Even if baking isn’t your forte, you can still impress your Thanksgiving crowd with these reader-approved, five star dessert recipes. In this collection, you’ll find the expected pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies, as well as some less traditional Thanksgiving options, like caramel-frosted pound cake, apple dumplings, and pumpkin whoopie pies. As you’ll see in the comments, these are the desserts our readers return to again and again because they’re so easy and impressive.
Photo: Jennifer Davick
If you need proof that this is a five-star recipe, imagine a sweet praline topping over smooth pumpkin cheesecake. “I just made this cheesecake for the second time to appease my husband who was SO sad we had no leftovers after serving it at Thanksgiving! My entire family took slabs to go it was so good,” wrote one commenter.
Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Flavored with bourbon, orange zest, and cinnamon, this sweet potato pie is a cut above the rest. As one commenter wrote: “I’ve done made a half dozen of these pies and everyone goes on and on about ’em. Fresh baked sweet taters is the magic.”
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer
If the cute name doesn’t inspire you to make this Bundt, we bet the tender apple-cinnamon cake and rich caramel glaze will do the trick.
Bourbon-Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Photo: Antonis Achilleos Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Styling: Matthew Gleason
Give bread pudding a fall twist with the addition of tender sweet potatoes and plenty of pecans. Honey, bourbon, vanilla, and cinnamon add a beautiful aroma and flavor.
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Pecan pie is great, but pecan pie with chocolate and bourbon is better. The recipe calls for a refrigerated pie crust as a time-saver, but you can make it even more impressive with a homemade one. One commenter said: “This is one of my favorite recipes. I’m not allowed to show up to Thanksgiving dinner without at least two of these pies!”
Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns
The secret to this pie filling is that the apples are roasted for a deep, caramelized flavor—you’ll never make apple pie another way again. As one commenter said: “Best apple pie ever. Picture exactly similar. Insane.”
Molly Bolton
Vanilla, warm spices, and brown sugar make this apple filling smell as good as it tastes. And the buttermilk cobbler topping is a delicious match for the fruit.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Can’t choose between pumpkin, apple, and pecan? Try this creamy, slightly tangy pie recipe from author and Southern Living contributor Rick Bragg’s mother Margaret.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
This cake is so easy to make, even novice bakers can pull it off with ease. Made with a white cake mix, Granny Smith apples, and a pecan streusel on top, it’s easy to transport to a gathering and oh, so comforting.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Unlike canned pumpkin, sweet potato puree gives this bundt cake extra flavor. It’s delicious as-is, or with one of two glaze options: Salted-Caramel or Buttermilk-Vanilla.
Rob Culpepper; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Assistant Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
If you’re in charge of bringing dessert for Thanksgiving, this crumb-topped Apple Slab Pie is a winner. Not only is it easy to transport, it also feeds a crowd (one slab pie equals two 9-inch pies).
Rob Culpepper; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Assistant Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Brown sugar, vanilla, and fall spices combine with roasted sweet potatoes to make a rich, aromatic filling that pairs perfectly with our buttery pie crust.
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey
This beautiful, buttery cake gets its bright color from canned pumpkin, which also helps the crumb stay moist. The secret ingredient, sour cream, also adds moisture and balances out the cake’s sweetness.
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
When we say this pie is the best, we mean it. There’s nothing fancy in this recipe, just plenty of pecans and a flaky homemade crust.
Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Prissy Lee; Food styling: Erin Merhar
Take a break from the usual pecan pie, with this decadent cheesecake topped with a nutty, caramel-like topping. A pecan-graham cracker crust makes this fall dessert even more over the top.
classic pumpkin pie with pie crust leaves.
VICTOR PROTASIO; FOOD STYLIST: KAREN RANKIN; PROP STYLIST: CLAIRE SPOLLEN
Made with refrigerated pie dough, this richly spiced pie will satisfy the Thanksgiving purists. The filling gets extra ground ginger and fresh orange zest for an extra layer of flavor.
Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
If you prefer your pecan pie without corn syrup, this is the recipe for you. A splash of bourbon makes it extra decadent, and a skillet makes the pie crust wonderfully crisp.
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall
This tender cake has a ribbon of homemade apple butter running through it for a sweet surprise, plus a rich caramel glaze. To save time, you can use store-bought instead.
Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Add a playful note to your dessert table with these fun pumpkin whoopie pies filled with cinnamon-cream cheese frosting
Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Forget the dense pumpkin pies you’ve had in the past. This chiffon version is light and airy thanks to a whipped egg white mixture. The gingersnap crust is delicious as well, and much easier than working with pastry.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Tender pumpkin-pecan cake layers are sandwiched between generous layers of spiced whipped cream in this easy but impressive dessert. Bake the cake layers up to two days in advance and store them, covered, in the refrigerator.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
A creamy layer of cheesecake is topped with a layer of traditional pecan pie filling for a double-decker dessert. You can bake it and refrigerate it up to two days in advance.
Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Enjoy tender, spiced fruit and rich pastry without having to crimp a pie crust. These apple dumplings are made with refrigerated crescent roll dough, so this comforting dessert comes together in no time.
Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Brown butter, cloves, and nutmeg give this simple apple cake a sophisticated flavor. Don’t skip the cream cheese frosting, which is flavored with orange zest and vanilla.
Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
A buttery homemade pound cake is a fantastic dessert on its own, but add a layer of candy-like caramel frosting and you’ve got something extra special. Read our tips for making the frosting—it can be tricky the first time you try it, so follow directions carefully.