Thanksgiving Desserts Everyone Asks For

Dessert is where I put most of my energy, so this is the biggest part of my Thanksgiving lineup. Pies, cheesecakes, bars, and cookies that all hold up beautifully if you bake them a day early. I pulled my 35 favorite Thanksgiving desserts into one place if you want the full list.

Start With The Pie Crust

Every pie on this page starts here. This all butter pie crust bakes up flaky and tender instead of tough, and it freezes for up to three months, so you can make it in October and forget about it until Thanksgiving morning.

Pies

How to Make Pie Crust (Flaky All-Butter Homemade Dough)

Learn how to make pie crust that bakes up buttery, flaky, and never tough. This step-by-step all-butter pie crust recipe uses cold butter, minimal water, and a simple folding technique for perfect layers. Ideal for beginners and holiday pies.

Thanksgiving Pies Worth The Oven Space

Oven space is the real currency on Thanksgiving day, so every pie here can be baked ahead and served at room temperature. Maple pecan pie, pumpkin, and apple are the three I make every single year without fail. If you’re feeding a crowd with different tastes, mini pies in a muffin tin solve that problem fast. And if you’re not feeling traditional flavors, I have this no bake chocolate pie with Oreo crust, this chocolate meringue pie, or even this no bake lemon pie!

Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes

The difference between a stressful Thanksgiving and a good one is how much you finish before Thursday morning. Everything in this section can be made one to three days in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. Cranberry sauce, pie dough, apple crisp cheesecake, and sweet potato casserole all actually taste better after a rest.

Thanksgiving Sides and Sweet Potato Recipes

A good side dish gets more compliments than the turkey and I will die on this hill. My pecan pie twice baked sweet potatoes blur the line between side and dessert, which is exactly the point. These are the dishes that fill out the table when the main event is already handled.

Find The Perfect Recipe

Homemade Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Recipes

Canned cranberry sauce has its fans but homemade takes twelve minutes and three ingredients. Once you make a batch you’ll have leftovers for smoothies, sliders, and spreading on everything for a week. Fresh cranberries are only in stores for about six weeks, so buy extra and freeze them.

Thanksgiving Morning Breakfast

Nobody wants to cook a real breakfast on Thanksgiving, but nobody should go into a 3pm dinner on an empty stomach either. Overnight cinnamon rolls, baked French toast, and pumpkin streusel muffins you can make the night before. Set it out, let people graze, and get back to the turkey.

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Friday is honestly my favorite part of the whole holiday. Leftover turkey quesadillas, cranberry sliders, and a cranberry sauce smoothie that sounds strange but tastes incredible! Nothing here requires a recipe you have to shop for, just what’s already in your fridge.

All Thanksgiving