USA

Thanksgiving Pies So Good, You’ll Want to Skip Dinner

Go straight to the good stuff this Thanksgiving: apples and cream, chocolate espresso, honey cranberries and more.

By Sue Li

Photos: Johnny Miller

stylish Sue Li and Sarah Smart

It was published 19 November 2025Updated 19 November 2025

In the world of baked goods, it is said that people generally fall into one of two camps: cake lovers and pie lovers. However, we should not be so prescriptive. You can imagine both fluffy layer cakes and sumptuous pies. You may find yourself craving a piece of chocolate cake one day and craving apple pie the next.

You can love eating cake and still bake cake.

Credit…Matthew Young

This is where my passion lies. I didn’t grow up eating cake. Instead, my family and I had cakes: Vanilla sponges from a Chinese bakery, sandwiched with fresh whipped cream and sliced fruit, which were sweet enough. It wasn’t until I worked for food magazines as an adult that I started making and eating pies. I have come to find the entire process incredibly rewarding.

Unlike a cake that needs to be chilled and then frozen, the cake is ready to eat immediately after removing it from the oven, after taking some time to cool – and in some cases below, it’s ready right away.

You don’t have to be a cake expert or even a die-hard cake lover to prepare the recipes in this collection. The pies below reflect classic Thanksgiving flavors but are also fruity, tangy, and creamy like the pies of my youth. (And best of all, they’re not too sweet.) Plus, they’re all charming and delicious, and best of all, they’re easy, and each one is designed for success. For starters, gingerbread sweet crumb crusts and crispy phyllo come into play for the more challenging pie crust. The only pie that requires dough has a simple twist: The top is tiled rather than woven in a lattice pattern, creating a stunning result with very little effort, so you can have your cake and eat it too.

This pie is inspired by the classic pumpkin pie, but uses nearly the entire pumpkin (flesh and crust) for both the filling and garnish. The custard sits atop a graham cracker crust, which I believe is the ideal choice for pumpkin pie because the crumbs actually benefit from absorbing some of the moisture from the custard. Decorated with candied pumpkin slices, this cake is both a visual feast and delicious.

Recipe: Delicata Pumpkin Pie

A slice of pie topped with delicata squash rings sits on a yellow plate with a fork on it.

Top view shot of a cake with a golden tiled crust against a dark orange background.

If I had to pick a favorite from this bunch it would be this one. Pie dough is forgiving, easy to work with, and best of all, requires no rolling. I recommend experimenting with your top crust design and then letting the dough work its magic in the oven. A touch of heavy cream gives the apples an unexpectedly wonderful silkiness.

Recipe: Apple and Cream Pie

A slice of apple pie sits on a white plate, with half of the filled cake framed behind it.

Top view shot of a cake with swirls of dark and light pudding, standing against a light yellow background.

Hojicha, a toasted green tea from Japan with a smoky sweetness, is incorporated into the cream cheese pudding with a light cream cheese swirl, ensuring this cake will be the star of Thanksgiving. (Luckily, this pie easily arrives wherever you buy it.) When baked in a cookie crust, it almost feels like an elegant pie.

Recipe: Hojicha Cheesecake Pie

Two slices of pie, with a swirly black and white top, sit on white plates in front of a yellow background.

Top view of banana pie with phyllo crust.

The simplest (no pun intended) one with ingredients available year-round, this sweet-and-sour banana pie skips the traditional crust in favor of phyllo dough, creating a dramatic, ruffled edge. The pudding has a slight tang from the sour cream that balances out the sometimes overly sweet banana nicely.

Recipe: Banana Phyllo Pie

Three-quarter view of phyllo crust banana pie.

An overhead shot of a cake with a dark, crumbly crust and a whipped cream topping on a yellow background.

Built on a chocolate graham cracker crust with layers of rich chocolate and espresso pudding, this silky treat feels like the fanciest version of a diner-style cake. Each slice is dazzling with contrasting layers of pudding and a tall cap of sugar-free whipped cream.

Recipe: Chocolate-Espresso Cake

A slice of creamy chocolate espresso pudding cake with a thick coating of whipped cream is placed on a white plate, with the rest of the cake in a half-frame behind it.

Top shot of a cake with a crumbly brown crust and a swirly pink and white mouse filling, sitting on a yellow and white background.

This dreamy creation combines lush cranberry and vanilla-honey mousse to create enchanting swirls of pink and white. It is reminiscent of the flavor of Yakult, a yogurt-like drink popular in East Asian cultures, and every bite melts in your mouth. A small amount of gelatin helps the foams set, keeping them perfectly on the Thanksgiving table.