20 of the best shows to watch if you love baked goods

I think we all know about this show. It's been airing since 2010 but exploded in the US when it became available to stream on Netflix. The show takes amateur bakers and pits them against each other in baking competitions, which will ultimately be judged by the panel of guests. In each round, a contestant is voted off until one is chosen as the winner by the episode's end. 

Buddy Valastro and his family made big dreams for everyday customers come true in his TLC series Cake Boss. The king of cakes took ideas like a planetarium and an aquarium and turned them into desserts we'd eat in a second. If you want to catch up on this classic, you can stream several seasons on Max.

Just because the reality show is about baking doesn't mean there won't be drama, and TLC's DC Cupcakes is the perfect example. The series followed two sisters as they ran their bakery, Georgetown Cupcake, and it was anything but peaceful.

Cupcake Wars is the ultimate competition show for those who love to bake. The show has some pretty epic moments, but there are also massive baking fails, including overcooked lemon cakes and spilled batter.

And this show is exactly the same. The only difference is that these bakers are making large-scale cakes. What could go wrong? (A whole lot.)

If you've been on Instagram or TikTok for the last few years, you've seen the clips of people asking their viewers if the everyday object in front of them was either cake or the real thing. For example, some baker might make a hyperrealistic iPhone 15 cake that could truly make one question if it is the real product. In this Netflix show, the streaming giant brought talented bakers in to create different cakes, like a sneaker, a hamburger, and a bowling ball, to see if they could deceive the judges. However, the guessing panel isn't just average Joe's. They're celebrities!

The bakers in Baking Impossible won't take "no" for an answer. If you tell them their dream of building a sailor's cake that actually glides across water can't be done, their determination might put you to shame.

Bake Squad isn't your everyday baking show. It's another competition-style series that features a team of four bakers working under Christina Tosi, the owner of Milk Bar, for their chance to have one of their cakes featured at a customer's big event, like a birthday party or wedding! Although the competitive nature exists throughout the episodes, the cast says they're all one big family.

If you need a spooky baking show to get you into the Halloween spirit this fall, then you have to check out the Food Network's show, Halloween Baking Championship. Like some others on this list, the bakers must showcase their talents in the kitchen by creating several Halloween-inspired treats. Throughout the show's first nine seasons, contestants have created masterpieces that would scare even us, like zombie cakes, witches, and werewolves.

Christmas is one of the best times of the year, and another Food Network show that could get you into the spirit is their seasonal series, Holiday Baking Championship. Typically, each episode of a given season features bakers focusing on a specific dish, such as cookies, pies, or gingerbread houses. Even though the energy is mostly fun and light, there's still a tiny bit of drama, like explosive meltdowns, if that's your thing.

The title of this show says it all, but in case you need more to draw you in, I can tell you that this one has got it all, including tears, arrogance, cookies that look way too tempting, and a massive check waiting for the winner by the end.

In Sugar Rush, four teams of brilliant bakers have just a few hours to compete against each other to make the best cupcakes, confections, and cakes during three separate rounds. Whichever duo has the best product by the end wins the game and the $10,000 grand prize.

Enjoy the sweeter side of the world with Netflix's Emmy-nominated documentary cooking series, Chef's Table. During its fourth volume, the show took viewers behind the scenes of many esteemed dessert-only restaurants and got up close and personal with a few acclaimed pastry chefs, like Christina Tosi, Corrado Assenza, Jordi Roca, and Will Goldfarb.

Baking is Nadiya Hussain's happy place, and she knows all about creating the perfect sweet treat to hit the spot. In addition to showing off her skills in tasty desserts in her Netflix show Nadiya Bakes, she also brings in some of her dear friends, fellow bakers, and pastry chefs she admires most to share about their craft. Her intention with this show is for people to "bake, eat, and be happy," and that sentiment becomes abundantly clear throughout the eight-part series.

Netflix's School of Chocolate is presented by Swiss-French pastry chef Amaury Guichon. In it, he tests and challenges the contestants on their "pastry and chocolate knowledge," resulting in cutthroat competitions and highly emotional moments. But in the end, it'll be worth it for whoever walks out with their $50,000 grand prize.

Now, this show is just flat-out fun. It's on Netflix, and the contestants face off against some of the world's most popular snacks, like Oreos and Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The idea is that at the beginning of the episode, the chefs will be given a classic snack and spend their time throughout the remainder of the episode creating a new snack inspired by their original pick. "It's a competition where skill and science must be perfectly aligned to succeed," they tease in the trailer.  

Buddy Valastro was known for being tough on his employees while filming Cake Boss, so you can bet he was even tougher on the contestants in his competition show, Next Great Baker. Each week, the cast would compete in different challenges that tested their baking and decorating skills. Of course, someone would be sent home weekly until a winner claimed the $100,000 prize.

If you're like me and have entered the kitchen with big ideas only to be left with a disaster of a finished product, then I've got the perfect show for you. Nailed It! follows three amateur bakers competing for a large amount of money, but they must have the best finished baked product to win.

This show has the same feel as the original, except it features bakers aged nine through 12. Throughout the series, they take on different challenges, including cakes, chocolates, and cookies (or biscuits), and although the winner doesn't get a cash prize, they do get an awesome glass trophy.

In Chopped Sweets, four chefs are pushed to their limits to create the sweetest desserts by using some of the strangest ingredients. And with $10,000 on the line, you already know these chefs turn up the heat.