28 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes That Aren't Pie

Anyone can bring pie. You're bringing something unexpected.

By
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves is a food and beverage writer.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
and
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated November 14, 2023

"What can I bring?" you ask your Thanksgiving hosts.

"Can you bring dessert?" they reply. "But don't bring pie. We've got pie covered."

With pie covered, you'll have to get creative because Thanksgiving is THE pie holiday. Don't worry. Your hosts may have the pie covered, but we have you covered with these 28 ideas for Thanksgiving desserts that aren't pie.

No-bake pumpkin cheesecake on a platter, and in the background, a stack of plates, utensils on the counter, and an orange kitchen towel

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

These desserts have fall flavors—pumpkin, apple, pecans, baking spices, and more—just no pie crust.

  • 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Mousse

    2-ingredient pumpkin mousse topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice, all in a sherbert glass. On the counter, a spoonful of mousse.

    Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker

    This dessert looks fancy but is simple to make. Mix canned pumpkin pie filling (not purée) and whipped cream. Make it up to 24 hours ahead, and serve it from the bowl you mix it in or spoon it into individual bowls for single servings.

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  • Chocolate Cranberry Rugelach

    Chocolate Cranberry Rugelach Topped with Sugar Resting on a Cooling Rack

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    Roll chocolate, walnuts, and dried cranberries in a rich cream cheese pastry to create these one-bite traditional Jewish cookies. They freeze well, but if you want the cookies to be fresh, you can still make the dough ahead of time, freeze it, and then have half the work already done when it's time to make the cookies.

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  • Pumpkin Tiramisu

    Slice of Pumpkin Tiramisu on a Plate Next to a Fork

    Simply Recipes / Micah Siva

    This is a mix-and-assemble dessert that's a seasonal take on the classic Italian tiramisu. It still has an espresso syrup for soaking the ladyfingers, but also pumpkin spice and pumpkin purée thrown into the mix.

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  • Apple Pie Bars with Crumble Topping

    apple pie bars cut into squares
    Irvin Lin

    These apple pie bars have a filling similar to apple pie, but on the bottom of the bar is a layer of oats, sugar, flour, and butter. Spread the pie-like apple filling on top, then add a crumble. The recipe makes 16 bars that would be delicious topped with vanilla ice cream.

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    Continue to 5 of 28 below.

  • No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

    Close-up: No-bake pumpkin cheesecake on a platter, and in the background, a stack of plates, utensils on the counter, and an orange kitchen towel

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    There is seriously, truly no baking in this stunning cheesecake recipe, from the crust to the creamy filling. Draining the canned pumpkin on paper towels makes it less watery, giving you a sliceable cheesecake of substance. Use caramel sauce form the store to save time.

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  • Pecan Pie Bars

    Easy Pecan Pie Bars
    Cindy Rahe

    If you love pecan pie, you'll love these bars. Thick pecan pie filling sits on top of shortbread. Bake, cool, and cut into squares. A great make-ahead dessert, you can freeze these bars for up to two months.

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  • Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Pumpkin Snack Cake frosted with cream cheese is set on a table with two plates with pieces of cake to the right.
    Marta Rivera

    Cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg flavor this light pumpkin cake that's topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. You make it in a 9x13-inch cake pan so frosting it is super simple. The recipe also works for cupcakes baked for 18 to 20 minutes.

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  • Basque-Style Pumpkin Cheesecake

    Basque-style cheesecake with slices cut out of it.

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

    Remember when those rustic, burnished Basque cheesecakes were popular a few years ago? They're so attractive and a great gift to bakers who are all thumbs, since the aim is for the cheesecake to collapse as it bakes. This pumpkin variation is subtly spiced and will steal the show away from pumpkin pie.

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    Continue to 9 of 28 below.

  • Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

    cranberry upside down cake on a cake pedastal
    Elise Bauer

    Cranberries and caramel sauce go on the bottom of the pan, and a sweet cake flavored with orange zest goes on top of that. Bake, turn it out, and you'll have a beautiful cranberry dessert to finish off Thanksgiving dinner.

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  • No-Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream

    No-Churn Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream
    Lisa Lin

    Real pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, whipped cream, plus plenty of baking spices go into this ice cream that you don't need to churn. Mix the ingredients, freeze in a loaf pan for about six hours, and you have ice cream!

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  • Ritz Torte

    Slice of ritz torte on a plate, and in the background, a baking pan with more and a plate with another slice

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    Ritz torte is a buttery treat for lovers of nuts (pecans or walnuts). It's also quite unique, hailing from eastern Appalachia. Toast crushed Ritz crackers and chopped nuts, then fold them into a meringue base and bake. Top with whipped cream. It's buttery and salty from the crackers and has a garnish of shaved chocolate on top for a little contrast.

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  • Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupakes

    A gluten-free pumpkin cupcake with the wrapper removed from edges and missing a bite on a cake stand with more (untouched) cupcakes

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    Bring these along to a Thanksgiving potluck so those with gluten sensitivity have a treat, and these cupcakes are a treat. Make them with with gluten-free flour, pumpkin purée, and pumpkin pie spice, frost the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting flavored with maple syrup.

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    Continue to 13 of 28 below.

