26 Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren't Pie

Thanksgiving is practically synonymous with pie. For many of us, it's the one time of the year that we eat pumpkin pie, but apple, pecan, sweet potato, and all kinds of other pies often find their way to the table.

But pie is hardly the only way to end your meal, and dessert is always more fun with multiple options. We've gathered together 26 dessert recipes to help you expand your horizons. If you want to keep it fall-appropriate we’ve got creamy pumpkin cheesecake or spicy gingersnaps; if you want to throw tradition completely out the window, we’ve got rich chocolate brownies and tiramisu. And even if your Thanksgiving celebration is going to look a little different this year and there’s going to be fewer people to tackle dessert, many of these dishes will keep well for several days, so all your leftovers can be accompanied by a sweet finish, just like on Turkey Day.

Fruit Desserts

The Best Apple Crisp

Want all the flavors of apple pie with a lot less work? A crisp is the way to go. The spiced apple filling we use here, with added complexity from a shot of whiskey, is every bit as delicious, and the crumb topping—made with turbinado sugar and chopped pecans—provides a more interesting textural contrast. Short on oven space? Try making your fruit crisp on the stovetop instead.

Gluten-Free Apple Fritters

Apple fritters aren't traditionally associated with the holiday, but they're certainly seasonally appropriate, not to mention tasty. Studded throughout with crisp bits of apple, these particular fritters are gluten-free, thanks to their base of Chebe mix, made with modified manioc (cassava) starch instead of wheat flour. Keeping the fritters small allows a good ratio of crispy fried exterior to fluffy crumb.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

If you plan to be a guest rather than a host on Thanksgiving and have been tasked with bringing a dessert, consider cookies, which are easy to make in bulk and travel well. Both chopped Granny Smith apples and applesauce go into these chewy treats, doubling up on the apple flavor.

Pear, Riesling, and Ginger Sorbet

After a heavy Thanksgiving meal, I secretly long for something light and refreshing, not rich, in my dessert, and this juicy sorbet fits the bill. To make it, we combine chopped pears with sweet-tart Riesling and spicy ginger. We like a good deal of ginger to help cut through the sweet fruit and minerally wine, but feel free to scale it back if you prefer a milder ginger flavor.

Fruity No-Churn Ice Cream

Consider this recipe the template for all your future fruity ice cream needs. Since the recipe calls for freeze-dried fruit, you can mix bright, fresh-tasting flavors that ordinarily might not be available once summer is over. Plus, this no-churn method will free up your hands to work on turkey and sides.

Jammy Fruit Bars

These fruity oat bars aren't as heavy or decadent as pecan or pumpkin pie, but considering everything else you'll have on your plate, that might just be a good thing. They're packed with hearty, rich rolled oats, and beneath their crumb topping there's a generous layer of jam or fresh fruit—whatever juicy fruit you please.

Chocolate Treats

Olive Oil Cake With Roasted Grapes and Ganache

It may read like an odd jumble of ingredients, but this cake perfectly bridges the gap between a fruity dessert and a rich and chocolaty one, for those who want the best of both worlds. Olive oil gives the cornmeal-based cake a complex savory backbone that plays well with the sweet roasted grapes. A glaze of bittersweet ganache makes the whole thing feel a little fancier.

Salted Dulce de Leche Brownies

Honestly, my preferred way to eat dulce de leche—a caramel-like concoction made by simmering condensed milk in water—is straight from the jar or can with a spoon, but I have to admit that these brownies make a more civilized, presentable option. The brownie dough is super fudgy and rich, with a thick layer of dulce de leche swirled on top, plus a generous sprinkling of sea salt to offset all that sweetness.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our ultimate chocolate chip cookies are indeed fantastic, but they need to be started a day in advance, and you may not have that kind of time if you're looking for a fast, easy, and crowd-pleasing dessert. Making the cookies with larger chunks of chopped chocolate bars, instead of commercial chips, produces wonderful melty pockets in the finished cookies; the dust that you generate while chopping is just a bonus, as it ensures that every bite has a little cocoa flavor. An unexpected ingredient—nutmeg—helps deepen the rich butter flavor.

Sweet and Salty Stout Marshmallow Bars With Pretzels, Potato Chips, and Chocolate

These bars, which nail that perfect grown-up balance of sweet and salty, are destined to be a hit. Inspired by Rice Krispie Treats, they swap out the puffed rice for the deep savoriness of potato chips and pretzels. Our homemade marshmallow binder only heightens the effect—it's made with stout beer instead of water.

Rich and Creamy Tiramisu

Our version of this Italian favorite pairs ladyfingers with mascarpone and a coffee syrup made with sweet crème de cacao and toasty Cardamaro. By reducing the number of egg yolks typically used for tiramisu, we keep the focus on the mellow flavor of the mascarpone. If you really want to impress, build the dessert with homemade ladyfingers; given how much other cooking you may have to do on Thanksgiving, it's totally fine to buy them from an Italian bakery (or even the supermarket) instead.

