These are the Thanksgiving desserts that actually show up on our table. Pumpkin pie for my mom. Something chocolate for my boys. And a few easy ones for whoever got stuck bringing dessert this year. Every one is tried and true, so they’ll turn out wherever you bake.
You Will Love These Thanksgiving Desserts
I come from a big pie family. When I was about 10, I made my mom’s pie crust all by myself, following her instructions to the letter. Or so I thought.
It came out of the oven golden and flaky. Picture perfect. Then we took a bite.
I had flipped the sugar and the salt. That beautiful crust tasted awful. We ate the filling and tossed the crust. My brothers still tease me about it, 50 years later.
I am very careful with the salt in my pie crust these days. When you make my All Butter Pie Crust, double-check yours. Trust me.
These days, dessert is a team effort. My mom usually brings it. She and my bonus dad love pumpkin pie, so that’s the one we all dig into.
If I’m hosting and have time to plan ahead, I add something chocolate. My boys and my hubby are chocolate guys, every one of them. So it’s my Death by Chocolate Cake (it has a brownie base), my chocolate pudding pie, my copycat Nothing Bundt Cake, or something new I want to test on them.
Every one of these Thanksgiving dessert recipes was tested by real people at all kinds of altitudes. You’ll find the holiday classics for the pumpkin pie people, plenty for the chocolate crowd, and make-ahead, no-bake and gluten-free picks so everybody gets a slice of something they love.
Thanksgiving Pies
Pie is the heart of the Thanksgiving dessert table. These are my favorite pies, and the ones my family actually fights over.
A classic pumpkin pie comes first, always. Right behind it is my Key Lime Pie. It’s my most popular pie all year long, and that bright, tart slice tastes amazing after a heavy meal.
Looking for pecan? My Pecan Pie Bars are down in the bars section, and they’re easier to serve than a whole pie.
Most of these start with a good crust. Mine is the All Butter Pie Crust. It bakes up into a flaky crust. Just watch the salt.
Pumpkin Custard Pie (Costco Copycat)
Best Key Lime Pie
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Pie
Cranberry Nantucket Pie
Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie
No Bake Eggnog Pie
Homemade Cherry Pie
Mini Chocolate French Silk Pies
Muffin Tin Mini Apple Pies
No Bake Chocolate Pie
Cake Desserts for Thanksgiving
Not everyone wants pie. These desserts for Thanksgiving are cakes, and a lot of them are bundts.
I love a bundt for the holidays. It travels in its own pan, slices clean and looks fancy with almost no effort.
The Cranberry Cake has Christmas in its name, but it’s just as good in November.
Easy Pumpkin Poke Cake
Uncle Al’s Fresh Apple Spice Cake
Pear Bundt Cake
Old-Fashioned Kentucky Butter Cake
Cranberry Cake
Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Easy Thanksgiving Desserts: Crisps, Cobblers and Dump Cakes
Your oven is full on turkey day. These easy Thanksgiving desserts make life simpler.
No crust. No rolling pin. Just stir a few ingredients, pour, and bake.
My Caramel Apple Dump Cake can even go in the crock pot, so the oven stays free for the turkey.
Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
Chocolate Pumpkin Graham Crisp
Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake
Caramel Apple Dump Cake (Oven or Crock Pot)
Peach Cobbler
Thanksgiving Cookies and Bars
Cookies and bars are the easiest desserts to carry to someone else’s house. No knife, no pie server, just grab one.
The Pecan Pie Bars are my stand-in for pecan pie. And my Traditional Shortbread is always a hit this time of year. If you love cheesecakes, my Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars have a cream cheese layer and a streusel topping.
Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Streusel
Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
Cranberry Lemon Bars
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Chewy Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles
Easy Traditional Shortbread
Thanksgiving Pastries
These look bakery-fancy but they are friendlier than they seem. Great with coffee the morning after, too.
German Apple Strudel
Trader Joe’s Danish Kringle Copycat
Almond Kringle
Make-Ahead and No-Bake Thanksgiving Desserts
The best Thanksgiving desserts are the ones that are already done.
