24 Unexpected Thanksgiving Desserts Your Entire Family Will Love Pumpkin pie who? Close Credit: Will Anderson As much as we love classic apple pie or pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, sometimes it's nice to mix things up a bit. Why not try a unique recipe to round out the dessert table at this year's family feast? From delectable cakes and bread puddings to cheesecakes and tarts, these unexpected Thanksgiving desserts are sure to impress all of your guests. 20 of Our Most Impressive Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes 01 of 24 Persimmon Tart Credit: Paola + Murray Persimmons are one of autumn’s most underutilized fruits. The sweet-tart flavor and silky texture of ripe Fuyu persimmons work wonders in the custard for this delicate dessert. View Recipe 02 of 24 Butterscotch Pie With Pecan-Shortbread Crust Credit: Christopher Testani This one is for guests who have a serious sweet tooth. The brown sugar-butterscotch custard will instantly transport you to your childhood, while the toasted pecan crust is suitable for more refined palates. Get creative with your design on top and have fun arranging the pecans into unique shapes. View Recipe 03 of 24 Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake Credit: Jonathan Lovekin If you ask us, chocolate should appear on more Thanksgiving dessert menus. Rich and dense flourless chocolate cake is always a crowd-pleaser, and it’s perfect for gluten-free guests who can’t indulge in flaky pies. View Recipe 04 of 24 Caramel Apple Steamed Pudding Old-school steamed puddings may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu, but we think they deserve a spot nonetheless. This pudding features caramelized apples on the top and a dense, spicy cake-like pudding. View Recipe 05 of 24 Spiced Snacking Cake Credit: Lennart Weibull Easy desserts are always a good thing to include at the holidays, especially if crimping pie dough isn’t your thing. This delicate snacking cake has specks of cinnamon and cardamom throughout, and a smooth citrus and vanilla glaze makes it extra special. View Recipe 06 of 24 Citrus Upside-Down Cake Credit: Paola + Murray This stunning dessert will wow each and every one of your guests when you set it down on the table. We use a combination of blood oranges, Cara Caras, and mandarins, but navel oranges and pink grapefruits would be equally as delicious. If desired, top each slice with a pillowy dollop of whipped cream before serving. View Recipe 07 of 24 Pumpkin Cupcakes Credit: Bryan Gardner What’s better than pumpkin pie? Pumpkin cupcakes! And the only thing better than pumpkin cupcakes is the bite-sized marzipan pumpkins that sit on top. Each bite of these cupcakes is perfectly spiced with a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. View Recipe 08 of 24 Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake Layers of graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling, pumpkin mousse, and, finally, whipped cream on top come together in this decadent alternative to pumpkin pie. View Recipe 09 of 24 Linzer Crumble Pie With Cranberry-Raspberry Jam Credit: Kate Mathis Prepared in a rimmed baking sheet, this slab pie features a hazelnut shortbread press-in crust and a delicious cranberry-raspberry jam on top. More shortbread is sprinkled on top for the classic Linzer look. View Recipe 10 of 24 Easy Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting Credit: Mike Krautter Think of this as a mix between bar cookie and sheet-pan cake—a dense, moist, spiced cake that features all the same flavors as pumpkin pie, with a delicious cream cheese frosting on top. No one will ever want pumpkin pie again! View Recipe 11 of 24 Salted-Caramel Six-Layer Chocolate Cake Credit: Johnny Miller Rich salted caramel oozes between layers of chocolate buttermilk cake. Use a candy thermometer to ensure that the caramel turns out perfectly. View Recipe 12 of 24 Fruit-and-Herb Sorbets Credit: Dana Gallagher Sorbet is a lovely way to finish off a big meal, even when the weather is cold. These sorbets feature classic fall flavors, such as cranberry, apple, Concord grape, and rosemary. They use juice as a convenient shortcut. View Recipe 13 of 24 Mini Bourbon Bread Puddings Credit: Yossy Arefi There's something special about serving guests individual portions of a dessert in little ramekins. Here, a brioche-based bread pudding is elevated with a bourbon glaze. View Recipe 14 of 24 Pear Tarte Tatin Tarte tatin is a classic French upside-down dessert that starts with baking caramelized fruit beneath a flaky pastry crust, then flips it over before serving. This recipe uses store-bought frozen puff pastry to make things easier. View Recipe 15 of 24 Sweet Potato Souffle Pie Credit: Gentl and Hyers In place of traditional pie crust, this soufflé-like sweet potato pie is surrounded by light, crisp layers of phyllo dough. The pie filling will puff up while baking, but it will settle once it has begun to cool. View Recipe 16 of 24 Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake Credit: Lennart Weibull Can't get enough of your favorite fall espresso drink? Have it for dessert, too! This moist cake is reminiscent of gingerbread is topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and dusted with espresso powder—just like the real deal. View Recipe 17 of 24 Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars Everyone expects pecan pie on their Thanksgiving table, but change it up with these luscious chocolate pecan pie bars instead. View Recipe 18 of 24 Maple Flan Maple syrup stands in for the usual caramel sauce in this fall take on flan. It pairs wonderfully with the light, creamy custard. View Recipe 19 of 24 Apple Pandowdy Credit: Bryan Gardner Like a cross between a pie and cobbler, a pandowdy is an easy, traditional dessert that deserves a place on the Thanksgiving table. Don't let its funny name distract you! View Recipe 20 of 24 Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Credit: Justin Walker Can't get enough cranberry sauce or have too much leftover? Then make this classic cheesecake, the filling is swirled with homemade or store-bought sauce for a picture-perfect Thanksgiving dessert. View Recipe 21 of 24 Cranberry-Meringue Tart Credit: Pieter Estersohn Think lemon meringue pie, except fall version, made with a press-in saltine cracker crust and a cranberry-orange filling. The meringue is piped into an attractive wreath shape around the edge. View Recipe 22 of 24 Apple Sundaes With Caramel Cider Sauce Credit: Justin Walker Ice cream sundaes might not be the first thing that comes to mind for Thanksgiving dessert, but with caramelized apples and a cream- and cider-based sauce, they totally make sense. View Recipe 23 of 24 Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake Credit: Jonathan Lovekin Who doesn't love eating apple cider doughnuts during the fall? This Bundt has all the flavors—apple cider, cinnamon, and sugar—of fall's favorite ring-shaped treat in cake form. View Recipe 24 of 24 Apple-Cardamom Brown-Butter Dutch Baby Credit: Stephen Kent Johnson A Dutch baby is essentially a giant, fluffy pancake that can be served for breakfast or dessert. Here, we've given it the autumnal touch it deserves with nutty brown butter and slices of tart Granny Smith apples. View Recipe Explore more: Recipes Holidays & Events Thanksgiving Recipes Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes