31 Thanksgiving Desserts to Cap Your Holiday Feast

Pumpkin flan de queso, caramel layer cake, a colossal bowl of chocolate mousse, and the classic pies you know, love, and can’t have Thanksgiving without.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Linden ElstranThere’s Thanksgiving dinner, and then there are Thanksgiving desserts. These are two separate events, and in between, it’s perfectly fine to take a disco nap. (In fact, we recommend it.)Once your energy is restored, set your sights on the holiday’s requisite dessert table. You could do very well with an array of our favorite pie recipes, from classic pumpkin to cranberry meringue. But leave a little room for pumpkin Basque cheesecake, caramel cake, and a colossal bowl of chocolate mousse. Pumpkin-spiced chocolate chip cookies are also there for the “just a bite” crowd. Planning around a turkey-occupied oven? The mousse and no-bake pumpkin chiffon pie both set in the fridge; just build in their chilling time. Whether you’re here for the classics or a break from the usual, these Thanksgiving dessert recipes make a fitting second act.Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole HerriotBA’s Best Apple Pie“This is the magnum opus of Thanksgiving dessert recipes,” writes one reader whose 90-year-old grandfather asked for a repeat performance. “You bet your boots I will—it’s the best apple pie, ever.”Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Stephanie De LucaChocolate Mousse for a PartyA colossal, self-serve mousse is a baller host move—no tidy slicing, no fussy garnishing, no jockeying for oven space. Set out bowls and spoons and let guests help themselves. Vanilla lovers, try our Colossal Crème Brûlée.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Linden ElstranPecan Cream PieButter-toasted pecans get the glory, but sour cream does the work, balancing both the gooey pecan layer and the pile of whipped cream. Between them? A thick layer of silky brown sugar custard.Photography by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko TakahashiPumpkin Flan de QuesoA slice of Thanksgiving pie is nice, but how about a slice of pumpkin flan under a veneer of caramel? This one takes a page from Puerto Rican flan de queso, with cream cheese lending richness, tang, and luxurious texture.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Styling by Adrian Ababović, Props provided by East Fork including East Fork Spun Iron Pie Dish.Cranberry Meringue PieConsider this pie a tangy exclamation point to the holiday meal: cranberry-lime curd in a flaky cream cheese crust, crowned with billows of meringue.Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc WilliamsSouthern-Style Caramel CakeBrown sugar takes some of the fuss out of caramel cake’s famously finicky frosting while browned butter adds toasty depth. Spread it over tender yellow cake layers and finish with flaky salt.Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth PakradooniBA’s Best Pumpkin PieSilky filling, flaky crust, a whisper of spice: This is pumpkin pie done right. Sweetened condensed milk gives the custard its richness; maple syrup and vanilla round out the flavor.Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina BevilacquaCinnamon Crunch Crinkle PieSkip the rolling pin: Buttered phyllo encloses an orange-scented custard, with crumpled sheets forming a dramatically ruffled top. Cinnamon sugar adds crunch to this no-roll pie.Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown, Prop Styling by Adrian ababovic, Food Styling by Mieko TakahashiPerfectly Spiced Pumpkin CakeThis plush pumpkin spice cake wears a thick swoop of tangy cream cheese frosting. Bake the cake a day ahead, then add the frosting in the lull between dinner and dessert.Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie FosnochtPear Snacking Cake With Chocolate and RosemaryIf most holiday desserts feel a tad too sweet for you, herbal rosemary and fruity olive oil give this cake just enough savory elements to justify a second helping.Photography by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarcoApple-Cranberry Tarte TatinBlanketing quartered apples with rough-puff pastry feels rustic enough, but once baked and inverted, this shimmering, blushing tart dominates the holiday table.Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex BrannianSweet Potato Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate GanacheSweet potato, warming spices, and orange zest get a gloss of dark chocolate in this autumnal loaf cake. Bake it up to three days ahead, leaving the ganache for later.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Styling by Adrian Ababović, Props provided by East Fork including East Fork Ceramic Pie Plate.Salted Coffee Custard PieLike a fine cappuccino, but make it pie: silky coffee custard, mascarpone whipped cream, and a buttery press-in oatmeal cookie crust.Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie StrangioPumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip CookiesAffectionately known as the Holiday Triple Threat Cookie, this chocolate chip cookie is spiked with homemade pumpkin pie spice, crunchy pecans, and pumpkin purée.Photography by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarcoPumpkin Basque CheesecakeA deeply browned top and cracked sides are the goal here, not a baking mishap. Underneath: a custardy, pumpkin-spiced cheesecake that needs neither a crust nor a water bath.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Shuai Wang, Prop Styling by Megan Forbes and Christina HusseyMiso-and-Maple-Pecan Butter Mochi CakePecan pie meets Hawaiian-style butter mochi in this chewy, coconut-milk-rich cake. Miso-and-maple-coated pecans bring salty-sweet crunch, with some sinking into the batter as the cake bakes.Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri WilliamsSticky Toffee PuddingThis date cake blanketed in toffee sauce tastes like cozying up by the fireside after a game of football on the lawn. Bake the unsauced cake a day ahead, then rewarm before finishing.Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira EvninePumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese FillingCinnamon-spiced pumpkin cake rolled around walnut-studded cream cheese filling needs little embellishment. A dusting of powdered sugar is plenty—each slice supplies its own dramatic swirl.Photograph by Lucia Bell-Epstein, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, and Prop Styling by Erica LutzWhite Chocolate–Cranberry CakeThis glamorous layer cake, with jewel-toned swipes of cranberry jam, white chocolate–cream cheese frosting, and sugared cranberries, looks and tastes like winter is coming (in the best possible way).Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie MortonFrench Silk PieA no-bake Oreo crust, a rich chocolate filling, and a tower of whipped cream come together in this shut-the-room-up dessert.Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca JurkevichApple-Walnut Upside-Down CakeCaramel-glazed apple halves crown this nutty upside-down cake, all baked in the same skillet used to brown the fruit. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top? We wouldn’t say no.Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De LucaSaffron Milk CakeA floral, earthy saffron soak gives this sponge cake a pudding-like texture and its vibrant yellow color, while pistachios add nutty crunch.Photography by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko TakahashiPumpkin TiramisuInspired by the flavors of a pumpkin spice latte, this rendition of old-school tiramisu calls for soaking ladyfingers in bourbon-spiked espresso, then enveloping them in plumes of pumpkin-mascarpone cream.Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen KaminskiCranberry Linzer TartCranberries with dinner and again for dessert? Absolutely. Tart filling hides between layers of buttery, crumbly walnut crust in this Linzer tart. Prefer individual portions? Try these cranberry hand pies.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Luciana Lamboy, Prop Styling by Sean DooleyPumpkin Mochi Crumb CakePumpkin crumb cake is like the brownie of Thanksgiving desserts: easy to tote and slice for sharing. Here, sweet rice flour gives the cake a chewy bounce beneath a buttery, crispy-crumbly pecan streusel.Laura MurrayBA’s Best Coconut Cream PieThink of this as a Samoa cookie in pie form: coconut-graham crust, a chewy caramel layer, and creamy coconut custard. The baked crust can be frozen up to two weeks ahead.Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by D'Myrtrek BrownChocolate-Biscoff Banoffee PieBananas and butterscotch aren’t the whole story here. Gingerbread-like Biscoff cookies bring warming spice to the crust, while a layer of chocolate ganache gives this banoffee pie a bittersweet streak.Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin WaynePumpkin Chiffon PieGive classic pumpkin pie an ethereal makeover with a cloudlike filling and a Biscoff cookie-crumb crust. This one never goes in the oven, but it needs at least 12 hours in the fridge once filled.Photograph by Isa ZapataExtremadura Almond PieThe ultraflaky crust barely contains the lofty, fudgy almond filling, but have faith: It will puff and dome as it bakes, then settle back into sliceable form once cool.Photograph by Lucia Bell-Epstein, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, and Prop Styling by Erica LutzChocolate-Pumpkin Marble CakeAlternate layers of pumpkin and chocolate batter create this Bundt cake’s mesmerizing marbling—no knife-swirling necessary. A blanket of chocolate ganache makes it equally appealing to the pumpkin crowd and the chocolate diehards.Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Sean DooleyBA’s Best SnickerdoodlesAs a post-dessert dessert with a cup of tea, or as a holiday host gift, these cinnamon-sugar-coated cookies are hard to beat. Expect soft centers, lightly crisp edges, and that signature cream-of-tartar tang.More of our best Thanksgiving recipesJoe joined the Bon Appétit team in 2022 after climbing the editorial ranks for a few years at Condé Nast’s other food publication, Epicurious. As the senior SEO editor, he works to make sure Google loves all of BA’s cooking stories just as much as you do. Look for his ... Read MoreHannah Lee Leidy is a food writer and editor based in the Carolinas. She is currently the digital content editor for Our State magazine, a position she came into following her time at The Local Palate. Her contributions have appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Culture, and Eater. She’s worked in both ... Read More