Published Nov. 9, 2020Updated Nov. 21, 2025

We here at New York Times Cooking believe that there’s a Thanksgiving dessert for everyone. You may love pie or hate it. You may think of pumpkin as the pinnacle of flavor, or you may be a classic apple pie die-hard. Whatever your preference, the recipes below should satisfy your sweet tooth with something tried and true or something thrillingly new to you.

A light brown, layered pumpkin cake with creamy filling sits on a silver tray, with three slices on red plates nearby. — Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Six ingredients are all you need to make this no-bake dessert from Yossy Arefi, which is best prepared the night before and left to chill in the fridge until the big meal. It layers cool pumpkin cream with speculoos cookies, which give a spicy and nutty crunch.

Recipe: Pumpkin Icebox Cake

A slice of cranberry tiramisù with red fruit filling and white cream sits on a white plate. It is sprinkled in bright red powder. — Credit…Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.

Folks will thank you for bringing this tart tiramisù from Carolina Gelen, not only because it’s delicious, but also because it’ll save precious oven space. It gets better the longer it sits, so make it up to three days in advance and save your energy for celebrating.

Recipe: Cranberry Tiramisù

A pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream is shot from overhead and sits against a light gray background. To the left of the pie is a cake knife and to the right is a small bowl full of whipped cream. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erika Joyce.

In 2021, Melissa Clark set out to make the ultimate pumpkin pie, so she turned to butternut squash — really! It turns out that your favorite canned purée is probably made from a variety of squash that’s close in flavor to butternut. You not only get that traditional flavor, you also get a party fact that’ll blow your loved ones’ minds.

Recipe: Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

Craggy oatmeal cookies are photographed from overhead, some topped with a swirled frosting. — Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.

These chewy, caky pumpkin cookies from Yossy Arefi travel well, so they’re just the thing to take to a Thanksgiving potluck. Skip the frosting if you don’t want to interfere with the pumpkin flavor, or turn them vegan — as some readers have suggested — by using nondairy butter.

Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

A pie with a big slice missing, revealing dark brown crumbly crust, two brown filling layers and a thick topping of white whipped cream. — Credit…Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.

This decadent pie from Sue Li doesn’t hold back on flavor or texture. It’s fluffy and light from the mountain of whipped cream atop distinct layers of chocolate and espresso pudding. The crust, which is made from chocolate graham crackers, is the only part you need to bake.

Recipe: Chocolate-Espresso Pie

Two square slices of orange cake topped with caramel and pecans sit on pink plates. A fork removes a piece from one slice of cake. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

This cake from Sohla El-Waylly combines the classic Thanksgiving flavors of pumpkin and pecan into something lighter. As one reader writes: “This might be the best cake I’ve ever made. So incredibly fluffy, and the caramel-pecan topping adds the right level of sweetness.”

Recipe: Pumpkin Pecan Sheet Cake

A round cake topped with green frosting and red raspberries sits on a black plate. Several slices have been cut, and one sits on a plate nearby. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

This mochi cake from Margarita Manzke and Betty Hallock, adapted by Alexa Weibel, is for gluten-free and gluten-full diners alike. Baking with glutinous rice flour (which is gluten-free!) might seem daunting, but it’s actually a very forgiving process. The cake comes out moist even if you accidentally overbake it, and the unique, bouncy chew will be a welcome change from the other textures at the table.

Recipe: Raspberry-Mochi Butter Cake With Matcha Glaze

A pie with a creamy filling, a brown crust, and a crumbly topping around the edges. Several slices have been cut. — Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Yes, tofu does belong in dessert. Specifically silken tofu, which is blended with steamed Japanese sweet potato and soaked cashews to create the filling for this pie from Tanya Sichynsky. It’s extremely punchy from fresh ginger, and maple syrup gives it a sweet, pancakes-in-the-morning flavor.

Recipe: Vegan Salted Maple Ginger Pie

A slice of orange cake topped with white whipped cream sits on a red plate. Two other slices sit in the background. — Credit…Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

This just-sweet-enough pumpkin cake from Andy Baraghani has savory notes from the olive oil and salted whipped cream, so it’s perfect for those who don’t have a big sweet tooth.

Recipe: Olive Oil Pumpkin Cake With Salted Maple Cream

A bright-orange sweet potato pie in a glass pie dish sits on a wooden countertop. Two slices are off to the right on white plates. To the left of the dish is a folded fabric napkin. — Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times

Baking powder makes this version of the Southern classic from Amanda Hesser extra light and fluffy. Commenters recommend baking the potatoes instead of boiling them, and using cream in place of evaporated milk to temper the sweetness even more.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie

A piece of apple pie sitting on a white plate next to a metal fork is shot from the side to reveal its filling. A melting scoop of vanilla ice cream sits on top. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erika Joyce.

Moisture levels in apples vary greatly, and baking them raw in a pie can lead to soggy crusts or undercooked apples, so Melissa Clark calls for sautéing them in a little butter first. This ensures that they’re just the right texture: tender, but not mushy.

Recipe: Classic Apple Pie

A layered carrot cake topped with nuts sits on top of a wooden cake stand. The edges are exposed to reveal the frosting between each layer. To the right is a blue striped fabric napkin. — Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times

Those who love cake at any occasion should try this carrot cake from Dorie Greenspan. It’s warmly spiced with cinnamon, packed with coconut, raisins and nuts and finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Recipe: Carrot Cake

Six square brownies covered with a dense layer of shiny pecan topping. — Credit…Yossy Arefi for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)

We love pecan pie as much as the next person, but there’s something so thrilling about changing up a classic and merging it with something equally familiar. Melissa Clark tops a moist brownie with a pecan caramel that bakes directly on top in this clever two-for-one treat.

Recipe: Pecan Pie Brownies

A pink layer cake topped with sugared cranberries sits on a white plate. To the top left are a stack of plates topped with forks and a cake server. To the right is a plate holding a slice of the same cake. — Credit…Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Impress everyone at the table with this pretty-in-pink layer cake from Yossy Arefi. Don’t skip the sugared cranberries for a lovely and delightfully lip-puckering garnish.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Layer Cake With Cranberry Buttercream

An apple tart, with thin apple slices arranged in the crust to look like a rose, sits on a blue plate against a marble background. A knife with a wooden handle is off to the left. — Credit…Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

You could make an apple pie, but why hide all of those farmers’ market apples underneath a heavy crust? Yossy Arefi arranges thin layers of apples in a rose pattern for a stunning and sophisticated result. The crust, a simple press-in version of the classic, is easy work.

Recipe: Rose Apple Tart

An overhead image of pumpkin bars topped with chocolate chips and cut into squares. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Chocolate chip cookies meet pumpkin cake in these bars from Jesse Szewczyk, which also — twist! — require no eggs. Still, the canned pumpkin and low oven temperature yield pleasantly chewy bites, full of pumpkin pie spice and molten chocolate.

Recipe: Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Eight cranberry lemon bars are shot from the side to reveal a cookie base topped with cranberry and lemon fillings. — Credit…Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.

Genevieve Ko had a brilliant idea: What if you paired two sweet-tart favorites with a vanilla cookie base? These cranberry lemon bars do just that, and are the ultimate crowd-pleasers, a deeply lovable take on traditional lemon bars, with even more oomph.

Recipe: Cranberry Lemon Bars

A white plate topped with a layered slice of coconut pecan cake, finished with toasted shredded coconut, sits on a gray marbled countertop. A metal fork sits on the edge of the plate. — Credit…Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

The pastry chef Dolester Miles is revered for many reasons. This rich showstopper of a cake is just one of them. Toasted ground pecans join ground coconut flakes in the cake batter, which is baked and then layered with a filling of sweetened condensed milk, egg and more coconut. It’s the perfect thing to make if you’re in charge of dessert — and want to steal the show.

