Celebrate with these easy Thanksgiving dessert ideas for kids. From doable pumpkin treats to apple desserts and classic pies, these recipes are festive, delicious, and perfect for sharing with kids of all ages.
Each year I look forward to making a few of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes for kids—which, of course, includes desserts!
Each of these Thanksgiving dessert ideas is easy to make, full of cozy fall flavor, and just sweet enough to satisfy every age at the table!
I’m including recipes that can be made ahead of time, too, to ensure you can make them work with your schedule. Keep reading for yumminess including mini pumpkin pies, cranberry desserts, no-bake cheesecakes, pumpkin bars and cake, and more!
(You may also like my Easy Sugar Cookies, easy Christmas cookies for kids, toddler stocking stuffers, and Salt Dough Ornaments.)
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Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Naturally sweet with a slight crispness around the edges and an easy method, these cookies are a great Thanksgiving dessert idea to share with the kids.
Apple Oatmeal Cookies are a perfect fall (or anytime really) treat to share with the kids—whether or not you top them with an easy icing! These healthy cookies are low in added sugars and flexible for a range of food allergies, too.
Easy Apple Crisp
I am a huge fan of fruit crisps because they are so much faster than pie and every bit as delicious. And they are an easy way to make a dessert that feeds a lot of people with minimal effort—and the leftovers are just the most delicious breakfast.
Put those fresh apples to good use in this delicious and easy Apple Crisp. It features a simple method and quick baking time and is a great way to use freshly picked apples—or ones you have lingering in your fridge
Easy Applesauce Cake
This cake has double apple goodness from both applesauce and grated apple, and it has warm spices to complement the fruit flavor. It’s delicious on its own or you can top with Cream Cheese Frosting.
With two kinds of apple for the best flavor and a tender texture, this is our absolute favorite Applesauce Cake. It’s easy, stores well, and is just so delicious.
Cranberry Apple Pie
Bake up a tender and flaky double crust that’s bursting with fresh flavor and festive colors to share with the family. This is a delicious twist on a classic apple pie and has been a staple Thanksgiving dessert idea in my house since I was a kid.
With sweet-tart flavors and an easy method, this pie is perfect for the winter holidays! Use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe for the best results. Discard any that are blemished or shriveled.
Spiced Thanksgiving Cookies
With just enough sweetness from molasses and maple syrup for younger eaters, plus a really simple egg-free dough, these cookies are a holiday favorite.
With a super simple, lightly sweetened dough, these Thanksgiving Cookies are such a fun dessert to make and share with the kids. You can do any shape you prefer, though we’re partial to tiny turkeys!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip
This takes 5 minutes to make and is higher in protein and lower in added sugar than similar recipes.
With minimal ingredients, low added sugar, and the easiest method, this no-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip is an easy snack or dessert to share with the kids. It pairs perfectly with sliced fruit or graham crackers, too.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites (No-Bake)
With just 5 simple ingredients, you can make a yummy no-bake dessert to share with the kids—that’s actually easy for you to execute.
With minimal ingredients, low added sugar, and the easiest method, these no-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites are an easy dessert to share with the kids. Plus, you can make them ahead of time and stash them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
With lower added sugar than other similar recipes, an easy one-bowl method, and a perfectly spiced fluffy texture, these bars are truly delicious.
Pumpkin spice, tender texture, easy make-ahead option…these Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting really check all of the boxes. They make a great snack, dessert, or holiday treat to share with a crowd!
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
These are so impressively soft and light—and have a surprisingly small amount of added sweetener for how good they taste.
Light, tender, and bursting with cozy flavor, these Healthy Pumpkin Cookies are a yummy snack or dessert. (These fluffy cookies are not super sweet, so you can add 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar to the batter if desired. We like them just fine as is with the chocolate chips for sweetness!)
Mini Pumpkin Pies
We love our Easy Pumpkin Pie and sometimes like to make it in individual portion sizes because it’s just fun! This Thanksgiving recipe for kids is easy to mix up and easy to make, especially if you use refrigerated pie crust from the store.
There are times when it’s just more fun to have mini desserts and these Mini Pumpkin Pies are one of our favorites. They are perfectly toddler-sized and are a yummy option for Thanksgiving or any day!
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
These soft-baked cookies taste like mouthfuls of the most delicious Pumpkin Bread, in cookie form. They are made with just a few ingredients and are perfect to share with the kids.
These fluffy and Soft Pumpkin Cookies are soft and delicious, and they almost melt in your mouth. They take only 20 minutes to make and are perfect for Thanksgiving or winter holidays—or any time you have a craving. They’re particularly pretty with a sprinkles on top!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
With classic Cream Cheese Frosting and pumpkin spice flavor, these little beauties are fun to make with the kids (or on your own) and are perfectly pint-sized.
With a simple stir-together method, these easy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a perfect fall dessert to share with the kids! They have less sugar than similar cupcakes yet deliver big time on both texture and flavor.
Easy Pumpkin Cake
This recipe needs only a single bowl—no stand mixer required. There is also a full can of pumpkin puree in the batter, which means no concern about potential waste!
Pumpkin spice, tender texture, easy make-ahead option…this Easy Pumpkin Cake really checks all of the boxes. It’s a great snack cake, dessert, or holiday treat, too!
Easy Pumpkin Pie
The ingredient list is super short, and there is no need for electric mixers or special tools. Simply grab a bowl and a whisk and you’re set.
With a super short ingredient list and a method so easy the toddlers can almost make it on their own, this is our-go easy Pumpkin Pie. It’s reliable, delicious, and so easy.
Easy Sweet Potato Brownies
The batter comes together easily (and without any fancy equipment!), and the results are so fudgy-perfect. Yum!
Rich, fudgy, and secretly nutritious, these Sweet Potato Brownies are one of our favorite homemade treats. (Note: Plan to make the sweet potato ahead of time or use canned puree so it’s ready to go.)
Soft-Baked Sweet Potato Cookies
They can be made ahead, adjusted for allergies, and topped with a super simple frosting to make them extra special. And they’re a perfect way to use up leftover sweet potato puree.
Bake up an easy batch of Sweet Potato Cookies for a fun dessert to share with the kids for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any day of the week.
Sweet Potato Baby Cake
We often have this in the fall as a seasonal dessert to share with the whole family. It’s a great kid-friendly Thanksgiving recipe!
With an easy stir-together method and a naturally sweet flavor, this delicious sweet potato baby cake is the perfect cake for a first birthday. And as a sweet potato cake with cream cheese frosting, it’s also a festive holiday dessert or a treat to share on a day that needs it! (Plan to make the cake at least an hour before you want to eat it so it has time to cool.)
Butternut Squash Pie
We’ve been making Butternut Squash Pie for years now. It’s an easy dessert to make for the holidays, and we think it has better flavor than pumpkin.
Butternut Squash Pie is a family favorite in my house and this super easy recipe is perfect for the fall and winter holidays. It’s a delicious twist on a classic pumpkin pie and is so easy to make!
Frequently Asked Questions
Simple, familiar treats—like pumpkin bars, apple crisp, or mini pies—are always a hit. They’re easy to serve and just the right amount of sweet.
Yes! Most pies, bars, and cookies can be made a day or two early. Store them covered in the fridge or at room temperature, depending on the recipe.
No-bake recipes, cookie decorating, or mixing simple batters are great tasks for little helpers—and make the holiday feel extra special.
Best Tips For Success
- Check the Notes on each individual recipe to find the make-ahead information.
- If you have time and want to involve the kids, check my top tips to make baking with kids easier.
- Remember that honey is not safe for kids under age 1, but it’s okay to use after that.
