16 Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren't Pie (Easy Bakes for a Crowd)

These Thanksgiving desserts are for the cook who already has the turkey, sides, and oven schedule covered. They provide something sweet to close the meal. Nothing here needs a pie plate, a crimped edge, or a lattice top, so there is no soggy bottom to rescue at the last minute. One scroll gives you Thanksgiving desserts of every kind, from galettes and crisps to cakes, cookies, and brownies. That beats opening a dozen tabs the week of the big dinner.

This collection gathers 16 easy Thanksgiving desserts from Confetti & Casseroles: apple and pear bakes, spiced cakes and loaves, pumpkin and chai cookies, and two pans of brownies for the guests who skip fruit entirely. It suits hosts who want a full dessert table without a second round of pie dough, and guests who need a sweet dish that travels. Each recipe earned its place by leaning on fall flavors, serving a group without much fuss, and sitting comfortably next to the pumpkin pie someone else is bringing.

Jump to:

• How to Plan Thanksgiving Desserts Around a Busy Oven
• Rustic Pear Galette with Cinnamon and Cardamom
• Brown Sugar Baked Pears with Pecans
• Granola Stuffed Baked Apples
• Apple Crisp Jars with Oat Topping
• Pear Almond Crumble
• Cinnamon Apple Blondies
• Carrot Cinnamon Bundt Cake
• Fig and Almond Cake
• Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Loaf
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka
• Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
• Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies
• Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
• Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate
• Chocolate Walnut Brownies
• Salted Pretzel Brownies
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Plan Thanksgiving Desserts Around a Busy Oven

• The oven is the real bottleneck on the holiday, so plan your Thanksgiving desserts around it first. Bars, cookies, bundt cakes, and loaves can all be baked a day or two ahead. This frees the oven for the turkey and casseroles on the day itself.
• Save the oven slot after dinner for one warm dessert. The baked pears and the stuffed baked apples can go in while the table is being cleared, and they come out warm just as the coffee is ready.
• The best Thanksgiving desserts spread aims for three textures: something fruity, something cakey, and something chocolate. That mix covers different tastes. Some guests want fruit crisp, others prefer chocolate, and the kids will happily take a cookie. Covering all three makes a short list of Thanksgiving desserts look generous without baking six full recipes.
• If you want Thanksgiving desserts that aren't pie but still taste like pie, start with the galette or the apple crisp jars. Both deliver spiced fruit under a buttery top, and neither one needs a pie plate or a perfect crust.
• Fruit choice matters more than anything else in fruit-based Thanksgiving desserts. Firm pears such as Bosc or Anjou hold their shape in the oven. Likewise, crisp apples such as Honeycrisp or Braeburn work well, while very ripe fruit turns watery and soft.
• For an after-dinner drink that suits every recipe here, try the pumpkin spice Irish coffee. Still sorting out the savory side of the table? These fall casserole recipes cover the main course and the sides.

Rustic Pear Galette with Cinnamon and Cardamom

The free-form crust folds up by hand on a baking sheet, so it gives you the look of a holiday pie with none of the crimping. Cardamom sets it apart from every apple and pumpkin dessert on the table. Bosc or Anjou pears hold their shape under the crust, and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar gives the edges real crunch. Serve it warm the same day with vanilla ice cream. It looks right at home beside the fancy desserts without requiring the same amount of work.
Get the recipe: Rustic Pear Galette with Cinnamon and Cardamom

Brown Sugar Baked Pears with Pecans

This is the easiest warm dessert in the lineup, since the pears are tossed and baked in the same dish in about 40 minutes. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is all it needs after a big meal. The halved pears pick up a caramelized brown sugar and honey coating, and the chopped pecans toast right on top as they bake. Among easy desserts, few are simpler to slide into the oven while the table is being cleared. That makes this one of the most low-stress Thanksgiving desserts here.
Get the recipe: Brown Sugar Baked Pears with Pecans

Granola Stuffed Baked Apples

Each apple is its own serving, filled with buttery granola instead of a batter, which makes portioning for a crowd simple. It is a good pick for guests who want something warm and fruity rather than a slice of cake. The apple softens around the filling while the granola stays crisp on top, so every spoonful gets both textures.
Get the recipe: Granola Stuffed Baked Apples

