Thanksgiving Desserts

Whether you're looking for traditional pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies or the unexpected, such as cranberry-port sorbet or pumpkin tiramisu, you'll find something to love in our collection of favorite Thanksgiving desserts. It’s time to buy a candy thermometer. This six-layer cake requires caramel at a precise 238 degrees to hold it together. Your taste buds will thank you later.

Using walnut halves creates a decorative trim on the top of this cake. Refrigerate for up to one day before use to minimize Thanksgiving Day prep time.

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.

The unusual combination of green cabbage and chocolate is perfectly delicious. Clear room in your fridge: chocolate bowls can be refrigerated for two days before eating.

In this delicious recipe, Granny Smith or Gala apples are combined with maple syrup, nutmeg, prunes, brandy, and orange juice. Balance the citrus flavors by topping with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

This cheesecake is a great option for mousse lovers, and the graham cracker crumbs crust makes it all the more delicious.

This impressive three-tier cake can be refrigerated it for up to three days before serving. Just top with whipped cream before unveiling it for your guests.

This rustic free-form take on apple pie gets a savory tang from adding sharp cheddar cheese to the crust. After the crostata comes out of the oven, brush the filling with melted apricot jam to make it glisten.

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

Maple syrup sweetens the no-bake filling of this easy cheesecake. Brush thin slices of pear with more maple syrup and broil until caramelized to make the decorative topping.

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.

Fresh quince turns aromatic and rosy-pink as it simmers with vanilla bean and maple syrup. Top the filling with cornmeal biscuits and sliced almonds to make this cobblerlike fall dessert.

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.

The border of this classic pumpkin pie is decorated with cut-out pastry leaves. This is a fine example of everyone's favorite fall pie.

Melt semisweet chocolate into hot cream and stir in a splash of rum to make the filling for this easy pie. Top it with macadamia nuts and whipped cream just before serving.

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.

Butterscotch sauce soaks into brown sugar cake layers before they are spread with caramel-cream cheese frosting. Adorn the cake with toasted pecans.

Ruby port adds depth to tangy cranberry sorbet. Serve it as a palate cleanser between courses, or with Black Walnut Shortbread Cookies as a light dessert.

Silky-smooth pumpkin flan spiced with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon sits inside a flaky pastry shell. This elegant dessert serves as a more formal version of pumpkin pie.

Update classic key lime pie with a coconut-milk filling and a sprinkling of toasted shredded coconut atop billowy whipped cream.

The light, crisp crust for this unique pie is made with kataifi (shredded phyllo dough). Layers of caramel-coated apple slices surround the semolina custard filling.

Pears and dried figs replace the usual apples in this fresh new take on the rustic dessert. Ground hazelnuts enrich the crust.

This is a tartlike version of the Southern specialty. If you don't have a cake ring for this recipe, a springform pan will work as well.

Creamy sweet potatoes get the luxe treatment in this impressive layer cake. The moist, lightly spiced cake layers are slathered with white chocolate mousse filling and finished with toasted macadamia nuts.

The Italian restaurant standby gets dressed up for Thanksgiving, adding canned pumpkin puree and replacing the espresso syrup with almond liqueur. This is a perfect make-ahead dessert, as it tastes even better after it's been refrigerated overnight.

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

Brandied Bartlett pears caramelize on the bottom of the pan while the cake bakes, and then become the topping when the cake is flipped out of the pan. Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg lend their warm spiciness to this gingerbread cake.

Honey and nutmeg flavor this pie’s custard filling. Use leaf lard for an exquisitely flaky crust.

Two popular favorites -- pumpkin pie and cheesecake -- are rolled into one delightful dessert. This is a good make-ahead dessert, as cheesecake keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.

Homemade pear-and-cranberry sorbet is served in elegant hollowed-out pears. Serve as a refreshing dessert or as an intermezzo.

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. The cranberries soften in the oven while the pecans keep their crunch, providing a delightful contrast in textures.

An almond shortbread crust holds a creamy filling of orange-scented chocolate. The rich chocolate ganache is amazingly quick and easy to make.

Sprinkle chopped pecans and cinnamon-spiced breadcrumbs between the layers of phyllo dough for a uniquely crunchy crust. This easy, elegant tart doesn’t have a filling; simply arrange thin slices of apple and pear over the top.

An appealing alternative to pumpkin pie, these small pies are filled with acorn squash. Cornmeal gives the crust a subtly crunchy texture.

Prepare the filling for this pie by poaching quince in sweet desert wine with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. Use store-bought puff pastry to form the quick and easy crust.

Cinnamon sticks and a vanilla bean are steeped in cream to give this pie its warm fragrance. The cream is then thickened with 12 egg yolks to make an extraordinarily rich special-occasion custard pie.

With a pate brisee crust on the bottom and crumbly oat streusel on top, this pie offers a delicious array of textures and flavor. The filling is a combination of pear wedges and homemade cranberry sauce.

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.

Satisfying bread pudding is dressed up with a rich, sweet sauce thickened with white chocolate and persimmon puree. As a time-saver, this dessert can be assembled a day ahead and baked after the turkey comes out of the oven.

Pears blush deep pink when poached with vibrant fresh cranberries. Make this dessert a day or two in advance and store in the refrigerator to let the pears soak up even more flavor from the poaching liquid.

Tart fresh cranberries and sliced apples are arranged decoratively atop crisp, flaky store-bought phyllo dough. This easy tart is sweetened with maple syrup and served with whipped cream.

Granny Smith apples, sweet raisins, and a crumb topping make a top-notch pie. Pack the apples in tightly to minimize gaps between filling and crust once the pie is baked.

Pumpkin and chocolate are an unexpected but delightful combination. The chocolate crust is the perfect complement to a pumpkin filling spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Caramel-coated apples add festive fall flavor to bread pudding. The pudding is made in individual ramekins and drizzled with caramel-bourbon sauce for a dressed-up presentation.

A soft-centered, marshmallow-like meringue forms a pillow for cranberry topping infused with vanilla. Both the meringue and the sauce can be prepared a day or two in advance.

Eggs, cream, sugar, and a generous dose of bourbon are a genius way to transform day-old bread into a luscious dessert. This version is made with baguettes, but you can use any rustic white bread.

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

Chocolate provides a dark counterpoint to the spicy sweetness of pumpkin in this sophisticated alternative to pumpkin pie. There's a surprise layer of melted chocolate between the filling and the crust.

Steamed pudding is a longstanding holiday tradition. Fragrant persimmons, golden raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg make the pudding spicy-sweet, while Calvados adds kick.

Kids will love these adorable turkey cupcakes decorated with coconut, marshmallows, and gummy candies. Decorating the cupcakes is a great activity to keep the children entertained on Thanksgiving Day.

Simmer sliced quince in white wine syrup with fresh ginger to make this easy fall compote. Serve it with Pumpkin Layer Cake or simply spoon it over vanilla or pumpkin ice cream.

Traditional pumpkin pie is topped with a sweet cloud of whipped cream. The whipped-cream topping is stabilized with gelatin so it will stay high and fluffy.

A chocolate cookie crust supports an attractive pumpkin-cheesecake filling swirled with semisweet chocolate. To create the marbled pattern, simply drag the blade of a paring knife through the chocolate and pumpkin mixtures.

Reminiscent of a rich spice cake, steamed pudding is an old-fashioned holiday dessert. If you don't have a pudding mold, you can use a deep stainless steel bowl covered tightly with aluminum foil.