Is it really fall if you haven’t indulged in a PSL…and a slice of pumpkin pie…with a side of pumpkin ice cream? The season of the squash starts this September, and in order to *properly* bask in this orange gourd’s glory, we’re turning on our oven and churning out all the pumpkin desserts we can think of. From pumpkin angel food cake to pumpkin spice toffee (and pumpkin cookies, pies and brownies, too), consider this your bucket list for everything sweet, spicy and autumnal. You have from now until Thanksgiving to bake them all—just kidding. (Or are we?)
80 Pumpkin Desserts to Make on Repeat This Fall
Published Aug 3, 2022
1. Pumpkin Black And White Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
These soft, fluffy cookies are all dressed up and ready for fall—and they don’t even require a stand mixer to make. You can shortcut the recipe further by replacing the spices with a store-bought pumpkin spice blend.
2. Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
We’ll let you in on a secret: The base for these cookies is the same as the black-and-whites. You could even make a half batch of each in the same day.
3. No-cook Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling time)
- Why We Love It: no cook, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
With coffee-soaked ladyfingers and all that pumpkin-laced cream, this decadent dessert tastes almost like your beloved PSL—if someone spiked your latte with booze, that is.
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell
4. Pumpkin Angel Food Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, <500 calories
It has all the cloud-like airiness of an angel food cake, plus tons of pumpkin flavor and a thick cream cheese glaze.
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell
5. Creamy Pumpkin Eton Mess
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
Imagine the best parts of a pumpkin pie (aka the filling and whipped cream) all wrapped up in one bowl. This has fancy Thanksgiving dessert written all over it.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
6. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Is it breakfast, dessert or both? We like to think you don’t have to choose.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
7. Biscuit Dough Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
While we love a traditional pie crust, it can be time consuming and fussy. Enter store-bought biscuit dough, which is the secret behind these foolproof handheld bites.
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell
8. Pumpkin Brioche
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes (+ rising time)
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories
The minute the weather gets chilly, we’re breaking out our softest sweaters and baking up a batch of this pillowy, buttery bread. (Psst: Leave the sugar off if you want to serve it as a pumpkin dinner roll situation.)
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
9. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Soft pumpkin outside, creamy cheesecake inside—take a bite, and the cookie will practically melt in your mouth.
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
10. Pumpkin Spice Pecan Rolls
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
We’d say the creamy icing is optional here…but we’d be lying. The rolls are a bit of a baking project, but the pillowy soft results are so worth the effort.
Erin McDowell
11. Pumpkin Pie With Cinnamon-roll Crust
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
How to achieve rock-star status this Thanksgiving? Serve ’em this genius pie.
Spoon Fork Bacon
12. Pumpkin Cake With A Pistachio Glaze
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
One of the best things about a bundt cake is that it comes out of the oven already looking great. A drizzle of glaze and voilà, a stunning dessert.
What’s Gaby Cooking
13. Pumpkin Cheesecake With Marshmallow Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Creamy, spicy, sweet, fluffy and just extra enough. You'll need a kitchen torch to toast the meringue topping (so consider it your excuse to finally spring for one).
Cookie and Kate
14. Pumpkin Pecan Polvorones
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
They’re pumpkin-flavored Mexican wedding cookies, and they’re as delicious as they look.
Sally’s Baking Addiction
15. Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Why make one big Thanksgiving dessert when you can make a huge batch of itty-bitty ones? (We bet you can’t stop at a single bite.)
How Sweet Eats
16. Pumpkin White Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Time Commitment: 7 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
If pumpkin pie is too dense and rich, allow us to introduce you to this light and fluffy version.
Cupcake Project
17. Best Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Why are they the best, you ask? Well, in addition to pumpkin, they also contain maple syrup and apple cider.
A Cookie Named Desire
18. Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <500 calories, gluten free
This is the best excuse to bust out your blow torch. (It seems like it takes a while to make, but most of that is spent chilling in the fridge.)
Spoon Fork Bacon
19. Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Or, if regular crème brûlée isn’t enough, turn it into a fall-ready doughnut.
What’s Gaby Cooking
20. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, one pan
If a chocolate chip cookie and a pumpkin cake had a very delicious baby, this would be it. Bring a batch to every housewarming and potluck on your calendar.
Sally’s Baking Addiction
21. Pumpkin Spice Toffee
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
FYI, homemade candy makes an excellent party favor or gift. (Or you can keep it all for yourself, we won’t judge.)
A Cookie Named Desire
22. Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
- Time Commitment: 37 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Lunch box carriers (and packers) rejoice. Every bite is infused with fall flavor, thanks to the addition of a little pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
How Sweet Eats
23. Brown Butter Iced Pumpkin Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
The cookies are soft and caky, and the frosting has butterscotch notes that will have you practically licking the bowl.
I Am a Food Blog
24. One-bowl Pumpkin Cupcakes With Brown Butter Frosting
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
This and an afternoon coffee? We have all the fall feels. (Plus, since it's a one-bowl recipe, cleanup is a breeze, making this a great low-effort baking project.)
Grandbaby Cakes
25. Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
As if it couldn’t get any better, the crust is made from speculoos cookies. Swoon.
Also the Crumbs Please
26. Pumpkin Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Not one but two cream cheese frostings—plain and cinnamon-maple—put this seasonal cake over the top.
Plays Well with Butter
27. Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust
- Time Commitment: 12 hours (includes chilling)
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Talk about winning your annual Friendsgiving. (Not that it’s a competition or anything.)
I Am a Food Blog
28. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Sure, the Totoro decorations are optional, but how could you say no? Halloween dessert has never been cuter.
A Cookie Named Desire
29. Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, ready in <30 minutes
Regardless of your feelings about the famous fall drink, these cupcakes have the ideal balance of sweet, warm fall spice and espresso kick.
Broma Bakery
30. Pumpkin Pie White Chocolate Brownies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
They’re fudgy and sweet with just the right amount of spice. Plus, they’re ready in less than an hour, and we can’t complain about that.
Half Baked Harvest
31. Chai Pumpkin Pie With Maple Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <500 calories
You know those people who say they don’t like pumpkin pie? They’ll like this one.
Also the Crumbs Please
32. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
OK, but if they *actually* don’t like pumpkin pie, they’ll probably like this moist, chocolatey cake. You can serve two desserts at Thanksgiving, you know.
So Much Food
33. Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Is it just us, or will salted caramel never get old? Bonus, these can be made ahead and frozen for up to a month.
A Cookie Named Desire
34. Pumpkin Cake With Ginger, Chocolate And Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
If you’re looking to pull out all the stops, we’ve found the cake for you.
Gimme Some Oven
35. Pumpkin Roll
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
It’s classic, and yet so impressive. The cream cheese filling doesn’t hurt either. The trick to rolling a perfect swirl is to dive in while the cake is still warm, so it doesn’t crack.
The Bojon Gourmet
36. Pumpkin Butterscotch Pudding With Whipped Mascarpone
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 20 minutes (includes chilling)
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan (optional)
Are you a professional chef or something? (Psst: You can make this dessert vegan by subbing in plant milk.)
Minimalist Baker
37. Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Bonus, these autumnal treats are vegan and gluten free.
How Sweet Eats
38. Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Buttercrunch
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
If you’ve never tried buttercrunch, it’s like a cross between a brown butter toffee and caramel—pretty close to perfection, if you ask us.
Gimme Some Oven
39. Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly
Fall baking wouldn’t be complete without at least one frosted pumpkin bar.
Ambitious Kitchen
40. Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 42 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
They’re crackly and chewy on the outside yet soft on the inside, thanks to all that pumpkin puree.
Half Baked Harvest
41. Molten Chocolate Pumpkin Streusel Bread
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Emphasis on the molten chocolate.
Foodie Crush
42. Pumpkin Tiramisu
- Time Commitment: 8 hours (includes chilling)
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy
We know there wasn’t pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving—who says it has to be on your table either?
How Sweet Eats
43. Pumpkin Gooey Bars
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
They’re like a fall-ified version of those seven-layer bars you know and love.
A Classic Twist
44. Pumpkin Spice Latte Macarons
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Fall is the best time to get cozy with a baking project. These macarons are involved, but so worth it.
Ambitious Kitchen
45. Healthy Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, dairy free (optional)
With all that salted maple frosting, no one will guess that they’re grain-free. Pro tip: Omit the frosting and swap in coconut sugar to make it paleo-friendly.
Pinch of Yum
46. Pumpkin Dessert Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
It’s a sweet pumpkin-pie-like base topped with a dense yellow cake topping that’s buttery and impossibly easy to make, thanks to a boxed mix.
Half Baked Harvest
47. Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
They’re so soft and chewy, you’ll want to make a batch every week in October (and November).
Spoon Fork Bacon
48. Pumpkin Mousse
- Time Commitment: 8 hours (includes chilling)
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
Ready thy spoons. These elegant mousse cups require just eight ingredients to make.
How Sweet Eats
49. Pumpkin Dream Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
With those swoops and swirls of cinnamon cream cheese frosting, we understand why it’s a dream.
Sally’s Baking Addiction
50. Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie
- Time Commitment: 7 hours, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Pumpkin or pecan pie? On Thanksgiving, you don’t have to choose.
A Classic Twist
51. Spiced Pumpkin Cake With Brown Sugar Buttercream
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
You absolutely don’t need to be celebrating a birthday to make this beauty. This recipe calls for making Swiss meringue buttercream from scratch, but we won't judge if you want to skip the double boiler and opt for a simpler cream cheese frosting or slather on a store-bought icing.
