22 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes, Including Everything from Pies to Cheesecake Pumpkin makes a delicious addition to classic desserts, including cheesecake, carrot cake, snickerdoodles, and more. Close Credit: Kelsey Hansen Pumpkin recipes are synonymous with fall foliage, warm spices, and two of our favorite holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving. From pumpkin cakes and pies to muffins and tarts, we're sharing a selection of tasty pumpkin dessert recipes that will carry you through fall. When shopping for pumpkin in the grocery store, choose canned pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar, flavor, and other additives that can affect the flavor and texture of your pumpkin dessert. You can also make pure pumpkin puree using fresh pumpkin; the kind you find in the store is simply cooked and purred raw pumpkin, so it will add natural flavor, moistness, and color to your recipes. How to Freeze (and Thaw) Pumpkin Pie So It Tastes Freshly Made 01 of 22 Pumpkin Cupcakes Credit: Bryan Gardner Create the sweetest pumpkin patch ever! Garnished with handmade marzipan pumpkins, these moist cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties at school or work. View Recipe 02 of 22 Pumpkin-Orange Bread Credit: Marcus Nilsson The batter for this bread comes together in just 15 minutes and gets its flavor from pumpkin puree, nutmeg, and allspice, while grated orange zest brightens the dessert. Top it off with a sprinkling of pepitas for a welcome crunch. View Recipe 03 of 22 Perfect Pumpkin Pie Consider this your tried-and-true pumpkin pie recipe—once you make this version you'll never need another one again. Follow our test kitchen's method to prevent sinking and cracks. View Recipe 04 of 22 Ruffled Pumpkin Milk Pie Credit: Johnny Miller This love letter to milk pie—a custard tart pastry—makes baking with phyllo a breeze. The pumpkin-infused batter is poured over the unleavened dough and brushed with clarified butter and scrunched into accordion-like shapes. View Recipe 05 of 22 Pumpkin-Spice-Latte Cake Credit: Lennart Weibull Turn your favorite seasonal coffee drink into a delicious cake. Instant espresso powder blends in seamlessly to create a latte flavor. It's a rich, divine dessert that tastes like autumn. View Recipe 06 of 22 Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Pie Credit: Martyna Szczesna Can't decide between pumpkin or pecan pie for Thanksgiving? Now you don't have to. This cream cheese and pumpkin-based pie topped with a crunchy pecan crumble offers the best of both worlds. View Recipe 07 of 22 Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Credit: linda xaio Sugar, spice, and everything nice. This twist on snickerdoodle cookies features canned pumpkin—why haven't we been doing this all along? View Recipe 08 of 22 Pumpkin Bars Credit: Mike Krautter A mix between pumpkin sheet cake and bars, this tender dessert is finished off with a delightful cream cheese frosting. It's easy to slice and serve to a crowd. View Recipe 09 of 22 Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Credit: Dana Gallagher Give cheesecake a richer bite by opting for a chocolate crust instead of graham cracker. The filling is flavored with pumpkin and topped with a drizzling of stove-top chocolate-caramel glaze for a glossy, impressive finish. View Recipe 10 of 22 Pumpkin Spice Cake With Honey Frosting A dense, moist snacking cake, this recipe can be made in a square or loaf pan, depending how you want to eat it. Don't skip the yummy honey frosting. View Recipe 11 of 22 Pumpkin Cheesecake Crunch Bites Credit: Mike Krautter Wish you could have just one more bite of cheesecake? Now you can, with these mini pumpkin cheesecake bars, topped with a pecan crunch. View Recipe 12 of 22 Pumpkin Cookies With Brown Butter Icing These cookies have a cake-like texture that's light and fluffy but with plenty of pumpkin spice flavor. The icing makes them extra special. View Recipe 13 of 22 Deep-Dish Pumpkin-Meringue Pie Credit: Johnny Miller Dress up your pumpkin pie for a special occasion with a glorious mountain of meringue. Make the crust and filling up to one day in advance to save prep time on Thanksgiving (if that's when you plan to serve it), then top it off with meringue right before serving. View Recipe 14 of 22 Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Cream-Cheese Filling Credit: Yossy Arefi Hand-held whoopie pies are a great dessert for kids—but with a luscious cream cheese filling between two soft pumpkin-flavored cookies, grown-ups will want these treats, too. View Recipe 15 of 22 Pumpkin-Cheesecake Pie With Gingersnap Crust Credit: Kate Mathis The gingersnap crust gives a richer flavor than a more traditional graham cracker one. The pumpkin cheesecake filling gets bruléed at the end with a blow torch for a fancy finish. View Recipe 16 of 22 Pumpkin Cheesecake Credit: Mikkel Vang We keep things traditional with a graham-cracker crust, but the filling takes things up a notch. Pumpkin purée creates an ultra-rich and creamy cheesecake that is sure to be a crowdpleaser at holiday dinners, potlucks, and more. View Recipe 17 of 22 Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares Even pumpkin pie haters will find these chocolate chip bars hard to resist! The pumpkin makes them nice and moist. Reviewers say this recipe is always a hit. View Recipe 18 of 22 Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins With a cake-like interior and sugar-coated exterior, these treats capture the essence of doughnuts without the mess of deep-frying. Buttermilk and pumpkin purée make them melt-in-your-mouth soft. View Recipe 19 of 22 Pumpkin Cake With Brown Butter Icing This simple cake is a great alternative to rich pumpkin pies and cheesecakes. Make it fancy with brown butter icing and caramelized walnut halves. View Recipe 20 of 22 Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake Credit: Kelsey Hansen This pumpkin icebox pie is an easy solution to Thanksgiving dessert. Rather than the usual baked custard filling, this pie gets its silky texture courtesy of cream cheese and gelatin. The only baking needed is for the graham-cracker crust. View Recipe 21 of 22 Pumpkin Swirl Brownies Credit: David Prince Rich chocolate brownies are made extra-tender with swirled layers of spiced pumpkin. The brownie batter is made with bittersweet chocolate and a touch of cayenne pepper to appeal to sophisticated palates. View Recipe 22 of 22 Five-Spice Pumpkin Pie With Phyllo Crust Credit: Christopher Testani Give classic pumpkin pie a unique twist by baking the filling, which uses recognizable flavors like maple syrup, into a flaky phyllo crust. View Recipe Explore more: Food & Cooking Recipes Seasonal Recipes Fall Recipes