Pumpkin Cheesecake, Tiramisu, and 8 More Fall Desserts Even Better Than Pie

Slice of PSL Tiramisu on a stylish blue and white plate, with a blue tablecloth, sparkling water, and a gold fork — Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Not gonna lie, but the only time I bake or eat pumpkin pie is at Thanksgiving—that’s because my family is so bound by tradition that if I don’t serve some approximation of the custard-based “classic,” there will be grumbling. However, there is a small contingent—including my sister-in-law Yvonne, who once served up pumpkin cheesecake—that welcomes alternative pumpkin desserts, and I, for one, am all for it.

Why not give our stunning pumpkin spice latte tiramisu a try? How about a pretty pumpkin cake rolled with white chocolate cream cheese or a remarkably light and creamy pumpkin cheesecake dressed up with candied maple walnuts? We’ve even included recipes to help you use up all those cans of pumpkin purée you bought on sale and are now wondering what to do with, like pumpkin bread glazed with a salted brown butter icing, pumpkin spice ice cream, and a pumpkin cheesecake milkshake. With so many options that are not pie, there won’t be any leftover pumpkin purée languishing in your fridge.

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Pumpkin Bread with Salted Brown Butter Glaze

Vicky Wasik

There are two types of pumpkin bread: the yeasted variety that you slice up like a traditional sandwich loaf, and the sweeter, cake-adjacent variety, like this one. Pumpkin purée keeps it moist and tender, while malted milk powder adds toffee notes, subtle savoriness, and extra lactose to boost browning. Because it’s not overly sweet, nor heavily spiced, the rich and nutty salted brown butter glaze perfectly complements the warm, earthy, roasted flavors of the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Bread with Salted Brown Butter Glaze
Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping

Vicky Wasik

We’d describe this pumpkin dessert as a cross between a coffee cake, a blondie, and a muffin—a delightful mash-up of cakey, chewy, and crunchy textures that just works. Grated white chocolate delivers a moist and rich crumb, and the well-spiced and salted streusel provides a coffee cake-like topping. Malted milk powder again amplifies the earthiness of the spiced pumpkin flavor and enhances caramelization.

Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping
Pumpkin Spice Latte Tiramisu

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

While I may not rush out to grab the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, I will gleefully whip up this pumpkin spice latte tiramisu (they had me at tiramisu). It’s got everything we love about the classic creamy, coffee-spiked dessert, just enhanced with warm spice and pumpkin purée. Think of it as an autumnal glow-up!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Tiramisu
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

Elizabeth Barbone

I’m a firm believer that anything with a sweet glaze qualifies as dessert—take these gluten-free spiced pumpkin scones, for example. They’re iced with a vanilla glaze, then drizzled wth a pumpkin one.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

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Pumpkin Roll with White Chocolate Cream Cheese

Yvonne Ruperti

I’m a sucker for a pretty rolled cake, and this moist pumpkin rendition, filled with a luscious white chocolate cream cheese, makes for a festive autumn dessert. To make the decorative white chocolate shavings, drag a sharp knife across the flat side of a large piece of room-temperature white chocolate at a 45° angle. Alternatively, you can also slowly run a vegetable peeler along the length of a white chocolate bar.

Pumpkin Roll with White Chocolate Cream Cheese
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Yvonne Ruperti

Fudgy brownies swirled with spiced pumpkin cheesecake offer another distinctively fall flavor combo that begs to be made on repeat. This easy recipe requires no mixer and no waiting for the pan of brownies to cool completely before cutting into bars. Just spoon the hand-mixed batters into individually lined muffin molds, gently swirl together, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Bua Loi Fak Thong (Pumpkin Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweetened Coconut Cream)

Leela Punyaratabandhu

This easy Thai dessert offers a deliciously fun way to use up leftover pumpkin purée (which, given the season, most of us probably have some hiding in the fridge). There are only four other ingredients: glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Knead the pumpkin purée and glutinous rice flour, along with a little water, into smooth little balls, then drop them into boiling water and cook until they rise to the top. Serve the chewy, pumpkin-y rice balls in creamy coconut sauce, made by boiling together the coconut milk, sugar, and salt.

Bua Loi Fak Thong (Pumpkin Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweetened Coconut Cream)
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Max Falkowitz

An extra custardy vanilla bean base, which offsets the wateriness of the pumpkin, is one key to crafting a pumpkin ice cream with a smooth texture and rich flavor. The other is going light on the spice, so the pumpkin flavor shines. A hit of bourbon complements the warm spices and adds a subtle booziness while also helping to inhibit the formation of ice crystals.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A well-baked pumpkin pie is a thing of beauty, but given a choice between pie or cheesecake, I vote for the latter, and this pumpkin cheesecake, made with a gingersnap crust and topped with candied walnuts, stands above all the other pumpkin-and-spice variations. It has a lighter texture, thanks to beaten egg whites folded into the batter, contrasted with a sweet, nutty crunch from the walnuts. Who knows, even the pumpkin pie contingent in my family can be swayed.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Milkshake

Maggie Hoffman

If you prefer your dessert in drinkable form, then this pumpkin cheesecake milkshake will be right up your alley. The shake is loaded with vanilla ice cream, pumpkin, cream cheese, and milk, so it’s super rich.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Milkshake