Where to Go for King Cake In JXN

Are you in Jackson and craving for a delicious king cake? You might get different answers from locals, but why not bring the taste of New Orleans to you?

With Mardi Gras just around the corner, it's time to indulge in the best king cakes the city has to offer. From traditional recipes to unique twists, we've rounded up the top bakeries in Jackson that serve mouth-watering king cakes

Broad Street King Cake
Broad Street

Broad Street Baking Company - Fondren

This bake shop and cafe is written up often, due to the heart and soul that Jeff Goode and his team put into every bite of the customer experience. No stranger to king cake, this place turns up the heat when it comes to Mardi Gras. With an almond cream cake and a cinnamon cream cheese cake, you would think they have the season covered, but they don't stop there. Broad Street sells upwards of 50 to 60 king cakes a day during the season, including their savory crawfish, cheddar, and jalapeño king cake. Pro tip: if you just want a single portion, you can buy their more traditional varieties by the slice.

Campbell's Bakery king cake
Credit: Campbell's Bakery

Campbell's Bakery - Fondren

Campbell's Bakery has been a Jackson institution since 1962. The bake shop offers both a traditional king cake and a cream cheese king cake. In addition, they also offer mini king cakes. While they may look like hamburger buns with icing and sanding sugar on top, these mini cakes are filled with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and are the perfect mini treat for the Mardi Gras lover in your life. And you can get their recently added king cake bread pudding covered in warm, gooey bourbon sauce. For a little lagniappe, they also make great petit fours and cookies.

Just Vanilla - Fondren

This quaint young bakery that calls Duling Hall in Fondren home (and now a downtown coffee bar as well) offers some of the city's flakiest croissants and artisan pastries on any given day they are open. Embracing the Carnivale season, this bakery offers personal-sized king cake knots topped with a Louisiana cream cheese icing. While the knots are big sellers, Just Vanilla's real treat is their traditional French Mardi Gras pastry, the galette des rois. This eight-inch puff pastry with almond cream is made the traditional way by hiding a whole almond inside the cake instead of a baby. Whomever receives the almond in their slice is king (or queen) for the day. To bring it closer to home, the pastry chef adds a swirl of cream cheese around the top of the dessert and finishes with Mardi Gras sprinkles, offering a truly unique but very fitting option for this year's parties.

Credit: Beagle Bagel

Beagle Bagel - LeFleur East

This Highland Village cafe offers some seriously delicious king cakes. They create large cakes in a variety of flavors including cinnamon cream cheese, blueberry cinnamon cream cheese, strawberry cinnamon cream cheese, and apple. Beyond king cakes, Beagle Bagel serves great sandwiches and is famous for their chicken salad and pimento cheese. Look for their solid breakfast sandwiches and a wide variety of bagels (including my personal favorite, sourdough).

Nandy's Candy - LeFleur East

This candy shop on the corner of Northside Drive and Old Canton Road has been making and selling some of the city's sweetest confections for over 45 years. They may not be a traditional bakery, but they know a thing or two about good treats and good times. Nandy's goes full NOLA with weekly deliveries of king cakes from Nonna Randazzo's, a classic Italian bakery in the heart of New Orleans. With flavors ranging from traditional, cream cheese, blueberry cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, pecan praline, and fleur de lis—which packs a variety of their flavors into one cake—you'll be the belle of the Mardi Gras ball with a cake from Nandy's Candy.

While Jackson loves a party and is all about a good festival, you don't need to parade all over town to find a great spot for great king cake. Grab your beads and your friends and celebrate Mardi Gras the Jackson way.

Peter Kelly

Author

Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly is a storyteller who moves between film, writing, and business strategy to capture ideas with clarity and imagination. His creative work spans documentary filmmaking, narrative development, and photography shaped by years of exploring cultures and adventures from the American South to the far reaches of the globe. His work is guided by curiosity, a love of wild places, and a commitment to stories that unravel human connection. In his free time, Peter can typically be found rappelling, scuba diving, or reading.

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