Tired of the same old holiday desserts? I'm sharing 15 of my best Thanksgiving pie ideas, straight from my New England kitchen to your family's table. Bake up from-scratch holiday memories with these delicious pies.
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What kind of pie will you make this Thanksgiving? Pumpkin is fine, but certainly not the only kind you can make. There are so many great pies out there: with fruit, custard, pudding, and more!
Here are my best pie recipes for Thanksgiving. There are traditional flavors here like apple and sweet potato, but also some different types of pie like Fruits Of The Forest and one of my all-time favorites, Cinnamon Pie.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A collection of Thanksgiving pie ideas that go beyond the traditional pumpkin; fruity, chocolaty, and creamy pies to make your holiday dessert table extra special.
- You'll love this part: With so many choices, you can find the perfect pie for everyone at Thanksgiving, and even discover a new family favorite.
- How to use this: Choose your favorite pie, or two, from the list. And, whip up my buttery pie crust to hold those fillings.
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Thanksgiving pies FAQs
One 9-inch pie has eight slices—however, while one pie might technically feed everyone at your gathering, it's always fun to have a few options. Why not have two or three kinds of pie? (Or even more... our grandmother Nancy Frechette often made dozens!)
Another option is to supplement your pie with some non-pie options, which will greatly please those who don't really care for pie! I have lots of ideas for Thanksgiving desserts that aren't pies; they include cookies, candies, and fruit desserts.
Almost any kind of pie is better with a dollop of whipped cream. Homemade whipped cream is easy to make; just whip heavy cream with confectioners' sugar in a mixer for several minutes until thick. Or, keep things easy by picking up some spray whipped cream at the store. (Cabot brand, out of Vermont, has a very good canned whipped cream!)
Ice cream is also a delicious pie accompaniment; and it stands in as another dessert option for guests who don't like pie. (Like the fussy kids!) Vanilla ice cream is a safe bet, but other classic flavors to consider are coffee, maple walnut, mint chocolate chip, and caramel swirl.
Yes, there are several ways you can get your Thanksgiving pies ready ahead of time so that you have less work to do on the day of the dinner.
Taste of Home shares that pumpkin, pecan, and fruit pies can be baked, cooled, and then frozen. Move them to the fridge 24 hours before you want to serve them so the pies have time to thaw.
No-bake pies usually need at least an overnight chill to set, so they're a great choice to make ahead of time.
Other steps you can take are to make the pie crust dough and hold it in the fridge or freezer. You can even roll it out into the pie plate first; just cover it tightly. Graham cracker crusts and cookie crumb crusts can also be made and/or baked, then cooled and held in the refrigerator.
Fruit fillings can be cooked in advance and stored in the fridge until you're ready to bake them in the pie.
Of course you can, and should! This is especially important if you're in charge of making the whole Thanksgiving dinner. Or, if you're relatively new to making pies and feel nervous about it. No one wants you to get stressed out or overwhelmed by pie.
Ask your guests and family to pitch in, to contribute pies or other treats for the dessert table. Or, ask the star pie maker in your family or friend group to team up with you to help you bake up a beautiful one.
In general, your leftover Thanksgiving pies will last for up to five days. They should be tightly wrapped, and for best quality, stored in the refrigerator. The fillings will eventually begin to soak into the crust, making it soggy, so do you best to eat up the pies within a few days of making them.
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Popular opinion: the best pie is the one with the best pie crust
I strongly believe that when it comes to pies, the pie crust should taste just as delicious as whatever filling it holds. That's why I developed my All-Butter Pie Crust recipe!
It has the rich flavor of butter, along with a few secret ingredients that make it uniquely tasty. The texture of this butter crust is light and flaky. The pie crust dough can be made in advance, and stored in the fridge or freezer—such a timesaver!
Most important of all, my pie crust recipe has step-by-step instructions and answers to all your questions, so that you can make your crust with confidence.
👀 Guess what? When you sign up for my weekly newsletter, you'll receive a free Pie Crust video tutorial!
Dig into these 15 Thanksgiving Pie Ideas
Here they are: my best Thanksgiving Day pies! Fruity, chocolaty, creamy: there's a homemade holiday pie here for everyone.
I've organized my pie recipes by their fruit, chocolate, and creamy fillings. Some require baking; other's have cool fillings that set in the refrigerator.
Pin or save the recipes now, or print them and add them to your recipe box, so you'll be all set for Thanksgiving preparations.
Thanksgiving Pies with Fruit
Pumpkin Cranberry Hand Pies
Tart cranberry is delicious paired with sweet, spiced pumpkin pie filling in a flaky pocket.
Vanilla Apple Pie
A deliciously vanilla twist on the classic apple pie!
Fruit of the Forest pie
Berries, apple, and rhubarb; you've never had a fruit filling as decadent as this one! It's sweetened with pure maple syrup.
French Apple Tart
The pretty, spiraled apple slices sit over a filling of almonds and almond paste.
Star Cherry Tart
Blueberries and cherries make a luscious and dark filling, set off by a blanket of pastry stars.
Thanksgiving Pies with Chocolate
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cream Pie
My favorite Thanksgiving dessert! This easy chocolate pie is extra special thanks to a layer of caramel.
Baileys Chocolate Irish Cream Pie
The silky flavor of Baileys was just made for a rich chocolate pie like this.
Toffee, Cherry, and Chocolate Pie
This is like a cookie in a pie! Bits of toffee and dried cherries make this dessert unique and super delicious.
Thanksgiving Pies, Sweet and Creamy
Cinnamon Pie
Flaky crust filled with a silky, cinnamony custard.
Sweet Potato Pie
The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes is enhanced by cinnamon, brown sugar, and apple cider in this holiday pie.
Lemon Lavender Pie
After a heavy Thanksgiving feast, the light, lemon and floral flavor of this creamy pie will be a welcome treat!
Coconut Pastries
Here's a unique addition to the holiday dessert table: individual flaky pie pockets hold a sweet coconut filling.
Cinnamon Blueberry Icebox Pie
This overnight pie has a creamy filling of vanilla pudding and sweet blueberry sauce, all spooned into a gingersnap crust.
🦃 A delicious and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
The Armchair Squid says
Glad to hear the segment went so well.
We got three pies from Poorhouse Pies this year: pumpkin, apple and... mincemeat. The baker was quite charmed by our mincemeat order. She makes a mincemeat pie for her father every year and was excited to see anyone else order one.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Nancy Mock says
Oh yum! My grandmother made mincemeat this year too, but I didn't get to try a slice. How was it? Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
The Armchair Squid says
I liked it. I don't think I'd ever had mincemeat pie before. Pumpkin's still my favorite.