Toasted White Sesame Tart with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

Toasted white sesame meets bittersweet chocolate ganache in this rich holiday tart. Here, sesame seeds are used three ways: coarsely-ground seeds and tahini paste are mixed into the custard, while whole seeds are sprinkled on top, giving it textural contrast and nuttier flavor. It's the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table.

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Pumpkin Layer Cake

True cake lovers will take this fluffy pumpkin layer cake over pumpkin pie any day. A blend of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves gives it that classic pumpkin-spice taste while adding lots of egg yolks to the batter mimics the custardy texture and flavor of pumpkin pie. A tangy cream cheese buttercream frosting cuts through the warm spices and earthy pumpkin purée beautifully.

Brown Butter Carrot Cake

Brown butter is the secret to this show-stopping carrot cake, reinforcing the flavor of the earthy-sweet carrots, nutty pecans, and toasty whole wheat flour. That flour is an important touch, too: It absorbs moisture better than white flour, preventing the cake from getting weighed down by water from the carrots. This recipe does require a fair amount of prep work, but the tedious task of peeling and shredding the carrots can be done up to a week in advance.

Gingerbread Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This big cake requires only 15 minutes of active time, so it's easy to balance with all your other holiday responsibilities. Just because it's simple to make doesn't mean it's boring, though—it's got a fluffy buttermilk crumb, a deep sweetness from molasses, and a nice kick from a combination of spices, including an unusual addition of Chinese five-spice powder.

Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust

This holiday-appropriate cheesecake is made with pumpkin purée and the standard pumpkin pie spices you'd expect, like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. It's the gingersnap-and-brown-sugar crust, plus the crunchy candied-walnut topping, that makes it truly special. For maximum fall-spice infusion, we use the above trio of spices in the crust, filling, and topping.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Icing

A base of white rice flour and cornstarch makes these cupcakes gluten-free, but it also offers the added benefit of giving them a neutral flavor, which lets the pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice mix, and ginger shine. To keep these cupcakes dairy-free as well, make the cream cheese icing with vegan butter and cream cheese.

The Best Gingersnaps

We want two things from our gingersnaps: a seriously spicy kick, and a texture that truly snaps. To achieve the latter, we use whole wheat flour and cream the butter and sugar for several minutes, ensuring that the cookies turn out especially crispy. A mixture of ground and grated fresh ginger provides all the spiciness we crave.

Easy 1-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies

Our favorite oatmeal cookies rely primarily on one trick: resting the dough after it's formed into balls on the baking sheets, allowing the oats time to soak up moisture and tenderize. Give your unbaked cookies about 45 minutes to sit before baking, and you'll be rewarded with perfectly chewy specimens. Dried cranberries feel more festive than the usual raisins, and they have just enough tartness to balance out the sweet dough.

Cranberry Trifle

With layers of fluffy angel food cake, bittersweet amaro, tart cranberry jam, and creamy whipped mascarpone, this holiday trifle is a celebration of contrasting flavors and textures.

Apple-Ginger Tishpishti (Gluten-Free Almond and Walnut Cake)

Tishpishti is a traditional Sephardic cake, in the spirit of nutty, sweet, syrupy North African and Middle Eastern desserts like baklava. It's a gently spiced, gingery dessert perfect for your gluten-free guests.

Hummingbird Skillet Cake

Hummingbird cake is a wonderful Southern dessert to add to your Thanksgiving table. It's texturally similar to carrot cake, but pineapple and banana lend it a tropical twist.

The Best Apple Cider Doughnuts

Doughnuts may not be the most conventional Thanksgiving dessert, but you certainly won't catch anyone complaining about this addition to the meal. These ones are made with a yeast-raised, apple cider-spiked dough, and fry up to be both crisp and chewy. The warm doughnuts are finished with a combination of sugar and freeze-dried, powdered apple.

Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping

This dessert is a magical combination of coffee cake, pumpkin pie, and streusel muffin, with blondie-level decadence. Malted milk powder in the batter complements the richness of pumpkin puree, while the generously spiced and salted streusel cuts through all of the sweet, deep flavor.

Old-Fashioned Jelly Roll

Although the jelly roll is not your typical Thanksgiving dessert, this light and tender roulade pairs homemade cranberry jam and apple-cinnamon whipped cream frosting for a holiday-appropriate twist. Don’t worry about the rolling technique; unlike other jelly roll recipes, the process is straightforward and there aren’t any needlessly fussy steps, and the results speak for themselves.

Pumpkin Bread with Salted Brown Butter Glaze

This moist and generously spiced quick bread, packed with earthy pumpkin purée, toasty malted milk powder, and classic pumpkin spice, is a wonderful fall treat. Even though it's optional, the loaf is even better when finished with a sweet and salty brown-butter glaze.