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We’ve collected our ten best Thanksgiving pies for you to consider—from traditional pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie to a kid-friendly chocolate peanut butter cup pie and other favorites. Plus, discover a couple of Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie!
Here at the Almanac, we love to bake. Yes, there’s the turkey, but aren’t we all looking forward to the classic Thanksgiving pie? On the fruit side, we have a caramel apple pie, a maple cream pie, and a make-ahead cranberry cream pie. On the creamy side, we have a sweet potato pie, fluffy pumpkin cheesecake, and peanut butter pie.
Pumpkin pie is the most popular pie eaten at Thanksgiving in the United States. (America’s top choice is Apple for the rest of the year.) An estimated 50 million pumpkin pies are devoured in November! Were pumpkins eaten at the first Thanksgiving? Find out what the Pilgrims ate.
This pumpkin pie recipe won the blue ribbon at the Goshen (Connecticut) Fair. The filling is nice and firm, not too custardy. It’s a basic pie recipe, but the crust turns out well. After all, appearance and taste count most at the fair!
A simple Cranberry Pie brings beautiful color to the Thanksgiving or Christmas table. It’s similar to cherry pie but not too sweet, and it showcases the cranberry, an American native berry harvested in late fall.
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pie recipe is “the most delicious pie of all time,” according to our recipe tester. It’s a real head-turner and Thanksgiving favorite with kids (of all ages)!
Who doesn’t love a creamy New York-style cheesecake? The texture of this sour cream cheesecake is like velvet on the tongue. Top with red berries for color, or make a quick cranberry-raspberry topping. In a saucepan: Combine 12 ounces of cranberries, 2 cups of raspberries, 1 lemon zested, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1 cup water. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (from the lemon). Bring to a boil and then simmer 15 minutes. Let cool completely! You can prepare this cranberry topping in advance, store in fridge, and then add on the big day.
This pudding is like pumpkin pie but with a firmer, denser texture. Skip making the crust and try this twist on the classic pumpkin pie. Once it’s done cooking, all you have to do is top it with whipped cream and serve! (Kids love this recipe, too!)
A classic New England dessert, Indian Pudding is made with cornmeal, milk, and molasses. The “Indian” refers to cornmeal, which was introduced to European colonists by Native Americans and is sometimes called “Indian flour.” Despite its messy presentation, this “pudding” tastes fantastic, especially topped with ice cream or whipped cream.
Managing editor, Sarah Perreault, works on all things Almanac, but is especially proud to be the editor of our Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids series. Read More from Sarah Perreault
I was raised in Dighton MA until I was 14 several decades ago. All my family who would know how to season butternut squash pie are gone. I know it's not the same as seasoning pumpkin for pie. Can anyone tell me how, please?
Since winter squashes are really pumpkins, yes, you can season them just as you would a pumpkin pie, no difference. There's no botanical or scientific difference between squashes and pumpkins, just the names we call them. In the Caribbean islands, what we in the U.S. call winter squash is called "punkin", and is used in many more ways than we traditionally prepare them here. So just treat them as pumpkins; you won't go wrong!
My mother's squash pie recipe was rich in flavor. Never tasted another one like it!
1 can squash pie filling, 1 cup brn sgr, 1/2 tsp salt, 1tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice, 2 Tlb molasses, 3 eggs slightly beaten, 1 cup evap milk. Combine all ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake til knife inserted in center comes out clean. 425° for 40-45 min.