Outside of the meal itself, desserts play a pretty important role on Thanksgiving. Everyone typically isn’t satisfied with the just the Thanksgiving turkey and sides. There needs to be something afterwards to cut all the savoriness! This is where pies come in. It is essentially Thanksgiving tradition to have some sort of pie at the table, though that isn’t what the Pilgrims and Native Americans did. On the first Thanksgiving back in 1621, both groups didn’t have the resources necessary to make a pie crust, like butter and wheat flour. Instead, some early settlers would hollow out pumpkins and fill the shells with milk, honey and spices to make a custard of sorts, hence the start of the pumpkin dessert tradition on Thanksgiving!
You’ve got your turkey cooking in the oven, your sides prepared and on the table. Now its time to get your pie situation settled! Looking for the perfect pie or pies to have for your Thanksgiving dessert this year? Scrambling to get everything ready in time? Head to the store and pick up one of these top five pies before its too late! PS: You can also make a pie yourself if that’s your thing, if so, just get the ingredients together!
Thanksgiving Pies – Pumpkin Pie
When you think of Thanksgiving, of course the lovely oven-roasted turkey comes to mind, but right behind that is none other than the pumpkin pie. Traditional and a wonderful combination of delicious fall flavors, pumpkin pie is a must-have at Thanksgiving. Sweet and mild pumpkin mixed with warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger makes for an all around comforting dessert that will have your guests going back for a second slice. If you love to bake desserts, this recipe by Epicurious is a solid one that will be your go-to for years to come!
Thanksgiving Pies – Pecan Pie
A popular treat at most southern Thanksgiving dinners, pecan pie is one of those desserts that is a sugar overload, but in the best way possible. With all the yummy components of a dessert, i.e. butter, sugar, honey, and pecans, this pecan pie will be the perfect dessert to have after your Thanksgiving meal. Serve it up with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
Thanksgiving Pies – Apple Pie
Apple pie is the quintessential American dessert and perfect to have at Thanksgiving. It is comforting, simple, and delicious, all the qualities you need in a dessert after having a button-bursting feast. Fresh apples with a sugary, cinnamon syrup are baked into a delicious, flaky crust. For brownie points, serve your pie warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Your guests will be in heaven (or a food coma – one of the two).
Sweet Potato Pie
A personal favorite of mine is sweet potato pie. It has a different sweet flavor than pumpkin pie and I am always one to get several slices after dinner (and several slivers at nighttime when everyone is asleep). This recipe includes a graham crackers with a sweet potato base that is infused with deeply rich dark brown sugar and warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. I’m ready for my slice now!
Chocolate Cream Pie
When you combine chocolate and pie together, magic happens. Another favorite pie of mine is chocolate cream pie, there’s just so much deliciousness in this dessert. Chocolate Cream pie strays away from the traditional pies that one has at Thanksgiving, but if you love chocolate and are looking to spice up your dessert selection, this is perfect! For this one, creamy and deliciously smooth chocolate custard is put into a yummy pie crust. What else is there to say?
These are just some of the traditional pies to have at Thanksgiving but everyone has different tastes. What are some of your favorite pies to have at your Thanksgiving dinner?