19 Decadent Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes to Finish your Holiday Dinner (2024)

Finding unique Thanksgiving recipes can be difficult, but finding exciting Thanksgiving dessert recipes can be even harder! Luckily, the list below is here to help. You will find new ideas, old favorites, and twists on classic desserts the whole family will love. With a little creativity and a lot of heart, you can make a tasty ending to your holiday meal that guests will be raving about.

Thanksgiving Desserts the Whole Family will Love

Fruity desserts are always welcome at a Thanksgiving table. The pleasing sweetness of fall’s last apples, pears, and plums will wow your guests in the form of cakes, pies, cobblers, and anything else you can dream up! Or head into winter with deliciously tart cranberries and citrus. For thick and gooey yet surprisingly healthy Thanksgiving desserts, whip up something with pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash. The pleasing orange color, subtly sweet flavor, and essential vitamins make these the perfect ingredients for a unique and tasty holiday dessert.

If your guests do not like fruit-based Thanksgiving dessert ideas, go the Southern route instead with treats featuring nuts and lots of sugar! Pecans and pralines are an Old Southern favorite that will satisfy even the strongest sweet tooth, plus they are super versatile and can be used in all sorts of desserts. Adding maple or brown sugar to your Thanksgiving treats will bring a warm and cozy sweetness to anything you make.

Do not think that you have to stick to seasonal produce, however! If you and your guests are not fans of fall fruits and veggies, stick to dessert flavors you enjoy year-round like chocolate, caramel, coffee, and peanut butter. It is better to prepare a dessert your guests will actually enjoy than make something that is “appropriate” for Thanksgiving that just sits on your table uneaten.

No matter what ingredients you base your Thanksgiving desserts around, do not forget the warm autumn spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves help balance sugary desserts and give them a more complex flavor. Spices are warm and inviting and will give your holiday guests feelings of nostalgia. Your house will smell amazing and your desserts will have guests scrambling for seconds!

1. Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie

2. Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

3. Mini Pumpkin Pies and a Blooming Can

4. Cinnamon Honey Butter

5. Pumpkin Spice Cookies With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

6. Chocolate Turtle Apple Slices

7. Pumpkin Lush Bars

8. Apple Crisp Cookie Cups

9. Pumpkin Cornbread With Cinnamon Honey Butter

10. Apple Pie Bites

11. Apple Cider Cupcakes And Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

12. Adorable Turkey Crust Pumpkin Pie

13. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

14. Salted Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Dip

15. Autumn Spice Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

16. Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

17. Brown Sugar Pecan Pie Cheesecake

18. Chocolate Pecan Cranberry Pie

19. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

19 Sweet Ways to Finish your Thanksgiving Dinner

When you are deciding what Thanksgiving dessert recipes to make for your big dinner for family and friends, do not feel stuck on the traditional favorites your Grandma or Mom used to make. Thanksgiving does not have to be all about pie! Cookies, puddings, quick breads, trifles, cakes, crisps, cobblers, fudge, cheesecake, brownies, and anything else you can dream up are perfectly acceptable dessert choices. Choose your favorite year-round dessert dish and change it up with fall flavors.

Make a fancy dessert for the adults and a fun creation for the kids. Show off your skills with a technically challenging dessert or keep it fast and simple. Serve dessert on your best china or from fun paper plates. Regardless of what you choose to serve, your guests will appreciate your time and effort. Remember that the holidays are about celebrating family and reflecting on the past year, not about making a “perfect” dinner spread.