With all the incredible dishes served on Thanksgiving, it seems hard to believe anyone would have room for dessert, but they are a must-have on the holiday table. After feasting on dish after dish of savory goodness, everyone needs a little something sweet.

Thanksgiving may make you think of pumpkin pie, and we have plenty of recipes to choose from. Plus pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin cookies, and lots of ways to savor the flavor of pumpkin pie spices.

Not all desserts have to be made with pumpkin, however. There are many other seasonal flavors like apples, pears, squash, and cranberries. Sweetness can come from fruit or maple syrup. And who doesn’t love the aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, chai, and allspice? See How to Cook with the Seasonal Flavors of Fall for more ideas.

We have no shortage of ideas when it comes to desserts. Check out these 25 Winning Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts and then scroll through these 25 more stunning vegan desserts from the Food Monster App for your Thanksgiving table.

1. Big Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Source: Big Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Next to all the pies and cakes, set down a platter of these Big Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies by Michele Elizabeth and see where everyone gravitates. The aroma of these cookies alone will get attention, but the delicious taste will keep them hooked.

2. Pumpkin Spice Empanadas With Apple-Cranberry Filling

Source: Pumpkin Spice Empanadas with Apple-Cranberry Filling

You can call these empanadas, or you can call them hand pies or turnovers, but you had better call your friends to come share these with you. These Pumpkin Spice Empanadas with Apple-Cranberry Filling by Larice Feuerstein have crisp, tender crusts that are delicately flavored with pumpkin pie spice. Bursting with tart and sweet apple and cranberry filling, these are the perfect dessert!

Gratitude: Plant-Based Thanksgiving Cookbook

No other holiday captures the spirit of home cooking the way Thanksgiving does. This is why you need the ultimate Thanksgiving cookbook, One Green Planet’s Gratitude: Plant-Based Recipes to Create your own Thanksgiving Tradition! In the cookbook, you’ll find our 100 most popular plant-based Thanksgiving recipes like Soft Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, Spiced Apple Cake with Cashew Frosting, Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding with Nut Crumble Topping, Cinnamon Apple Hand Pies, and hearty entrees like Roast Root Vegetable Stack With Dukkah, Vegducken: Butternut Squash Stuffed With Eggplant, Zucchini, and a Mushroom Lentil Stuffing, and Seitan Roast With Sausage and Pear Stuffing and Apple Cider Gravy and so much more!

3. Creamy Raw Chocolate Espresso Pie

Source: Creamy Raw Chocolate Espresso Pie

Instead of having a cup of coffee with your dessert, have your coffee inside your dessert. This Creamy Raw Chocolate Espresso Pie by Erin Druga has an almond-date crust, and the filling is made from soaked cashews, brewed coffee, and espresso beans — it’s a coffee lover’s dream!

4. Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

Source: Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

It’s getting near time for gingerbread men. If you like gingerbread lattes, you’ll love these Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes by Charlie Rioux. The moist cupcakes are topped with coffee-flavored frosting. It’s like having your specialty coffee inside your cake.

5. Spiced Apple Doughnuts With Apple Cider Glaze

Source: Spiced Apple Doughnuts with Apple Cider Glaze

These Spiced Apple Doughnuts with Apple Cider Glaze by Larice Feuerstein are the epitome of autumn. Warm apple cider and cozy spices? It doesn’t get more autumnal than that! Eat a doughnut or two with a mug of warm apple cider right after Thanksgiving dinner, and then jump in a big pile of leaves for the full fall experience.

6. Italian Cream Bundt Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Italian Cream Bundt Cake

Italian cream cake is traditionally built as a layer cake that’s stuffed full of nuts and coconut. This vegan Italian Cream Bundt Cake by Abby Thompson will be the star of the table. It’s topped with a coconut cream cheese frosting that is rich, decadent, and delicious.

7. Rich Chocolate and Peanut Butter Tart With Vanilla Meringue

Source: Rich Chocolate and Peanut Butter Tart

This Rich Chocolate and Peanut Butter Tart by Shanna Laychuk will give you a lot to be thankful for. Like the fact that it’s healthy even while being decadent with chocolate and peanut butter. You’ll also be thankful for the magic of aquafaba because that’s how you make the yummy vanilla meringue.

8. Decadent Hazelnut Maple Apple Tart

Source: Hazelnut Maple Apple Tart

This Hazelnut Maple Apple Tart by Sonja Trurnit is truly decadent and special. It has a nutty whole-wheat crust that is filling and satisfying, rich and creamy almond yogurt and homemade hazelnut butter filling, and maple-infused apples seasoned with nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon on top. This hazelnut maple apple tart is autumn through and through!

9. Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce

Source: Lemon Panna Cotta

Don’t be intimidated. This Lemon Panna Cotta by Kuteer and Trisha Zanasi is foolproof because it’s raw and there is no cooking involved! This dessert is very light and fresh, and the maple syrup gives it a slight flavor of caramel. A sauce of perfectly ripe raspberries and blackberries makes it a truly divine treat.

10. Bavarian Plum Cake (or ‘Zwetschgendatschi’)

Source: Bavarian Plum Cake

Impress your guests with this Bavarian Plum Cake by Sonja Trurnit, also called “zwetschgendatschi.” It’s a delightful yeasted cake covered with rosy red plum slices and a crumbly, nutty topping. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be able to spell it or pronounce it to make it. You can just call it delicious.

11. Pecan Pear Crumble

Source: Pecan Pear Crumble

This Pecan Pear Crumble by Noming Thru Life is a great dessert to put together when you have a million other things to do. It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients, but it’s homey and comforting. Juicy spiced pears are topped with a nutty oat crumble in no time at all! Topping your serving with a couple of generous scoops of vegan vanilla ice cream is highly recommended and encouraged.