Damn Delicious
52. Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts With Maple Glaze
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Confession: We’d make these treats even if it wasn’t fall. (Must be that maple glaze.) And since they’re baked instead of fried, we totally can.
Simply LaKita
53. Pumpkin Spice Tahini Cookies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Good news, you don’t need a stand mixer to make these chewy, lightly sweet cookies.
Salt and Wind
54. Pumpkin Spice Ricotta Cheesecake Bars
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
The addition of ricotta keeps things from getting too rich.
Snixy Kitchen
55. Almost No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Pie
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
No oven, no problem. Add this one to your Thanksgiving menu ASAP.
Foodie Crush
56. Pumpkin Bread Pudding With Bourbon Cream Sauce
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser
The bourbon goes in the cream sauce at the end, so skip it if you’re serving to kids.
Sally’s Baking Addiction
57. Pumpkin Slab Pie
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Feeding a ravenous, fall-obsessed crowd has never been easier.
Snixy Kitchen
58. Black Sesame Pumpkin Mochi Cake
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: gluten free, crowd-pleaser
Mochi cake is a bouncy, chewy rice-based Japanese confection. The addition of pumpkin isn’t traditional, but it sure is tasty.
How Sweet Eats
59. Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
The rich brownies are made even more decadent with a pumpkin cheesecake layer.
Averie Cooks
60. Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Cinnamon is our second-favorite fall flavor, so this pairing makes sense. The whole thing tastes like the middle of a cinnamon roll, aka the best part.
Two Peas and Their Pod
61. Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: no bake, beginner-friendly
It’s made with Greek yogurt, so if you want to get your pumpkin fix at breakfast, go right ahead.
Sally’s Baking Addiction
62. Pumpkin Cake
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
A whopping two cups of canned pumpkin ensure the texture is impossibly moist.
A Classic Twist
63. Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
Just because it’s fall doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a scoop (or two) of the cold stuff.
Damn Delicious
64. Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
We know you’ve been looking to invest in a doughnut pan—now’s your chance.
What’s Gaby Cooking
65. Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy
Apple and pecan pie don’t know what’s coming.
Butter Be Ready
66. Pumpkin Pie Butter Pecan Milkshake
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, no bake, <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes
On the off chance that you have a leftover slice of pie post-Thanksgiving feast, it’s your cue to break out the blender.
Brown Sugar
67. Pumpkin Blondies With Chocolate Chips
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Don’t stop at chocolate chips. You can add pecans, toffee bits and even diced-up candy bars if you want to go all out.
The Pig and Quill
68. No-bake Spice Cake Pumpkin Truffles
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: no bake, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Add googly eyes and cookie “bat wings” and the kids will go wild.
The Recipe Critic
69. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, <10 ingredients
We love a no-bake, ten-ingredient dessert. They’re dipped in sweet white chocolate, but you could also try semi-sweet or dark.
Broma Bakery
70. Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
With that salted caramel drizzle, do we need to say more?
The Almond Eater
71. Salted Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why We Love It: dairy free, gluten free, vegan
This pudding is actually pretty healthy, thanks to the banana and dairy-free yogurt base. But you can totally substitute Greek yogurt or traditional milk, if almond milk and dairy-free yogurt aren't your thing.
Grandbaby Cakes
72. Pumpkin Fritters
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, ready in <30 minutes
Don’t skip the bourbon cream cheese glaze for dipping. If you have any leftovers, reheat them in the oven to give them a second life.
Cookie and Kate
73. Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, ready in <30 minutes, no cook
You don’t need a water bath or a springform pan to pull off an elegant holiday dessert.
Two Peas and Their Pod
74. Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bars
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
The brown butter requires a little extra time and effort, but it’s worth it for infusing the bars with rich, nutty flavor.
Half Baked Harvest
75. Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes With Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
We think cupcakes are the ideal chance to go a little extra. Each bite of these cuties is packed with sweet pumpkin and light, fluffy frosting.
What’s Gaby Cooking
76. Mini Pumpkin Cream Pies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: no bake, <10 ingredients, ready in <30 minutes
You’ll want to pipe the pumpkin filling straight into your mouth. The mini crusts are store-bought, so these pies are surprisingly easy to make.
The Butter Half
77. Creamy No-churn Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
No ice cream maker? Don’t worry. If you can make whipped cream, you can make this treat.
Minimalist Baker
78. Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, dairy free
This one goes out to our gluten-free, vegan friends at the feast.
Half Baked Harvest
79. Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pumpkin Pie
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <500 calories
This is what dessert dreams are made of. Serve it warm and gooey or at room temp, with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
80. Pumpkin Spice Icebox Cake
- Time Commitment: 12 hours, 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Don’t tell anyone, but the cookies are store-bought. While the assembly takes some time, the bulk of this project is simply waiting overnight for the dessert to set.
Katherine Gillen is a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she's an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
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