Bastille Day is July 14 and if you’re looking to celebrate, then there’s no better way to do it than with some traditional French desserts! 

I have absolutely loved celebrating Bastille Day since living in France. It’s such a fun, summer holiday filled with relaxation, parties and – of course – food! 

So whether you live in France or you just consider yourself a Francophile, keep reading to learn more about how to celebrate and to get my favorite French dessert recipes for Bastille Day.

What Is Bastille Day?

Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14 every year, marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison in Paris during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. The day celebrates the French Revolution’s victory and the beginning of modern French democracy.

How Is Bastille Day Celebrated in France Today?

Today, Bastille Day is a national holiday in France that includes military parades, fireworks and public festivities. Throughout France and its territories, residents gather for parties, picnics and concerts.

Bastille Day is also celebrated worldwide by French communities and admirers of the culture.

Food Eaten on Bastille Day

If you’re anything like me, then the first thing you want to know about Bastille Day is what kind of food someone might eat on this day of celebration.

Some of the traditional Bastille Day foods you might see people eating at celebrations around France include easy cakes and other pastries. Breads and charcuterie, quiche and (of course) nice wine are also popular. Because Bastille Day is often celebrated with picnics and outdoor events, the food is kept simple.

Of course, there’s always room for dessert! And that’s what I really want to focus on today: the best traditional French desserts for Bastille Day.

10 Traditional French Dessert Recipes for Bastille Day

These traditional French dessert recipes are great for any time of year, but especially on Bastille Day.

1. Classic French Madeleines

Madeleines are one of my favorite French pastries to make in my Versailles atelier and one of my favorites to teach others how to make. They’re wonderful if you want an easy, yet elegant dessert to delight guests at a Bastille Day party!

These delightful little treats may be classified as cookies or cakes. The truth is, they’re a bit of both…and not exactly either one. They’re fabulous enjoyed with tea or coffee and can be customized with your favorite flavors and spices.

They’re also surprisingly simple to make, using just eggs, butter, sugar, milk, flour and flavorings. Get the Classic French Madeleine recipe here. If you don’t have a madeleine pan, grab a muffin pan, that will work too!

2. French Macarons

Macarons are another classic French dessert recipe perfect for Bastille Day. Macarons are delicate sandwich cookies made from meringue and almond flour. They include two meringue shells sandwiched together with a variety of fillings, like lemon curd, jam or pastry cream.

Macarons are notorious for being finicky and a bit tricky to bake at home, but they require just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen: eggs, sugar, powdered sugar, almond flour and food coloring. Complete these delicate cookies with your favorite filling and you’ll be the star of your Bastille Day picnic!

Make macarons at home more easily by reading my full guide to the top 20 tips for baking macarons (including my own macaron recipe!).

3. Soufflé au Chocolat (Chocolate Souffle)

A chocolate souffle is one of the best traditional French dessert recipes out there. This melt-in-your mouth dessert is warm, light and full of smooth, creamy chocolate. There really isn’t anything better.

I love making chocolate souffles for guests because they’re made as their own individual cakes. However, this dessert is definitely best if you’re planning on celebrating Bastille Day at home and can serve these right when they get out of the oven. Souffles can deflate very quickly, so they don’t travel well!

Get my Souffle au Chocolat recipe here.

4. Profiteroles

Profiteroles are delicious French pastries made from choux pastry dough. They’re typically filled with sweet fillings like whipped cream, pastry cream or ice cream. These light and airy pastries can also be topped with chocolate ganache or powdered sugar.

Profiteroles are also really customizable based on your favorite flavors, which is part of what makes them so popular in France. These little individual treats are perfect for a crowd and hold up well at a picnic.

Explore my classic profiterole recipe and customize it on your own, or try my caramel pecan cream puff recipe for a unique spin on the classic.

5. Almond Fruit Tarts

These mini almond fruit tarts are as beautiful as they are delicious. A melt-in-your-mouth tart crust holds a soft almond cake dotted with fruit and topped with jam and berries.

Unlike a traditional fruit tart made with pastry cream, these are perfect for traveling or being outside at a picnic! They also require just a few simple ingredients, including flour, almond flour, butter, sugar, eggs and fruit.

Use my classic French dessert recipe to make these almond fruit tarts this Bastille Day.

6. French Apple Tart

Another delightful tart to make this Bastille Day is this three-ingredient French Apple Tart. Made simple by using a pre-made puff pastry dough, this tart looks gorgeous and really makes a statement.

It can be made large and eaten slide by slice or made into individual apple tarts like you might see in a French patisserie (where you’d typically see it called Tarte Fine aux Pommes). This apple tart is the perfect sweet treat to end a meal.

Try my recipe for French Apple Tart for your next picnic.

7. Mini Bespoke Charlottes

Charlotte cakes are elegant desserts traditionally made with a mold lined with ladyfingers and filled with fruit mousse. These mini Charlotte cakes are a tiny version – perfect for wowing guests at your next picnic or dinner party!

While my recipe calls for making your own lady fingers, you could absolutely use store lady fingers to save time. The inside of these cakes is made up of a simple jam mousse and topped with Chantilly whipped cream. 

Because the mousse is made with jam, it’s really easy to make multiple flavors or just choose your favorite fruit. Get my recipe for mini Charlottes for your Bastille Day celebration.

8. Financiers

Financiers are a classic almond cake that is seriously delicious. Their name comes from where the dessert originated: in the financial district in Paris. 

They were specifically developed as a more compact cake that businessmen could stick in their suit pockets as a little treat for later and eat without worrying about crumbs. Today, they’re perfect for packing as part of a picnic or traveling with you to a gathering.

They’re also simple to make and customize with your favorite flavors. You can use my classic financier recipe or one of my flavored financiers, such as chocolate raspberry financiers or chocolate coffee financiers.

9. Vacherin (Ice Cream Cake a La Francaise)

Who doesn’t love a great ice cream cake?! With Bastille Day occurring in the middle of summer, a frozen treat just may be the perfect traditional French dessert for this holiday!

Called Vacherin in French, this ice cream cake is actually quite simple, with just three components: ice cream, meringue, and chantilly cream. Two meringue discs sandwich the ice cream or sorbet of your choice, and then the whole cake is iced with chantilly whipped cream.

This cake is great because it can be customized really easily by using any ice cream or sorbet that you want! Get my full vacherin recipe.

10. Creme Brulee

Is there any dessert more classically French than creme brulee? It’s certainly one of the best-known French desserts and is a wonderful addition to any Bastille Day food menu.

Made with heavy whipping cream, vanilla bean, egg yolks and sugar, this custard is finished by caramelizing the sugar on the top of the dessert, creating a hard, sweet topping. 

Get my authentic French creme brulee recipe and try making your own this Bastille Day!

Try a Traditional French Recipe for Bastille Day

I can’t wait to see what you create this Bastille Day! If you decide to make a traditional French dessert, be sure to follow me on Instagram and tag me in your pictures!