12. Stewed Cherries With Rosemary

Source: Stewed Cherries with Rosemary

Make your table colorful and festive with these Stewed Cherries with Rosemary by Nathalie Fraise. It’s so easy to make this sweet treat with fresh herbs. Serve it to go atop your favorite piece of cake or spoon it on top of dairy-free ice cream. Or you might just need a spoon.

13. Spiced Poached Pears With Berry Coulis

Source: Spiced Poached Pears with Berry Coulis

Turn your holiday dinner into a gourmet experience with these Spiced Poached Pears with Berry Coulis by Nathalie Fraise. It might look a little complicated but rest assured that it is incredibly simple to make. The pears have warm, fragrant spices topped with sweet berry sauce. It’s a beautiful, fancy dessert perfect for the holidays.

14. Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy

Source: Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy

Instead of going through all the trouble of making pie, try this Cinnamon Apple Pear Pandowdy by Amy Lyons instead. It’s a deep-dish fruit pie with a thick top crust made of overlapping pieces of dough. This filling has seasonal apples and pears tossed with a generous amount of cinnamon. It’s a great dessert to make if to feed a crowd without the work of rolling out pie dough.

15. Apple, Ginger, and Feijoa Cake

Source: Apple, Ginger, and Feijoa Cake

Teach everyone about a new fruit this holiday. This Apple, Ginger, and Feijoa Cake by Renee Sexton is super moist and full of wonderful fruits such as apple, ginger, coconut, and feijoa that is also known as pineapple guava or guavasteen. The crumble topping makes it extra-delicious and decadent.

16. Pumpkin Pudding

Source: Pumpkin Pudding

This vegan Pumpkin Pudding by Evi Oravecz is a beautiful, dense and sweet dessert. It’s easy to make and looks stunning. The maple syrup gives a lovely rich caramel taste which works so well with the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice. This is the perfect dessert to amaze your favorite people!

17. Pomegranate and Pistachio Chocolate Fudge

Source: Pomegranate and Pistachio Chocolate Fudge

Holiday desserts don’t have to be all about pies and cakes. Your guests will dive right in to this Pomegranate and Pistachio Chocolate Fudge by Jennifer Strohmeyer. Pomegranate arils, pistachios, chocolate, peanut butter, and a hint of orange make for an unbelievable flavor combination and perfectly complement each other. When you bite into this fudge, the juice from pomegranate arils burst open with their natural sweetness, enhancing the flavors of the other ingredients. Seriously, prepare to have this fudge rock your world.

18. Pumpkin Peanut Butter Truffles

Source: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Truffles

You know how people say they’re stuffed and can’t eat another bite? Well, when you put out a platter of these Pumpkin Peanut Butter Truffles by Alexa Peduzzi, it’s guaranteed they’ll find room for another bite or two. With warming cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves,  rich, creamy peanut butter, cozy maple syrup, and homemade pumpkin-kissed chocolate, these will melt in your mouth.

19. Apple Galette

Source: Apple Galette

An Apple Galette may sound all fancy and intimidating, but it’s the most rustic dessert you could make. There’s no mold or baking dish required for this recipe by Alejandra Graf. The shape depends on how you choose to lay the dough. What could be easier than that? Nothing! Also, the dough is super easy to make and can be done by hand or in a food processor.

20. Raw Apple Pie With Almonds, Coconut, and Ginger

Source: Raw Apple Pie with Almonds, Coconut, and Ginger

Who says apple pie has to be baked? Traditional apple pie can be quite an effort to make, but this Raw Apple Pie with Almonds, Coconut, and Ginger by Kelly Fielding is very quick, easy, and delicious! Top it with fresh fruit or a dollop of coconut yogurt for a healthy and delicious dessert.

21. Poppy and Prune Cake

Source: Poppy and Prune Cake

This Poppy and Prune Cake by Judy Moosmueller is inspired by the beautiful German dessert called “mohnkuchen.” It’s chocolatey, fruity, moist, and a little nutty. Oh, and there’s a bit of rum in it too! Cover the cake in an elegant chocolate ganache frosting and you have a spectacular dessert on your hands!

22. Vanilla Madeleines With Chocolate and Pistachio Ganache

Source: Vanilla Madeleines with Chocolate and Pistachio Ganache

What will you say when your guests ask you which gourmet bakery you bought these Vanilla Madeleines with Chocolate and Pistachio Ganache by Clémence Moulaert in? Will you tell them that you made these beautiful and delicious cookies yourself? Will you share the recipe for the decadent chocolate pistachio ganache? It’s up to you; we won’t tell.

23. No-Bake Sweet Potato Cake

Source: No-Bake Sweet Potato Cake

Sweet potatoes are not just for side dishes. This super fudgy, rich, and dense vegan No-Bake Sweet Potato Cake by Evi Oravecz is such a treat! It’s perfectly sweet, super chocolatey, and extremely satisfying. It’s also quick and easy to make, requiring only four ingredients!

24. Matcha Green Tea and Mint Cheesecake

Source: Matcha Green Tea and Mint Cheesecake

This Matcha Green Tea and Mint Cheesecake by Tiana Haines is stunning. It combines the refreshing flavors of green tea and mint with a hint of chocolate. Set this down on the table and watch all your guests’ mouths drop open in awe. This dessert can make a tea lover out of anyone.

25. Classic No-Bake Coconut Lemon Tart

Source: Classic No-Bake Coconut Lemon Tart

This Classic No-Bake Coconut Lemon Tart by Josephine Watmore is a beautiful dessert that is deceptively easy. Who can resist the combination of lemon and coconut? We can’t, and neither will your guests – who will all be extremely impressed!

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!