Apple Crisp Jars with Oat Topping

Individual jars mean nobody has to scoop a crisp into messy portions at the table. They deliver the full apple crisp experience in a format that is easy to carry to a potluck. Bake them the morning of, cap the jars, and they become one of the simplest potluck desserts to hand off at the door.
Get the recipe: Apple Crisp Jars with Oat Topping

Pear Almond Crumble

Pear and almond make a nutty, quieter alternative to the usual apple crumble. The oat topping gives it the crunchy lid that crumble fans look for. Anyone who loves apple crumble will recognize the format, but the pears bake softer and sweeter under the nutty top.
Get the recipe: Pear Almond Crumble

Cinnamon Apple Blondies

These chewy bars mix in one bowl, bake in a single square pan, and keep for days at room temperature. The cinnamon goes straight into the batter, so every bite tastes like fall instead of just the top. Pockets of white chocolate add a mellow sweetness. Meanwhile, firm apples keep the center chewy rather than soggy. This makes these a reliable make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert to bake a day early.
Get the recipe: Cinnamon Apple Blondies

Carrot Cinnamon Bundt Cake

A bundt cake slices cleanly into plenty of pieces. Therefore, it is one of the simplest Thanksgiving desserts to stretch across a big table. Its warm cinnamon matches the spiced fruit desserts in this lineup. A thick white glaze and chopped pecans finish it, so it looks dressed up on a cake stand without any decorating skill.
Get the recipe: Carrot Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Fig and Almond Cake

Figs bring a jammy sweetness that feels right for late fall, and the whole wheat crumb gives the cake a hearty, rustic texture. It is a good fit for the guest who likes dessert that is not overly sweet. Slice it thin and serve it with coffee once the pie plates are cleared, since it is one of the less sweet Thanksgiving desserts in the lineup.
Get the recipe: Fig and Almond Cake

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Loaf

Cranberry and orange is the most Thanksgiving flavor pairing on this list after pumpkin. A loaf also does double duty, covering dessert on Thursday and breakfast on Friday morning. The tart berries and bright orange cut through a rich meal better than heavier Thanksgiving desserts would.
Get the recipe: Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Loaf

Chocolate Hazelnut Babka

Babka is the showpiece bake for the host who enjoys working with a yeast dough. The swirled chocolate layers make it one of the more impressive chocolate Thanksgiving desserts here. Plus, it works just as well at brunch the next day. Of all the holiday dessert recipes here, this is the one that reads as one of the fancy desserts, with glossy spiral layers showing in every slice.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Babka

Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

These cover the pumpkin craving in a form kids can grab off a tray without needing a plate. Maple gives them a rounder sweetness that suits the season. The oats keep them soft and chewy, and they stack well in a tin if you bake them a day or two before the holiday.
Get the recipe: Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Chai spices give these cookies a warm, layered flavor that stands apart from the cinnamon-heavy desserts around them. They pair naturally with the coffee and tea that come out after dinner. A tin of these also makes an easy hostess gift, and they hold up well next to other Thanksgiving desserts on a crowded table.
Get the recipe: Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Brown butter and toffee give these a deep caramel flavor that fits a fall dessert table. Cookies also travel better than almost anything else here if you are the guest bringing dessert. The toffee bits melt slightly at the edges, giving each cookie crisp caramelized spots against a chewy oat center.
Get the recipe: Brown Butter Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate

These bridge the pumpkin crowd and the chocolate crowd in one cookie. Dark chocolate keeps the pumpkin spice from tasting too sugary. Think of them as a grown-up take on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, with oats for chew and a deeper chocolate flavor.
Get the recipe: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

These fudgy, frosted brownies are for the guests who skip fruit desserts altogether. The walnuts tie them to the nutty fall flavors elsewhere on the table. They come together in under an hour, and a pan cuts into enough squares to cover the chocolate side of a big dessert table.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Salted Pretzel Brownies

The salty pretzel crunch cuts through the sweetness after a heavy meal, which makes these an easy second helping. They round out the chocolate side of the table without adding another fruit dessert. The pretzel pieces stay crunchy against the fudgy middle, so these hold their texture even when baked a day ahead.
Get the recipe: Salted Pretzel Brownies

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions that come up most when planning Thanksgiving desserts for a crowd.