Recipes Holidays and Events Recipes Thanksgiving Desserts 20 Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Desserts Make the end of the meal stress-free with these sweet ideas. By Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher Melanie Fincher is a Birmingham, Alabama–based food writer who covers everything from cooking techniques to gadget reviews. She has nearly 7 years experience writing news and lifestyle content. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on November 8, 2024 Close Photo: dubosefamily Thanksgiving is all about spending time bonding with loved ones over a festive dinner. But after putting so much energy into the turkey and meticulously developing a menu of festive side dishes, dessert can become an afterthought in the seemingly endless cook-a-thon that is Thanksgiving. Yet everyone is still waiting for the pumpkin pie to make an appearance. The good news is, if you want a dessert that's quick and easy to make, that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the taste. These easy Thanksgiving desserts range from classic pumpkin pies to delicate pecan tarts—and they're delicious, too. Read on to discover our best quick and easy Thanksgiving desserts. 01 of 21 Mini Pecan Pies sugarplum No need to take time to slice a pie when you make individually portioned pies instead! Reviewer Lindie Vandiver says, "I made these for a company Thanksgiving potluck, and everyone raved! They were the best tasting (and best textured) pecan pies I've ever made, and they were the perfect serving size for a gathering with lots of desserts to try." View Recipe 02 of 21 Easy Pumpkin Cream Trifle Holiday Baker "Made this for the first time this Thanksgiving and everyone loved it," says reviewer 2232. "Out of all the desserts we had, this was the one gone first." This dish can be made ahead of time and left in the refrigerator, helping to cut down on time spent in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day. View Recipe 03 of 21 Pumpkin Dump Cake Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Dump cakes are ideal when you're looking for something quick and easy. As the name suggests, simply combine all your ingredients and "dump" them into a pan. Reviewer MRSO says, "This is a time saver if you want pumpkin pie but don't have time to make a crust. The crunchy topping is a nice change." View Recipe 04 of 21 Simple Pumpkin Pie Dotdash Meredith Studios You can't go wrong with a classic, especially when it's ready in an hour. Reviewer agirl60614 says, "Made this pie twice now — once for a party and again for my roommates by request. It is super easy and by far the most delicious. I'm a terrible baker, and you know when I don't screw it up, it's easy!" View Recipe Does Pumpkin Pie Need to Be Refrigerated? 05 of 21 Pumpkin Cobbler Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Reviewer lutzflcat says, "All of the flavor of a traditional pumpkin pie with all of the spices and just a hint of citrus from the orange extract. The filling firms up enough after cooling a bit that you can cut it into squares to serve. The filling is creamy, and the top of the cobbler is a soft and buttery crumble, just delicious...I served it warm with a little whipped cream sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice." If you wish, you could sprinkle chopped pecans over the top before baking. View Recipe 06 of 21 Quick and Easy Pumpkin Mousse Mackenzie Schieck Among all the heavy pies and cakes, your guests will be thanking you for a light and refreshing mousse on the dessert table. This recipe can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Recipe creator Kristin_California says, "This is a fast easy treat around the holidays. Pour into chocolate shells purchased at any kitchen store for an elegant touch or serve with graham crackers for dipping. You can also heat ingredients in the microwave on high for 30-second intervals if you are short on time." View Recipe 07 of 21 Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake The chocolate lovers in your life will appreciate this fall Bundt cake, and they'll have no idea it only took you 45 minutes to make it. Reviewer Melanie says, "Super quick and easy! Not too many ingredients to overcomplicate. Took it to the office and it was a big hit! Will keep this one in my back pocket for sure." View Recipe 08 of 21 Easy Thanksgiving Cookies Molly Recipe creator Kristie Ramsey says, "These are so simple, yet so delicious. Your friends will think that you spent all day with dozens of ingredients." This cookie recipe uses orange cake mix and dried cranberries to make a speedy (ready in 25 