The 5 Best Summer Desserts At Dollar Tree, Hands-Down

At Dollar Tree, the changing of the seasons is more obvious in the rest of the store than in the food aisles. Early summer brings a plethora of patriotic decorations, while beach-themed dishware, tote bags, and kitchen towels are in ascendance right up until black cats and pumpkins take over the aisles well in advance of Halloween. The grocery lineup, however, remains more or less consistent year-round, so not many items are designated as summertime specials. That being said, Dollar Tree not only sells snacks that are great for summer cookouts but also has desserts that would work for the same occasion. These treats are just right for solo enjoyment too, even if the pool you're chilling by is a plastic kiddie one in your own backyard.

Since Dollar Tree has a freezer case, our quintet of summer desserts includes several frozen treats. We also have an ice cream-inspired cookie-candy hybrid that made our list of 2025's best Dollar Tree finds as well as a regional favorite cookie-cake crossover. If you don't mind doing some cooking, there's even a mix that'll allow you to riff on a classic carnival favorite at home.

Many recipe developers feel compelled to warn you against freezing cake, seeing it merely as a last-ditch method of saving leftovers. Here's a not-so-hot take: Cold cake is the best cake, especially if it's cheesecake. In fact, frozen cheesecake is very much a thing; it's served up on sticks by numerous vendors at festivals all across the country. Frozen slices of Edwards Signatures Original Whipped Cheesecake are therefore not only a budget-friendly dessert but a super convenient one as well.

This cheesecake can be found in Dollar Tree's freezer case and is of the plain variety, which comes in a cookie crust. You can take it straight out of the package and plop it on a plate or let it thaw out if you prefer that it soften up a bit. It's also possible to recreate the aforementioned fairground treat by inserting a wooden stick in a slice of still-frozen cake and dipping it into melted chocolate. You can then decorate it with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut, or go way out on a limb and recreate the Wisconsin State Fair's soon-to-be notorious Bugged Out Frozen Cheesecake On-a-Stick with a coating of crickets and dried worms.

Purchase a two-slice, 5.4-ounce box of Edwards Signatures Original Whipped Cheesecake at Dollar Tree for $3.00.

Perhaps the best-known carnival food of all is the funnel cake, something that may seem impossible to recreate at home. This is far from the case, however. It turns out that all you need is a box of Enticingly Easy Funnel Cake Mix, an egg, some milk, and oil for frying. Oh, and a kitchen funnel, since this is how the dough gets its swirly shape. If you have no funnel on hand, you can always MacGyver one by removing the cap from a plastic water bottle and then cutting the bottom off. A rinsed-out squeezy bottle like the kind mustard comes in also works, but be sure you've washed it well to remove any lingering flavor.

Or not. Actually, sweet and savory funnel cake hybrids may be some of the best fried foods you can find at state fairs around the country. The Minnesota State Fair's Sweet Squeakers consist of cheese curds fried in funnel cake batter, while the Wisconsin State Fair offers Funnel Dogs. While both items are served with sweet toppings, mustard would also work. In fact, you could use your Dollar Tree funnel cake mix to dip and fry pretty much anything you might think of, thus creating your own DIY desserts and main course mashups.

Purchase a 6.53-ounce box of Enticingly Easy Funnel Cake Mix at Dollar Tree for $1.50.

If you want to evoke nostalgia in just about anybody, hand them a SpongeBob popsicle. "SpongeBob SquarePants" made its TV debut in 1999, and the fruit punch and cotton candy-flavored popsicle started making the rounds on ice cream trucks two years later. Over the years it's undergone a few changes, so the current Popsicle Spongebob Squarepants Frozen Confection Bar carried by Dollar Tree may not look the same as the ones you remember from your childhood. The main reason is that Popsicle replaced the gumball eyes with chocolate chips back in 2023.

Of course, the fun part of eating a SpongeBob popsicle is that you never know exactly how it's going to appear. As soon as these frozen treats start to melt just a tiny bit they tend to become deformed in amusingly hideous ways, a phenomenon that's launched many a meme. If you do find a perfect pop, it's almost like Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. No, it won't get you a tour of the Popsicle factory, but if you snap a photo it's sure to draw comments on social media.

Purchase a 4-ounce Popsicle Spongebob Squarepants Frozen Confection Bar at Dollar Tree for $1.25.

Pre-packed frozen ice cream cones often save the best part for last. The tip of the cone is packed with hardened chocolate, so the final bite actually tastes even better than the first. There is a way you can enjoy this treat without the attached ice cream, however: Mini Waffle Cones make the perfect option for days when it's hot enough to melt frozen confections in five seconds flat.

Are Mini Waffle Cones cookies? Are they candies? They're difficult to classify since the cone part could fit in the former category while the filling is more aligned with the latter. Whatever you want to call them, they're undeniably delicious and really hard to stop eating before you get to the bottom of the bag (speaking from experience). Available varieties include Dark Chocolaty, Milk Chocolaty, Dubai Chocolaty, Strawberry Shortcake, and Sugar Cookie (the last two are filled with flavored white chocolate). The most ice cream adjacent, however, is Cookies n' Cream since its chocolate cone tips are packed with an ice cream-inspired flavor of white chocolate.

Purchase a 1.7-ounce bag of Mini Waffle Cones at Dollar Tree for $1.25.

If you had a Moon Pie in your lunchbox every day as a kid you probably grew up in the South. These snack cakes have been a regional favorite since World War I when they were allegedly created at the request of a Kentucky coal miner. The company that makes them is based in Tennessee, but you don't have to travel below the Mason-Dixon line to find them. Dollar Trees carry Moon Pie Minis in banana and blueberry as well as the more traditional chocolate.

If you've yet to experience a Moon Pie, they consist of two round graham crackers sandwiched together with a marshmallow filling and dipped in a candy coating. Canonically, these pies are supposed to be consumed with RC Cola, a pairing celebrated both by Big Bill Lister's "Gimme an RC Cola and a Moon Pie" and NRBQ's "An RC Cola and a Moon Pie." Dollar Tree doesn't carry RC Cola, but it does stock the similar Shasta Cola at $1.25 for a four-pack of 12-ounce cans.

Purchase a box of six Moon Pie Minis at Dollar Tree for $1.25.