  • Chocolate Martini

    Best Chocolate Martini Recipe
    Lori Rice

    This chocolate martini is a special dessert drink made with vodka, chocolate liqueur, and crème de cacao. The result is a rich, creamy cocktail that works on its own as a dessert or to accompany any treat on your Thanksgiving dessert bar.

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  • Fresh Apple Bundt Cake

    Best Fresh Apple Bundt Cake

    Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

    Chunks of fresh apples and a buttery caramel glaze make this one serious Bundt cake. It's a family favorite recipe from Mrs. Paxton, the mother of our founder Elise Bauer's friend. Now, it makes its way to you.

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  • Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

    Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with brittle sugar topping on a slate board wtih a slice cut out and fruit nearby.
    Alison Bickle

    This dessert pleases anyone who likes cheesecake, anyone who likes crème brûlée, or anyone who likes a really good dessert. After making a luscious cheesecake, brûlée the top using sugar and a kitchen torch. It doesn't take long to do but it totally transforms the cheesecake into something extra special.

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  • Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

    Pumpkin spice snickerdoodle on a cooling rack

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    Soft snickerdoodle cookies are a treat, and this version gets the fall holiday treatment by adding pumpkin purée (canned is fine) and pumpkin pie spice. They keep for five days in an air-tight container so you can make them a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

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    Continue to 17 of 28 below.

  • Persimmon Pudding Cake

    persimmon pudding cake with whipped cream
    Elise Bauer

    Surprise everyone around the table with something different—this persimmon pudding cake. There's no actual pudding in the cake, but the persimmon pulp creates a pudding-like consistency in the cake that has seasoned with warming spices and studded with nuts.

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  • Apple Bread Pudding

    Slice of Apple Bread Pudding on a Plate with Sauce Drizzling

    Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman

    What's great about this bread pudding dessert, besides the fact that it's delicious, is that it's so similar to French toast casserole that you can eat its leftovers for breakfast over Thanksgiving weekend. The brown sugar bourbon sauce is optional for breakfast, though.

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  • Butterscotch Pudding

    butterscotch pudding
    Elise Bauer

    This butterscotch pudding is easy and very affordable to make. If you have heavy whipping cream, you most likely have the rest of the ingredients in your kitchen to whip it up—butter, brown sugar, salt, whole milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. Bake the pudding in individual ramekins, and serve fresh whipped cream on the side as an optional topping.

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  • Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake

    slice of pumpkin cheesecake topped with whipped cream and nuts
    Coco Morante

    Why make a cheesecake in the Instant Pot? It will never dry out, crack, or come out underdone in the middle. If you like to plan way ahead for the holiday, you can make this pumpkin cheesecake weeks in advance and freeze it.

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    Continue to 21 of 28 below.

  • Pumpkin Spice Blondies

    Pumpkin Blondies on a Counter

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    White chocolate chips and toasted pecans fill these blondies flavored with pumpkin pie spice. Browning the butter first adds a depth of flavor and is totally worth taking the few extra minutes it adds.

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  • Apple Carrot Cupcakes

    Apple Carrot Cake Cupcakes
    Elise Bauer

    Can't decide on apple cake or carrot cake? You don't have to with these cupcakes that have coconut and pecans in them. The recipe yields 24 cupcakes, perfect for a large family and friends gathering.

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  • Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

    Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
    Megan Keno

    With a cheesecake-like filling and a crunchy streusel topping, serve these cheesecake bars with optional caramel sauce or whipped cream. They're a real crowd pleaser so it's good the recipe servers up to 18.

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  • Eggnog Ice Cream

    eggnog ice cream
    Elise Bauer

    Usher in the holiday season with homemade eggnog ice cream. It tastes just like eggnog, but instead of drinking it, you churn it into ice cream. Serve by itself or with a drizzle or caramel, or substitute it for the vanilla ice cream topping for any dessert.

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    Continue to 25 of 28 below.

  • Gingersnap Pavlova With Cranberries

    Slice of Gingersnap Pavlova with Cranberries Sauce on a Plate

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    A pavlova is a giant cloud of baked meringue served with a fruit sauce. In this case, a sauce of cooked fresh cranberries. Before baking, fold crushed gingersnaps into the meringue. It's very simply but reaps big rewards as a centerpiece dessert.

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  • Apple Upside Down Cake

    Apple Upside Down Cake, uncut on a platter
    Elise Bauer

    Cornmeal in the batter gives this upside down cake an enlivening texture. It's an elegant change of pace from heavily spiced apple desserts; the caramel topping does all the heavy lifting.

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  • White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

    Brandied Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Elise Bauer

    If you're having a cookie tray for Thanksgiving, these cookies should be on it. Flavored with white chocolate chunks, brandy, and cranberries, they're sweet and tart and a perfect accompaniment for after-dinner coffee.

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  • Indian Pudding

    A bowl of Indian pudding with whipped cream on top
    Elise Bauer

    This dessert isn't much to look at, but it's pure comfort in a bowl. Indian pudding dates back to early American colonial times in New England, where colonists would make a baked cornmeal pudding sweetened with molasses and flavored with spices. It's a mix-and-bake affair, quite simple and easy to make ahead of time. Warm it before serving and make sure to offer it à la mode!

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