minutes!) yet festive dessert. View Recipe 09 of 21 Easy Pumpkin Pie Squares Alberta Rose "I have made these for Thanksgiving dinner several times," says reviewer TRISH. "They are small and nice to serve when there are several desserts to choose from. Tastes just like pumpkin pie with a 'nutty' crust that is better than pie crust." You can cut them into squares or use a fluted biscuit cutter to make rounds, as shown. Dress up each piece with a dollop of whipped cream before serving. View Recipe 10 of 21 Pumpkin Crumb Cake This easy dump cake is made with a layer of pumpkin pie filling in the middle. "My family gave this a thumbs up! We are trying pumpkin desserts each weekend before Thanksgiving and this one was their favorite! Excellent!!" raves reviewer BARBIE0492. View Recipe 11 of 21 Extra Easy Pumpkin Cookies grammycooks Expect a fluffy, cake-like texture rather than a crispy texture with these cookies. "I made these into pumpkin 'gobs' by sandwiching these cookies with cream cheese frosting in between. They were a HUGE hit at a party I brought them to," says reviewer AmandaPGH. View Recipe 12 of 21 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake dubosefamily Yes, you read that right. All that it takes to make this top-rated dessert is spice cake mix and canned pumpkin. Recipe creator Chickentarian says, "It can't get any easier than this! Just two ingredients and you have a moist delicious cake. Great when frosted with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Plan ahead; tastes best after chilling." Many reviewers suggest adding three eggs to make the batter more spreadable. You can bake this simple recipe in a 9x13 pan, a Bundt pan, or as cupcakes. View Recipe 13 of 21 Easy Apple Crisp Jennie Pelletier Reviewer CandysGlassesRock says, "My teenage daughter made this for our Thanksgiving dessert, and it turned out wonderful! We added two packets of cinnamon brown sugar instant oatmeal on the top before baking and it was fantastic! Really easy and very tasty!" This simple dessert is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. View Recipe 14 of 21 Chef John's Easy Apple Pie Sabrina Hernandez Miller According to Chef John, this is not a traditional apple pie. "This filing is caramelized apples held together with a very glossy, just-thick-enough apple syrup." This recipe also uses a ready-to-use crust, putting the ease in this easy apple pie. View Recipe 15 of 21 Pecan Pie Brownies Allrecipes This show-stopper starts with a box of brownie mix, but no one will ever know! "I have now made this 5 or 6 times. It is one of my favorite 'wow' desserts," says reviewer Narykids. View Recipe 16 of 21 Cinnamon Roll Apple Crisp lutzflcat Two fall desserts come together to make this fantastic holiday treat. Reviewer lutzflcat says, "The house smelled wonderful while this was baking, and we could barely keep ourselves from cutting into it after it came out of the oven. This was a sweet and juicy apple crisp with a flavorful cinnamon roll base; just delicious." View Recipe 17 of 21 Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Powder lutzflcat Here's a no-cook dessert that everyone will actually have room for after the feast. Serve in small shooter glasses for an elegant presentation, as recipe creator and Allrecipes Allstar lutzflcat suggests. View Recipe 18 of 21 Mary's Salted Caramel-Pecan Bars This quick and easy take on pecan pie is ready in an hour, and is much easier to serve than traditional pie. "I baked 3 pies for Thanksgiving and at the last minute decided to make this," says reviewer Nraley. "Needless to say this was a huge hit and was the only thing that we ran out of!" View Recipe 19 of 21 Easy Baked Pumpkin Pudding Paula "This is a very easy dessert to put together and it actually tastes good," says Allrecipes Allstar Paula. "It ends up tasting like a crispy cinnamon toast topping over pumpkin pie." View Recipe 20 of 21 'Grate' Apple Crisp John Mitzewich Chef John has done it again! This easy dessert skips the tedious peeling, coring, and slicing usually required for apple crisps, pies, and crumbles. A recent review from an Allrecipes member gives this recipe a solid five stars: "This instantly is going to replace my previous apple crisp recipe. This was so much quicker to make and I love the added crunch from the Grape Nuts. Home run!" View Recipe 21 of 21 More Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes: Kim's Cooking Now Pictured: Mini Brownie Turkeys 13 Creative Thanksgiving Desserts Save Room for 20 of Our Most Popular Thanksgiving Desserts Browse our entire collection of Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit