Best Recipes for Thanksgiving Desserts

While your guests will certainly be stuffing themselves with turkey and sides, everyone always leaves room for desserts at Thanksgiving. Go traditional with a pumpkin or pecan pie, mix it up with a decadent fall cake or cupcakes, or impress with a completely unexpected sweet treat. From bars to cookies to cobblers, there's no shortage of Thanksgiving desserts to add to your table, so don't just stop at one.

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Watch Now: Classic Baked Apple Crisp

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Classic Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Sweet potato pie is a Southern classic and it's easy to make with a few simple ingredients. Like pumpkin pie, it's especially good topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
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Baked Apple Crisp

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Get the flavors of pie without the hassle of a crust with this buttery sweet apple crisp. Use a variety of apples for the filling and add nuts to the crunchy topping if desired. Serve warm with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.
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Salted Caramel Popcorn Cheesecake

The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

Covered in popcorn and a luscious salted caramel sauce, this showstopping cheesecake is sure to wow at your Thanksgiving meal. Use graham cracker crumbs if you don't have digestive biscuits on hand.
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Sweet Potato Cake Roll

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

For a stunning dessert centerpiece that's deceivingly easy to make, serve a cake roll. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and filled with cream cheese frosting, this fall version tastes as good as it looks. It's also a great way to use up leftover mashed sweet potatoes after Thanksgiving!

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Pecan Pie Bars

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

On a busy day like Thanksgiving, make-ahead desserts like this pecan pie bars recipe are a gift. It has all the flavor of a traditional pecan pie but in bar form which is so much easier than worrying about crimping a crust. They can be made days ahead and then warmed to room temperature or hotter the day of service.
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Turkey Cookies

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

For a whimsical Thanksgiving dessert and one the kids will surely love, turn to this recipe for turkey cookies. Colorful and tasty, they start with a sugar cookie that you can make from scratch or buy to cut down on the time it takes to decorate these little cuties.
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Pumpkin Cookies With Caramel Icing

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Warm spiced cookies get even better topped with a caramel icing and are a fun alternative to pumpkin pie. Serve with coffee, warm apple cider, or hot cocoa.
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Hand-Held Apple Pies

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Hand pies are cute, easy to eat (even for kids!), and even easier to make. Make your crust and filling ahead to save prep time on Thanksgiving Day.

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Southern Sweet Potato Cobbler

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

A cobbler is a unique take on a Thanksgiving sweet potato dish, with a tender sweet topping and a buttery filling of the quintessential autumn ingredient.
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Molasses Crinkle Cookies

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger flavor these chewy crinkle cookies. Top with turbinado or another kind of large-grained sugar for a pretty crystalized effect.
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French Apple Tart

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Worthy of a pastry case, a French apple tart starts with a flaky crust that's then filled with pastry cream and carefully finished with thinly sliced apples in a fan design.
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Crumb-Topped Apple Pie Bars

The Spruce Eats / Jessie Sheehan

A good alternative to apple pie, these apple pie bars are equally delicious. The recipe creates a shortbread crust, cinnamon-dusted Granny Smith apple filling, and crumbly top. One pan makes a dozen bars, so it's a fantastic choice for a crowd.

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Pecan Pie Cheesecake

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

For a dessert that is sure to wow your guests, combine two classic desserts to make pecan pie cheesecake. Make the rich and creamy cheesecake ahead of time so it can set up in the fridge, then top with the brown sugar caramel pecan sauce for a showstopper.
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Raisin Pie

The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

Seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, raisin pie adds an old-fashioned style to the dessert table. The sour cream batter is easy to make and, it's best served with a dollop of whipped cream.
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Brown Sugar Maple Cupcakes

The Spruce / Samantha Merritt

Made with buttermilk and brown sugar, these cupcakes are wonderfully soft and flavorful. The frosting has just enough maple flavor without being overpowering.
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Pumpkin Pie Bars

The Spruce / Jennifer Perillo

Pumpkin pie bars everything you love about pumpkin pie put into bar form. The recipe makes more servings than your typical pie, making it a quicker and easier method for feeding a crowd.

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Best Pecan Pie

Rusty Hill / Photodisc / Getty Images

You simply cannot go wrong with a pecan pie at Thanksgiving and luckily it's one of the more forgiving pies to make. Whip up your own pie dough or buy pre-made to save some precious time.
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Instant Pot Pumpkin Pie

Diana Rattray

Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving favorite; those familiar warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg just say fall. But the holiday is also a busy time for the oven, so a pumpkin pie recipe in the Instant Pot can be a lifesaver. The homemade vanilla whipped cream is the perfect finishing touch, and since it is made in a springform pan, the pie can show off its beautiful orange hue.
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Vinegar Pie

The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

An old-fashioned pie recipe, vinegar pie will surprise everyone. While apple cider vinegar is an unusual ingredient, it works very well in the seasonally spice walnut and raisin filling. Finish it off with whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon, and they'll love it.
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Cinnamon Roll Cake

Kristina Vanni

Let's be honest: although we eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast they really are a dessert. This recipe takes that theory and turns it into a beautiful cake. A yeast dough is rolled out, covered with brown sugar and cinnamon, and cut into pieces that are spiraled in a round baking pan. The finished cake is topped with a cream cheese icing.

