This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A Thanksgiving meal isn’t complete without dessert! Pie is always the popular option, but this collection contains an entire assortment of pies, cakes, bars, and other Thanksgiving desserts.
More Collections: Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas, Thanksgiving Appetizers, Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Gotta Love Sweets!
Besides turkey, Thanksgiving is synonymous with pie. From pumpkin to coconut cream, pie is a perfect dessert for this holiday, but it is not the only dessert worthy of finishing off a Thanksgiving feast.
We have you covered:
- Variety. From pies to cheesecakes, we are sharing all of the best Thanksgiving desserts with you!
- Favorites. We have so many favorites, but Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Delight top the list!
- Make Ahead. Many of these can be made in advance so you don’t have to occupy an oven on Turkey Day or have more work to do on Thanksgiving.
The Famous Thanksgiving Pie
In the early 1800’s, Sarah Josepha Hale, a widow with five children, went to work as a writer and magazine editor to support her family. A fan of Thanksgiving, she wrote every year (for 17 years) to the president and Congress asking them to proclaim it a national holiday.
Finally, in 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. Hale excitedly promoted the idea by publishing recipes for Turkey, Stuffing — and of course Pumpkin Pie.
Tips for Easy Thanksgiving Desserts
Here are a handful of TIPS that come in handy with Thanksgiving dessert ideas:
- Plan ahead. Make as many desserts ahead of time as possible. Most desserts store well, and still taste delicious the next day.
- Dessert table. Have a separate Thanksgiving dessert table. Place small saucers, utensils, and napkins next to the dessert display.
- Display. Using tiered trays is a beautiful way to present desserts, as well as save space.
- Adding a label to each dessert gives a nice finish to the display. Include important allergy information on the labels like dairy-free, nut-free, or gluten-free.
- Leftover desserts can be boxed up and sent home with guests. Many desserts can also be stored on the counter or freezer to be enjoyed at a later date. See the individual recipes for storage information.
Best Thanksgiving Desserts
We love including a variety of flavors and types of Thanksgiving dessert recipes, and we’ve gathered up our top must-makes!
1 Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
2 Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
3 Pumpkin Delight Recipe
4 Apple Pie Recipe
5 Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
6 Thanksgiving Sugar Cookie Recipe
7 Pumpkin Brownie Recipe
8 Pumpkin Lasagna Recipe
9 Pumpkin Roll Recipe
10 Pecan Pie Recipe
Easy Thanksgiving Desserts
Believe it or not, our family probably has more cakes and bars than pies during the holidays. We just love how simple they are, and that they feed a lot.
They are delicious, and can usually be served with Homemade Whipped Cream or Ice Cream.
11 Pumpkin Crunch Cake Recipe
12 Pumpkin Magic Cake
13 Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe
14 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
15 Peach Cobbler
16 White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
17 Oreo Turkeys Recipe
18 Pumpkin Cobbler Recipe
19 Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
20 Apple Dump Cake Recipe
21 No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
22 Crock Pot Apple Crisp Recipe
23 Pumpkin Bars Recipe
24 Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
25 Iced Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
Thanksgiving Pies
Pumpkin pie may be the favorite, but there are so many other great pies that can be made. Here are some of the most popular pies on the site, perfect for your upcoming Turkey Day celebrations.
And don’t forget to use our Homemade Pie Crust Recipe for these!
26 No Bake Pumpkin Pie Recipe
27 Crustless Pumpkin Pie Recipe
28 Buttermilk Pie Recipe
29 Berry Pie
30 Oatmeal Pie Recipe
31 Apple Crumble Pie Recipe
32 Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe
33 Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
34 Sugar Cream Pie Recipe
35 Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe
36 Mini Pecan Pies
37 Mini Pumpkin Pies
38 Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
39 Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
40 Pecan Pie Cheesecake Recipe
Classic Desserts That Work Too!
Still need more ideas? No worries, we’ve got some classics that never disappoint! Now you just need to narrow you’re list down-or don’t. 😉
41 Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
42 Cream Puff Cake Recipe
43 Gooey Butter Cake Recipe
44 Bread Pudding Recipe
45 Homemade Brownies Recipe
46 German Chocolate Cake Recipe
47 Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
48 Vanilla Cake Recipe
49 Cherry Bars Recipe
50 Cookie Bars Recipe
51 Dirt Cake Recipe
52 Blondie Recipe
53 Rice Krispie Treat Recipe
54 Scotcheroos Recipe
55 Mini Fruit Tarts Recipe
A Cake To Be Thankful For!
We sure love Thanksgiving desserts and love that there are so many options to choose from.
We always love quick and easy desserts, and one of our favorites is Pumpkin Crunch Cake so it only made sense to put a Thanksgiving twist on it. Introducing Thanksgiving cake! It is quick, simple and everyone loves it!
Here is the recipe:
50+ Thanksgiving Desserts – Thanksgiving Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin spice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined – it will be runny.
- Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top of the batter. Gently pat the cake mix down completely covering the batter.
- Spread the chopped pecans over the cake mix layer in an even layer, then drizzle it with melted butter.
- Bake for 60-80 minutes or until done. Allow the Thanksgiving cake to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanksgiving Sweets
You will definitely want to save room for dessert on Thanksgiving with so many great recipes to choose from – which ones are you planning to make?
More Collections: Fall Dessert Recipes, Pumpkin Recipes, Best Pie Recipes
I love this resource of having all Thanksgiving Desserts in one place so I am able to look at the list of choices in one sitting. Some of my family doesn’t like pumpkin (such a bummer) so this Thanksgiving dessert collection has been great to get a variety of dessert recipes from.
All of theses desserts are really good and they don’t take up much time they are perfect for Thanksgiving!
Can this be frozen.
You know, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe before… it usually gets eaten too quickly! 🙂 But, I imagine you probably could. Just make sure the cake has completely cooled and then thaw completely in the fridge before eating again. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do decide to freeze it. You can also make it ahead of time and leave in the fridge overnight until ready to bake. The finished cake will last stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days.
Why can’t I get the recipe for the pumpkin delight
This should hopefully work for you: https://lilluna.com/pumpkin-delight-dessert/
Dessert is my favorite part of Thanksgiving! So many yummy ideas!
Dessert is the favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. We make your pumpkin delight every year! I have some others I want to add to the menu for this year. They all look so good!
WOW! Not just some amazingly delicious dessert ideas, but other helpful tips. Saved me some research time. Thanks for sharing it all in one place.
Another array of cant go wrong with any of these desserts! All so good and perfect for any occasion.
The best part of Thanksgiving is dessert! My family loves all your pumpkin recipes. They are on the menu!
These tips are so helpful, kristyn! I especially love the ones about how to store leftovers, and setting up the display with labels (will be so helpful for guests with allergies too!). Happy thanksgiving!
Glad you find them helpful! Thank you for letting me know. Happy Thanksgiving!