35+ Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes: Best Desserts To Try

1. Burnt Basque Cheesecake with Pumpkin and Spices

A rich and cozy twist on the classic Basque-style cheesecake, featuring a caramelized top, creamy center, and warm fall flavors. Made with simple ingredients, this impressive dessert is perfect for Thanksgiving gatherings and holiday celebrations.

2. Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

Wake up to this cinnamon-spiced coffee cake loaded with apple slices and drizzled with dulce de leche on Thanksgiving morning. It's buttery, crumbly, and gone before noon.

3. Pumpkin Flan (Flan de Calabaza)

Ditch the classic pie from your Thanksgiving dinner menu this year — this silky pumpkin flan with maple caramel brings fall vibes without the fuss of rolling dough. Made with smooth pumpkin purée, it's creamy, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and looks absolutely stunning when flipped.

4. Dulce de Leche Apple Crisp

This isn't your typical apple crisp—dulce de leche melts into spiced apples under a buttery streusel that gets crispy. Skip the oats and go straight for rich, Latin-inspired comfort.

5. Three-Ingredient Dulce de Leche Mousse

This airy dulce de leche mousse takes 10 minutes to whip up and tastes like caramel clouds. It's rich without being heavy—scoop it into cups and let it chill while you prepare the rest of your meal.

6. Apple Empanadas with Dulce de Leche

These flaky empanadas are stuffed with cinnamon apples and gooey dulce de leche—think handheld apple pie but better. They bake up golden and crispy, and you'll want extras.

7. Orange Flan (Flan de Naranja)

Orange zest and fresh orange syrup make this cream cheese flan taste like creamsicle heaven, crowned with caramel. It's silky, citrusy, and looks fancy but comes together easily.

8. Upside Down Pineapple Rum Cake

Grilled pineapple soaked in rum sits under a buttery cake, then gets drenched in brown sugar rum syrup. It's tropical, boozy, and way more interesting than pie.

9. Guava and Cheese Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba)

Flaky puff pastry wraps around sweet guava paste and tangy cream cheese—they're like tropical hand pies you can grab warm. Bake them golden and watch them disappear fast.

10. Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Coconut)

This carrot cake incorporates juicy pineapple and coconut for a seriously moist and tropical flavor. The cream cheese frosting has a hint of orange zest—it's sweet but not too sweet.

11. Pumpkin Tiramisu

This no-bake Pumpkin Tiramisu features creamy pumpkin filling, coffee-soaked ladyfingers, and warm spices—an easy fall dessert perfect for holidays and entertaining.

12. Hibiscus and Red Wine Poached Pears

Poached pears turn deep crimson from hibiscus and red wine, then get drizzled with that spiced syrup over vanilla ice cream. They're stunning, elegant, and taste like fall in a glass.

13. Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Photo and recipe courtesy of Jules (at Bonni Bakery)

Smooth pumpkin custard meets that iconic crackly sugar top—and it's baked inside mini pumpkins for extra wow factor. The blowtorch moment alone makes this worth it.

14. Cinnamon Apple Dumplings

Photo and recipe courtesy of Ashley (at Little Black Skillet)

Tart apples wrapped in flaky crescent dough get baked in Sprite for the gooiest, most classic Thanksgiving dessert ever. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and watch them disappear.

15. Pumpkin Pie Martini

Photo and recipe courtesy of Alicia (at The Buttered Gnocchi)

This creamy pumpkin pie martini tastes like dessert in a glass with vanilla vodka, pumpkin liqueur, and a graham cracker rim. It's the perfect fall cocktail for Thanksgiving happy hour.

16. Turkey Oreo Balls

Photo and recipe courtesy of Jamielyn (at I Heart Naptime)

Oreo truffles get dressed up as turkeys with candy corn feathers and candy eyes—they're as fun to make as they are to eat. Rich, chocolatey, and totally Thanksgiving-ready.

17. Coquito Cheesecake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Marta (at Sense and Edibility)

This creamy coquito cheesecake tastes like the Puerto Rican holiday drink in dessert form—coconut, rum, and warm spices in every slice. It's rich, boozy, and totally unforgettable.

18. Butter Pecan Cream Pie

Photo and recipe courtesy of June (at Practically Homemade)

This no-bake butter pecan cream pie is loaded with salty toasted pecans and sweetened cream cheese filling—no oven required. It's rich, impressive, and ready in minutes.

19. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

Photo and recipe courtesy of Faith (at An Edible Mosaic)

These mini pumpkin cheesecakes feature a gingersnap crust and a creamy, spiced filling that's perfectly portioned for the dessert table. They're ready in 20 minutes and easier than a full-sized cheesecake.

