45 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes - Just a Taste (2024)

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This Thanksgiving, make your dessert table the star of the show. From classic pumpkin bars to decadent pecan bars, these Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes are guaranteed to impress your family and friends.

No matter how much turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing you’ve piled on your Thanksgiving dinner plate, there’s always room for just a taste of dessert! This year, go beyond pumpkin pie with an assortment of classic and creative dessert ideas that will have everyone asking for seconds.

Many of these sweet treats are make-ahead friendly, and some won’t even have you reaching for the oven. Because let’s face it, who can resist no-bake desserts, especially in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season?

Start planning your Thanksgiving dessert menu today!

Pies

From muffin tin pecan pies to kid-friendly pumpkin spice marshmallow treats, I’m rewriting the rules of traditional pies. These recipes are all about delicious flavors and fun presentations, making them perfect for a holiday feast that breaks the mold.

• Pecan Pie Bars without Corn Syrup: This recipe is my all-time most popular Thanksgiving dessert. It stars a buttery shortbread cookie base topped with chewy pecan pie filling. Best of all, it can be made ahead and still tastes great (if not even better!) the next day.
• Muffin Tin Mini Apple Pies: These individual desserts star a buttery DIY pie crust made with a secret ingredient, plus juicy apples tossed with cinnamon-sugar and a gorgeous lattice top.
• Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispies Treats: If you love all things pumpkin, you’ll love these buttery treats flavored with plenty of pumpkin pie spice. They’re the perfect kid-friendly dessert for Thanksgiving.
• Muffin Tin Mini Pecan Pies: These individual pecan pies are a bite-sized twist on the classic pecan pie (without corn syrup!), featuring a flaky crust and a gooey, nutty filling, making them a perfect, portable dessert for Thanksgiving.
• Mini Cherry Pies with Streusel: Cooking the cherries with sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract and cornstarch leads to a thick, jammy cherry pie filling perfect for piling into mini pie crusts.
• Easy Caramel Apple Slab Pie: This foolproof recipe can be made a day in advance and stars store-bought pie dough.

• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: Pumpkin pie’s subtle spiciness joins forces with a tangy, not-too-sweet but seriously smooth cream cheese frosting for the ultimate dessert match.
• Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies: My recipe stars a homemade sour cream pie dough that’s flaky and buttery, but store-bought pie dough is a great shortcut option. The filling is a flavor-packed mix of tangy Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, gooey caramel and sea salt.
• Apple Pie Panini: Cinnamon-raisin bread slathered with creamy mascarpone, topped with fresh fruit, and pressed until warm and gooey. And then you add the biggest possible scoop of ice cream on top!
• Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies: Sour cream pie dough pockets stuffed with juicy strawberries and creamy Nutella topped with sanding sugar for a bakery-quality touch.
• Pumpkin Dip with Pie Fries: This creamy, no-bake dessert dip is for anyone who loves pumpkin pie but wants a fool-proof shortcut that delivers big flavor without all the fuss of the traditional dessert.
• Apple Pie Egg Rolls: They’re hot, crunchy, loaded with juicy apples and perfect for dunking in warm caramel sauce.

Tarts and Crisps

Cakes and Cheesecake

• The Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: My mom Noni’s banana cake is legendary, and for good reason: Her secret trick ensures the cake layers are extra moist and perfect for stacking and slathering with pillowy cream cheese frosting!
• Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake: Moist, spiced and generously drizzled with a silky glaze, it’s the perfect dessert to celebrate the season. Plus, it’s as simple to make as it is delicious. Impress your family and friends with this easy pumpkin dessert!
• Easy No-Bake Cheesecake: Five simple ingredients blend together into a slightly lemony yet definitely vanilla-y custard that’s poured into a DIY graham cracker crust and then chilled until set. It’s a foolproof alternative to the traditional dessert!
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake: Layers of creamy pumpkin cheesecake, gingersnap cookie crumbles and whipped cream. Best of all, they can be made up to a day (or two!) in advance and assembled just before serving.
• Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars: This foolproof recipe stars a classic graham cracker crust and creamy cheesecake topped with tangy Granny Smith apples sautéed with cinnamon and brown sugar.
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting: These bars are a delicious, spiced pumpkin dessert topped with the best cream cheese frosting. This crowd-friendly dessert yields a dozen bars.

Cookies

These cookies are the perfect bite-sized treats for Turkey Day and beyond. From classic chocolate chip cookies to seasonal delights, they’re here to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Brownies

These brownie recipes are the epitome of indulgence, offering that perfect balance of fudgy and chewy. From brownie bark to pumpkin cheesecake brownies, these recipes promise to satisfy your sweet cravings and elevate your Thanksgiving dessert game. And don’t miss my tips and tricks for how to cut brownies cleanly.

Apple Desserts

• Easy Apple Turnovers: They take minutes to make and star the best apple pie filling tucked inside buttery puff pastry pockets.
• Caramel Apple Bread Pudding: It’s loaded with tangy Granny Smith apples, pillowy brioche bread and a vanilla custard that will make your taste buds swoon.
• 30-Minute Apple Fritters: No yeast = no proofing = apple fritters in minutes, rather than hours. You still get the crispy exterior and warm, juicy apple filling in a fraction of the time.
• Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings: Turn that tube-o-dough into one of fall’s most iconic sweets: apple dumplings! This quick and easy recipe stars tangy Granny Smith apples wrapped in flaky pastry then baked in DIY caramel sauce.
• Apple Fritter Rings: This is a great recipe for anyone who loves apple fritters but wants a fool-proof shortcut that delivers big flavor without all the fuss of DIY doughnuts.
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip: A cool, creamy, tangy and oh-so-addicting dessert dip that’s perfect for serving with pretzels, graham crackers and more.

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