Our Easiest Thanksgiving Desserts

Desserts don't need to be elaborate in order to be delightful. Save yourself some time and choose one of these easy-but-impressive finales for Thanksgiving dinner.
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Individual Cinnamon-Apple Tarts

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Chewy, yeasty pizza dough serves as the crust for these single-serving apple tarts.

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Pear Streusel

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If you've got no patience for crimping and shaping a top crust, you’ll hear no complaints when guests get a taste of the chewy, buttery-sweet oat crumble on top of this pie. Don’t let the homemade cranberry sauce intimidate you -- it’s almost as easy as boiling water.Thanksgiving prep will be even easier when you make and freeze pie crusts in advance.

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Pumpkin Icebox Pie

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This easy no-bake version of pumpkin pie relies on gelatin and cream cheese to set up the smooth, creamy filling. If wrapped tightly and refrigerated, the pie can be made up to two days before Thanksgiving dinner.

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Cranberry Clafouti

Yunhee Kim
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The batter in this dessert is similar to that of pancakes. When you add in the fruit it turns into a rich and creamy custard. It’s also incredibly simple to make.

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Chocolate Black-Bottom Pie

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Melt semisweet chocolate into hot cream and stir in a splash of rum to make the filling for this easy pie. The crust and filling can be made up to two days in advance so all that's left to do after dinner is swirl on the whipped cream and chocolate.

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Apple and Cranberry Pandowdy

Con Poulos
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Like a cross between a pie and a cobbler, squares of pastry dough are arranged over lightly sweetened apple-cranberry filling to make this rustic dessert. Serve the pandowdy warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream.

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Coconut-Key Lime Pie

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A classic Key lime pie gets upgraded for the holidays with coconut milk in the filling. No need to roll out dough or stand over the stove stirring custard to make this creamy, dreamy dessert. A no-fuss press-in pie crust and a filling that cooks in the oven are shortcuts to bliss.

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Easy Pumpkin Pie with Press-In Shortbread Crust

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Our satiny, fragrant pumpkin filling finds a perfect partner in this sweet shortbread crust, which is easy to make. The press-in crust is crisp, cookielike, and sophisticated.

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New England Cranberry Duff

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To make this fun interpretation of the old-fashioned upside-down cake, fresh cranberries and toasted pecans are topped with buttery batter, then baked and inverted. This is a cake that decorates itself!

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Lemon Cream Pie

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No need to take the extra step of cooking the lemon custard filling on the stove top for this pie; instead, it bakes right in the crust. The whipped-cream topping can be stabilized with gelatin if you would like to make the pie the day before Thanksgiving.

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Icebox Pumpkin-Mousse Pie

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Start with a painless press-in chocolate cookie crust, and fill it with ethereal no-bake pumpkin mousse.

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Cranberry Cobbler

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Take advantage of fresh cranberries while they're plentiful. This homey creation takes just minutes to make and would be a festive treat throughout the holiday season.

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Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares

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These are a Thanksgiving take on blondies, with pumpkin puree and a generous tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Kids will love them, and so will the adults.

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Chocolate-Pear Tart

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This Thanksgiving dessert looks like a showstopper, but the hardest part of making it is arranging the sliced Bartlett pears decoratively in a chocolate-almond filling (there is no crust). The pears are brushed with apple jelly after baking to give them a glossy sheen.

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Apple Crisp

José Manuel Picayo Rivera
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A perpetual fall favorite, apple crisp is easy to make and budget-friendly, to boot. Empire, Gala, Braeburn, or Granny Smith apples are especially good in this recipe.

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Maple-Pecan Bread Pudding

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Maple syrup and pecans add a fall accent to this easy bread pudding. Serve it with an optional drizzle of heavy cream.

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Apple Tart

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Though it looks elaborate, this Thanksgiving apple tart is actually very easy to make. The crust is formed from a sheet of purchased puff pastry. A small amount of applesauce is spread onto the dough to make a bed for the apple slices. Once the tart is baked, glaze it with apricot jelly for a pretty shine.

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche

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Rich, anise-scented pumpkin custard bakes with bread cubes and pecans in this rustic dessert. Drizzle it with homemade or store-bought dulce de leche just before serving.

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Apple-Date Betty

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As American as apple Betty. Yes, this dessert dates to colonial times. The warm spiced apples topped with sweet breadcrumbs make it a great stand-in for pie.

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Cranberry-Pear Crisp

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Sweet, buttery pears are a perfect pairing for the tart zing of fresh cranberries. An oat-and-cinnamon topping adds a sweet, crunchy counterpoint.

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