43 Fabulous Fall Desserts

Classic pumpkin pecan pie recipe — The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

The fall season offers crisp, refreshing weather, colorful falling leaves, and wonderful food. Think freshly baked pies, warm apple crisps and crumbles, cinnamon-spiced cakes and cookies, and anything pumpkin.

These desserts include everyday sweet treats, seasonal specialties, and extra special cakes and pies perfect for holiday menus. Whether you have an abundance of pears or apples or you need something for your holiday dinner, you're sure to find the perfect dessert in this list.

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Fireball Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Add a spirited flair to your holiday dessert table with our Fireball pumpkin pie. A perfectly flaky pie crust is filled with a silky, spiced pumpkin filling that's spiked with a generous glug of Fireball cinnamon whisky and topped with Fireball caramelized pecans. It's the ultimate boozy dessert to end your Friendsgiving celebration.
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Pudín de Pan (Caribbean Bread Pudding)

The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

Every culture seems to have its own clever ways to use up stale bread, and this Caribbean bread pudding (pudin de pan) is an excellent example. Try soaking the raisins in some good Caribbean rum before adding them to the other ingredients. It's a great way to infuse extra island flavor into this homey, comforting dessert.
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Pecan Pie Cookies

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

These scrumptious cookies filled with sugared nuts are like bite-sized pecan pies. They are a great Thanksgiving dessert and can be made ahead and frozen up to a month if you want to get started on holiday baking early.
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Apple Crisp

The Spruce

If you only make one dessert with your fresh fall apples, make it a fabulous apple crisp. Not only is this dessert delicious, but it's also a very easy preparation and tastes great warm with ice cream or leftover for breakfast.

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Pumpkin Pie Bars

The Spruce / Jennifer Perillo

Pumpkin pie bars deliver everything you love about pumpkin pie in hand-held bar form. They look lovely sliced and taste great with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
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Easy Bananas Flambé

The Spruce / Christine Ma

When you want to impress dinner guests, turn the lights down low and invite them into the kitchen to watch you make bananas flambé. This popular French Caribbean dessert is finished with a flame to the pan to ignite the alcohol for a show-stopping effect that also caramelizes the fruit. It's especially great topped with vanilla ice cream.
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Pumpkin Pecan Pie

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

This pie gives us the best of both worlds. Pumpkin pie and pecan pie get together in this delectable dessert that is sure to become a fall and winter favorite in your household. It's a nice change from the classic pumpkin pie.
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Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

This layered pumpkin cheesecake is the ultimate fall holiday dessert. With cream cheese, pumpkin, and a touch of spice, and nestled in a crushed chocolate cookie crust, this dessert has a little bit of everything nice. Make it ahead of time and chill until set.

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Snickerdoodle Cookies

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Autumn is snickerdoodle season! These classic cinnamon-coated cookies are essential. Keep them on hand for fall and winter holiday guests, or bring them along to cookie swaps.
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Fresh Apple Cranberry Cake

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Tart-sweet apples and chewy cranberries are a wondrous flavor combination. This delicious, five-star apple cranberry cake uses fresh fruit is great with warm caramel sauce.
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Satisfy a fall pumpkin spice craving with our irresistible pumpkin cream cheese swirl brownies. They look like fancy bakery treats but are easy to prep in just 15 minutes, with a luscious pumpkin cake-like filling swirled with vanilla cream cheese.
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Cinnamon Roll Cake

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Ideal for any fall celebration, this cinnamon roll cake turns a favorite breakfast treat into a beautiful dessert. The yeast dough is covered with brown sugar and cinnamon, cut into strips, and spiraled in a cake pan. Once baked, it is topped with cream cheese icing.

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Instant Pot Rice Pudding

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Instant Pot rice pudding is flavored with cinnamon and raisins, making it a quick and easy cold-weather treat. It also tastes great served warm or chilled.
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Calabaza En Tacha (Mexican Candied Pumpkin)

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

The pumpkin is native to Mexico so it makes sense that Mexican cuisine has found all sorts of innovative ways to use the vegetable. Calabaza en tacha, or candied pumpkin, is a yummy case in point. This kid-friendly treat features flavors akin to American candied yams and makes a delicious dessert, snack, or even breakfast.
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Air Fryer Doughnuts

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

The air fryer is an amazing kitchen appliance for turning out doughnuts like the ones you can get from the corner shop. You may find it hard to stop making and eating these yeasty, delicious treats that are soft and fluffy on the inside, and golden-brown on the outside.
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Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Pancakes With Raisins)

The Spruce / Christine Ma

Americans have pancakes, the French have crepes, and Austrians have schmarrn (literally scrambled pancake). It is essentially a single large, sweet pancake cut into pieces for serving. Our spin on this beloved dessert is fit for a kaiser with rum-soaked raisins, sugar, and vanilla in the batter.

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Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding

The Spruce

Use a rich, eggy bread like brioche or challah for this holiday-ready bread pudding. Studded with chewy dried cranberries and flavored with fresh orange juice and zest, serve it warm for a comforting ending to autumn meals drizzled over with cream or vanilla sauce to make it special.
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Apple Dump Cake

The Spruce

When you come home with a basket of apples from the farmer's market or grocery store, make our scrumptious apple dump cake. It looks like a cake, tastes like an apple pie, and is easy enough for even newbie bakers.
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Classic Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Sweet potato pie is a Southern classic for good reason. It's sweet, savory, silky, and a real crowd-pleaser. Bake this pie for a fall potluck or add it to your holiday dessert menu.
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Almond Toffee

The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau

This 4-ingredient almond toffee tastes like a candy shop treat but is quick and easy to whip up at home. With rich and buttery toffee sandwiched in-between two layers of smooth chocolate and chunky toasted almonds, it's incredibly hard to resist.

