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Thanksgiving Desserts: 35+ easy, traditional favorite recipes for this holiday besides pies

Don't be caught unprepared this year and try our 35+ Thanksgiving desserts. These traditional, easy recipes include such favorites as pumpkin pie, pies, cookies, cakes, and bars.

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Eating a pie at the end of Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition in many families. America's favorite ones? No doubt the pumpkin pie, as well as cranberry and pecan pie.

If you're looking for a sweet treat this holiday season other than the usual pie, you can check out our selection of 35+ Thanksgiving desserts. We've included easy, tasty recipes you can feed a crowd with. Keep store-bought or homemade pumpkin puree, apples, caramel, pecans, and other seasonal ingredients on hand to make cookies, rolls, cheesecakes, cupcakes, and many other yummy sweet treats, especially those with pumpkins or apple-flavored.

If you're focusing a lot on savory recipes for your Thanksgiving celebration and don't have time to focus on sweet ones, try no-bake desserts to save time. Still not convinced about anything? Check out our selection of fall desserts for more inspiration.

Thanksgiving Pies

1. Pumpkin Pie: the traditional, spiced dessert recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner
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Pumpkin pie is a traditional dessert recipe to serve with whipped cream during Thanksgiving. With a thick crust, its filling is made of pumpkin puree, condensed milk, sugar, spices.
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2. Apple Pie: the best-ever recipe for the classic American dessert
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Perfect for fall season, this apple pie recipe is made with perfectly sweet-tart Granny Smith apples tossed in sugar and cinnamon and baked in a homemade flaky pastry.
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3. Sweet Potato Pie: the perfect Thanksgiving pie recipe from the American South
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Sweet potato pie is a typical dessert recipe to serve at Thanksgiving. Easy to make, it's made of a pie crust filled with mashed sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and spices, then baked and topped with whipped cream.
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4. Pecan Pie: a fantastic recipe for a classic nutty dessert
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Pecan pie is a classic Southern dessert with a sweet, salty, nutty flavor and chewy texture. It's and old-fashioned recipe you can serve during holiday season.
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5. Buttermilk Pie: a beloved Southern pie recipe for your holidays
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Buttermilk pie is an easy Southern dessert similar to chess pie. Fill a buttery pie crust with a thick, creamy mixture made of buttermilk, eggs, flour, vanilla, butter, and lemon juice, then bake it.
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6. Cranberry Pie: the best recipe for a much-loved holiday dessert recipe
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Cranberry pie is an easy dessert recipe to enjoy during holidays. It has a sweet-tart flavor, the filling is juicy and sweet, while the pie crust is buttery and flaky.
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7. Chocolate Pumpkin Pie: the chocolate lover’s ultimate autumn pie recipe
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Chocolate pumpkin pie is a delicious dessert recipe perfect for Thanksgiving. It's made of a chocolate cookie crust, spiced pumpkin pie filling, and a thick layer of chocolate ganache.
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8. Chess Pie: a decadent, creamy Southern dessert to make for Thanksgiving
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Chess pie is a classic Southern dessert perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's made of a tender pie crust, a sweet-nutty custard, and a crisp browned top.
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9. Caramel Apple Pie: the simple recipe for a decadent fall dessert
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Apple pies are a favorite come autumn, but if you want to take your classic apple pie to the next level, why not try this easy caramel apple pie recipe? With a flaky, buttery crust, rich, sweet caramel sauce, and tart crisp apples, this irresistible pie has it all.
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10. Chocolate Cream Pie: a silky, delicious pie to make for any occasion
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Chocolate cream pie is a delicious dessert perfect for holidays. It's made of a silky chocolate pudding set in a pie crust, topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
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11. Coconut Cream Pie: the decadent, old-fashioned dessert recipe for any occasion
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Coconut cream pie is an old-fashioned dessert perfect for holidays. With a sweet coconut flavor, it's made of flaky pie crust, creamy coconut custard and whipped cream topping.
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12. Chocolate Pecan Pie: the fudgy, dreamy dessert for the perfect Thanksgiving
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Chocolate pecan pie is a rich, decadent dessert recipe perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It's made of a pecan, fudgy-chocolate filling, and a toasted pecans topping, all set in a buttery pie crust.
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13. French Silk Chocolate Pie: the easy recipe for an elegant, chocolatey dessert
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French silk chocolate pie is creamy, smooth dessert recipe. With a chocolatey flavor and light texture, it's a stunning dessert topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
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14. Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup: the amazing recipe for a beautiful holiday pie
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Everyone loves a slice of pecan pie around the holidays, and this pecan pie without corn syrup is a perfect dessert to whip up on special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unlike most classic pecan pie recipes, this recipe doesn't use corn syrup, instead, it's naturally sweetened with maple syrup and sugar.
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15. Banana Cream Pie: the decadent, old-fashioned dessert everyone will love
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Banana cream pie is an old-fashioned dessert recipe. It's made with a silky, creamy banana filling set in a flaky pie crust and topped with airy whipped cream.
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Thanksgiving Cakes, Crisps and Cheesecakes

16. Apple Crisp: the old-fashioned dessert recipe you’ll love
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Apple Crisp is an easy, old-fashioned dessert recipe ideal for fall. Served with a scoop of ice cream, it has a tender apple filling and is topped with a crispy oat crumble.
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17. Pumpkin Cheesecake: a decadent creamy recipe for autumn
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With its rich, creamy pumpkin filling, buttery spiced crust, and lighter than air whipped cream topping, nothing says “fall is here” like this pumpkin cheesecake.
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18. Apple Cake: the light dessert recipe made with crisp apple chunks
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Apple cake or apple pie? This time we chose apple cake! It's a light, fluffy dessert perfect for fall. Super easy to make, it's rich in crisp apple chunks on the inside.
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19. Gooey Butter Cake: the sensational recipe for the classic St. Louis dessert
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Gooey butter cake is a dense, chewy dessert recipe from St. Louis (Missouri). It's decadently buttery with a gooey, soft, sweet cream cheese layer set over a cakey crust.
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20. Apple Butter Cheesecake: the elegant recipe for a no-bake dessert
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This decadent apple butter cheesecake is a phenomenal no-bake recipe that's as beautiful as it is delicious. Perfectly creamy and laden with generous swirls of rich apple butter, it's a great easy dessert you can make in virtually no time, and all without ever having to use your oven. So, what are you waiting for?
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21. Apple Tarte Tatin: a classic French dessert that is sure to please!
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This simple French-style apple tarte tatin consists of one layer of flaky pastry crust and a thick layer of caramelised apples. It’s made by placing caramelized apples with butter and sugar in the bottom of a pie dish and then topping with a buttery dough. After baking it like this, it is flipped upside down and served with the crust on the bottom and apples on the top.
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22. Caramel Apple Cheesecake: the decadent, creamy cheesecake recipe
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Fall is the time of apple desserts. And there are many apple desserts we love such as apple fritters, apple pie… but cheesecake? If you haven’t tried apple cheesecake yet, you’ll fall in love with this Caramel Apple Cheesecake.
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Thanksgiving Sweet Treats

23. Pumpkin Bars: the sweet yet tangy dessert recipe for your fall
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Pumpkin bars are an easy dessert recipe perfect to enjoy during fall season. They're moist, spiced on the inside and topped with a fluffy layer of tangy cream cheese frosting.
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24. Apple Pie Cupcakes: a delicious cupcake recipe made from apple pie
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There's nothing like freshly baked apple pie when the weather starts to dip. The only thing that might be better than apple pie? Apple pie cupcakes! These incredibly soft, fluffy cupcakes are packed with the same irresistible apple pie filling as the iconic autumn dessert, and topped with decadent creamy frosting.
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25. Pumpkin Cookies: the perfect iced cookie recipe to make this fall
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Pumpkin cookies are a sweet, lightly spiced recipe perfect for fall season. Crisp around the sides and with a soft, chewy center, these cookies are topped with a smooth glaze.
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26. Pumpkin Cupcakes: the best autumn cupcake recipe to make right now
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These pumpkin cupcakes are a delicious fall dessert. Lightly spiced and sweet, they're fluffy, moist and topped with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting.
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27. Apple Cookies: the soft sweet treat recipe for fall
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Apple Cookies are easy to make and is the perfect dessert recipe for fall. Loaded with chocolate chips, the cookies are soft, chewy on the inside, and crispy around edges.
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28. Pecan Pie Bars: the delicious recipe for a bite-sized autumn treat
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Love pecan pie? Then you'll adore these phenomenal pecan pie bars. These bite-sized pecan pie bars are fantastic when you're hosting a large group and make a great treat to serve over the holidays. With a rich, buttery, nutty flavor and satisfying crunch, they're hard to resist.
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29. Pumpkin Muffins: the mouthwatering recipe for delicious, fluffy baked treats
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With the heavenly flavor of warming baking spices mixed with sweet pumpkin, these pumpkin muffins are easy to make. Soft, fluffy and sweet, they're a great recipe to try this fall and winter.
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30. Pumpkin Roll: the simple recipe for a beautiful autumn dessert
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If you're saving your pumpkin pie to show off at Thanksgiving dinner, but still want to make the most out of this tasty seasonal squash, why not try making a classic pumpkin roll? This easy fall dessert is light, fluffy, and full of that wonderful pumpkin and baking spice flavor so many of us associate with autumn.
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31. Cranberry Hand Pies: the buttery, flaky treat for all occasions
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Cranberry hand pies are a delicious sweet treat perfect for your holiday dinner. They have a crisp, flaky crust and a ruby red, sweet-tart filling everyone will love.
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32. Pumpkin Bread: an effortless recipe for a tasty quick loaf
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Pumpkin bread is an easy fall recipe that's fragrant and rich in pumpkin flavor. This moist, tender loaf is packed with the taste of baking spices and sweet pumpkin.
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33. Baked Apples: the ideal sweet treat to make this autumn
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Baked apples are the ultimate dessert recipe to enjoy this fall. Simply stuff apples with a sweet mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins, then top them with butter and bake until golden brown.
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34. Caramel Apple Cookies: the decadent autumn cookies everyone will love
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Caramel apple cookies are a fabulous dessert recipe, perfect for autumn. With their decadent frosting, they're soft and chewy with a lightly crispy outside.
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35. Apple Hand Pies: the easiest recipe for a delicious dessert
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Made with gorgeous sweet apple pie filling wrapped inside a flaky fragrant crust, apple hand pies are a killer way to enjoy a single serving of apple pie. They're similar to apple turnovers and cook much faster than a classic apple pie. They're an easy-to-make dessert and it's a wonderful autumn recipe to whip up with your family.
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36. Pumpkin Flan: a simple, delicious recipe for a festive flan de calabaza
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With its incredible pumpkin and warm baking spice flavor and rich, creamy texture pumpkin flan is a phenomenal dessert to make this fall and serve at Thanksgiving.
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37. Dumplings with apple and pine nuts: the recipe for simple and delicious desserts
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The dumplings with apple and pine nuts are simple and really delicious desserts. They can be prepared really in no time; all you need is a roll of ready-made puff pastry and you're done. Golden and fragrant, they hide inside a filling made with apples and pine nuts, and they are also enriched with a cinnamon scent.
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