Contents
- Dessert consumption statistics: Snack occasions and sweet foods
- Dessert consumption statistics: Out-of-home dessert ordering
- Dessert consumption statistics: Venues and age-group patterns
- dessert consumption: Dessert preferences, occasions, and menu choices
- dessert consumption: Dessert sharing statistics by age and motivation
- dessert consumption: Dessert spending and dietary preferences
- Sources
Dessert consumption statistics: Snack occasions and sweet foods
Dessert does not map neatly onto a single food category. A USDA analysis of U.S. adults reports foods consumed at respondent-designated snack occasions, including “Snacks and sweets,” sweet bakery products, cookies and brownies, candy, and ice cream and frozen dairy desserts. These are snack-occasion measures from day 1 of What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017–March 2020, for adults aged 20 and older. They describe whether adults consumed a category at a snack occasion on the intake day, not how often they eat dessert in general.
The broad “Snacks and sweets” category was consumed at a snack occasion by 62% of U.S. adults. Among consumers of that category at a snack occasion, the mean energy contribution was 336 kcal. The category is broader than desserts alone, so its figures give context for sweet and snack eating rather than a dessert-only prevalence estimate. USDA, Snack Consumption by U.S. Adults, Table 2, p. 6
| Food category at a snack occasion | U.S. adults consuming the category | Mean energy contribution per consumer |
|---|---|---|
| Snacks and sweets | 62% | 336 kcal |
| Sweet bakery products | 22% | 347 kcal |
| Cookies and brownies | 15% | 269 kcal |
| Candy | 19% | 160 kcal |
| Ice cream and frozen dairy desserts | 11% | 309 kcal |
The percentages and energy values in the table have different denominators. The consumer share is the percentage of adults reporting the category at a snack occasion. The kcal figure is the mean contribution among consumers of that category, not an average across all adults. The listed groups are reported separately; the figures should not be added to estimate the share who ate any dessert, since people may consume more than one category and the broad “Snacks and sweets” group is not equivalent to a sum of the narrower entries. USDA, Snack Consumption by U.S. Adults, Table 2, p. 6
Sweet bakery products had the highest mean energy contribution among these specific entries, at 347 kcal per consumer, while 22% of adults consumed them at a snack occasion. Cookies and brownies were reported by 15%, with a mean contribution of 269 kcal per consumer. Candy was reported by 19%, with 160 kcal per consumer. Ice cream and frozen dairy desserts were reported by 11%, with 309 kcal per consumer. Each value refers to the category as the USDA analysis defines it and to the intake day, not to a typical serving size or a usual daily pattern. USDA, Snack Consumption by U.S. Adults, Table 2, p. 6
Dessert consumption statistics: Out-of-home dessert ordering
A separate view comes from the 2022 Dessert Report, which presents survey findings about eating out, including results for consumers in Great Britain and a HORECA consumer survey conducted by Qualtrics in September 2021. These findings are not directly comparable to the USDA’s U.S. snack-occasion analysis: they concern different populations, questions, and settings.
In the report’s Great Britain survey, 91% of consumers said they had visited a pub, bar, restaurant, café, or similar outlet since venues reopened in April 2021. Reported eating-out frequency included 35% who had eaten out once or twice a month and 28% who had done so once or twice a week over the period described. These figures measure reported visits or frequency of eating out; they do not mean that the same share ordered dessert on each visit. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 3, “Who Is Eating Out of Home?”
The report also says 44% of dessert consumers ate out weekly and 45% ate out monthly. Those statements refer to respondents identified as dessert consumers and are distinct from the once-or-twice-a-week and once-or-twice-a-month figures among consumers in the reopening passage. Another measure of ordering behavior: 44% of consumers usually ordered a dessert, cake, or pastry when eating out. Because one figure describes frequency among dessert consumers and another describes usual ordering among consumers, they should not be combined into a single estimate of dessert purchases. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 3, “The Dessert Consumer”
The report prints a comparison for typical dessert ordering when eating out: 45% in 2021, compared with 43% in 2019. The difference is presented as a comparison between those survey years. The evidence provided does not establish why the figures differ, nor does it make them current-year estimates. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 4, “The Landscape—Then and Now”
Dessert consumption statistics: Venues and age-group patterns
Among consumers in the report’s Great Britain survey, the venue visitation figures since reopening in April 2021 were 57% for restaurants, 54% for pubs, 50% for cafés and coffee shops, and 40% for fast-food outlets. Smaller reported shares visited bars (24%), hotels (22%), street-food outlets (14%), and dessert parlours (10%). This is a venue-visitation profile, not a ranking of where desserts were ordered: a visit to a venue does not establish whether a respondent bought a dessert there. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 3, “Most Popular Channels for Eating Out”
| Venue visited since reopening in April 2021 | Consumers reporting a visit |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | 57% |
| Pubs | 54% |
| Cafés and coffee shops | 50% |
| Fast-food outlets | 40% |
| Bars | 24% |
| Hotels | 22% |
| Street-food outlets | 14% |
| Dessert parlours | 10% |
The age-group table adds a comparison for restaurant visits. Among consumers aged 18–34, 48% had visited restaurants; among those aged 35–54, the reported share was 50%. These figures concern visits in the report’s survey, not restaurant dessert orders. The checked findings do not provide a value for every age group in this comparison, so the two measured results are shown without implying a complete age-series. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 3, age-group table
dessert consumption: Dessert preferences, occasions, and menu choices
The Qualtrics HORECA Consumer Survey from September 2021 asked about dessert occasions and motivations. Family occasions topped the listed occasions, cited by 58% among respondents’ top 3. Special occasions followed at 54%, and a treat or reward was listed by 52%. The measures allow respondents to identify more than one occasion, so these percentages are not mutually exclusive shares of a single total. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 5, “Dessert Occasions”
| Occasion or preference | Reported share |
|---|---|
| Family occasion, among top 3 dessert occasions | 58% |
| Special occasion, among top 3 dessert occasions | 54% |
| Treat or reward, among top 3 dessert occasions | 52% |
| Indulgence, top reason for ordering a restaurant dessert | 67.7% |
| Preference for a seasonal dessert menu | 61% |
Indulgence was the leading reported reason for ordering dessert in a restaurant, at 67.7%. Menu preference also leaned toward variety over a fixed offering: 61% preferred a seasonal dessert menu to a single consistent dessert menu. These are separate survey questions, so the responses describe different aspects of choice rather than a shared ranking. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 5, “Why Order Desserts?”
