31 Thanksgiving Desserts to Cap Your Holiday Feast
There’s Thanksgiving dinner, and then there are Thanksgiving desserts. These are two separate events, and in between, it’s perfectly fine to take a disco nap. (In fact, we recommend it.)
Once your energy is restored, it’s time to set your sights on the dessert table. And while you could do well with an array of our favorite pie recipes, you could also mix it up with a pumpkin cheesecake, caramel apples, Bundt cakes, brownies, cupcakes with maple buttercream frosting, and whatever other fall flavors your heart and stomach desire. Whether you’re a die-hard traditionalist or here for fun twists on the classics, we’ve got all of our best Thanksgiving desserts just a scroll away.
Photography by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi2/31Pumpkin Flan de Queso
A slice of Thanksgiving pie is nice, but what about a slice of pumpkin flan under a veneer of caramel? This one takes a page from Puerto Rican flan de queso, which gets extra richness, tang, and a luxurious texture from the inclusion of cream cheese.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc Williams3/31Southern-Style Caramel Cake
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne4/31Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Give classic pumpkin pie an ethereal makeover by beating a pumpkin gelatin mixture with eggs, then folding in whipped cream. A Biscoff cookie-crumb crust leans into fall flavors, but gingersnaps would be a delicious substitute.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio5/31Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
Affectionately known as the Holiday Triple Threat Cookie, this is, at its root, a chocolate chip cookie, but it’s spiked with homemade pumpkin pie spice, crunchy pecans, and pumpkin purée. (More Thanksgiving cookies, right this way →)
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown, Prop Styling by Adrian ababovic, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi6/31Perfectly Spiced Pumpkin Cake
Photography by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco7/31Apple-Cranberry Tarte Tatin
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski8/31Lemon Meringue Pie
Developed to rival the turkey on Thanksgiving, this lemon meringue pie is a showstopper any day of the year. The recipe makes enough pie dough for two single-crust pies, so why not pop one into the freezer for your future self?
Photograph by Lucia Bell-Epstein, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, and Prop Styling by Erica Lutz9/31White Chocolate–Cranberry Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Shuai Wang, Prop Styling by Megan Forbes and Christina Hussey10/31Miso-and-Maple-Pecan Butter Mochi Cake
Pecan pie meets Hawaiian-style butter mochi. It may seem like a lot of pecans, but some will sink into the rice-flour batter as the cake bakes, adding a flavor boost for butter pecan fans. Bonus: This Thanksgiving dessert is gluten-free if you’re in need.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca11/31Chocolate Mousse for a Party
A colossal, self-serve mousse is a baller host move that sidesteps many dessert hassles—no tidy, even slicing; no fussy garnishing; no jockeying for oven space. Simply set this out along with a stack of bowls, spoons, and toppings (if you want), and let your guests help themselves. Chocolate not your thing? We have this giant crème brûlée for the vanilla lovers.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards12/31Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
This spiced apple pie takes a cue from Dutch apple pie, which tops spiced apples with a streusel-y crumble. Unlike its predecessor, it opts for apple slivers instead of cubed apples—we use a mandoline here for swiftness, but you could just use a knife.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski13/31Cranberry Linzer Tart
If you love cranberries so much you want them as a side dish at Thanksgiving dinner and later on for dessert, this recipe features a tart cranberry filling hiding inside two layers of buttery, crumbly walnut crust. Prefer cranberry hand pies? We have a recipe for that too.
Photography by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi14/31Pumpkin Tiramisu
Inspired by the flavors of a pumpkin spice latte, this rendition of old-fashioned tiramisu calls for soaking lady fingers in bourbon-spiked espresso, then enveloping them in plumes of pumpkin-mascarpone cream.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca15/31Saffron Milk Cake
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua16/31Cinnamon Crunch Crinkle Pie
If you find pie crusts intimidating, douse buttered and scrunched sheets of phyllo dough in an orange-scented custard instead. The dramatically ruffled result achieves crisp, pastry-like layers without all the rolling.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Adrian Ababovic, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi17/31Easy Apple Cake
Thanksgiving might be the time to pull out all the stops, but if you’re preparing a feast, a one-bowl cake that bakes in under an hour might be the real winner. Serve each slice with a snifter of Calvados, then toddle off for a tryptophan dream. (Get more of our easiest dessert recipes, here →)
Photograph by Lucia Bell-Epstein, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, and Prop Styling by Erica Lutz18/31Chocolate-Pumpkin Marble Cake
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams21/31Sticky Toffee Pudding
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D'Myrtrek Brown22/31Chocolate-Biscoff Banoffee Pie
While this pie involves a combination of bananas and butterscotch, it isn’t your traditional banoffee pie. The twist? Gingerbread-like speculoos cookies, which add a warming spice to the crust, and a layer of chocolate ganache.
Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht23/31Pear Snacking Cake With Chocolate and Rosemary
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio25/31Sweet Potato Cake With Salted Cream Cheese Frosting
We love sweet potato pie (even more so when it has a praline topping), but if the dessert table is starting to look a little pie-heavy (we know it’s Thanksgiving…but still), up the ante with this seasonally appropriate, dramatically layered cake.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers26/31Caramel Apple Snacking Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers29/31Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake
A pumpkin roll can be fun, but it requires expert timing and patience to put together. The only thing this easy pumpkin cake requires? A baker who loves both streusel and big fall vibes.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran30/31Pecan Cream Pie
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Luciana Lamboy, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley31/31Pumpkin Mochi Crumb Cake
Pumpkin crumb cake is like the brownie of Thanksgiving desserts—it travels well, can be sliced for easy sharing, and everyone loves it. Here, sweet rice flour makes a chewy, bouncy version topped with a buttery, crispy-crumbly pecan streusel.
