German Sweets & Desserts Vocabulary
This set covers the words you need to order dessert or talk about a sweet tooth in German: der Keks for cookie, die Schokolade for chocolate, and das Eis for ice cream. One trap here is das Nachtisch and die Nachspeise, two words for the exact same thing, dessert, with no real difference in meaning, just regional and stylistic preference.
Learn these 22 words
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All 22 words
plural: die Bonbons
candy
Er kauft seiner Tochter ein Bonbon. — He buys his daughter a candy.
plural: die Kekse
cookie
Die Kinder essen gerne Kekse zum Tee. — The children like eating cookies with tea.
plural: die Portionen
portion, serving
Ich nehme eine kleine Portion Eis. — I'll have a small portion of ice cream.
plural: die Puddings
pudding
Zum Nachtisch gibt es Schokoladenpudding. — There is chocolate pudding for dessert.
sweets, candy
Welche Süßigkeiten isst du am liebsten? — Which sweets do you like to eat most?
plural: die Desserts
dessert
Nach dem Essen gab es noch ein leckeres Dessert. — After the meal there was still a delicious dessert.
plural: die Eissorten
ice cream
Im Winter gibt es Eis und Schnee. — In winter there is ice cream and snow.
plural: die Glacen
ice cream
Zum Dessert gibt es Schokoladenglace. — Chocolate ice cream is for dessert.
plural: die Konfitüren
jam
Bring bitte noch ein Glas Konfitüre mit. — Please bring another jar of jam.
plural: die Marmeladen
jam
Bring bitte noch ein Glas Marmelade mit. — Please bring another jar of jam.
plural: die Nachspeisen
dessert
Nach dem Essen gab es noch eine leckere Nachspeise. — After the meal there was still a delicious dessert.
plural: die Pralinen
chocolate praline
Sie schenkt ihm eine Schachtel Pralinen. — She gives him a box of pralines.
whipped cream
Ich hätte gern ein Stück Torte mit (Schlag-)Obers. — I would like a piece of cake with whipped cream.
plural: die Schokoladen
chocolate
Ich habe eine Tafel Schokolade gegessen. — I ate a bar of chocolate.
plural: die Glasuren
glaze / icing
Die Glasur auf dem Donut ist süß und klebrig. — The glaze on the donut is sweet and sticky.
molasses
Die Melasse wird zur Herstellung von dunklem Zucker verwendet. — Molasses is used for making dark sugar.
dessert / sweets
Zum Nachtisch aßen wir leckere Schokoladencreme. — For dessert we ate delicious chocolate mousse.
plural: die Schokoriegels
a chocolate bar
Ich aß einen leckeren Schokoriegel zum Nachtisch. — I ate a delicious chocolate bar for dessert.
plural: die Sirupe
syrup / treacle
Ich gieße Sirup über die Pfannkuchen. — I pour syrup over the pancakes.
plural: die Süßigkeiten
sweets / candy
Die Süßigkeit schmeckt zu süß für mich. — The sweet is too sugary for me.
plural: die Wackelpeter
jello
Das Kind liebte das süße Wackelpeter zum Nachtisch. — The child loved the sweet jello for dessert.
plural: die Zuckergüsse
frosting / icing
Der Zuckerguss macht den Kuchen süßer und glänzender. — The frosting makes the cake sweeter and shinier.
How to learn this set
Notice how many of these words split by gender in a pattern: die Süßigkeit(en), die Marmelade, die Konfitüre, die Glasur, die Melasse are all feminine, while der Keks, der Pudding, der Sirup, der Schokoriegel are masculine. Drill them in pairs by gender rather than alphabetically, it'll stick faster. Also pay attention to Schokoriegel, a compound of Schokolade + Riegel (bar), since German builds a lot of food vocabulary this way and recognizing the pattern helps you guess new words later.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between das Nachtisch and die Nachspeise?
Both mean dessert and are used interchangeably in most of Germany. Nachtisch is slightly more colloquial, Nachspeise shows up more on menus, but you won't confuse anyone by picking either one.
Is Marmelade the same as jam or is it marmalade?
In German, Marmelade covers all fruit jams, not just citrus marmalade like in English. Konfitüre is the more precise, slightly formal word, often used on jars where the fruit content is legally higher.
What's the difference between Eis and Glace?
They both mean ice cream. Eis is standard German used everywhere, while Glace is the word used in Switzerland and Austria borrows it too in some contexts. If you're learning Eis, you're covered almost everywhere German is spoken.
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