a jam or cream cheese center, ready in 20 minutes.
How: Drop rounds of Bisquick, butter, sugar and milk dough on a sheet, press a well in each, fill with jam and bake at 450°F 10 to 15 minutes; glaze.
33. Bisquick Banana Muffins
Soft, fluffy banana muffins in 30 minutes. A sweet treat that passes as breakfast.
Get the recipe →
34. Bisquick Chocolate Chip Muffins
Big domed muffins packed with chocolate chips, bakery style.
Get the recipe →Tips for Baking Desserts With Bisquick
- Spoon and level the mix. Scooping packs it down and makes cakes and cookies dense.
- Grease the pie plate well for impossible pies, since the crust forms right against the dish.
- Let custard pies cool. Impossible pies and cheesecake slice cleanly only after they've cooled and chilled.
- Frying? Keep oil at 350°F to 375°F with a thermometer; too cool and donuts and churros turn greasy.
- No Bisquick? For each cup, mix 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon cold butter or shortening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What desserts can you make with Bisquick?
Bisquick makes cobblers, shortcakes, coffee cake, brownies, blondies, cookies, lemon squares, impossible custard pies, cheesecake, churros, donuts, funnel cake and cinnamon rolls. Because the mix already has flour, leavening and fat, most of these need just sugar, eggs and milk or butter.
Can you make brownies with Bisquick?
Yes. Bisquick brownies come out fudgy with a crackly top. The mix stands in for the flour, baking powder and salt, so you add cocoa or melted chocolate, sugar, eggs and butter. Bake them until a toothpick shows moist crumbs, not wet batter.
What is an impossible pie?
An impossible pie is a crustless pie made with a pourable Bisquick batter. As it bakes, the mix settles to the bottom and forms a thin crust while the top turns into custard or filling. Coconut, pumpkin, apple and cheeseburger versions are the classics.
How do you make Bisquick blondies?
Mix about 2 cups Bisquick with 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 eggs and vanilla, then fold in a cup of chips or nuts. Spread in a greased 9-inch pan and bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, until golden and just set.
Can Bisquick replace flour in desserts?
Only in recipes written for it. Bisquick already contains baking powder, salt and fat, so swapping it 1:1 into a regular cake or cookie recipe can make it salty and over-risen. Use recipes designed for Bisquick, like the ones above.
