Tarts and Thanksgiving pies may be the tradition that overtakes the dessert table this season, but we advise you to also make room for cakes, puddings, and ice cream sandwiches for a well-rounded spread. Showcase seasonal flavors like pumpkins, apples, pears, cranberries, and figs, and streamline prep with make-ahead desserts. Here are Food & Wine’s best Thanksgiving desserts to serve as a sweet finish to your special holiday meal.
Tarte Tatin
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
This classic French tarte Tatin recipe from Benoît Guichard placed first in the pastry category at the Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
Ginger-Poached Quince Tarte Tatin
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
The underappreciated quince, related to apples and pears, is a fall and winter fruit that get the spotlight in this seasonal tarte Tatin. Caramelized ginger-infused quince fruits cook inside a deep-amber caramel under a bed of frozen puff pastry. Don’t miss it.
Roasted Spiced Cranberry Pie
Photo: Victor Protasio / Food Stylist Torie Cox / Prop Stylist Claire Spollen
Transform the typical holiday cranberry sauce into this showstopping dessert pie. Tart cranberries, fragrant lemongrass, and fruity gochugaru come together for a vibrant dessert to remember.
Pumpkin Spice Conchas
Pumpkin Spice Conchas.
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
If you have only one cookie treat on the Thanksgiving table, let it be these pumpkin spice conchas from chef Ellen Ramos. The traditional Mexican concha meets seasonal pumpkin spices for a truly delightful dessert.
Fig Gelato
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
You can absolutely serve gelato for Thanksgiving, and with festive, seasonal figs inside, you’ll likely serve it for all your autumn occasions.
Chocolate and Fig Cake
Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
If figs are a holiday favorite in your house, this cake is perfect for your holiday spread. It can accommodate up to 12 ounces of fresh figs alongside plenty of rich, bittersweet chocolate.
Cranberry Crumble Pie
Gerard + Belevender
Give your favorite side dish the dessert-table treatment. Cranberry sauce fans will love this jammy fruit pie with warm holiday spices and a buttery crumble topping.
Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
In chef Nik Sharma’s sweet potato pie, reduced dark beer lightens the intense sweetness of the concentrated squash sugars, while turmeric ensures a deep, vibrant orange color. Honey and cardamom bring a warm layer of floral spice.
Blue Corn, Cherry, and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Thessa Diadem, a 2021 F&W Best New Chef, reimagines the classic chocolate chip cookie with this wintry version. Almond flavor, fresh cherries, and blue corn flour make these cookies a repeat sweet treat you’ll be baking up all season.
Apple Upside-Down Cake
Cara Cormack
With just 20 minutes of active time, you’ll be graced with a classic autumn dessert featuring softened, caramelized apples and a rich, buttery vanilla cake.
Boozy Bourbon-Pecan Tassies
Alison Miksch
“These diminutive pecan pie poppers, with a higher crust-to-filling ratio, offer the perfect bite,” says cookbook author Andrea Slonecker. “I spike them with bourbon to both cut through and complement the sweetness.”
Honey-Pear Sweet Cream Galette
Erin Kunkel
Rice flour and arrowroot make the gluten-free crust in this wholesome, earthy pear galette. Honey brings out the sweetness of the fruit, balanced by tangy cream cheese.
Sweet Potato Pie with Honeycrisp-Kabocha Salad
Marcus Nilsson
An egg-laden pumpkin custard boasts ultra richness in this pie. Pair it with the optional licorice ice cream to tickle your taste buds, or simply enjoy it alongside the recipe’s unexpected apple-squash dessert salad.
Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Coconut and Five-Spice
Christopher Testani
Add fresh color to your Thanksgiving dessert table by swapping out regular sweet potato pie for this gorgeous purple one.
Almond-Cardamom Budapest Roll
Almond-Cardamom Budapest Roll.
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Chocolate-orange fans, this one’s for you. In Ann Taylor Pittman’s version of the traditional Budapest roll, almond flour stands in for hazelnut flour in the meringue batter, and fresh navel oranges take the place of canned citrus.
Apple Cheddar Rye Pie
Gerard + Belevender
Instead of serving your apple pie with a slice of cheese on top, bake the cheddar directly into the crust. The bit of tanginess cheese adds is balanced well with the nuttiness of the rye flour.
