10 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Desserts That Are Way Easier Than Pie

No pie, no problem.

By
Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam headshot
Genevieve Yam
Senior Editor
After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.
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Published November 24, 2025
Pumpkin crme brle served in small ramekins with a spoon and napkin

Serious Eats / Melati Citraireja

It's Thanksgiving week, and if you're planning to make pie, you probably have your dough and fillings ready to go. But if you don't have time to make pies from scratch and still want to serve something autumnal and festive, fear not: We have plenty of easy, impressive fall desserts that would belong at your holiday table. Below, we've gathered our favorite low-fuss Thanksgiving desserts—including a cozy apple crisp and luxurious red wine–poached pears—that you can make without a pie crust and without breaking a sweat.

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  • Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

    A slice of cranberry upsidedown cake on a red plate with a dollop of cream fork placed alongside the slice whole cake in background

    Serious Eats / Mateja Zvirotić Andrijanić

    This buttery cranberry upside-down cake nails the fruit-to-cake ratio for a dessert that's glossy, tart, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. It's simple enough to throw together for a casual autumn brunch, but also elegant enough to earn a spot at your holiday table—especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  • Baked Apples

    Baked apple served with a scoop of ice cream on a plate dessert prepared for serving

    Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

    Apples make excellent vessels for baking, especially when you carve out their cores, fill them with cinnamon sugar and butter, and scatter a crispy crumble over the top. What you're left with is an individual-sized apple crisp, perfect for an ordinary weeknight or a dinner party.

  • Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

    Pumpkin crme brle served in small ramekins with a spoon and napkin

    Serious Eats / Melati Citraireja

    This easy make-ahead crème brûlée delivers the flavor of pumpkin pie with none of the stress—or the crust. Plus: It has that irresistible lid of crunchy caramelized sugar, which adds the crispy texture of the crust we're not making.

  • Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

    Overhead view of a whole Apple Cider Dough Cake

    Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

    Mace and nutmeg give this cake its unmistakable apple cider doughnut flavor, while cinnamon is reserved for the cinnamon-sugar coating after it's baked. Here, we cook a tart Granny Smith apple in apple cider, then reduce it to concentrate its fruity flavor.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • Red Wine-Poached Pears

    Glazing poached pear

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Red wine–poached pears—poire à la Beaujolaise—are a classic French dessert that's easy to prepare but elegant enough for a dinner party. Cooking the pears in red wine with cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and star anise infuses the fruit and poaching liquid with a warm, spiced flavor, and reducing the poaching liquid creates a sweet, flavorful glaze to serve the fruit with.

  • Salty Brown Sugar Shortbread

    Overhead view of cookies on a Christmas plate

    Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

    These tender brown sugar shortbread cookies are rich and buttery, with a savory kick from just the right amount of salt. It's a slice-and-bake recipe, which means there's no need for a rolling pin or even a cookie scoop—just a knife and a cutting board.

  • Double-Caramel Flan

    Flan
    Natalie Holt

    Making flan might sound intimidating, but it's really quite straightforward. Adding the eggs to the custard in a blender—instead of whisking hot liquid into the eggs by hand—eliminates the risk of curdling. Baking the custard in a water bath gently cooks it, preventing the flan from overcooking and keeping it soft and supple.

  • The Best Apple Crisp

    20140929-apple-crisp-vicky-wasik-24.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    Love apple pie but don't feel like rolling out a crust? This dessert is the way to go. Toasted pecans, raw sugar, lemon zest, and grated nutmeg come together to form an easy crisp topping, and a mix of firm, tart apples and soft baking apples yields a balance of flavor and texture.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below

  • Pear Upside-Down Cake

    Upsidedown pear cake arranged on a white plate accompanied by tableware and a cup of coffee

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Abby Armstrong

    Golden, glistening, and patterned with fanned pears that look more fancy than the effort required to arrange them, this cake is as easy as it is impressive. Serve it just warm, with a dollop of crème fraîche or a spoonful of soft whipped cream, or enjoy it on its own.

  • Gingerbread Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

    a piece of gingerbread cake cut with a fork.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    This tender, fluffy sheet cake gets its warm, spiced notes from ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and Chinese five-spice powder. Buttermilk helps with tenderness and rise, and whole wheat flour provides a nutty, graham-like note.

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