Recipe: Dolester Miles’ Coconut Pecan Cake

An overhead image of a blue baking dish filled with pumpkin butterscotch pudding and topped with whipped cream. A serving sits off to one side. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

If you thrill to pumpkin pie filling but prefer to skip making (and eating) crust, this Melissa Clark custard, meant to be made ahead and shared widely, is for you. A few cookies on the side — gingersnaps, maybe? — give this silky-smooth dessert a welcome crunch.

Recipe: Pumpkin-Butterscotch Custard With Spiced Whipped Cream

A burnished cheesecake with a gorgeously cratered top sits on top of parchment paper, with a slice ready to be taken out. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

So you love cheesecake, but aren’t much of a baker. May I interest you in this simple, rustic recipe, which Tanya Sichynsky adapted from Marti Buckley’s cookbook, “Basque Country”? The batter, made from just five ingredients, caramelizes under high heat, expanding and then deflating to leave a beautiful burnished crater that’s ready to hold any topping you’d like.

Recipe: Basque Cheesecake

A cast-iron skillet filled with apples, a crumble topping and five scoops of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sits on a light gray countertop. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.

Not everyone loves pie. And that’s OK. For them, there’s this skillet caramel-apple crisp from Yossy Arefi. The recipe yields a good amount of caramel sauce — for sweetening the apples, for serving alongside and for devouring later.

Recipe: Skillet Caramel-Apple Crisp

An overhead image of a baking dish filled with lemon pudding. A large serving sits off to the side. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

You may not immediately associate lemon desserts with Thanksgiving, but this airy, sweet-tart favorite, which David Tanis adapted from the pastry chef JR Ryall, is the ideal counterpoint to the holiday’s rich flavors.

Recipe: Baked Lemon Pudding

A pecan pie in a metal pie plate and shot overhead sits against a light gray countertop. One slice is missing. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erika Joyce.

Melissa Clark swaps maple syrup and honey for the traditional corn syrup and calls for double the pecans in this take on the classic. To quote one commenter, “I’ve been making pecan pies for 48 years — and hands down, this is the BEST BEST BEST pecan pie I’ve ever had!”

Recipe: Maple-Honey Pecan Pie

A bright-red cranberry curd tart, edged with a hazelnut crust, sits in the middle of the frame. In the background are a bowl with cranberries, a napkin holding hazelnuts and a serrated knife. — Credit…Evan Sung for The New York Times

A radiant beauty, David Tanis’s cranberry curd tart makes an elegant statement on the Thanksgiving table. Make it a few days in advance and wow your loved ones by breaking it out on the holiday.

Recipe: Cranberry Curd Tart

A yellow chess pie, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, in a dark pie dish sits against a light and dark blue patterned background. To the right is a plate holding a single slice topped with whipped cream. — Credit…Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Getteline Rene.

Yewande Komolafe took cues from the great Edna Lewis for this buttermilk pie, a Southern classic. Yewande adds a little citrus and black pepper and urges you to cook by feel: You’ll know it’s ready when it jiggles just out of the oven.

Recipe: Chess Pie

A lush cheesecake topped with whipped cream and a couple of slices removed is photographed from the side. — Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Yossy Arefi has brilliantly come up with this simple no-bake dessert, which not only keeps the oven free but can be made four days (!) in advance. Sweetly spiced Biscoff cookies make up the base, but feel free to play: Gingersnaps also work well, as does your favorite pumpkin pie spice.

Recipe: No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

A burnished custard pie sits in a pie pan with a slice missing. To the right is a white plate holding a slice. Cutlery and plates are just off to the side. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

It may come as a disappointment to some, but this pie from Jerrelle Guy does not require a blowtorch. It’s finished under the broiler, just before serving. That said, it still maintains the (other) best parts of crème brûlée: the crack of a sugary shell and a delicate filling.

Recipe: Crème Brûlée Pie

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