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Fried Apples With Cinnamon

The Spruce

Southern-fried apples are an easy dish that can be enjoyed in several ways. Serve them warm, topped with fluffy whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and sprinkled with cinnamon, for a delicious fall dessert. Or add them to your breakfast pancakes as a warm fruit topping.
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Pecan Pie Bars

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Pecan pie bars are easier to prepare than a traditional pie but just as tasty. Our recipe starts with a sweet, buttery crust followed by a delectable pecan filling sweetened with brown sugar and honey.
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Baked Sweet Potato Pudding

Diana Rattray

In the Southern states, sweet potatoes are as much a dessert staple as a side dish ingredient. You'll love the flavor of these smooth and delicious sweet potato puddings baked in individual ramekins and flavored with cozy fall spices.
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Skillet Pear Upside-Down Cake

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

This beautiful pear upside-down cake starts on the stovetop and finishes in your oven using a tried-and-true technique. Simply pour the easy cake batter over a layer of caramelized pears, bake, then flip to serve.

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Maple Walnut Fudge

The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau

This maple walnut fudge has a silky texture and a wonderful fall flavor that adults and kids alike will love. It makes an easy family dessert or an indulgent afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
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Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Treat your family or book club to our fall-ready pumpkin cake. With pretty (but easy to make) layers sandwiched with cream cheese frosting, this dessert will have everyone licking their plates.
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Thai Crème Caramel (Gluten-Free)

The Spruce / Madhumita Sathishkumar

Wrap up a pad thai dinner with this stunning Thai-inspired crème caramel. It's just as elegant and melt-in-your-mouth delicious as the French version of this dessert but uses plant-based coconut milk, so it's dairy-free and gluten-free.
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Red Velvet Crinkles

The Spruce / Christine Ma

If you're a fan of chocolate crinkles or molasses crinkles, you'll love this red velvet version of the recipe. The soft, cookies have the festive crackled look when they're baked.

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Southern Sweet Potato Cobbler

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Top this warm sweet potato cobbler with a scoop of ice cream for a homey and comforting autumn dessert. It's an excellent alternative if you want something other than a sweet potato pie.
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Apple Streusel Bundt Cake

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

An apple coffee cake makes good use of the seasonal fruit. This beautiful dessert starts with a yogurt and apple batter that is swirled with a brown butter pecan streusel.
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Mini Apple Pies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

While these mini apple pies are delicious hot from the fryer and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, when cooled to room temperature they make a great portable snack or lunchbox treat.
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Pumpkin Cake Roll With Cream Cheese Filling

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Pumpkin cake roll has long been a fall favorite and will delight kids and adults alike. A sweetened cream cheese frosting mixture makes the perfect filling and creates the signature swirl.

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Snickerdoodle Crème Brûlée

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

These amazing, cinnamon-scented, individually-sized snickerdoodle desserts are perfect for holiday dinners. Make the custard pots in advance, chilling them in the fridge and creating the crispy, caramelized topping just before serving time.
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Applesauce Cookies

The Spruce / Jennifer Perillo

These 30-minute applesauce cookies are the perfect light, impromptu fall dessert. The apple flavor is delicate thanks to the inclusion of applesauce, and the cinnamon brings that classic spiced note.
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Crumb-Topped Apple Pie Bars

The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

These apple pie bars have a familiar flavor with a shortbread crust and crumbly top. The filling is a mixture of Granny Smith apples and cinnamon that's not too sweet but perfectly delicious.
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Raisin Pie

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Dark raisins and sour cream seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg come together in this raisin pie recipe. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream for an old-fashioned taste everyone will enjoy.

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Brown Butter Icing

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

These soft pumpkin cookies are lightly spiced and topped with rich brown butter icing. Bake them for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any fall day. These cookies freeze well, too.
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Warm Spiced Pear Crisp With Ice Cream

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Ripe sliced pears are topped with a classic brown sugar and oat topping in this yummy fall crisp. Serve it warm with a big scoop of ice cream or a drizzle of cream for a fabulous fall dessert.
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10 Minute No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

No-bake pumpkin pie is a great dessert when you're short on prep time and nobody will guess it took only 10 minutes to prepare. Prep it ahead of time so it has time to set up in the fridge.
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Instant Pot Bread Pudding With Bourbon Sauce

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Warm, spiced, comforting bread pudding is quick and easy in the pressure cooker. The dessert steams until moist and fluffy. It's even better when it's topped with a creamy bourbon sauce.

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Badam Almond Halwa

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Badam halwa is a classic Indian sweet made with ground almonds, ghee (clarified butter), sugar, saffron, and cardamom. This dense and chewy stove-top pudding has a rich, nutty flavor that makes it a popular dessert in South India.
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Butternut Squash Cupcakes

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Pumpkin isn't the only autumnal squash that's great for baking—try these butternut squash cupcakes. Frost the spiced treats with fluffy cream cheese frosting or frosting of your choice.
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Pepita Brittle (Pumpkin Seed Brittle)

The Spruce

This sweet, crunchy brittle candy is filled with raw pumpkin seeds or pepitas. This is a great treat to make for fall parties and guests.

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