National Dessert Day arrives at last, and this year, two of New York’s dessert favorites are giving dessert lovers a reason to celebrate.
The team behind the viral Australian frozen yogurt brand Mimi’s has teamed up with Magnolia Bakery to transform a limited-edition banana-pudding frozen yogurt—a collaboration built around nostalgia, New York’s food culture, and dessert.
The flavor launched on Oct. 2, just in time for National Dessert Day on Oct. 14. For Mimi’s, this partnership marks a milestone: it’s a fully co-developed flavor with another brand!
“It’s a big moment for us,” Amber Linz, CEO and founder of Mimi’s, said. “Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding has been a New York classic for decades. Bringing two NYC favorites together felt like the right way to do our first proper co-developed flavor.”
There was also a personal connection behind the partnership.
“I have also personally been OBSESSED with Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding since moving to the States two years ago, so this is truly a dream collaboration,” Linz said.
The goal was simple — make the first spoonful immediately recognizable to anyone who already knows the original. The flavor is taken from the components that have made Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding a favorite: creamy vanilla pudding, bananas, and vanilla wafers.
“We want that first bite to taste like Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding, but in Frozen Yogurt form,” Linz said. “Their Banana Pudding is all about creamy vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, and vanilla wafers, and we wanted the flavor to have that same sweet, comforting feeling people know and love.”
But for those who believe there is no such thing as too much banana pudding, the collaboration goes one step further. Magnolia Bakery’s actual banana pudding is available on the toppings bar at all three Mimi’s locations, with fresh batches delivered directly to the stores.
Mimi recommends pairing the Banana Pudding Frozen Yogurt with a scoop of the original pudding.
Since its debut, Linz said Banana Pudding has rivaled its Signature Tart as one of the shop’s top-performing flavors. Banana was already one of Mimi’s most requested flavors before the collaboration, and customers appear to have embraced its arrival.
The partnership also taps into something both desserts share: nostalgia.
“Nostalgia was always going to be part of it,” Linz said. “Banana Pudding and Frozen Yogurt both carry a lot of memories for people, whether it’s a first trip to Magnolia Bakery or a late-night Frozen Yogurt run.”
That sense of familiarity is part of what makes the collaboration work. Rather than simply putting two names on one product, the brands developed the flavor together, while Magnolia Bakery brought its original banana pudding directly into the experience.
For Magnolia Bakery, the timing made sense, too.
“Fall is comfort-food season, and nothing says comfort like Banana Pudding,” the bakery said. “Launching while the weather’s still nice enough for Frozen Yogurt gives us the best of both worlds.”
The collaboration arrives as food partnerships continue to become social media events in their own right, but Linz says that creating something photogenic or viral was never the primary goal.
“For us, it’s never about creating a viral moment for the sake of it,” Linz said. “The excitement happens organically when you create something people genuinely love and want to share.”
Instead, Linz says its focus remains on the product itself, using high-quality, all-natural ingredients to create frozen yogurt that is light and refreshing while remaining creamy. The collaboration also reflects the larger identity Mimi’s hopes to build beyond the frozen yogurt cup.
“At Mimi’s, we’re building something that’s about so much more than frozen yogurt,” Linz said. “We want to create a brand that brings people together and makes every day feel a bit more joyful.” It is also a distinctly New York kind of collaboration: taking something familiar, combining it with another local favorite, and giving customers a new reason to seek it out.
“New Yorkers love their local favorites, and they love discovering something new,” Linz said. “We think the future of dessert in the city is about NYC brands coming together to create experiences that feel special and worth seeking out.”
And if customers get attached to the flavor before it disappears? Mimi’s isn’t ruling anything out.
“Never say never!” Linz said when asked whether Banana Pudding could eventually become a permanent flavor. “The response to this flavor has been incredible.”
For now, the collaboration is scheduled to stick around only through Nov. 2. As for the three words Mimi uses to describe it?
“Creamy. Nostalgic. Iconic.”
For more information visit mimis.nyc. Mimi’s is located on 231 Lafayette Street, 84 University Pl, and 997 Lexington Avenue.
