4 Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren’t Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie’s not for everyone. While the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert is never far from dinner tables at the end of November, it might just not be your cup of tea. We get it. Not everyone likes pumpkin. Not everyone likes pie. Not everyone likes orange! And yet, when the holidays roll around, the food that’s on our tables almost becomes secondary to the tradition of having it there in the first place. Pumpkin pie haters screw up their faces and spoon down a socially acceptable amount, before it’s safe to finally push their plates away.

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Well, not this year! If you’re making Thanksgiving dinner or bringing dessert to the party, try something different. We’ve put together a collection of ideas for non-pumpkin pie Thanksgiving desserts that still have a holiday feel, but take things in a new direction.

Cranberry Apple Crumble

Cranberries are one of the key flavors of the holidays, and they’re not just for your sauce. A cranberry apple crumble brings tart, sweet flavors to the table, alongside a moreish sweet crunch and a pop of spice. 

It’s also wildly easy to put together. Simply combine apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and additions like walnuts and raisins in a dish, before covering them with a mixture of sugar, flour, butter, egg, baking powder, and salt. Bake until the top is cooked and crisp and the mixture is bubbling. 

Bread Pudding

Bread pudding gets a bad rep for something so delicious. When cooked well, it’s crisp on the outside and gloriously pudding-y in its center, with a sweet bounce and a fruity, citrusy twist from dried fruit and peel. Like cranberry apple crumble, it’s also very easy to put together: You just combine leftover bread with milk and/or cream, eggs, sugar, dried fruit and peel, and your flavorings of choice (vanilla and mixed spice are a good bet), before baking until golden and oozy. Comfort in a bowl. 

Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake

If you like pumpkin, but want something a bit more showstopping, this one’s for you. This crustless cheesecake has a burnished, charred exterior that gives it a mature, caramelized flavor, while the inside is soft, smooth, and rich. Pumpkin Basque cheesecake is also significantly less sweet than pumpkin pie, making it feel like a slightly more mature, elevated option. 

Making a cheesecake from scratch can feel daunting (particularly a crustless one), but this recipe from King Arthur Baking is wonderfully straightforward. You also don’t need that many more ingredients than you would use in pumpkin pie, nor do you need particularly advanced cooking skills. 

Butterscotch Poke Cake

Sometimes, you want a crowdpleaser – and you want a crowdpleaser that doesn’t take a lot of work. Butterscotch poke cake will provide just that. Butterscotch is a flavor both kids and adults love, and with the use of a couple of cake and instant pudding mixes, it’s a breeze to put together. 

We recommend using Betty Crocker’s recipe for this one, which combines yellow cake mix, butterscotch instant pudding and pie filling mix, eggs, whipped topping, milk, butter, and toffee pieces. This cake is particularly good for getting your little ones involved in the cooking process: Get them to help you poke the cake, and you’ve suddenly got a fun afternoon activity.