25 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes, Including Everything from Pies to Cheesecake

By Kelly Vaughan
Updated September 05, 2019
Credit: Shanna Sullivan
Farmers' markets packed with sugar pumpkins and grocery-store shelves lined with canned pumpkin purée are telltale signs that autumn is here. We have a host of pumpkin recipes, including classic pies, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, and puddings.
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Credit: Shanna Sullivan

Pumpkin recipes are synonymous with fall foliage, warm spices, and two of our favorite holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving! From pumpkin cakes and pies to icebox pies and ice cream sandwiches, we're sharing a selection of tasty pumpkin dessert recipes that will carry you through fall.

When shopping for pumpkin in the grocery store, choose canned pure pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie filling; pumpkin pie filling contains sugar, flavor, and other additives which can affect the flavor and texture of your own pumpkin dessert recipe. You can also make pure pumpkin purée using fresh pumpkin; the kind you find in the store is simply cooked and puréed raw pumpkin, so it will add natural flavor, moistness, and color to your recipes.

Of course, we have pumpkin pie recipes that turn the volume up on this timeless fall dessert. One deep-dish version is topped with a big mound of whipped cream; another takes a page out of crème brûlée's book with its caramelized sugar topping.

Pumpkin makes a delicious addition to other classic desserts, including cheesecake, carrot cake, and snickerdoodles. And we can't forget about pumpkin bread, either. It's a classic for a reason—it's moist, full of warmth from cinnamon and nutmeg, and easy to prepare. Want to make a truly easy, crowd-pleasing pumpkin dessert? How about pumpkin bars, which are similar to a sheet cake and just as delicious.

No matter which pumpkin dessert recipe you choose to slice or scoop and serve first, we have a feeling you'll be making all of these fall dessert recipes over and over again.

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Deep-Dish Pumpkin Icebox Pie

Credit: Anna Williams
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No pie dough here! We've turned up the volume on a classic graham cracker crust recipe by swapping in gingersnap cookies. The extra tall filling is made with pumpkin puree, Marsala wine, gelatin, and spices, and sweetened with Sugar In The Raw.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

Credit: Bryan Gardner
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Create the sweetest pumpkin patch ever! Garnished with handmade marzipan pumpkins, these moist cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties at school or work.

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Perfect Pumpkin Pie

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Consider this your tried and true pumpkin pie recipe. Once you make this version, you'll never need another recipe for pumpkin pie again. Follow our test kitchen's method to prevent sinking and cracks.

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Citrus-Glazed Pumpkin-Carrot Cake

Credit: Con Poulos
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Why mess with a classic like carrot cake? Because pumpkin purée is a delicious add-in, that's why! Baked in an angel food cake pan, this easy cake is made for a crowd so start slicing!

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Pumpkin-Spice-Latte Cake

Credit: Lennart Weibull
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Turn your favorite seasonal coffee drink into a delicious cake. Instant espresso powder blends in seamlessly to create a latte flavor. It's a rich, divine dessert that tastes like autumn.

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Pumpkin Crunch Pie

Credit: Martyna Szczesna
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Can't decide between pumpkin or pecan pie for Thanksgiving? Now you don't have to! This cream cheese and pumpkin-based pie topped with a crunchy pecan crumble offers the best of both worlds.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Credit: linda xaio
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Sugar, spice, and everything nice. This twist on snickerdoodle cookies features canned pumpkin—why haven't we been doing this all along?

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Pumpkin Bars

Credit: Mike Krautter
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How about a pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting? It's easy to slice and serve to a crowd (or anyone with a big appetite for fall desserts). No one will be able to resist these bites.

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Pumpkin Roulade with Mascarpone and White Chocolate

Credit: Mike Krautter
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The key to a perfect pumpkin-shaped cake is using a jelly roll pan, which helps create an even roll, sans breakage. It's filled with a light-as-air mascarpone and white chocolate filling—don't expect there to be any leftovers.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Crunch Bites

Credit: Mike Krautter
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Wish you could have just one more bite of cheesecake? Now you can with these mini pumpkin cheesecake bars, topped with a pecan crunch.

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Pumpkin-Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

Credit: John Lawton
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Chewy chocolate-molasses gingerbread cookies enclose homemade pumpkin ice cream in this make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can use store-bought pumpkin ice cream instead.

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Deep-Dish Pumpkin-Meringue Pie

Credit: Johnny Miller
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Dress up your pumpkin pie for a special occasion with a glorious mountain of meringue. Make the crust and filling up to one day in advance to save prep time on Thanksgiving, then top it off with meringue right before serving.

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Pumpkin-Chocolate Whoopie Pies

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Hand-held whoopie pies are a great dessert for kids—but with a rich chocolatey filling between two soft pumpkin-flavored cookies, grown-ups will want these treats, too.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

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Everyone can enjoy this moist, sweetly spiced fall favorite. Buttermilk keeps it rich and moist and a good ratio of sugar to eggs creates an airy filling.

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Brûléed Pumpkin Pie

Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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The filling for this pie is covered with a thin layer of superfine sugar, which turns into a beautiful, brittle sheet of caramel when brûléed, or burned, with a small kitchen blowtorch.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

Credit: Mikkel Vang
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The secret to making cheesecake that's free of cracks is baking at a low temperature and letting it cool in the oven without opening the door. This spiced pumpkin cheesecake uses a traditional graham-cracker crust, but feel free to create variations by adding chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds, or substituting gingersnaps or chocolate wafer cookies for the graham crackers.

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Mile-High Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

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An instant classic, this delicious hybrid is both impressive and irresistible, you'll want to make it again and again.

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Pumpkin Cream Pie

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An easy gingersnap crust sets this pumpkin pie apart. The silky-smooth custard filling is cooked on the stove top.

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Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

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With a cake-like interior and sugar-coated exterior, these treats capture the essence of doughnuts without the mess of deep-frying. Buttermilk and pumpkin purée make them melt-in-your-mouth moist.

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Pumpkin Layer Cake

Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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Cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh ginger spice this moist pumpkin-buttermilk cake. The combination of cream cheese and goat cheese in the frosting gives it a unique, tangy twist.

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Pumpkin Icebox Pie

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This pumpkin icebox pie is an easy solution to Thanksgiving dessert. Rather than the usual baked custard filling, this pie gets its silky texture courtesy of cream cheese and gelatin. The only baking needed is for the graham-cracker crust.

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Maple Pumpkin Tart

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Maple syrup and lemon zest give a nuanced sweetness to the filling of this holiday tart. Fold fresh breadcrumbs into the pumpkin custard before baking for a unique texture.

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Pumpkin Pie with Graham Crust and Candied Pepitas

Credit: Gentl and Hyers
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Just a little different, that's this subtly spicy pumpkin pie. Either roasted-sugar-pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin can be used to make the filling. It's poured into a press-in graham crust made with whole-wheat flour, ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds), brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. The candied pepitas that top the pie are seasoned with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

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Pumpkin Cream Pie

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An exceptionally creamy spiced-pumpkin filling is the centerpiece of this pie. The whipped cream topping is stabilized with gelatin so it doesn't collapse, making it possible to assemble the entire pie the day before Thanksgiving.

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Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Credit: David Prince
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Rich chocolate brownies are made extra-moist with swirled layers of spiced pumpkin. The brownie batter is made with bittersweet chocolate and a touch of cayenne pepper to appeal to sophisticated palates.

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