20. Spiced Cranberry Pear Crisp

Photo and recipe courtesy of Danelle (at Let's Dish)

Tart cranberries and ripe pears are baked under a crumbly oat-pecan topping with warm spices that fill the whole house with the scent of fall. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, and it's pure comfort.

21. Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Jennifer (at Foodess)

This sweet potato cheesecake transforms sweet potatoes into something absolutely divine—with a buttery oat-pecan crust and creamy filling loaded with warm spices like ginger and cinnamon, the brown sugar whipped cream on top makes it a showstopper!

22. Pumpkin Cake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Neyssa (at Latina Mom Meals)

This moist pumpkin apple cake is loaded with cinnamon-spiced apples and warm fall flavor—no frosting needed. It's easier than pie and tastes like autumn in every bite.

23. Pecan Pie Pumpkin Cheesecake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Catalina (at Sweet and Savory Meals)

This showstopper layers pecan pie filling, creamy pumpkin cheesecake, and caramel pecan topping into one epic dessert. It's easier than it looks and tastes like heaven.

24. Pumpkin Pie Bars

Photo and recipe courtesy of Meredith (at Our Love Language is Food)

These pumpkin pie bars have all the pumpkin spice, creamy filling you love, but with a press-in shortbread crust that skips the rolling. They slice clean, stack easily, and disappear faster than regular pie.

25. Carrot Cake Pound Cake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Ashley (at Little Black Skillet)

This carrot Bundt cake is buttery and dense like classic pound cake, but packed with warm spices, carrots, and pineapple. The orange cream cheese glaze takes it over the top.

26. Turkey Cupcakes

Photo and recipe courtesy of Emily (at The Benson Street)

These chocolate turkey cupcakes are decorated with candy corn feathers, candy eyes, and a chocolate frosting body—they're adorable and way more fun than pie. Kids love making them, and everyone loves eating them.

27. Chocolate Pecan Pie

Photo and recipe courtesy of Ned (at Dutch Oven Daddy)

Chocolate chips and toffee bits turn classic pecan pie into something even more indulgent and gooey. The filling is rich, the pecans are crunchy, and it's gone in minutes.

28. Pumpkin Custard

Photo and recipe courtesy of Renae (at The Feathered Nester)

This silky pumpkin custard is all the flavor of a pumpkin pie recipe without the crust—just creamy, spiced, and perfectly scoopable. Top with whipped cream and you're done.

29. Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Kate (at Nibble and Dine)

Tart cranberries caramelize in brown sugar syrup under a buttery, moist, sweet cake that's perfect for the holidays. The upside-down reveal makes it look fancy with zero effort.

30. Pumpkin Panna Cotta

Photo and recipe courtesy of Maria (at Little Nonni)

This Italian pumpkin panna cotta is silky, spiced, and jiggles just right—it tastes like pumpkin custard pie but feels way more elegant. The ice bath trick keeps it smooth and perfectly layered.

31. Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Leslie (at Lamberts Lately)

Spice cake soaked in pumpkin-spiced milk turns creamy and rich—it's tres leches with a fall twist. Top it with whipped cream and cinnamon for the easiest showstopper.

32. Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Krystle (at Baking Beauty)

This caramel apple cheesecake sits on a cinnamon blondie crust and gets topped with tender spiced apples and a thick caramel drizzle. It's rich, cozy, and way more fun than regular pie.

33. No-Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie with Caramel Sauce

Photo and recipe courtesy of Scott & Taylor (at The Sage Apron)

This no-bake pumpkin mousse pie sits on a sweet-and-salty pretzel crust and gets topped with fluffy whipped cream and homemade salted caramel. It's lighter than regular pumpkin pie, and you don't need the oven.

34. Milk Bar Apple Pie Cake

Photo and recipe courtesy of Amy (at House of Nash Eats)

Layers of apple cider cake, homemade apple pie filling, pie crust crumbles, and cheesecake filling come together for the ultimate apple pie cake. It tastes like fall in every forkful.

35. Rolo Pretzel Turkeys

Photo and recipe courtesy of Madhu (at Hungry Whisk)

These adorable pretzel turkeys with Rolos, candy corn, and candy eyes are the cutest Thanksgiving treat kids can actually help make. They're salty, sweet, and gone before you can even think of dessert.

36. Upside Down Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Photo and recipe courtesy of Joni (at The Pypers Kitchen)

This upside-down apple tart utilizes store-bought puff pastry, eliminating the need for rolling or crimping—just caramelized apples nestled under golden, buttery layers. It's elegant enough to impress but easy to pull off.

37. Gluten Free Pecan Pie Bars

Photo and recipe courtesy of Tiffany (at Well Fed Baker)

These gluten free pecan pie bars have all the gooey pecan filling you crave on a brown sugar shortbread crust—no pie crust rolling required. They're easy to slice, stack, and share at your Thanksgiving table.