Sydney’s 10 best desserts under $10

Have a sweet tooth and only $10 in your pocket? You don’t need to break the bank to get an amazing dessert out in Sydney.

Parramatta business Threefold Pastry specialises in croissants, and has quickly picked up a cult following. Picture: Supplied

Sydney is notoriously expensive to live, work, and eat in, but some vendors defy that trend by offering incredible desserts that you don’t need more than $10 to buy.

These 10 spots offer a mixture of doughnuts, croissants, gelato, frozen custard, classic finger buns, brownies, and fluffy ricotta cheese cake.

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The Doughnut Mum – Warwick Farm

Holding the crown for Australia’s best doughnut, the Doughnut Mum, offers the #1 — Lemon Meringue — for the bargain price of just $4.80.

Owner Lita Khorn says the secret ingredient isn’t love, but time, as each doughnut is made from scratch.

From start to finish is roughly 30 hours for most doughnuts, with the basic ingredients being flour, oil, and salt.

The Lemon Meringue doughnut made by Lita Khorn of The Doughnut Mum won the 2022 award for Australia's best doughnut, given by the Baking Association of Australia. Picture: Supplied

Ms Khorn said a traditionally prepared doughnut tastes like home and is worth the time, noting her Indonesian, European, and Filipino customers tell her the doughnuts remind them of a family recipe.

“It’s about the amount of time you put into it. Don’t rush. To be a good pastry chef, you need to have a lot of patience,” she said.

The low price means you can also try the second best doughnut in Australia — butter caramel — with change back from a tenner.

And a six pack only costs $18 – with $1 extra for each gourmet doughnut.

Emperor’s Garden Cream Puffs – Haymarket

The quintessential Chinatown dessert after a big feed — or on a cold night — you can pick up 15 of the hot, custard-filled dough balls for $5.

The line up at the hole-in-the-wall spot can get long on busy nights, but it always moves quickly, with the business able to pump them out at a rapid fire pace.

Papa’s Pasticceria – Haberfield

If you’re a fan of classic Italian ricotta cheesecake, preferring a lighter, fluffy filling over the more dense New York style, Papa’s is a must.

Dining in, one serving with garnish will set you back $10.

For fans of Nutella (and a heavier filling), there is also the Nutella ricotta cheesecake, costing a little extra.

Cow and the Moon – Enmore

Cow and the Moon has previously been recognised as the best in the world at the birthplace of gelato, having won the Gelato World Tour title in Rimini, Italy in 2014 for its Mandorla Affogato flavour.

That includes single origin coffee, caramelised almonds, and Madagascan vanilla for the base – a mixture of sweet and salty, with a nice crunch.

Locally, Cow and the Moon based on Enmore Rd regularly takes out gold medals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

A small serving includes two flavours, and costs $7.80, or you can upgrade to a medium with an extra scoop for $8.90.

Goodwood Bakeshop – Marrickville

One of the newest entrants on the list, Goodwood Bakeshop (named after owners Alex Alewood and Jamie Goodin) make some of the best croissants in Sydney, along with a mixture of other pastries and bread, both sweet and savoury.

The pain au chocolate croissant is a must try, along with the vanilla slice when it is on the menu, which is the best this writer has ever tasted. Prices vary between items, but all the pastries are under $10.

Lickits Frozen Custard – Narellan

Similar to ice cream, but with the added creaminess and smooth texture of egg, Lickits Frozen Custard is made with milk, cream, cane sugar, honey, vanilla extract and the signature egg yolk.

A small size costs $7, medium $8, and large $9, with a wide variety of extras you can mix in for $1 each.

Locals swear by the red velvet flavour, along with nutella, and classic chocolate and vanilla.

Humble – Surry Hills

If you’re a fan of classic finger buns, Humble in Surry Hills elevates them to high-art.

They perfectly capture the taste of the Aussie bakery classic, with a nice big dollop of butter in the middle, wrapped by sweet and fluffy bread with a sprinkling of fruit baked in.

One finger bun will set you back $7.50.

Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake – Sydney CBD

Another one for cheesecake fans, Uncle Tetsu’s is famous for its Japanese style cheesecakes and cheese tarts with a distinctive jiggle and airiness.

If you’re a fan of crumbly and buttery bases definitely pick the tart over the cheesecake, which comes in matcha, taro, chocolate, and vanilla flavours.

The cheese tarts are $3.90 – $4.20 each, while the cheesecake – which will serve multiple people – costs $18.

Threefold Pastry – Parramatta

One of the newer dessert spots on this list, Threefold Pastry (Threefold) is part of the Parramatta Square development, which only opened this year.

Promising pastries folded to perfection, the croissant specialists mix up the menu every day.

The pain au chocolat croissant costs $5.50, and special croissants go for $10.

For people who aren’t a fan of the French pastry, locals recommend the Oreo brownie or carrot cake.

Tee-Lish Brownies – Mt Druitt and Rouse Hill

Brownies are typically the ultimate crowd-pleaser, offered everywhere but specialised by few, but Tee-Lish is the exception.

If you’re not an overwhelming chocolate fan, you can try a blondie instead of a brownie — think Caramilk, banoffee caramel, coconut or biscoff.

Starting at as little as $4 per brownie, you can also pick up a box of 10 for $35.

The Mt Druitt based, family run business recently opened a second store in Rouse Hill.