When asked what would motivate them to order desserts, 49% named desserts made with premium ingredients and 43% named seasonal ingredients. A further 39% cited low sugar, while 36% cited sustainably sourced ingredients. The figures show a range of stated considerations, spanning ingredient quality, seasonality, sugar, and sourcing. They do not establish that these attributes are present in products ordered, or that any one attribute alone determines a choice. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 5, “Motivating Factors When Ordering Desserts”
dessert consumption: Dessert sharing statistics by age and motivation
The report states that 84% of dessert consumers opted for sharing desserts. Its age breakdown shows sharing choices reported by 92% of consumers aged 18–30, 86% of those aged 35–54, and 74% of those aged 55+. These are age-specific figures from the report’s Great Britain survey, as reported in 2022. The age bands are as printed and are not identical to those used in the report’s separate dessert-uptake comparison. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 8, “Sharing Formats”
| Age group | Consumers opting for sharing desserts |
|---|---|
| 18–30 | 92% |
| 35–54 | 86% |
| 55+ | 74% |
Among respondents choosing a sharing dessert, the most commonly listed reason was enjoying the experience of sharing, cited by 34%. Trying a number of different smaller desserts was cited by 33%, as was having a smaller portion. These responses point to social experience, variety, and portion size as distinct reported motivations; the survey does not say that every sharing choice has just one reason. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 8, “Reasons for Ordering a Sharing Dessert”
Other respondents cited the fun of sharing rather than having a dessert to themselves (25%) and spending less by splitting the cost (20%). These percentages refer to reasons given by people choosing a sharing dessert, not to all consumers or all dessert orders. They also show that sharing can be associated with both social enjoyment and practical considerations, without establishing which factor matters most for an individual. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 8, “Reasons for Ordering a Sharing Dessert”
dessert consumption: Dessert spending and dietary preferences
The report’s average spend per dessert order varies by venue and by year. In restaurants, the reported average was £5.52 in 2019 and £6.57 in 2021. For cafés and coffee shops, it was £3.88 in 2019 and £4.92 in 2021. Pubs recorded £4.72 in 2019 and £5.83 in 2021. These are averages per dessert order in the specified venue types, expressed in pounds; they are not whole-meal costs or measures of total consumer spending. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 4, “Spend per Dessert”
| Venue | Average spend per dessert order, 2019 | Average spend per dessert order, 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | £5.52 | £6.57 |
| Cafés and coffee shops | £3.88 | £4.92 |
| Pubs | £4.72 | £5.83 |
| Fast-food outlets | — | £5.59 |
| Dessert parlours | — | £7.54 |
For 2021, the report also lists an average of £5.59 per dessert order in fast-food outlets and £7.54 in dessert parlours. The available comparison for these venue types includes a 2021 value only; no 2019 amount is supplied here. The table leaves those cells unreported rather than treating them as zero. Across the categories with figures, the venue-specific amounts describe different contexts and should not be read as a single overall average. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 4, “Spend per Dessert”
Dietary preferences appear in the September 2021 survey’s ordering motivations: 39% named low sugar, compared with 49% for premium ingredients, 43% for seasonal ingredients, and 36% for sustainably sourced ingredients. These are stated motivations, not measurements of dietary intake or product composition. Together with the separate snack data, they offer two bounded views of dessert-related behavior: what adults reported consuming at snack occasions in the United States, and what consumers in Great Britain said about dessert choices and eating out in survey contexts. The populations, dates, and questions remain distinct. Callebaut, The Dessert Report 2022, p. 5, “Motivating Factors When Ordering Desserts”