71 Thanksgiving Desserts for a Sugar Rush to Chase Your Tryptophan Daze
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Some folks may think of Thanksgiving as turkey day; we call it the official launch of dessert season. And when presented with the best Thanksgiving desserts, it can be hard to choose what to make. Luckily, the time of year narrows things down slightly—save everyday chocolate chip cookies and even extraordinary brownies for another day because Thanksgiving is for holiday classics like pecan and apple pie. It’s probably the only time in the year you think about making pumpkin pie…and sweet potato pie! And sweet potato sonker!
Below, you’ll find our all-time favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes, including elegant tarts, impressive multilayered cakes, easy cookies and cupcakes, and, of course, the best pie recipes we know—including both old-fashioned favorites and new-school riffs that may well become your new family standards. So save room for something sweet after Thanksgiving dinner: It’s time for the dessert table to shine.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou1/71Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
This mash-up of two perfect desserts is just right for Thanksgiving dessert. It’s assembled in a 13-by-9-inch pan, so there is plenty to go around.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi2/71Our Favorite Apple Pie
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi4/71Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce6/71Easy Egg Custard
A little nutmeg grated on top of these baked egg custards gives then an eggnog vibe that’s perfect for ending any holiday dinner.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi7/71Classic Pecan Pie
This old-fashioned pie calls for corn syrup, an ingredient that has perhaps been unfairly maligned. But, if you’d like to use a corn syrup substitute, brown rice syrup is toasty and delicious, and pretty easy to spot on grocery store shelves.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne8/71Simple Bread Pudding With Melted Ice Cream Sauce
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne9/71Fluffy Coffee and Walnut Cake With Mocha Buttercream
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Kim10/71Pear Tart With Dulce de Leche Drizzle
A tart this stunning couldn’t be such a cinch to make. Or could it? For this easy Thanksgiving dessert, you’ll simply toss together sugar, flour, lemon zest, and cinnamon; then sprinkle the mix over the tart base before arranging the sliced pears and baking.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton13/71Sweet-Potato Cobbler
This homey dessert is one of our favorite Gourmet Thanksgiving classics. It’s substantial and rich with butter and cane syrup and is encased not with pie crust, but with biscuit dough.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton15/71Basque-Style Sweet Potato Cheesecake
This is no basic cheesecake recipe. It’s subtly spiced, sports robust flavor from roasted sweet potato purée, and, borrowing from the Basque tradition, it’s baked until the exterior is a deep copper and the interior is luxuriously silky.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton16/71Apple-Cranberry Crisp With Oatmeal-Cookie Crumble
Inspired by the bright flavors of cranberry sauce, this cran-apple crisp is topped with a crunchy, almond-laced oatmeal cookie crumble. It’s just begging for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton17/71Banana Cream Pie With Bourbon Whipped Cream
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou18/71Golden Beet Cake With Magic Cream Cheese Frosting
Think carrot cake, but with beets. The dreamy frosting that tops this refreshingly spiced, sour cherry–studded cake is a keeper for all your baking needs.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich19/71Latticed Apple and Cranberry Tart
Our 1970s-inspired vintage Thanksgiving menu starts with a turkey wearing a cranberry necklace and ends with this fruit pie decorated with a corkscrew lattice.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Kim20/71Sweet Potato Pie
For this classic Southern pie (which you can make with or without an optional crunchy praline topping), you’ll need to make a big batch of baked sweet potatoes. Roast a few extra for an easy pre-Thanksgiving dinner.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce21/71Grape Cake With Hazelnut Streusel
This fun fall cake is reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but so much better. Any seedless grape will work, but we prefer Thomcord grapes, which give the intense juicy punch of Concord grapes without the hassle.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Pearl Jones23/71Marbled Pumpkin-Maple Cheesecake Bars
Cheesecake meets the fall flavors of pumpkin pie spice in these easy bars. The cream-and-ochre swirl will be a striking contrast on your Thanksgiving dessert table.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks24/71Spiced Pavlova With Pumpkin Mousse
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell25/71Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie
Browned butter and nearly-burnt honey bring deep flavor to this riff on classic pumpkin pie. The recipe employs a nifty trick: Cooling it in the oven ensures the top doesn’t crack.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton26/71Dr. Bird Cake
Also known as hummingbird cake, this Jamaican favorite is made with chopped pineapple, bananas, coconut, and a trio of warming spices.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson27/71Maple Syrup Pie
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark28/71Berry Cream Cheese Cake
Dark brown sugar gives this one-bowl cake a little molasses edge while nubbins of cream cheese add pops of richness throughout. When Thanksgiving rolls around, we love to make this with cranberries instead of blueberries and raspberries.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini29/71Brown-Butter Pecan Pie With Rum and Espresso
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich31/71Caramel Nut Tart
This walnut and pecan tart is part of our retro Thanksgiving menu. It was first featured in Gourmet’s November 1998 issue.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton33/71Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
This wonderfully milky cake is one of the best desserts we made in 2021. The pop of lemon zest and the bite of olive oil keep it all tasting bright and floral.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark34/71Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart
The base for this easy Thanksgiving dessert is frangipane, a flexible custard that can be made entirely in the food processor using any nut. Here, we combine earthy hazelnuts with sweet, floral pears, two ingredients that bring out the best in each other.
Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell37/71Three Cities of Spain Cheesecake
We love this cheesecake so much, we wrote it a love letter. Created by Santa Fe’s Three Cities of Spain coffeehouse, and printed in Gourmet’s 1999 Thanksgiving issue, it manages to be perfectly unfussy.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne39/71Ube Pie With Marshmallow Whip
The color of this pie comes from ube halaya, a.k.a. Filipino purple yam jam. Think of it as pumpkin pie’s ultraviolet cousin.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Frances Boswell40/71Apple and Calvados Tart (Galette de Pommes au Calvados)
Serve this elegant tart with a dollop of whipped cream and a small glass of the Calvados you use to make it on the side for a stellar holiday dessert.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Simon Andrews43/71Pecan Bourbon Baklava
Honey-bourbon syrup is the star of this baklava. Can’t wait for dessert? Cut them into tinier pieces and serve them on a cheese board for a Thanksgiving appetizer.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Kim44/71Cranberry Chess Pie
During cranberry season, think beyond sauce and relish. Try the berries in this lip-puckering cranberry pie to bring your Thanksgiving dinner to a zingy end.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich45/71Classic Kouign-Amann
Small, hand-held kouign-amann are common in North America, but this recipe shows off the classic Breton pastry in its original form: a single, shockingly crispy and enormously buttery 9-inch cake. (Watch how it’s made here.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson46/71Pumpkin Cheesecake With Bourbon–Sour Cream Topping
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog47/71Apple Pie Cookies
Pie, but make it portable! These crisp-edged, Thanksgiving cookies remind us of our favorite apple pie, but these are more party-friendly.
Gentl & Hyers48/71Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie
With a flaky crust and a layer of rich chocolate ganache hidden beneath a ginger-scented filling that’s reminiscent of your favorite oatmeal cookies, this Thanksgiving dessert is packed with all the fall flavors you crave.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell49/71Pecan-Cranberry Galette
This elegant little tart is the ideal Thanksgiving dessert for two to four guests. It’s studded with whiskey-soaked dried cranberries and has a gooey filling reminiscent of classic pecan pie.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton50/71Chocolate-Pecan Sheet Pie With Molasses
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova51/71Lane Cake
You might recognize this famous Alabama cake from its star turn in To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s made with a bourbon-laced filling of coconut, golden raisins, and pecans.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson52/71Apple Crisp for One
Need Thanksgiving dessert ideas for one? Here’s an easy, single-serve crisp filled with apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans. We definitely recommend going à la mode.
Photo by Tara Donne, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell53/71Deep-Dish Maple-Bourbon Cream Pie
Photo by Matthew Septimus54/71Apple Walnut Bundt Cake
This impressive bundt cake is a must-have in your fall repertoire; it stays moist and flavorful for five days; a silky caramel sauce takes it to special occasion-level.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege55/71Sweet Potato Sonker With Milk Dip
Halfway through baking this North Carolinian cobbler-like dessert, you’ll drizzle it with a milky glaze reminiscent of powdered sugar icing. When the sonker emerges from the oven, the glaze hardens into a sugary crust.
Andrew Purcell, food styling by Carrie Purcell, prop styling by Sarah Cave56/71Pear and Walnut Upside-Down Cake With Whipped Crème Fraîche
Photo by Alex Lau57/71Quince and Almond Tart With Rosé
Want to add a little holiday cheer to your thanksgiving feast? This glossy riff on tarte Tatin calls for treating aromatic quince to a mulled wine–inspired poach in a full bottle of rosé.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich59/71Cranberry Linzer Tart
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks60/71Caramel Apple Drip Cake With Candied Walnuts
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson61/71Monkey Bread
Thanksgiving is a family affair. With a mix of spices inspired by chai, this ooey-gooey monkey bread is a perfect project for getting little hands to pitch in.
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin62/71Cranberry-Orange Snacking Cake
This simple cake is a great way to put any extra cans of cranberry sauce to good use—or to use up leftovers in the days following the festivities.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton63/71Pumpkin and Cookie-Butter Sheet Cake With Toasted Meringue
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini64/71Pumpkin Icebox Pie With Snickerdoodle Crust
Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen66/71Build-Your-Own Thanksgiving Pie Bar
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen69/71Cardamom-Pistachio Carrot Cake
This gorgeously fall-hued single-layer cake from Sohla El-Waylly is inspired by gajjar halwa. The fudgy, caramel-like topping is made with carrot juice.
Photo by JP Bevins, Food Styling by Molly Baz71/713-Ingredient Caramel-Pear Galette
You don’t have to make everything from scratch for Thanksgiving desserts to be a hit. This free-form tart calls for store-bought pie crust and caramel sauce—we promise, everyone will want seconds.
