Our Top 5 Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes Ever

Need a sweet, no-fail finish to your holiday? From pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato pies to an amazing banana pudding (!), these classics have you covered.

Perfect pumpkin pie
Photo:

Allrecipes/Qi Ai

Hope you saved room! Thanksgiving desserts are about family traditions, pleasing a crowd, and leaning into seasonal fall ingredients. Want to create the sweetest ending to your Thanksgiving celebration this year? Here are our five most popular Thanksgiving dessert recipes that’ll convince all of your guests they definitely have room.

01 of 05

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

A slice of perfect pumpkin pie, topped with whipped cream, with a pie dish in the background

Allrecipes/Qi Ai

Tasked with dessert for the first time this year and nervous about messing up everyone’s favorite pie? Wow the crowd with this foolproof recipe–our most popular one out of more than 130 recipes for pumpkin pie. While the recipe is geared for even the most novice of bakers, you can also customize it to your level of baking prowess. (Make your own crust! Mash your own pumpkin! Get creative with spices!). Bottom line? “Turns out perfect every time,” comments Allrecipes user care4all, “and so easy to make!”

02 of 05

Sweet Potato Pie

close up on a single serving of sweet potato pie on a plate, topped with whipped cream

DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS

A Southern staple, sweet potato pie is a sweeter, creamier, denser alternative to a classic pumpkin pie. And this recipe, which has more than 2,400 five-star ratings, is the way to introduce your crew to that magic. Or maybe even create some converts: “In my opinion it beats pumpkin pie,” comments Allrecipes user waynephillips4mecom.

03 of 05

The Best Banana Pudding

a low angle view looking into a trifle dish at layers of banana pudding, banana slices, and vanilla waffers.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Sure, pumpkins and apples, but it turns out bananas deserve a spot at your Thanksgiving table too, based on this recipe’s huge popularity on Allrecipes with more than one thousand five-star ratings. It makes sense: Banana pudding is one of those all-American comfort foods that’s been in recipe books since the late 19th century. Ready to go bananas this Thanksgiving? This pudding is all about the presentation—those fun, creamy layers!—but it’s also made super easy with shortcut ingredients like pudding mix, condensed milk, and vanilla wafers.

04 of 05

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

Apple pie in a red pie pan.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Is there anything better at Thanksgiving than a grandma recipe? This one is so simple but delivers every time, thanks to the secret final step: Before baking, pour a warm caramel sauce over the whole thing. It’ll seep into the filling and give your dessert that extra something special. "After 40 years of apple pie-making and dozens of abandoned recipes, this one is a keeper," says Allrecipes user Rita Ryan. "It's become a big hit at holiday feasts and my pie receives frequent invitations to parties and I get to go along too!"

05 of 05

Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie

Slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on a plate and gold fork.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

What can we say? It’s a classic. When Libby’s first started selling canned pumpkin in the 1920s, it revolutionized the pumpkin pie game. Gone were the days of seeding, roasting, and mashing pumpkins by hand—the era of easy, breezy pumpkin pie was upon us. This recipe has been printed on the side of the Libby’s pumpkin puree can since 1929, and it set the gold standard for what pumpkin pie should be. “Absolute perfection, every single time," raves Allrecipes user annief. "I've been using this recipe my whole life. It's the best!"

overhead view of Apple Pie by Grandma Ople recipe topped with a lattice crust and decorative pastry cutouts
Joy Dambek Smith

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