You've probably eaten a classic fall pie—apple, pumpkin, or sweet potato—about a thousand times. So, why not try throwing your traditions for a loop and give other desserts a try? These 24 Thanksgiving desserts will please the traditionalists and wow the modernists.
1. Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Bars
Thanksgiving isn't over until you eat pumpkin and put on your sweatpants. These pumpkin cheesecake crumble bars are a mashup of two desserts: pumpkin pie and cheesecake. They're also the perfect dessert to have on deck for a holiday party because they require cooling for at least three hours, which means you can make it ahead.
2. Sweet Potato-Marshmallow Mini Cupcakes
While some might argue that sweet potato casserole is served with the rest of savory Thanksgiving elements, this spin on the casserole definitely belongs at the dessert table. The cake has a little unexpected spice from a pinch of cayenne, which gives this sweet potato casserole an experience that is truly unreal.
3. Apple Pie Donuts
This easy and fun twist is all that you love about a classic apple pie: spiced, crunchy apples encased in a flaky pie dough. These donuts are great for Thanksgiving because you can make the donuts ahead of time, freeze them, and fry them when you're ready for dessert!
4. Sticky Pecan Pull-Apart Bread
Perfect for your Friendsgiving, this pecan bread feeds a crowd. Thanksgiving involves so much cooking and chaos, and this bread is a great last ditch dessert that will wow your audience with minimal effort and pre-made ingredients like crescent roll dough.
5. Cranberry Swirl Meringues
You can fake out your friends and family with these deceivingly easy, yet fancy cookies. The ingredients are simple and the cranberries are so bright and fresh, you're going to be snagging them by the handful from the dessert table.
6. Maple Frosted Pumpkin Bars
Although maple and pumpkin are not often paired together, these bars prove that they should be a staple flavor combo. Along with the crunch from the pecans on top, these bars are perfect for fall.
7. Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
Crescent rolls may be basic, but they're basically delicious. With a spiced, pumpkin filling, these crescents will delight any crowd of picky eaters.
8. Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie
This pie definitely has southern influences from bourbon and maple syrup, and these influences might win over people who might not necessarily like sweet potato pie. This pie includes a pie crust recipe, but when in a time crunch, use pre-made pie dough because no one is going to notice the difference, and it's a huge time saver.
#SpoonTip: Sweet potatoes are cheaper than white potatoes so use them for both your main meal and dessert for Friendsgiving on a budget.
9. Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Scones
Fall and winter are the reigning seasons for cranberry so there had to be at least two cranberry recipes on this list. These scones are zesty and sweet with the lemon-cranberry combo that you just might ditch the boring cranberry sauce, and serve these with the main meal.
10. Molasses Spice Cookie "Gingersnaps"
You can't beat a cookie that is crisp, sweet, and little spicy. This recipe calls for fresh ginger and crystallized ginger which gives the cookie that bite and elevates those other fall spices in the dough. You definitely won't be lacking in ginger flavor, but if you prefer a little stronger or less strong flavor, you can adjust the amount of ginger to your liking.
11. Dutch Apple Cake
If a cobbler and a cake had a baby, this would be it. Tart apples layered on top of moist butter cake make this dutch apple cake irresistible. Try this one out and you'll be putting this on the top of your "Thanksgiving desserts" list next year and every year following.
12. Cherry Pie-in-a-Jar
This cherry pie-in-a-jar is ideal for a small Thanksgiving with friends or family. Individual portions are great for holidays because everyone gets the perfect proportions of pie crust to cherry filling in every bite.
13. Sweet Pumpkin Strudel
Strudel is an easy dessert with limited spillage because you don't have to cut into a giant dessert to give everyone their own piece. This strudel is also made in individual portions so everyone gets their own strip of strudel. Not to mention, the crispy phyllo adds such a great texture to the velvety smooth pumpkin filling.
14. Baked Apples with Rum & Cinnamon
As far as desserts go these baked rum apples are on the lighter side of thanksgiving dessert. Generally, Thanksgiving is the holiday of eating so a lighter dessert can be a welcome change after a large feast. These baked apples are simple, but pack a lot of flavor with green apples, rum, and warm spices.
15. Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Although pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving staple, it can be difficult to find a high quality vegan version of any recipe so technically, this is a new version on a classic dish. The filling is unbelievably creamy and the pie crust is so flaky and tender that your friends won't believe this pie is 100 percent vegan.
16. Gingerbread Holiday Bark
This holiday bark is a dessert that you can make ahead of time and store in your fridge until dessert time. You can also customize the bark to your personal preferences of nuts and dried fruit, or with whatever you have in your pantry.
17. Pumpkin Pie Meringue Cookies
One of the bonuses of this cookie recipe is that they are gluten free, so everyone can happily munch on these. They're not the simplest cookies to make, but they're totally worth it.
18. Mini Cinnamon Roll Caramel Apple Pies
These elevated cinnamon rolls could be eaten with the Thanksgiving desserts or even the morning of Thanksgiving for a festive breakfast. The apple rose on top is a show stopper and will wow your friends and family.
19. Pecan Pie Cheesecake
As if a pecan pie couldn't get any better, this cheesecake is rich, silky, and nutty. It is everything a holiday dessert should be and more. I recommend adding chopped pieces of chocolate, and a little bourbon to the pecan filling.
20. Pistachio Cranberry White Chocolate Fudge
This one-pot fudge has little to no mess and is fairly simple to make. Similar to the bark, you can substitute any nuts or dried fruit you already have for the pistachios and cranberries.
21. Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cakes
If these pumpkin cakes aren't the epitome of fall, then I don't know what is. They look like fall. They taste like fall. And they are so incredibly adorable. Making a dozen mini cakes rather than one big cake also ensures everyone gets a taste.
22. Caramelized Apple Tarts
This recipe is for the fourth quarter of Thanksgivin, after you've stuffed your face with turkey and potatoes, and you're falling into a food coma. You know the feeling. This recipe is fairly light, simple and requires little effort.
23. Pumpkin Fluff
This easy and creative dessert dip is creamy and rich. You can serve it with ginger snaps or vanilla wafer cookies, and it's perfect for sharing with a crowd.
24. Caramel Filled Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
You can fool your friends with the simplicity of these doughnut holes. You don't even have to fry them! You bake them in a doughnut hole pan or a mini muffin tin. Doughnut holes are a great idea if you have a large Thanksgiving crowd to feed because you can crank out a large amount easily.
Each of these Thanksgiving desserts are a twist on a classic, yet they're not overly complicated. Regardless whether you're planning a traditional Thanksgiving or a fun-filled Friendsgiving, your crowd will gobble them all up, and they will definitely ask for thirds.