These either chill overnight or skip the oven entirely. Make them a day or two ahead and enjoy your morning.
Want a full baking schedule? I have a make-ahead timeline in my Fall Desserts post, plus more in my Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes.
Pumpkin Fluff (Pumpkin Pie Dip)
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Traditional Tiramisu
Chocolate Eclair Cake
Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
Oreo Delight (No-Bake)
Crockpot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Desserts
I have family and close friends who eat gluten-free. So I’ve spent years making sure my gluten-free bakes are every bit as tender as the regular ones.
Nobody at the table should get stuck with a sad little fruit plate.
Two more gluten-free favorites are up above: the Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Pie and my Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, with its gluten-free crumble.
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
Gluten-Free Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Easy Buckeye Bars (Gluten-Free)
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)
More Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas (Chocolate Edition)
Here’s the chocolate section. Every Thanksgiving table needs one.
In my house, it’s non-negotiable. My hubby and boys are chocolate guys, so one of these is always on the table when I host.
Death by Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Texas Sheet Cake
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake (Nothing Bundt Cakes Copycat)
Homemade Ice Cream for Pie à la Mode
Is there ever NOT a time for ice cream? Not in our house.
Every scoop here has a job. Pumpkin goes over warm apple crisp. A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes on every pie. Chocolate sits next to the pecan pie bars. Baileys is for the grown-ups, with the Death by Chocolate.
Make them days ahead. No ice cream maker? The Moose Tracks is no-churn.
Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Old Fashioned Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Baileys Irish Cream Ice Cream
Easy Moose Tracks Ice Cream (No-Churn)
Finishing Touches: Crusts, Whipped Cream and Sauces
A great pie needs a great crust. And a little something on top never hurts. Pumpkin pie gets its warmth from cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, plus a little brown sugar. Fresh spices make a difference, so mix up a jar of homemade pumpkin pie spice.
How Many Desserts Do You Need for Thanksgiving?
A 9-inch pie cuts into 8 slices. A good rule of thumb is one pie for every 6 to 8 guests, because people love to try a sliver of two.
For 8 people, plan on two pies and one dessert that isn’t pie, like a bundt cake or bars.
For 20, go for four or five desserts. Mix in bars, cookies and a no-bake dessert so you’re not baking pies all week.
Thanksgiving Desserts FAQs
Pumpkin pie, by a mile. Pecan and apple pie are close behind. My Pumpkin Custard Pie is a Costco copycat, and my Pecan Pie Bars give you pecan pie flavor without the fuss.
Par-bake the crust before you add a custard filling like pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie. Bake the pie on the lowest oven rack so the bottom gets plenty of heat. At high altitude, crust edges can brown faster, so cover them with foil or a pie shield partway through baking. Start with a sturdy crust, like my All Butter Pie Crust.
My Death by Chocolate Cake and Mini Chocolate French Silk Pies both freeze beautifully. Homemade ice cream and most cookie doughs freeze well too. Custard pies like pumpkin are best made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
Try a bundt cake like my Pear Bundt Cake, the Pumpkin Poke Cake or Peach Cobbler. Chocolate lovers will go straight for the Death by Chocolate Cake.
Go bright and tart to balance the sweetness. My Key Lime Pie, Cranberry Lemon Bars and Gluten-Free Lemon Olive Oil Cake are all lighter than a slab of pecan pie.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Dessert is only one part of the feast. Need more inspiration? Here’s the rest of the menu:
- 35+ Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes
- Herb Butter Roasted Turkey
- Turkey Giblet Gravy without Drippings
- Best Thanksgiving Dressing
- Cranberry Sauce
- Pomegranate Thanksgiving Punch
- Easy Cranberry Spritzer
- Cranberry Lemon Drop Martini
- Maple Whiskey Sour
- Wassail
- 50 Best Fall Desserts
Wassail is usually a Christmas drink, but it’s delicious and easy to keep warm on the stove for Thanksgiving, too.
Bake one of these and tell me about it in the comments. I’m a real person, I read every one, and I love hearing which dessert became your new favorite.
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