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Chocolate Chip Pie

Kristina Vanni

Pie is a quintessential Thanksgiving dessert and chocolate chip cookies are a always a fan favorite. This recipe brings the two together in a simple dessert. A cookie dough batter is poured into a pre-made pie crust and baked until golden brown. Chopped pecans add a nice crunch and nutty flavor; add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for the perfect finishing touch.
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One-Bowl Brownies

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Although the name may sound basic, these rich, chewy brownies are anything but. A bit of espresso in the batter intensifies the chocolate flavor while offering a hint of coffee, and the sprinkling of sea salt once they're baked is a sophisticated finish.
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Creme Brulee

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Creme brulee is always an impressive dessert and wins over the pickiest of eaters. These individually-sized desserts only call for a few ingredients and can be made before dinner. Torch tableside just before serving to truly impress.
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Creamy Baked Chocolate Pie

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

With a custard-like chocolate filling and whipped cream topping, this chocolate pie will satisfy the cocoa lovers coming over for dinner.

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Oreo Turkeys

Leah Maroney

For a fun treat the kids will love, assemble these Oreo turkeys. Even better, make them with the kids. They're a fun Thanksgiving day project for the whole family and they taste great, too.
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Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Not feeling like pumpkin pie this year? Mix it up with this luscious pumpkin cobbler topped with a crunchy pecan topping and a decadent caramel sauce underneath.
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Butter Pecan Layer Cake

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

All of the flavors of pecan pie are in this festive layer cake finished with toasted pecans and a simple buttercream.
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Baked Sweet Potato Custard

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Satisfy the gluten-free crowd—and everyone else, for that matter—by offering a simply delicious sweet potato custard.

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Easy Key Lime Pie

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

The holiday season is also the citrus season, making it the ideal time to make a Key Lime pie. Whether you make your own graham cracker crust or not, the recipe is super easy to pull together.
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Pumpkin Cookies

Tina Crespo / Moment / Getty Images

A snap to make, you can customize these pumpkin cookies however you like. Add nuts, dried fruit, candied ginger, or chocolate chips.
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Vegan Cranberry and Pear Pie

The Spruce

Tart cranberries and sweet pears pair wonderfully together for a crumble-topped pie. It'll please vegans and non-vegans alike.
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Keto Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Keto pumpkin pie is grain-free and refined sugar-free, while still being sweet, creamy, and perfectly spiced. It'll satisfy guests who are and aren't on a diet and tastes great with plain whipped cream on top.

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The Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding

Diana Miller / Getty Images

A classic British dessert, sticky toffee pudding is filled with sweet, chewy dates and smothered in a gooey sauce.
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Instant Pot Cheesecake

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Make this ultra-creamy and rich cheesecake in your electric pressure cooker, freeing up your stovetop and oven for other Thanksgiving dishes. The pecan topping makes it a nice fit for the holidays.
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Apple Cranberry Cobbler

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

The tart apples and cranberries are balanced by the sweet, pillowy topping in this classic cobbler. Serve warm, reheating in the oven if needed.
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Butternut Squash Cupcakes

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Naturally sweet, butternut squash is a versatile winter squash that can play up sweet or savory. Top these cupcakes with homemade orange buttercream to make it a truly seasonal treat.

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Mock Apple Pie

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Mock apple pie dates back to the 1800s and became a common way to make a tasty pie without the need for apples. It has all of the flavors you're looking for without the fruit, a handy recipe to keep on hand for those last-minute dessert rushes.
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Easy Coconut Custard Pie

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

A pie that makes its own crust? Talk about easy. Make this tropical-inspired custard pie ahead so that it has plenty of time to cool.
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Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Combine two classic Thanksgiving pies into one delectable pie. Creamy, spiced sweet potato is topped with a crunchy, sweet pecan topping for a dreamy mashup everyone will be talking about.
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Individual Bread Pudding With Butterscotch Sauce

Foodcollection / Getty Images

Warm bread pudding is always a good cold-weather treat, especially when everyone gets their own topped with butterscotch sauce.

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Sweet Potato Bundt Cake

Edward Pond / Radius Images / Getty Images

A pretty bundt cake is perfect for feeding a crowd and is especially easy when you use a cake mix. The built-in topping of pecans and brown sugar gives it a little crunch.
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10-Minute No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Creamy and rich, this super fast and easy take on pumpkin pie is a no-brainer during the busy holiday season. Let chill for a few hours before serving.
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Autumn Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Nothing is more classic Thanksgiving than pumpkin pie. Perfectly spiced with a custardy texture, it doesn't get much better than this—maybe just some whipped cream.
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Pecan Pie Cookies

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

These tiny pecan pies can be eaten like cookies and look lovely arranged on a platter. Plan ahead so that your crust and filling have time to cool. Better yet, make them the day before for even less stress.

Crowd-Pleasing Thanksgiving Desserts

Traditional Pies and Beyond

Watch Now: Classic Baked Apple Crisp