Peanut Butter–Chocolate Pie
Antonis Achilleos
This silky-smooth, nutty peanut butter-chocolate pie will leave your holiday guests speechless as sweet memories of childhood peanut butter treats rush in.
Maple-Meringue Doughnuts
Tara Donne
A marshmallow-like meringue fills these autumnal maple doughnuts. Splurge on the best, most robust maple syrup you can, as you’ll taste it coming through in each billowy bite.
Chocolate Panna Cotta with Spiced Pepita Brittle
© Con Poulos
Silky, mousse-like chocolate panna cotta reminds us of hot cocoa, while a caramelized and spiced pumpkin seed brittle brings flavors of the fall harvest.
Apple Cake with Toffee Crust
© Anna Williams
This mouthwatering dessert has all the makings of autumnal holiday indulgence: an ultra-moist apple cake with a buttery toffee glaze, brandy-tinged toffee sauce, caramelized apples, and vanilla ice cream.
Pumpkin Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
© Con Poulos
Forgo the typical pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, and swap in this moist, delicately spiced pumpkin layer cake, which trades plain vanilla buttercream for a tangy mascarpone frosting.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie
Abby Hocking
Emily and Melissa Elsen blend all the custard ingredients in a food processor to make an ultra-smooth custard for this pie. Browned butter adds a rich, caramelized sweetness to complement the pumpkin’s natural earthiness.
Pear-and-Cranberry Slab Pie
© Con Poulos
Food & Wine culinary director-at-large Justin Chapple fills a free-form pie with pears, cranberries, and ginger in this seasonal baking sheet beauty.
Pear Tarte Tatin with Red Wine Caramel
© John Kernick
Chef Shawn McClain swaps out apples for pears in this stunning tarte tatin. The recipe calls for store-bought puff pastry to simplify the hands-on time.
Monkey Bread with Honey-Bourbon Sauce
Christopher Testani
Michelle Gayer of Salty Tart bakery in Minneapolis brings us this sweet, sticky, cinnamon sugar-filled monkey cake. The bourbon- and orange-spiked dipping sauce adds a depth and complexity that makes this dessert taste like the holidays.
Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream Sandwiches
Eva Kolenko
Indulge in all the seasonal flavors of apple pie with this innovative ice cream sandwich made with apple pie-spiced vanilla ice cream and snickerdoodle cookies.
Apple-Pomegranate Cobbler
David Cicconi
Laura Rege, classically trained chef, brings us this apple-pomegranate cobbler, vibrant in both color and flavor. A golden tender-meets-crisped topping provides a delightful contrast in textures.
Pecan Pie with Candied Ginger and Rum
© JOHN KERNICK
Baker Alice Medrich brings us a pecan pie filled with tingly candied ginger and warming rum.
Lemon-Cranberry Pie Bars
© CON POULOS
Sarah Jordan, award-winning chef, makes a delicate, beautiful alternative to the usual hearty Thanksgiving pies. A fresh cranberry puree swirls with a tart lemon custard in this elegant bar recipe.
Classic Pumpkin Pie
© Frances Janisch
Former senior test kitchen editor for Food & Wine Grace Parisi brings us this classic pumpkin pie. Perfect proportions of cinnamon and cloves infuse the pumpkin filling with the warm flavors of fall.
Vanilla Ice Cream Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel
John Kernick
Rather than make a laborious custard for this bread pudding, artisan ice cream maker Jeni Britton creates a quick mixture of eggs and melted vanilla ice cream. A 10-minute homemade caramel sauce is poured atop the warm bread pudding.
Dutch Apple Pie
Tina Rupp
Have fun experimenting with blends of different apples for complex flavors and textures in this iconic dessert. Grace Parisi enjoys using Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Golden Delicious here.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Caramel Swirl
© Alexandra Rowley
Perfect for the fall season from Halloween through Thanksgiving, these gorgeous bars feature a chocolate crust, billowy pumpkin filling, and homemade caramel.
Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust
© William Meppem
This eye-catching dessert combines creamy, chocolate-swirled pumpkin cheesecake with a chewy, nutty brownie. It can be easily made and refrigerated up to four days in advance, if you’re able to refrain from cutting into it sooner.